# Michaeledward...



## Makalakumu (Sep 3, 2006)

I thought you might be interested in this...


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## michaeledward (Sep 3, 2006)

Nice Fish! 

Is that a rainbow? Looks like in the first photo. 
How late were you fishing? Here in New Hampshire, we can fish until 2 hours after sunset. I think there a a couple of places that allow fishing for Brown's later than than.

You got me jonesn'. I have been out for a couple of weeks, and the last time I was out, I caught bass - yuck.


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## HKphooey (Sep 3, 2006)

Nice fish!  Here in Connecticut we are finally get rainbows back in the Farmington River.


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## michaeledward (Sep 3, 2006)

HKphooey said:
			
		

> Nice fish! Here in Connecticut we are finally get rainbows back in the Farmington River.


 
Why have there not been bows in the Farmington? Tempurature? I thought the Farmington was a Brown Trout habitat.


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## Makalakumu (Sep 3, 2006)

michaeledward said:
			
		

> Nice Fish!


 
Danke!



> Is that a rainbow? Looks like in the first photo.


 
Nope.  This is the biggest brown that I caught last night.  My friend caught one that was even bigger!  His was pushing 30 inches!



> How late were you fishing?


 
We started fishing around 8 pm and finished around 1:00.  We would have stayed later, but a storm was moving in and my raingear was up in the van.  Also, my headlamp was starting to run out of juice.  Last night was part good fishing and part comedy.  



> Here in New Hampshire, we can fish until 2 hours after sunset. I think there a a couple of places that allow fishing for Brown's later than than.


 
Now that is just too bad...:uhyeah:   

Up here we can stay up all night if we are crazy enough or have enough coffee or don't have two little kids that will get you out of bed at 6:00 am regardless of how late you were out the night before.  

Anyway, the river we were fishing is called the Bois Brule and it flows into Lake Superior, so it takes runs of big browns, steelhead, and salmon every fall and spring.  I hit it pretty regularly in both of these seasons and lately, its consumed any time I would have normally devoted to hunting.  Fishing or trout is so damned fun I can hardly stand it!

The section of the river that we are fishing closes Sept 30th because the thing is filling up with these big lake run fish...so basically, the fishing just keeps on getting better from here on out!  Typically, I'll head out with my flyrod and fish the largest poppers or mouse-looking fly I can find or, if I'm feeling lazy, I'll bring out my spinning gear and fish black hula poppers, black jitterbugs, or black/gold or black/silver jointed rapalas.  Whatever you fish has to be big because its dark and the fish are big.  

The best nights are when its cloudy and rainy and very little natural light because then the fish basically strike at anything rolling across the surface.  The strikes are absolutely magnificent.  Imagine grabbing a dinning platter big enough to serve a turkey and heaving it into the water!  That is what is sounds like with a 30 in to (goddess forbid!) a 40 in Brown nails a surface bait.  Sometimes, the fish are so active out there that it sounds like an army of beavers are slapping their tails.  

And then there is always the chance that you'll nail a big chinook...it's only happened to me once and I never saw the fish because it spooled me.  



> You got me jonesn'. I have been out for a couple of weeks, and the last time I was out, I caught bass - yuck.


 
I thought I'd catch yer interest with these little beasties... 

And, don't feel to bad, I start school on Tuesday, so my fishing plans are going to be on hold for a week or two.  I'll be praying for rain though...

And don't be knockin on the bass!  I did real well up in the BWCA this summer.  I released a 26 inch smallmouth in Crooked in July...that was a big fish.  And, if you can believe it, THAT fish had fresh tooth marks on it!


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## Makalakumu (Sep 24, 2006)

Got another one for ya...


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## michaeledward (Sep 24, 2006)

That ain't too bad ... is that a brown too? 


I was out on a little two acre fly fishing only pond this morning. Managed to get one nice 15" brookie. Straight from the hatcher. It was very difficult to bring any in this morning. 

Next week, my fishing buddy and I have our final trip to the 'North Country' for the year. Most trout waters close 10/15 in New Hampshire.

It has been a soft year for me. I really didn't get out too much this year. Just one 10 day trip up north ... and a few trips to the local rivers. But they haven't produced very well this year. 

I'm really looking forward to next week.


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## Bob Hubbard (Sep 24, 2006)

Nice fish.  Been years since I went fishing....been dying to go on a real weekend fishing trip for years, since I read the works of Robert Traver. *sigh*.

Michael, catch a few monsters and post the pics.


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## Makalakumu (Sep 24, 2006)

michaeledward said:


> That ain't too bad ... is that a brown too?


 
Yeah, its a brown.  I wish I would have gotten a closer shot.  This fish was really pretty.  It's a lake-run brown from Lake Superior, so it is still very silvery.



> I was out on a little two acre fly fishing only pond this morning. Managed to get one nice 15" brookie. Straight from the hatcher. It was very difficult to bring any in this morning.


 
Brookies are my favorite trout to target.  I love their colors, particularly in the fall.  Every once in a while we'll get a Coaster (a lake-run) in the river or along the shore.  Those fish will go 2-3 lbs.



> Next week, my fishing buddy and I have our final trip to the 'North Country' for the year. Most trout waters close 10/15 in New Hampshire.


 
Bring a camera and post some pics of your best fish!  It'd be cool to see some scenery too!



> It has been a soft year for me. I really didn't get out too much this year. Just one 10 day trip up north ... and a few trips to the local rivers. But they haven't produced very well this year.


 
As the kids have gotten older, I've been able to get out a little more.  Otherwise, the last few years have been really soft.  We'll have alot of good fishing all through the fall and through the winter up here.  In October, I'll be hitting the rivers to steelhead.  In November, I'll be able to toss spoons into the big lake for Lake Trout and Coho Salmon.  Once freeze up hits, I'll be able to fish Chequamegon bay for a big mixed bag of Smallmouth bass, walleye, lake trout, salmon, brown trout and steelhead.  

Ice fishing is going to be really fun this year.  My little girl is old enough to come out and is always begging me to go fishing.  She caught her first lake trout through the ice last winter.  It ran about two pounds and tasted really good in the oven.


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## michaeledward (Oct 3, 2006)

A kind note toward the President of the United States. 

President Bush signed the "Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act' either yesterday or today. The Partners organization has been around for close to twenty years. They work extensively with private land owners to restore and maintain habitat for migratory birds and native fish populations. In signing this Act, the President requests that $75,000,000.00 annually be appropriated to assist with this program; for the next five years. 

Of course, a Presidential request does not mean the funds will be appropriated. And the private land owners involved, quite probably are of substantial means already. But, any action taken to increase the visibility of the importance of our indiginous species is a benefit.

Hoping to see that money follow the statement of intent.


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## michaeledward (Oct 10, 2006)

Hey ... I"m back. 

It was a bit slow for an autumn trip. Between the three of us, I think we brought perhaps 25 fish to the net. Most were yearling rainbows, running about 10 to 12 inches. Dave and I both caught a respectable brook trout, the photo of mine is attached. This fish is my quarry. They are the most beautiful animal on the planet, I think. Just absolute jewels. And when it is autumn, spawning colors, hooked jaw, and over 14 inches, a true trophy.

Of course, there is always the story of the one that got away. I hooked and played this monster fish. At first, I thought it was a big brookie, but the colors weren't right. The colors looked more like a salmon, but it didn't fight or run like a landlock. Also, it was fat, not the usual torpedo shape. I retrieved the fish to my feet. I was pulling my camera out of my vest, and the fish fidgeted. I managed to snap a photo, but you can only see a portion of the shape. And then, it shook itself loose. 

As I think about it, I figure it had to be a lake trout. It fought like a laker. But, it was maybe two miles away from the lake. And the river flows were very low. It was big ... maybe 20+ inches, I'm guessing it would have run 4 pounds or so. Of course, that is not big for lake trout, but when you think you have brookie, that's huge.

Anyhow, here's the one I caught that was worth taking a photo of. Dave snapped this picture from the bridge under which he was caught.

I have, perhaps two days of fishing locally before the season ends.


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## Makalakumu (Oct 10, 2006)

That is a gorgeous fish, Michael.  What river were you fishing and what lake could the lakers have been running out of?

You should see the "Coasters" we see north of these parts on Lake Superior.  They have a bit more silver mixed in and they tend to run rather big, with two to three pounds being common.  I fished these up by the Nipigon river a few years ago.  Awesome.  Just awesome.


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## michaeledward (Oct 11, 2006)

We fish the Connecticut River, near its source.

Back in the early 1800's, the boundary of the United States and Canada was set to be the source of the Connecticut River. So if you look at a map of New Hampshire, you see where the river starts, the border with Canada.

There are several deep lakes at the headwaters of the river. Damns were built for regulating water flow and power generation. The 'First Connecticut Lake' has a bottom release, which keeps the river tempurature very cool all summer long. I can fish for trout below this damn in mid August. I caught my first lake trout last summer right below this damn. 

About five miles downstream, is 'Lake Francis', another big, deep lake. The landlock will run up from both these rivers in the spring and fall. Below lake Francis, there is about another 20 or 25 miles of good trout water, but I don't fish that stretch often. After that, the river warms up and slows down, and becomes more of bass, perch & pickrel environment.

I have heard of big 'Salter' brook trout. I would assume those are like your 'Coaster' fish. Would be fun.


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## Makalakumu (Oct 11, 2006)

michaeledward said:


> I have heard of big 'Salter' brook trout. I would assume those are like your 'Coaster' fish. Would be fun.


 
Those are similar, however, coasters are actually their own sub-species.  Right now, they are rare down in my parts, but they are more common up north.  Down here we have too many steelhead...not such a bad thing!


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## Brian R. VanCise (Oct 11, 2006)

Nice fish guys!  I love to go fishing with my boys as they think it is the greatest thing ever.


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## Makalakumu (Dec 3, 2006)

I just got some pics back (finally) from a steelhead fishing trip I took this fall.

This series shows Lake Superior as we were leaving in the morning, the Brule River as we walked down the trail, and myself right after we had a quick lunch on the shore.


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## Makalakumu (Dec 3, 2006)

This next series shows my catch of the day...

The first two are steelhead that I released.  They both were roughly the same size.  I caught them on back to back casts with a gold #3 Mepps.  The fishes' silver color fades as they spend more time in the river.  We call these guys Chromers, which means they just started their run. 

The third is a salmon that I brought home for dinner.  There is nothing better then freshly caught and grilled coho...


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## michaeledward (Dec 3, 2006)

Gee, those are some nice fish. 

You've got me itchen for fishin'. We have some water that is open all year long here in the Granite State, but I'm not certain where its legal to fish this time of year, and where it is not. So, my gear gets packed up when most of the water closes on October 15th. 

We've had a couple of days that hit the mid 60's this past week. I understand that there was a bit of activity on the water, and some trout actually taken in those open rivers. 

The official opening day for most of the water in New Hampshire is January 1. I am hoping to get to the Newfound River this year. It's a tiny little river that is supposed to be pretty busy on January 1. All of the addicts who haven't fished in the prior 75 days make the trip, if it is passably warm. 

So ... do you wade that river, or drift it?


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## Makalakumu (Dec 4, 2006)

In my neck of the woods, there isn't much fishing action.  Right now, its pretty much wait for ice up.  Sure, I could go and pitch spoons into Lake Superior and maybe pop off a steelhead, laker, or coho, but it is damn cold.  We are looking to start getting below zero tonight and it doesn't look to get any better until April.

With that being said, I'm looking forward to ice fishing.  My daughter was asking me, on the way to dance class, when we could go ice fishing.  She's five and last year, she caught her first fish through the ice on her barbie rod, so she's hooked.

Anyway, about the Brule, when I fish, I usually wade.  My approach is to cover lots of land and fish the fishy looking spots.  Although, when the waters muddy, I'll pretty much gun everywhere until I get something.  

The Brule is an awesome river to float though.  The upper reaches have a number of rapids that can be quite fun and the lower reaches broaden out and flatten out into your classic trout stream.  

I'll be hitting the river in the spring quite a bit...


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## Makalakumu (Jan 21, 2007)

Well, I got back from Briar Lake today.  This is a little trout lake way up in the boondocks.  I took my daughter for the opening weekend festivities this year.  The snow was gently drifting down and we had a fine ole time.


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## michaeledward (Jan 21, 2007)

Awesome video ... 

Next weekend, my wife is having some sort of gathering of women at the house .. I'll have to find someplace to else to be. If the sun is shining, I might put some nymphs in the rivers.


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## Makalakumu (Jan 22, 2007)

Where ever you go, takes some pics and post them.  Even though winter fishing is kind of slow, I love the scenery.  One warm days in the winter, I sometimes head down to the Brule with some weighted nymphs in order to chase residents.  One time, the snow was drifting down between the knobby bare limbs of the trees against a grey backdrop sky, it would have been the perfect black and white picture.

BTW - the fish we caught was a rainbow.  It was one of two that we caught that day.  Both of them came home with us for dinner.  I always check the stomach contents of fish that I fillet.  My daughter was really into that this year.  We found that they were eating minnows!


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## mrhnau (Feb 20, 2007)

upnorthkyosa said:


> Yes, please, lets get back to fishing and fishies...


I've got to take my wife sometime... she has never been. Parents have a pond w/ Largemouth Bass and we are not far from the beach... love some good Spot


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## Makalakumu (Feb 20, 2007)

mrhnau said:


> I've got to take my wife sometime... she has never been. Parents have a pond w/ Largemouth Bass and we are not far from the beach... love some good Spot


 
Hey, if you go out, takes some pics and post them here!  I love fishing for Largemouth.  When I lived in central MN, I could fish them more, but now, in NE MN and NW WI, we have more smallmouth bass up here then anything else.  Nothing wrong with that!


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## Brian R. VanCise (Feb 20, 2007)

I enjoy fishing like everyone else and have even ice fished here in Michigan. (who hasn't)  However I was driving to the airport the other day to pick up my in laws and as I passed a lake I saw someone squatting and ice fishing.  No shanty, no chair, no nothing.  I came back through five hours later and he was still there.  That person is what I would call a fishaholic or fishaddicted!


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## mrhnau (Feb 20, 2007)

Brian R. VanCise said:


> I enjoy fishing like everyone else and have even ice fished here in Michigan. (who hasn't)  However I was driving to the airport the other day to pick up my in laws and as I passed a lake I saw someone squatting and ice fishing.  No shanty, no chair, no nothing.  I came back through five hours later and he was still there.  That person is what I would call a fishaholic or fishaddicted!



Nice  The only kind of ice fishing we could do here is if you bring your own ice tea!

I'd like to try it one day... need to go a bit further north for that though!


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## Makalakumu (Feb 22, 2007)

We have been on our winter break up here and guess what I've been doing other then doing TSD? 

The following pics are from my successful outings!  

The first is from yesterday.  My brother and I drove out to Bayfeild, WI in order to fish on Lake Superior.  The ice is good out there and the Apostle Islands usually have higher fish counts then we have here in the Duluth/Superior area.  It was damn nice out yesterday.  We had a southwest breeze and warm temps...it got all of the way up to 41 and I didn't even need to wear my coat!

The first pic is of Bayfeild in the winter time.  It's a neat little town.
The next is of me and my set-up.
The third is of our catch that day.  Yeah, we caught one splake...a hybrid between a brook and lake trout.  

It's going into the pan sometime this weekend.


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## michaeledward (Feb 22, 2007)

I looked at the pictures first ... and wondered what I was looking at. Those are definately brook trout spots, but that tail is totally wrong. Salmon don't spot up like that ... 

A Splake you say. Looks like a nice meal.

I was in Ann Arbor this week, and it was awfully warm out.

I'm chompin at the bit over here.


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## Makalakumu (Feb 22, 2007)

Today, I went out to Chequamegon Bay on Lake Superior.  Ashland Wisconsin is nestled right at the bottom of the bay and Washburn is about halfway up.  We tried around Washburn and didn't catch a thing.  The scenery was pretty, though.

When we went to Ashland and fished shallower, we started catching.  The following pics are of my fishing buddy, the smallmouth bass I caught, and the coho salmon I caught.  The bass went back down the hole and the salmon is going in my stomach tomorrow night.  Those darn things are the tastiest bit of meat we have around here.  

Throw them on the grill with a little butter and some pepper and you've got yourself a kingly meal!


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## michaeledward (Apr 6, 2007)

I went out to the river this past weekend.... H2O was about 40 degrees. A bit too cold for trout.

But, I was posting some photos of my other toys on the Weapon thread. I thought I would post this toy here. Actually, this may be my retirement plan. 

This is the 150th Anniversary bamboo fly rod from Orvis. They made 49 of these 'Wes Jordan Era' rods last year. Somehow, #1 out of this limited production ended up on Ebay a couple of months back. Sometimes, I have more money than brains.

I will NOT go bushwhacking in some of the backwood rivers I fish with this rod. But I do plan to fish this rod in the local Trout Only ponds.


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## Carol (Apr 6, 2007)

Whoa......thats gorgeous


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## Makalakumu (Apr 6, 2007)

If I owned something like that and broke it with my typical boneheaded manuevers, I'd probably cry and need therapy afterward...Casting that one has got to be primeval.


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## michaeledward (Apr 6, 2007)

upnorthkyosa said:


> If I owned something like that and broke it with my typical boneheaded manuevers, I'd probably cry and need therapy afterward...Casting that one has got to be primeval.


 
Which is exactly why it won't go up to the rivers with me. Our freestone rivers are pretty slippery, even with studded felt. I have quite a few chips in my T3 rod from slipping and falling. 

So, hopefully, I'll catch a few brookies at the pond ... nice sandy bottom for wading, no current.

And in a few years, throw it back on ebay and exchange for a trip to Patagonia, or maybe a guided trip through the Boundary Waters


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## bluemtn (Apr 6, 2007)

Nice fishing rod!  If I had something like that, I'd be very careful with it, too.


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## Dave Leverich (Apr 6, 2007)

Now you've done it Michael!
Heh, tomorrow morning I must go fish with the kiddo.


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## terryl965 (Apr 6, 2007)

Very nice, can I have them? Just kidding


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## Makalakumu (Apr 7, 2007)

michaeledward said:


> Which is exactly why it won't go up to the rivers with me. Our freestone rivers are pretty slippery, even with studded felt. I have quite a few chips in my T3 rod from slipping and falling.
> 
> So, hopefully, I'll catch a few brookies at the pond ... nice sandy bottom for wading, no current.
> 
> And in a few years, throw it back on ebay and exchange for a trip to Patagonia, or maybe a guided trip through the Boundary Waters


 
I have two cheap fly rods that I've been learning with for the past six years.  The main river I hit is not a picnic when it comes to wading.  The good thing is that when I do go swimming, I'm pretty good at NOT falling on my gear.  Also, Mike, if you get out to my place, I'll bring you into the BWCA...MT special $0.00.

Of course, you might have to touch a spinning rod...


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## Makalakumu (Apr 7, 2007)

I'm on break this week, btw.  Therefore you can probably expect this thread to be updated by myself sometime.  The steelhead are running in the rivers and the only thing that stand in the way between me and them is the Easter Bunny.


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## mrhnau (Apr 8, 2007)

Michael, nice rod... think you can catch one of these with it? LOL!


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## bydand (Apr 8, 2007)

upnorthkyosa said:


> I'm on break this week, btw.  Therefore you can probably expect this thread to be updated by myself sometime.  The steelhead are running in the rivers and the only thing that stand in the way between me and them is the Easter Bunny.



You are killing me here!!
Eat the offending Bunny, break out the rods and post some photos.

I'm frozen over yet, the State of Maine wouldn't know what a Steely was if it bit the Governor, and I'm a displaced Steel addict.  Grew up on the Pere Marquette River in Michigan and miss the good Steel runs as well as the great King Salmon runs.   Graduated HS in Sault Ste. Marie, MI and still think Lake Superior is the nicest body of water on the planet, nasty when it wants to be, but still beautiful in a deadly way (you know what I am talking about!)


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## bydand (Apr 8, 2007)

michaeledward said:


> I went out to the river this past weekend.... H2O was about 40 degrees. A bit too cold for trout.
> 
> But, I was posting some photos of my other toys on the Weapon thread. I thought I would post this toy here. Actually, this may be my retirement plan.
> 
> ...



WOW!  Very nice.  Thanks for making me drool all over my new keyboard.


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## michaeledward (May 6, 2007)

So, I finally got out on the water today. And all my favorite rivers produced nothing. I was really amazed. I know these two rivers quite well, and can usually produce acceptable results from either. But, today, starting at dawn (5:34 AM) through noon-time, I got skunked. 

So, I made my over to one of the Fly-Fishing Only trout ponds. Just so I could catch a fish. (These ponds are heavily stocked, have limited harvest rules, and because most fly fishers are catch and release they have the highest catch rates in the state). 

My first trout of the season was a little 8" brookie on a mini-deceiver (this is a deceiver pattern I tied for fresh water). I managed to catch another little brookie on a dry fly. And then this one. A parachute adams. Normally, I don't keep the trout for the table, but this fish is my dinner this evening. 

I did not use that fancy bamboo rod today, but this was caught on an Orvis T-3 5wt I own. 

Oh, yeah, one more thing, I visited the Orvis flagship store, in Manchester Vermont, on Friday. It's very neat. Everything you see in their catalogs; plus a Rod Factory, Outlet Center and Tent sale. It is kind of in the middle of nowhere, but, if you get lost in Southwest Vermont, it's worth a visit, I think.


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## michaeledward (May 6, 2007)

Hey John, 

I'll be in Madison, Wisconsin later this month on business. While I will have to work through the day, I may get an evening or two to throw a fly at some water. Do you know of any water in that area? I'll be combing through the Wisconsin DNR web site for any trout waters. But, if you have any inside information, that would be helpful. I know it is quite a bit South from where you are, but . . . 

Mike


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## Makalakumu (May 6, 2007)

Well, Mike, you're in luck.  My in-laws are from Madison, so I know the fishing of that area quite well.

There are alot of great trout streams in southern to south eastern Wisconsin.  The Black Earth Creek, Mount Vernon Creek, and the Sugar River are going to be the most accessible for you from Madison.  This is my recommendation.

http://www.cross-plains.wi.us/black.html

Great fishing here.  Classical farmland stream.  The WiDNR has taken alot of steps to prevent erosion and preserve this fishery and the numbers of fish are way up.  The best part about it is that you can get on the water in 30 minutes.

What dates are you going to be in Madison?  It's possible that I could arrange to go and visit some family and sneak off for some fishing...


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## michaeledward (May 6, 2007)

I'm flying in on Monday the 21st and out on Friday. 

At least one of my evenings is spoken for, dinner with a former colleague ... but I'm not sure which night yet. 

Thanks for the tips.


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## Makalakumu (May 6, 2007)

michaeledward said:


> I'm flying in on Monday the 21st and out on Friday.
> 
> At least one of my evenings is spoken for, dinner with a former colleague ... but I'm not sure which night yet.
> 
> Thanks for the tips.


 
Shoot, that's too bad.  I'll be working, in fact, I'll just have came off of a BWCA trip that I brought some students on.  At least, we'll be able to share pics.


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## michaeledward (May 17, 2007)

Yesterday morning, I took the Orvis Bamboo out to the local FFO trout pond for its first cast. 

In a couple of hours, I brought a half a dozen fish to hand. Most were caught on a parachute adams. But, I did land a couple of a mini-deciever. 

As I said earlier, this rod won't see a lot of time on the water. But, it was a pretty nice rod. I caught a couple of rainbow trout that worked the rod a bit.

I have a graphite Thomas & Thomas 4 weight that has pretty similiar action - as I recall - I haven't fished that rod yet this year. 

Next week --- I'm going to hit the Black Earth Creek with my Orvis Frequent Flyer --- which is a much stiffer rod.


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## michaeledward (May 24, 2007)

upnorthkyosa said:


> Well, Mike, you're in luck. My in-laws are from Madison, so I know the fishing of that area quite well.
> 
> There are alot of great trout streams in southern to south eastern Wisconsin. The Black Earth Creek, Mount Vernon Creek, and the Sugar River are going to be the most accessible for you from Madison. This is my recommendation.
> 
> ...


 
So, I hit the Black Earth Creek near Salmo Pond on Monday, and then again, a bit further downstream on Tuesday - by South Valley Road - the to of the C&R stretch. And both days I got skunked. I haven't been skunked two days in a row in years. On Tuesday, a couple of guys coming off the water told me they did land a few fish. But, I haven't seen any caught. 

Now, it is a very differet type of water than I usually fish. First, it is very small. Second, I usually fish pocket water, and this river has more riffles and runs than I am used to. But, Jeesh. I have been fishing mostly with dry flies ... elk wing caddis, small comparaduns, blue dun, light cahills. I did try a bead head nymph. My thoughts are that I am arriving a bit too late in the day. I have seen a few rises, but as the evening progresses, I see fewer of them. 

I'm going to try again tonight. If you have any additional tips, they will be appreciated.


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## Makalakumu (May 24, 2007)

What time are you getting there?  I usually have best luck right around sun up or sun down.


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## Makalakumu (Jul 12, 2007)

I discovered the antithesis to flyfishing.  Enter the Cowbell.  And this just so happens to be one of the best trout lures I've come across ever!  When I was gone on my last vacation, I happened to get some time to go fish a secluded trout lake in the BWCA.  It takes a while to get there, but it's well worth it once you do.

Anyway, I heard from some of the locals that these monstrosities were catching some huge fish, so I decided to give it a try.  I also brought my fly tackle because I was sure that the god aweful thing wouldn't work.

Boyo, was I wrong!  I usually get a few 12-15 inch trout every time I go to that lake.  When I dropped the fricken discoball over the side, I ended up landing a 26 inch brown, a 24 inch rainbow, and a couple of others that easily pushed 20 inches.  Jebus Crispie!

All of this has got me thinking, where else can I use this damn thing.  And then it hit me, I've got to take it down to the Brule.  The fly fishing gods will strike me down I know, but I've got a particular spot in mind and if fished during a particular time of year, a 30 + inch brown isn't out of the question.  

So, Michael, please forgive me come late august and I start posting pics of some pretty amazing fish.  I think you should know the truth of the matter before I get embarressed and claim they came on divers or something less rediculous.

Keeping it honest...


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## michaeledward (Jul 12, 2007)

Looks like somebody created five 'droppers' off a rooster tail. 

I don't think it is my cup of tea, but for some, it is about catching the big fish. Interestingly, I have Lake Ontario boat tour planned in early September for some Salmon / Browns. Perhaps I'll pick up one or two of these to throw at the end of the rod. 

Honestly, even fishing off the boat is going to be wierd. How do you fish without your feet getting wet? I just don't understand it.


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## michaeledward (Sep 7, 2007)

I just spent a couple of days on Lake Ontario with some of the folks from the studio. I got two kings yesterday, and lost my hook-ups today. The Captain told us the fish are scattered about pretty good from a Southerly wind. 

We boated 9 yesterday, and 7 today, all told. This was the second biggest fish of the two days. One of my colleagues got one a 20% bigger today. 

This one was about 18 lbs. And he was not caught on a fly rod.


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## Makalakumu (Sep 7, 2007)

michaeledward said:


> I just spent a couple of days on Lake Ontario with some of the folks from the studio. I got two kings yesterday, and lost my hook-ups today. The Captain told us the fish are scattered about pretty good from a Southerly wind.
> 
> We boated 9 yesterday, and 7 today, all told. This was the second biggest fish of the two days. One of my colleagues got one a 20% bigger today.
> 
> This one was about 18 lbs. And he was not caught on a fly rod.


 
Holy CRAP!!!

Now, that would fill a freezer for a long time coming.  May you BBQ for a long time coming with that fish.

Sorry, I don't have anything comparable right now.  Hopefully, after tomorrow night, that will change.  I'm heading out to a local river that takes a good run of lake run browns and I just have a feeling that a 30" is out there just waiting to take my hook.

And I will be using a flyrod this time...

Black poppers, about as big as your thumb.  Stuff that would work for Muskellunge.  I heard through the grapevine that those were the ticket...


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## bydand (Sep 8, 2007)

MIchaeldward,

Nice King!  If you are looking for a bit different way to prepare the bugger, here is the best I've found.  Even my pickest son (Who normally doesn't touch fish) will ask when I'm going to make some more.


> *
> Maple Smoked Salmon:*
> 
> INGREDIENTS:
> ...



I perfer a mix of 2/3 apple and 1/3 hickory chips in the smoker.  It gives a light smoky flavor that goes well on Kings, and Steelhead.


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## Makalakumu (Sep 22, 2007)

Well, I'm going fishing for the weekend.  My favorite trout stream just received a lot of rain and there should be a lot of lake run browns, rainbows, and salmon in the river.  And the water is warm enough that they all should be active and should take faster moving presentations.  I'm going by myself and camping for the night.  Which is not something I've been able to do for years since we've had kids.  This should be exciting...


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## michaeledward (Sep 22, 2007)

Good for you. 

I spent three and a half days in the North country this week. The river was awesome. My buddy and I managed to bring to net well over 100 fish; mostly brook trout and rainbows. 

We didn't catch any of the 'big fish' this year ... which in this river is the 18" - 22" variety ... but we managed more than enough in the 15" - 16" range to be exceedingly pleased with our fishing skills. 

Of course, it is a competition between ourselves, and animals with a brain the size of a pea.

Oh well.

Have fun.


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## Makalakumu (Sep 23, 2007)

Well, it was a fruitful day and night.  I caught one steelhead about 23 in and two browns.  One 21 in and the other about 26 in.  Here are some pics of the big one.  Man, it was nice to get off by myself.  Good fire, good food, good thoughts.


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## michaeledward (Sep 23, 2007)

Nice fish.

Still can't get over that fishing at night stuff you get to do out there. It is two hours after sunset for us, in most rivers and lakes here. I have occassionally fished until I was fishing by sense of hearing alone. But that is tough.


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## Makalakumu (Sep 23, 2007)

Last night was really tough.  The moon was about 3/4 and the sky was clear, so it was BRIGHT out.  Many fisherman I know will usually wet a line just to say they did and then head to the bar.  In fact, I got there at 7:30 and people were already leaving.  By 9:00 pm everyone was gone but me.  

The problem is that the water is so clear, so any bow wave from wading, no matter how miniscule, the fish pick up and move out.  Last night, I discovered that the trick was to stand as still as a post and cast as delicately as possible.

With this particular fish, I could hear it munching on the surface, but it was too far out of casting range for me to reach.  So, when I moved, I literally had to INCH closer.  It was like moving every muscle in my body separately in order to move as SLOW as possible.  In about 30 min, I was in range and I started cast at it.  

On the third cast, BANG!


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## michaeledward (Sep 23, 2007)

That is a jointed rapala in its mouth? 

I used to use those for bass all the time. Back in my hardware days, I once caught a trout on a rapala. It was in one of the northern Vermont rivers .... the Lamoille, maybe. I really didn't expect to catch anything where I was .... but the river was on the side of the road, so I stopped. Usually, when fishing for trout with spinning gear, I was a Rooster Tail guy. 

My fishing buddie used to get so mad at me, because I could put my rooster tail on a dime, across 45 feet of river. He hated my accuracy.


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## bydand (Sep 23, 2007)

Just a quick question you two.  I know your preferred method is fly, but do you use any crankbaits at all?  I spotted the lure as well and thought I would ask.  I use both, but actually suck wind as a flyfisheman because I just haven't put in the practice time.


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## michaeledward (Sep 23, 2007)

Scott, I think I still have a spinning rod around here somewhere. And there may be a Zebco 202 kit from when the girls used to pretend to like to fish. But, except for that Boat Trip earlier this month, I haven't fished with anything but a fly in probably eight years.

I have nothing against bait fishing or hardware fishing, but the challenge of fly fishing is just a blast for me. 

This past week, we hit a section of the Upper Connecticut that is open to all types of fishing. It is not a section of the river I have fished before. Dave and I spent four hours in this stretch, and did not hook up a single fish between us. We both had some strikes, and I saw some fish following my fly, but zero luck. This kicker is, some guys came down to the river with their spinning gear, and caught dinner, and released a few back into the river, while we struggled with our streamers, drys and nymphs. 

It was amusing, and a bit ironic, because 15 years ago, Dave and I were the hardware guys, showing up and catching fish under the noses of the fly fishermen on the Winooski river in Vermont.


And, as for practice with a fly ... I really think you don't need it too much. What you really need is to learn how to drift a nymph down the river. Presenting a size 18 blue winged olive to a feeding rainbow across some tricky currents, of course, does require practice ... but you'll catch far more fish, and have more fun, putting on a size 12 beadhead pheasant tail and presenting in with a Quarter Down and Across technique -- flip the fly directly toward the opposite bank, and let the current pull the fly downstream ... when the 'swing' stops, let it sit in the current for a few seconds ... repeat until you limit out.


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## bydand (Sep 23, 2007)

I'll have to give that a solid try this Spring.  The blasted State of Maine closes rivers and streams so early to fishing I have to wait until the thaw next Spring to get my feet wet.


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## Makalakumu (Sep 23, 2007)

michaeledward said:


> That is a jointed rapala in its mouth?
> 
> I used to use those for bass all the time. Back in my hardware days, I once caught a trout on a rapala. It was in one of the northern Vermont rivers .... the Lamoille, maybe. I really didn't expect to catch anything where I was .... but the river was on the side of the road, so I stopped. Usually, when fishing for trout with spinning gear, I was a Rooster Tail guy.
> 
> My fishing buddie used to get so mad at me, because I could put my rooster tail on a dime, across 45 feet of river. He hated my accuracy.


 
That is a jointed rapala.  I'll throw it out and vary the retrieve from creeping in across the surface to just swimming it at a slow rate.  In certain situations, they are the choice _par excellance_ for trout.  On dark moonless nights with clouds and a slight mist, you can even get away with a size 13.  Those are the best days to fish at night because there is almost no light and the real big ones get hungry.  My biggest was a 31 in monster.  I took it five years ago on the last weekend in september...which is closing day for that particular section of the river.  

As far as flycasting goes, on some nights that will far out produce spinning tackle.  Large black mouse patterns, poppers and divers work.  The same stuff a guy would use for pike.  And on really dark nights, you need to fish flies that are really huge!

Check this out...







That bad boy is 8 inches long!


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## Makalakumu (Sep 23, 2007)

bydand said:


> Just a quick question you two. I know your preferred method is fly, but do you use any crankbaits at all? I spotted the lure as well and thought I would ask. I use both, but actually suck wind as a flyfisheman because I just haven't put in the practice time.


 
I fish to the conditions.  When spinning out produces fly tackle, then I'll go spinning.  When fly tackle has the best presentation, I'll go with that.  The thing about the Brule and Northern WI is that water temps can take a dive really quick and you couldn't get a trout to crack its jaw for hardware if your life depended on it.  However, if you can drift a fly and wade without spooking fish, you will SLAM them.  During the peak steelhead run up here, the only good fishing is flyfishing.

As far as crankbaits are concerned, I don't use them for trout.  Even a #5 dives too deep and too fast.  They don't work as well in current.  When I come to a deep and slow pool, I'll fish one of these...






These are called flatfish and actually, these colors are about right.  Fish them slow and through the center of the pool.  If you hit a twig or a rock, the shape of them lets them float out of the snag really easily.  That's usually when you get hits.


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## Makalakumu (Sep 23, 2007)

michaeledward said:


> And there may be a Zebco 202 kit from when the girls used to pretend to like to fish.


 
  My little ones still beg me to go fishing.  They were sad when daddy said he was going to by himself.  So I promised to take them next weekend.

Twist my arm...



> I have nothing against bait fishing or hardware fishing, but the challenge of fly fishing is just a blast for me.


 
And then there's the mystique.  One of the things I liked about New Zealand was that many of the best trout streams were flyfishing only.  This tended to keep the vulgar elements of society out.  

Unfortunately, I only had my 5 weight travel rod with me...which really sucks because the average fish pushes 2-3 kg.  And that is doubly unfortunate because I couldn't even get a rise on a fly so I never got to test my noodly rod.  

I did see a few though.  



> This past week, we hit a section of the Upper Connecticut that is open to all types of fishing. It is not a section of the river I have fished before. Dave and I spent four hours in this stretch, and did not hook up a single fish between us. We both had some strikes, and I saw some fish following my fly, but zero luck. This kicker is, some guys came down to the river with their spinning gear, and caught dinner, and released a few back into the river, while we struggled with our streamers, drys and nymphs.
> 
> It was amusing, and a bit ironic, because 15 years ago, Dave and I were the hardware guys, showing up and catching fish under the noses of the fly fishermen on the Winooski river in Vermont.


 
The opposite thing happens around these parts.  Sometimes the only way you can catch fish is with a fly.  There is nothing more subtle when the fish are spooky and the water temps are cold.



> And, as for practice with a fly ... I really think you don't need it too much. What you really need is to learn how to drift a nymph down the river. Presenting a size 18 blue winged olive to a feeding rainbow across some tricky currents, of course, does require practice ... but you'll catch far more fish, and have more fun, putting on a size 12 beadhead pheasant tail and presenting in with a Quarter Down and Across technique -- flip the fly directly toward the opposite bank, and let the current pull the fly downstream ... when the 'swing' stops, let it sit in the current for a few seconds ... repeat until you limit out.


 
Mike, how good of a nymph presentation do you have?  Some of the best fisherman up here are nymphers and they can get that nymph down too the deepest holes in the river.  They always seem to pull up the biggest pigs too.


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## michaeledward (Sep 23, 2007)

upnorthkyosa said:


> Mike, how good of a nymph presentation do you have? Some of the best fisherman up here are nymphers and they can get that nymph down too the deepest holes in the river. They always seem to pull up the biggest pigs too.


 
Actually, I suck at nymphing. I so much prefer to use a dry. But, nymphing produces fish. Where we were, in the morning, we have to be subsurface. By 10:00 AM, if it is warm enough, you can switch over to a dry. Most of the time in our New England Free Stone water, the fish are not overly selective. We are primarily a caddis fly area, but there are always a few mayflies around. If you are at the right size, it often doesn't matter which pattern you are using; color might affect the number of strikes, but size is most important.

My fishing buddie far out classes me when it comes to presenting a nymph. This past week, he caught the best fish of the trip with an un-weighted San Juan worm, just sort of flipped in the still water in front of a structure, not a foot from shore. The fly was just sitting there, sinking very, very slowly, and out comes a 16"+ Brook trout.

My best fish in that river was on a bead head pheasant tail, with an extra split shot added right at the eye of the hook, to get it down. A dead drift through the pool resulted in am 18" brook trout. (Not this trip, last fall).


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## Makalakumu (Sep 23, 2007)

michaeledward said:


> Actually, I suck at nymphing. I so much prefer to use a dry. But, nymphing produces fish. Where we were, in the morning, we have to be subsurface. By 10:00 AM, if it is warm enough, you can switch over to a dry. Most of the time in our New England Free Stone water, the fish are not overly selective. We are primarily a caddis fly area, but there are always a few mayflies around. If you are at the right size, it often doesn't matter which pattern you are using; color might affect the number of strikes, but size is most important.
> 
> My fishing buddie far out classes me when it comes to presenting a nymph. This past week, he caught the best fish of the trip with an un-weighted San Juan worm, just sort of flipped in the still water in front of a structure, not a foot from shore. The fly was just sitting there, sinking very, very slowly, and out comes a 16"+ Brook trout.
> 
> My best fish in that river was on a bead head pheasant tail, with an extra split shot added right at the eye of the hook, to get it down. A dead drift through the pool resulted in am 18" brook trout. (Not this trip, last fall).


 
Shoot, cuz I was going to try and pick your brain.  It seems that both of us are in similar positions...

Those are big Brook Trout btw.  I've never caught one over 12 inches.


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## michaeledward (Sep 24, 2007)

upnorthkyosa said:


> Shoot, cuz I was going to try and pick your brain. It seems that both of us are in similar positions...
> 
> Those are big Brook Trout btw. I've never caught one over 12 inches.


 
Yes, they are big. All of them are hatchery raised fish. A native brook trout in this area, would be a trophy if it was 9". We have very few, if any, naturally sustaining populations left in New Hampshire. There are a handful of rivers that Fish & Game does not stock at all, in hopes of keeping such, but I don't know how it has been working.

I caught one brookie on this last trip, that looked to have been spawned in the river .... all the fins were full and clear (hatchery raised fish often are beat up in the raceways, and fins clipped for future surveys) ... colors were brighter than usual, and no other indication of living in cement. That fish was about 7" to 8". It sure was pretty. 

For 'big native brookies', you have to go North ... far North.


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## bydand (Sep 24, 2007)

That is one thing I'll give this area, there are some spots where you can pull a 16"-24" non-clipped and bright brookie.  The largest Brookie I ever caught was caught in a stream I could almost jump across and only 16-18" deep in most places.  Right at the mouth laying under a giant log in a hole that was a couple of feet deep, it was the one place I actually could reach with a flyrod and not look totally inept.  Mouth of "Halfway brook" entering into the "Little Madawaska River."  Other good big brookie waters here if you ever travel, would be the Fish River system throughfares and lakes.  I wish I could get out again this fall.  I miss fall fishing.


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## Makalakumu (Sep 29, 2007)

Check out this one.  I got it last night!


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