Steelhead Manifesto: 2016

Sunday, October 2, 2016

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Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Top 10 TIPS for Better Fish Pictures

Photo Credit Joe Princeton from JP's Guide Service

1. Hold the fish horizontal never vertical. Do not squeeze the fish.

2. Never put your fingers in the gills.

3. If your license or state allows you to keep a hatchery fish for consumption that’s your right and business. But Blood turns many people off and so does shots of stringer's or ropes hanging from the fish’s mouth. Why would you want to detract from the beauty of the fish?

4. Keep fish in the net or in the water for a quick photo if releasing fish. In some states, the fish must stay in the water. Check your regulations and laws. The longer any fish is out of the water the more damage to the fish.

5. Always use a flash to eliminate shadows. The extra light makes the fish and the angler pop and also show up better.

6. Have your buddy help you position the fish and make it look better to his or her eye. They can see what you can’t see, communication is important.

7. Try experimenting with different shot angles. Some angles will turn out much better than others. You will be happy you did try other shots. Take lots of photos with today’s technology you can take hundreds of shots in a day and edit or delete the ones that didn’t turn out.

8. If extending the fish to make it look bigger, keep in mind this is frowned upon by most. Instead, fill the camera lens if that’s the shot you’re after. Focus on the eyeball of the fish. This will give you a great shot every time.

9. Always take some scenery shots. Tell your story with your photos your friends and family will appreciate it more. Let’s not forget we visit some beautiful places to fish.

10. Always keep your camera dry and ready to capture that moment. If weather allows.

These tips are just my opinion and I’m no way an expert or a professional photographer. But I have taken over 5,000 photographs of fish. Hopefully you will find some of these tips useful on your next fishing trip. Enjoy the day and the fishing and don’t forget to share with all of us. Everyone likes looking at Fish Porn. PLEASE PRACTICE CPR. Catch, Photo and Release.

Thanks for stopping by and hope your Spring Fishing Season is nothing short of amazing.

Cheers

My kind of Plane.

Photo credit unknown?

She's a KEEPER!

Photo credit unknown?

MEMES

Dirty Good Tip

DIY

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FISH ON!

Friday, March 25, 2016

Preparation Meets Opportunity

What if I told you 80% of your FISH are caught from home? Many things can influence how much water a river gets every season. The rising river flow will impact the river’s clarity, the water levels and even temperature. Those factors can most certainly affect your fishing success, what tactics you use and where the fish will be. A quick rain shower or rain storms, snowmelt, openings of the dams, and even tributary activity will impact the current river conditions.

Here in Michigan, the winters of 2013 and 2014 were the worst in 130 years. Because of the abnormally cold water temperatures and the increased flows some rivers and creeks saw very few fish. Other rivers had better runs than years past. With runs, that lasted into June. Remember folks these fish do not have to run up the river. Only the right conditions will bring you a good steelhead run. Hence, why you need all the right info to help you predict where to fish and when?

Don’t even think of heading out until you have done your homework. At a minimum get the river-level information at least. In the springtime, that’s when conditions can change overnight, and blow everything out very quickly. By knowing what rivers are in shape to fish can save you a lot of grief and money. Just because you fished that river last year at that time doesn’t mean it will fish this time.

There are many Web sites like USGS and River Boss, and they are always updated. Take advantage of today’s technology and the use of your smartphone. I personally love to use the Fishead App. It’s the best $7.00 you will ever spend. Your favorite rivers can be programmed and everything is at my fingertips at a moment’s notice including the weather by the hour and moon phase.

By knowing the flows and the water temperature through a system you can predict how you fish and where. By checking NOAA’s National Weather Service and knowing the water temps in the Great Lakes you can actually predict when your favorite river will get a run of fish. Every river has its own run clock. If the river temps are warmer than the big lake temperatures and you have the right winds along with increased flows, means the fish are coming. Depending on when those events took place that will determine where the fish will be either high or low within the system.

Never been to a certain river? No worries now that you know when the fish are coming, your next search should be on google maps. Locate holes on your computer or right from your phone. Look for any dark holes, downed trees, boat launches or bridges. Where ever there is a bridge the fish will be there. Take advantage of technology and plan your trip from home. By knowing what’s going on before you even leave your house that will put you ahead of the game.

Bottom line you need a game plan before you even leave the house and remember Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Practice CPR Catch, Photo and Release!

Have a great Spring Run and may your landing nets always be heavy!

I WANT THIS! What say you?

MEMES

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Sunday, January 24, 2016

The Art of the Hero Drift

I have often said through the years fishing is a game of mathematics. The more water you can cover the more fish you stand to catch. It’s pretty simple math when you think about it. Many that have fished the center pin know there effectiveness.

If you’re covering twice the water as the angler next to you, then you should catch more fish right? What if I told you the answer could be a yes and a no? Most people think that answer should be cut and dry but it’s not. Any experienced guide who fishes for steelhead will get after his client for making hero drifts.

Why would he care you ask? Simple when you have too much line out, there is always a belly of line. When you set the hook your hook setting power gets absorbed by that belly in your line. Thus causing you, not to get a good hook set, or worse yet you educated the fish so he or she won’t bite again.

A guide’s job at the end of the day is more than just providing some great scenery but an opportunity at some fish. Most clients remember the fish they catch that make it to the net but try not to remember all the fish they missed or lost. That’s why guides don’t want you doing a hero drift. They want you to have a chance at hooking a fish not educating them.

If you don’t have the right gear yet or the skill level than a longer drift is not for you. You’re better off running a shorter drift and reeling in and repeating the process. Once that part of the run has been covered thoroughly then move down and repeat the process. Why educate the fish, that fish is not going anywhere yet. Those fish will be in that part of the run, when you eventually make down there to fish it. That’s when the bobbers go down and you say FISH ON!

RIVER ETIQUETTE

Let’s say you have the right gear and skill set for a longer drift, but you have other anglers in the run. That’s where you can help all center pinners out by showing some river etiquette.

This subject alone has given the float reel gang a bad rap. I spin, pin, swing and pull plugs for steel. I have had it happen to me myself. A guy 100 yards away and his float comes drifting by me. Some may think it’s funny but it’s not. As anglers we are all there to enjoy the resource.

So let’s show some respect to one another. The guy with a center pin that shows up at a crowded hole and then tries to hero drift his way around the hole will find his line cut.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about gear and when it’s ok to make longer drifts. Let’s say your fishing on a weekday and the river has little traffic but your time is limited that day. On a short day trip you need to cover a lot of water in a short amount of time.

Now is the time to practice that longer drift, and cover the river thoroughly and then move on. What’s beautiful about this technique is you’re presenting the offering far enough away from the fish so you’re not spooking them with the sand, silt and noise. That’s why if at all possible always wade upstream. This can be deadly especially when fishing for over fished fish or your in ultra-clear low water. You’re covering lots of water thoroughly and undetected from a far.

Gear

Now to practice a longer drift you need the right gear. One of the most important things you must have is a longer rod. One that’s long enough to pick up that line off the water quickly for mending or for the hook set. A 9 ft. rod verses a 13 ft. rod is no comparison when presenting a longer drift. My personal favorite rod length’s depends on the stream but I prefer an 11-13 foot.

Next piece would be a High Viz Mono or one of the floating lines. That can be easily seen from a distance. You need to know if you have a belly or not in your line. That belly will slow your drift. The bait must keep perfect time with the cadence of the river. The fish know what current speed is and they know what speed that food should be traveling down the current at. When you get that belly in your line, no worries today’s floating mono’s or nylon super lines allow you to mend with ease with very little disturbance to the float. The longer rod is a must.

The actual float and cap color you use can also help big time. Not all float manufacturers are created equal, especially the paint they use on the tops of their floats. Trust me with my aging eyes I have seen it firsthand. I prefer to use the raven floats with bright orange tip top tubing or the Drennan floats. They use the right amount of fluorescent colored paint on the top of the float for me to see. The float needs to pop and stand out for greater distances.

THE KNOT

Lastly I highly recommend you consider Snelling your knot to the hook. Most guys tie an improved clinch knot which will allow the knot to move around the eye of the hook and this creates friction. With friction comes leader failure, thus resulting in an educated fish that was lost.

Plus by Snelling the knot creates some incredible leverage. At longer distances you need all the leverage you can get to steer or turn that fish away from wood, etc. As you can see with the right gear you can stack the odds in your favor for a longer drift with the right set up.

Lastly I would like to point out that this technique needs to be used with caution and common sense. If a bow hunter who only practices out to 30 yards should not attempt a shot at 60 yards. But with the right equipment and practice that is possible with today’s modern archery gear.

You owe it to the fish and other anglers to practice some river etiquette when you extend your drift. Do so within your means and skill set. But there is no doubt when using and perfecting the extended drift at the right time this will equal more fish. There’s NO denying the math of it all. Cover more water, and present a drag free drift and that will translate into success. Get out this winter there’s a steelhead in the run waiting for you.

WINTER TIME MAGIC ON THE MANISTEE RIVER

MEMES

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Sunday, January 10, 2016

CALL to ACTION

ATTENTION MICHIGAN FISHERMEN:

We have a HUGE statewide political battle and we need your HELP. I received an email on a call to action and I will paste below.

Our state has a coalition made up of the (MSSFA, TU, MUCC, MEC, MCBA, Anglers of the Au Sable). Luckily for us they have began efforts to provide Senator Jones with sub language to his SB 526 that bans aquaculture on the Great Lakes and connecting waterways, which would have preserved existing aquaculture operations with stricter regulations on treating waste and flow through water.

This would have increased the chances of SB526 passing. Then, in planned confederacy, the Senate Republicans, Booher, Robertson, Shirkey and Casperson and House Republicans introduced bills (SB’s 681, 682 & 683) that virtually rewrite the “Michigan aquaculture development act” passed in 1996. Reps. Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) and Triston Cole (R-Mancelona) put forward an identical package to Booher's in the House with HB 5166, HB 5167 and HB 5168.

These bills are devastating to our lakes, streams and rivers and threaten wild fish and our sport fishery’s ability to co-exist. If you read the bills (and you should) there are numerous changes that remove regulations and oversight of these operations.

The most egregious are: Shifts rulemaking power to the Dept. of Agriculture and Rural Development and away from DNR and DEQ; circumvents the Public Trust Doctrine, interposes a Right to Farm piece; allows up to ten net pens on the Great Lakes; removes the ability of townships to impose authority over the operations (Right to Farm); riparian rights are impaired, tribal rights via treaty are trampled on; bottom land use at no charge; and sport fishing license statue being amended so they can collect wild fish and put them in their aquaculture facilities (Taking of Fish).

Read the paragraph ABOVE one more time. You should be alarmed and must do your part to make your voice heard. All fishermen need to ban together and fight this. Stay tuned to this blog and I will keep you posted on any developments. I urge you to contact your representatives to make your objections known and YOU MUST ask them to do their part in defeating these bills.

A FEW FISH FROM THIS PAST WEEK