Dog days.....

It is hot and fishing is slow, but now is the time to get ready for steelhead! This season I will be tying up lots of Czech nymphs for steelhead. Every year I fish this style more and more. For the great lakes steelhead angler, it is perfect. Simple, buggy, heavily weighted flies simply produce fish! Fly patterns I recommend include frenchies, the iron lotus, hot spot caddis nymphs. Get cranking on the vice because fall is almost here!
Tight lines

Coil leaders!

I got to fish a spring creek this weekend, and it was the perfect opportunity to fish a coil leader. I first heard of these from PA guide Lance Wilt, and then again from nymph guru George Daniels. These are constructed by winding a high viz leader material on a dowel rod, boiling it, then freezing it to set coils in the leader. To fish it, you attach the coil to the end of a leader, add tippet and then grease the coil. It rides high on the water, and detects strikes in slack water. When a fish strikes, the coil stretches out. It is best fished on suspended fish in slow water where a traditional indicator won't be sensitive enough. For more info, check out George's book Dynamic Nymphing. Just one more trick to have in the bag!

Time is coming to start getting ready for: Spring steelhead, saltwater season, trout and smallmouth! We have been busy! First up, we are headed to Casa Blanca to scout out a trip for 2013. My fish-sassin (I combined the words fish and assassin, how clever) fishing partner Matt G and I are headed out in the middle of March. In the meantime, it is time to start hitting Ohio for spring run steelies. Should be a good year, with plenty of water around to be sure! I love this time of year, we get to heal from the previous guide rush, and get ready for a whole new season. My goal is to wear the finish off of my vice jaws, and I think I might pull it off! Happy fishing to all and tight lines, we will keep you posted on the latest!