Hot Shooting On A Cold Day!

The fishing weather finally caved in, so JD and daughter Leah opted for a goose hunt instead. Here are the results from a New Year's Eve morning shoot with John and Jason from Crooked River Guide Service. These guys do all the work, have the spots scouted out, and sing sweet goose music. This was Leah's first goose hunt and she bagged her two birds, one of which was banded. Think we can get her to wear the band on a necklace?

Solid Chrome- Size XL!

Dog friend, Jeff Liskay, shows an oversized chromer- his largest Ohio fish this year. The big female hit the tape at 331/4" x 191/4" and scaled out just under 151/2 pounds before being released. The fish hit a swung tube fly of his own design.

A well-known angler, Jeff travels the Great Lakes region to feed his steelhead need and was recently appointed as a Patagonia Fishing ambassador.

Happy Birthday Doc!

Dog friend Doc Fred Brindle spent his 65th birthday on the water with JD and The Fishdog. Doc had some hot fishing on a cold NE Ohio day. Here's one of a number of Lake Erie steelies that were eating egg flies.

The Perfect Wading Shoe?

As we all know, there is no wading shoe on the market that is perfect under all conditions. The Sticky Rubber version of Patagonia's Riverwalker Shoe comes pretty close. The sole on this shoe grips effectively on a very wide range of bottom substrates. It has has great lateral and front to back support along with solid heel and toe protection. It is the lightest "hard use" shoe on the market and made of materials that have little water absorbtion, so the addition of water weight is minimal. Great for long treks to your favorite steelhead holes when there is snow on the ground!

In totally gnarly conditions you can strap on a pair of Korker's sandals and minimize the "cinder block" shoe syndrome found with heavier wading shoes.

Stop Commercial Sale of Permit in Florida!

Those of us who have had the privilege to fish for and catch permit know their value as a top saltwater gamefish. Please go to Bonefish & Tarpon Unlimited (http://www.tarbone.org/) and sign the petition that will be submitted to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to give permit gamefish status and prohibit commercial sale.

The mission of Bonefish and Tarpon Unlimited is is to support research, education, and conservation of flats gamefish. Thanks to Damon Bungard for the permit photo!

The Bridges of Ashtabula County

In addition to great steelhead waters, Ashtabula County has the most covered bridges of any county in Ohio. The longest covered bridge in the U.S. was completed several months ago at Indian Trails Park over the Ashtabula River. The Selmen-Gulf Bridge stretches over 600 feet across the valley and rises almost 100 feet above the river. There is great hole right under the bridge!

Ashtabula River in the News

The Ashtabula River recently received status as Ohio's 14th State Scenic River, with the dedication ceremony taking place this past October 30. The Ashtabula has quietly emerged as a top-notch steelhead fishery despite the fact it has not been stocked. At the dedication JD and dog friend, Will Turek, got an opportunity to talk steelhead flies with ODNR director Sean Logan.

Boa tubes

Here's an assortment of Boa Tubes. It is a multi-species/multi-function pattern. Boa yarn is available at many craft stores and is available both solid and multicolored.

Tube: Eumer 13mm or 17mm Ballhead Tube, with liner and junction

Tail: Marabou or Arctic Fox body

Body: Boa yarn, also called eyelash yarn

Topping: Sparkle Scale Flash

Head: Ice Dub or Palmer Chenille

For steelhead, I like the length of the ball tube and junction to be 1 1/2" to 2". The Daiichi #1640 in size 2 is the perfect hook for this pattern.