A Different Intruder

Here are a few color variations of my new favorite pattern, The Niagara Intruder. I learned this fly from Canadian Niagara River guide, Paul Castellano a few weeks ago while spending a day on the water with him. We caught lakers, browns, and steelhead on this pattern, both stripping and swinging. The fly is quick to tie, durable, and will catch just about anything- perfect for guide work!

The Niagara Intruder

Thread: UTC 140

Hook Loop: 30 lb. braid or .018" nylon coated wire

Shank: Medium Flymen Articulated Shank or 3x-4x long hook

Eyes: Barbell-style

Hackle: Wrapped marabou

Wing: Rabbit strip with Mirror Flash or Krinkle Mirror Flash on top

Head: Estaz, Cactus Chenille, Sparkle Chenille

Planked Salmon

My good buddy, Ted Kellogg from Ashton, ID has been doing unique fish (and waterfowl) paintings/carvings for a number of years. I got an early Christmas present from him when this Atlantic salmon showed up at my door. He works on cedar planking and adds eye, mandible, fins, and tail separately. Ted's work is amazing- individual painted scales & spots, great color blending, with just enough added artistic license. This fish is 29" long.

Ted is a retired Forest Service fish biologist and his last project was an inventory of the native cuttthroat trout populations in the Targhee National Forest. His art is for sale at The Trouthunter in Island Park, ID, and he also does private work.

Swinging the Niagara!

Lake-run brown trout are found across much of the Great Lakes and often take a back seat to steelhead, the glamour fish. After spawning, browns will begin to feed heavily and quickly regain the weight and fight they lost during spawning. This fish, and a number of others, crushed a swung fly in the lower Niagara River while I fished with Paul Castellano. A good test for Scott's new L2H 12'6" 7-wt. and a 520 gr. SA Intermediate Skagit Extreme line.

Fly Fishing Outside the Box

Meet Paul Castellano, a guide on the Canadian side of the Niagara River and maybe the only guide in the area who encourages fly fishing. I just returned from fishing with Paul and we did everything from swing flies, to fish indicators, to strip streamers in the Niagara and Lake Ontario for steelhead, browns, and lake trout. Here Paul holds up a mega-sized larry (lake trout) that smashed his baitfish pattern at the mouth of the river in shallow water. The lake was dead calm with drizzling rain and the lakers were busting bait on the surface in 10 feet of water. Pretty awesome stuff! Get a hold of Paul for some fly fishing outside the box!

Late-Season Bronze

Got a grab from a late-season smallie while swinging an olive strip leech. The warm weather has brought water temps in the low 50's during the day, plenty warm for smallmouth to stay active. Not the target species on this day, but welcome any time.

Workin' Off The Turkey

Did a little post-Turkey Day river walking with a couple of my neighbors. Didn't find the pack of chromers we hoped for, but managed to get a few nice fish checking out some new water. Here Mr. V goes mano a mano with good-sized Chagrin River buck that grabbed a pink egg. The fish was successfully landed and released.

They Now Call Me Lefty.......

OK, we've all been there, grabbing gear in a dark garage and packing it in the car for a 5:00 AM departure to the river the next morning. But when you get there something isn't quite right when you go to wader up. Damn shoe isn't fitting right. Upon closer inspection, this is what you see. Your buds get a big laugh and you get a sore right toe, plus end up walking around in circles all day.

All Smiles!

Capt. Austin Aducci wrapped up his season on the south end of Lake MI and the Kankakee River in Illinois and headed east to sample some Lake Erie steelhead. He was able to team up with Fishdog friend, Jeff Liskay, for some clear water fishing on PA's Elk Creek. Austin and Jeff found fish willing to grab black stone nymphs fished in fast water pockets. Looks like the guys were having a little fun!

A Helping Hand!

Canadian fly gal, April Vokey, gives a quick fly tying lesson after her presentation at last Saturday's Fly the Alley event. Bringing beginners into fly fishing, especially young beginners, was a goal of the event and a number of youngsters were there with their parents. As with all outdoor activities, youth particpation is critical for them to continue. Positive role models are important to attract young folks. April is a great role model and ambassador of the sport to beginners and experts alike.

Fly the Alley this Saturday!

Just a reminder that the Fly the Alley event will be at the Geneva State Park Lodge in Geneva, OH, this Saturday, November 12, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. The best things about NE Ohio will be featured at the event- fly fishing for steelhead and Ohio wines! Very special guest April Vokey, will be joined by local experts- Jeff Liskay, Greg Senyo, and Will Turek, giving presentations on fly fishing for steelhead. There will be gear to check out and wine to taste, with products for sale by top local vendors and wineries!

Remember The Titan!

Scientific Anglers new Textured Titan Taper line has proved to be one of the biggest surprises of new gear for the coming year. The line has proved itself to be extremely versatile. I have been using it as a multi-tip streamer line with great results. The 6-wt. Titan weighs in at 210 gr. I have been adding either 12 ft. of T-10 to get deeper or a 120 gr. clear, slow sink Spey tip to fish just below the surface. At a little over 300 gr., this set up casts well on an 8- or 9-wt. rod. The line itself is great to turn over indicators and shot. The Textured finish makes the line usable in a very wide range of temeperatures. Maximum versatility is the advantage of this line.

Surf Side Silver

Between last weeks gale-force winds and the remnants of a nasty late-summer algae bloom, Lake Erie water condtions have been terrible. Yesterday's forecast was for calm and sunny, so Jeff Liskay and I set off to search for some decent water to pitch streamers in the surf. We hit a number of tributary mouths on the east of the lake with good results. Sun and good surf fishing rarely go hand in hand, but yesterday they did. Steelhead were cruising the edge of the dirty lake water and clear tributaries. We hooked a number of fish on flashy, multicolored streamer paterns fished on intermediate tip lines.

Salt to Fresh

Traverse City, MI, area guide & friend, Russ Maddin introduced me to one of his favorite patterns to target large, migratory predators along the Great Lakes shorelines. The Flash Deceiver is a creation of saltwater angler, Mark Sedotti. Russ adds his own twist moving the barbell eyes far forward on the hook eye to get a bit more motion out to of the fly. This pattern is a great addition to any fly box destined for Great Lakes use. Very simple recipe:

Hook: Short shank & strong

Tail: Use your favorite flash materials and keep long

Wing: Bucktail with peacock herl topping

Belly: Bucktail

Eyes: Barbell style

April in November!

It's going to be April in November..........along with a group of the top anglers and guides from Steelhead Alley. Just a reminder about the Fly the Alley expo being put on by the Ohio Wine Producers at the Geneva State Park Lodge on November 12. The event is to highlight the fly fishing and vinticulture of northeast Ohio's wine country.

April Vokey will be a featured guest along with local pro steelhead anglers Jeff Liskay, Greg Senyo, and Will Turek. There will be casting and tying programs along with displays of the latest in gear. There will also be wine and cooking programs and displays for non-angling friends. For complete info go to http://www.flythealley.com/.

Where It All Started

Attempts were made to stock Pacific salmon in the Great Lakes at various times starting in the late 1800's. The present salmon fishery in the Great Lakes started in Michigan's Platte River in 1966 when coho were introduced as a predatory species in hopes of the exploding alewive population. Chinook salmon were introduced a year later and the rest, as they say, is history. Here is a group of fish waiting behind the Platte River weir where some will be collected for eggs and others allowed to pass into the upper river.

Jon Ray of Mangled Fly Media recently did a short video on fly fishing for king salmon in Grand Traverse Bay. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hVH8JnDcjk

Superior Steel

Here is a magnificent Lake Superior steelhead caught by Capt. Leo Wright while on a recent exploration of the Michigan shoreline. This surf cruising chromer smashed a streamer just outside a small rivermouth and put up a memorable, acrobatic battle before being released. All across the Great Lakes, even the smallest tribs will attract fish in the Fall.

Superior Silver

Had a chance to spend a couple days with good friend. Capt. Brad Petzke of Rivers North Fly Fishing in the Marquette, MI, area and sample some of the fall fishing. We fished rivermouth and harbor areas and had a lot of fun with Lake Superior coho. This is just another of the many fly fishing opportunities found throughout the Great Lakes.

A Variation on a Theme!

Here is a variation of my (not so)famous Meat Wagon streamer that I have been tying and fishing this summer. This version is a bit simpler and quicker to tie, and easier to cast on lighter rods as the sheep hair really reduces in size when wet. The result is less weight and air resistance, making it easier to cast, still great movement and life in the water. Give it a try!

MW II Streamer

Hook: Your choice, #4 - #4/0 (Daiichi 2546 and 2451 are my faves)

Tail/Wing: Icelandic Sheep, mix in Krinkle Mirror Flash (this stuff rocks!). A little bit of bucktail in front on top and bottom of hook (to keep sheep from fouling when cast).

Topping: Olive or black holographic Flashabou

Head: 3-4 wraps of Schlappen with Palmer Chenille in front

Eyes: 3D, glued on

King Time!

Looks like king salmon are on the feed and Platte Bay is the place to be! Michigan guide, Kelly Neuman, shows a just caught this evening big silver king that hit a Glow Pig streamer. There is a pretty narrow window for getting kings on flies in the lakes and timing is everything for success. When you are on the water almost everyday like Kelly, the odds swing in your favor.

Shallow Water King

Western Michigan is experiencing its best run of salmon in many years. All of the rivers are filling with fish with more on the way. MI guides, Capt. Jon Ray and Russ Maddin took a morning recently to wade and throw flies in Lake Michigan's Platte Bay. Lake kings may be the hardest Great Lakes fish to consistently take on a fly. The change in the weather had kings ready to grab and Russ hooked and landed this solid, silver fish.

First Smallie on the Fly!

Had a chance to do a float with good dog friends, Mike Schultz of Schultz Outfitters and Florida Keys guide and Ross/SA pro, Capt. Bruce Chard. Schultzy put Chard and myself on an unending supply of river smallmouhth who were on a late-season feeding binge. In spite of over 20 years of chasing the big 3 down in the Keys, Chard had never caught a smallmouth on a fly. Here was his first connection- a solid river fish to start the day!

An Award Winner!

My good friend Martin Bawden of the Flymen Fishing Company received two "Best of Show" awards at the recent International Fly Tackle Dealer Show. The first, for the Best Fly Tying Material and Equipment went to the new Sculpin Helmut that was rleased at the show. This weighted head brings a whole new dimension to tying creepy, crawly, bottom hugging patterns. Sculpin, gobies, madtoms, and even crabs can be imitated with the Sculpin Helmut that is available in two sizes and colors.

Spey Testing

Dog friend Spey junkie and Patagonia Fishing Ambassador, Jeff Liskay, does an evaluation of Scott's new L2H, 11'6" 8-wt. switch rod. The L2H rods feature an innovative blank technology that helps to reduce torque. This give a smooth transfer of power and increased stability when change of direction is made. Components are top grade with Super-grade cork, TiCh reel seat and TiCh stripping guides with SiC inserts.

Teamed up with both a 400 gr. SA Scandi Extreme and a 440 gr. SA Skagit Exteme lines, the L2H 1158 is a rocket launcher with plenty of reserve power. It is feather-light in hand and gets a double thumbs up from the casting geeks.

A New Era in Wading Technology!

Patagonia opened a new chapter in wading technology with the first public showing of the River Crampon and the Rock Grip Aluminum Bar Wading Shoe at the International Fly Tackle Dealer Show. Both items were the brainchild of Patagonia founder, Yvon Chouinard. In fact, the original River Crampon prototypes were built in the Tin Shed in Ventura, CA, where Chouinard built climbing pitons.

The River Crampon and Wading Shoe incorporate a series of aluminum bars which increase the contact area and provide a sure-grip on rock, cutting through any snot or slime present. If you have ever put an aluminum canoe up on a rock and had to get it off, you'll uderstand.

With over a year in testing, both products have been used on some of the most treacherous wading areas there are- Montana's Madison River, the Ponoi River in Russia, and both the Dean and Skeena Rivers in British Columbia. They will be available January 1, 2012.

New Lines from Scientific Anglers!

This is the first of a series of posts highlighting new products from the just-finished International Fly Tackle Dealer Show in New Orleans. Top fly fishing manufacturers were on hand to showcase new products for the 2012 season.

Scientific Anglers introduced a number of new lines into their Mastery Textured series. Textured lines feature a dimpled finish that reduces friction and surface tenison. This allows the line to be cast farther with less effort and float higher, allowing for easier line pick up and mending.

The Textured Streamer Express lines handle easier in a wider range of temperatures with reduced tangles when lying on the floor of a boat. These lines also feature the SA ID system where the name and weight are printed on the line.

Silver Bullet

Dr. Jamie Mathias holds a fresh silver char/dolly just in to feast on sockeye eggs. Most of the ones we caught were in this size rnge and they hit beads, swung streamers, and even dry flies. The arrival of sockeye salmon in the Naknek lake tributaries starts a feeding spree for all species present. Bears also timed their arrival to coincide with the sockeye.

Dolly or Char? Does it Matter?

All of the fish species on my Alaska adventure were fun to catch, but perhaps the one(s) I found most interesting were the char and dolly varden. Depending on who you talk to: 1) they are the same fish, 2) small ones are dollies, big ones are char, 3) dollies spend their whole life in freshwater, char drop into the ocean and then follow the salmon in.

Regardless, they are amazingly strong for their size and trying to unhook one was like handling a wiggling popsicle. Some we caught were bright silver, in the rivermouth at Naknek Lake, with ascending sockeyes. At another spot, they were in from the salt and a ways upstream already with spawning king and chum salmon. these fish started to color up.

Here Dr. Allen Carnes holds a sizeable specimen just in from Naknek Lake and showing a touch of color. In this cold, harsh environment these fish may only grow an inch or so a year, so this one has a been around for a while.

Ya Gotta Like Pike!

Pike are well distributed at lower elevations throughout the sub-Arctic areas of the north to the Great Lakes. At Naknek River Camp, several sloughs just off the main river and close to camp provided good pike action for a quick fix before breakfast or after dinner. A big, bright streamer got vicious hits from pike of all sizes. Don't forget the bite guard as these toothy critters will easily slice through regular mono.

Char Time!

Another fish unique to the far north is the Arctic char. This relative of the brook trout spends time in larger bodies of water and then follows salmon in to their spawning areas to feast on eggs dropped by salmon. Char then spawn after the salmon are gone. Like steelhead, char are a bright silver when they first enter tributaries and then they color up as spawning approaches. Here is a chunky specimen taken during a fly-out to a tundra river. Aggressive feeders and strong fighters, we caught char on beads, dry flies, and swinging streamers. Naknek River Camp arranges fly-outs to a number of different locations for interested anglers.

Another Species Off the Bucket List

Grayling are another "must catch" species for any angler making their first visit to the far north. They rise readily to dry flies often coming right out of the water when they hit. A big specimen is 20" long and we managed to get several in that size while fishing one of the tributaries to Naknek Lake. No photograph can do justice to the array of colors that grayling show. They are an assortment of purple, gold, green, pink, and almost any other color you can think of.

The Classic Bear Photo

Part of the week at Naknek River Camp includes a trip to Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park to view brown bears up close and personal. The trip is done by the camp's motor launch, so you can travel in weather that grounds float planes. Brooks Falls is where many of the photos and movies of bears catching salmon are made. Thousands of sockeye salmon ascend the Brooks River from Naknek Lake to reach their spawning grounds and stack up at the falls. Bears target this area for an easy meal and the big alpha males get the prime feeding locations.

Back from the Last Frontier

Just returned from hosting a trip for Mad River Outfitters to Johnson's Naknek River Camp near King Salmon, Alaska. What a week! Caught 5 species of salmon- pink, sockeye, chum, silver, king, plus rainbows, grayling, char, and pike.

The folks at Naknek River Camp did a great job keeping everyone on fish and well fed. Accomadations are pretty simple, but you are in close access to some of the best fishing that Alaska has to offer at a very affordable price. Some great fishing is right in front of the camp! My buddy Steve Ketz, caught this 30" rainbow right at camp and we landed a bunch of fish 16"-20" there, too. For more pics of the trip go to the Mad River website- www.madriveroutfitters.com

A Tiger Strikes!

I received this photo from Capt. Brian Mezaros of Great Lakes Fly Fishing. It is a tiger musky taken by one of his clients on a recent guide trip on Lake St. Clair. Although most tigers are hatchery bred by crossing a musky with a northern pike, they do occasionally occur in nature. As Lake St. Clair does not recieve any musky stockings, we can assume that this is a natural hybrid.

There is plenty of great musky action ahead, in fact it is really just getting started. Much of the best musky fishing is in August, September, and through October. Plus, there will still be plenty of hot smallmouth action. Get in touch with Capt. Brian for a great trip!

The Lakes Are Great!

The on-going fly fishing tour of the Great Lakes continues. My most recent stop was with Capt. Leo Wright on the northern tip of Michigan's lower peninsula. Capt. Leo has just relocated up north and is offering a variety of fly fishing outings to anglers. From his base he can quickly access the prime waters of both Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. One of his his specialties is shallow water sight fishing. Here Capt. Leo shows a hefty "golden bone" taken on a Lake Michigan flat.

A Sunny Day at Sunnybrook!

Had a chance recently to host Ohio's recently retired Senator George Voinovich and his son along with Western Reserve Land Conservancy VP, Leah Whidden and family for a morning at Sunnybrook Trout Club near Castalia, OH. Senator V is a long-time fly fisher and helped to establish Ohio's steelhead trout program back when he was governor. The Western Reserve land Conservancy is heavily involved in greenspace preservation across northern OH.

Doug Lamb, the owner of Sunnybrook gave a tour of the Club and an interesting narrative of the club's history. He has a great facility along with a bed and breakfast on site, The Farrell House Lodge. A special double-dog "woof' of thanks to Buck Juhasz and Al Thomas for their help.

Book Research Continues!

Had a chance to get up to Chequamegon Bay and spend a day with Capt. Roger Lapenter. This little corner off Lake Superior has some of the hottest smallmouth action anyhwere. Despite recent rain and wind that discolored the water, we were able to pull some big smallies out of pretty skinny water. Much of the action was top water, which made it even better!

The Lakes Are Hot!

In spite of ongoing weather issues, fly fishing around the Great Lakes has been very productive. A recent Lake St. Clair adventure with Capt. Brian Mezaros of Great Lakes Fly Fishing produced numerous smallmouth bass and a nice northern pike as a bonus. High winds limited our fishing areas, but Capt. B was able to produce plenty of fish.

Great Lakes Golden Bones

Carping activity will move into high gear across the Great Lakes area over the next few weeks as the fish complete spwning activities and begin to feed regularly again. Carp are one of the hardest fish to fool consistently with a fly. They provide great sport to a growing segment fly fishers who target them as they cruise the shallows looking for food. Nick Pionessa of The Oak Orchard Fly Shop took this handsome specimen from the upper Niagara River at Grand Island, NY.

Great Lakes River Mouths

You can find fish cruising the mouths of tributaries entering the Great Lakes all year long. Species may vary depending on the time of year, but nearly all will hit a fly. The best time to fish these places is at sunrise as these shallows have had a chance to settle out from the previous days activity. A stealthy approach and a baitfish pattern on a floating line can get surprising results.

Skullduggery?

Here are some additional pattern variations incorporating Fish Skulls. The top three are based on my Meat Wagon streamer, while the bottom two are classic Deep Minnows incorporating Skulls instead of the usual barbell eyes. On-water research is proving successful, but plenty more testing to do!

The Males Do Most Of The Work

Smallmouth bass are in full-tilt spawn mode across much of the Great Lakes region right now. Depending on location, smallies may spawn in anywhere from 2 feet to as much as 12-15 feet in depth. Beds will be fanned out by males so that a layer of clean gravel is uncovered to hold the eggs until they hatch. The males stay with the nest and keep the eggs clean of silt and sediment. After hatching, males will guard the fry from predators until they can fend for themselves.

Room for Everyone

Long thought of as strictly the realm of gear & bait anglers, the Great Lakes provide world-class fly fishing opportunites for a variety of both warm- and cold-water species. With thousands of miles of shoreline available there is plenty of room for everyone to chose and use the method of their choice. Lot's more on Great Lakes fly fishing to follow.

Door County Red Eyes

Just returned from a trip doing "research" for my upcoming book on Great Lakes fly fishing. Finally got a chance to fish in Wisconsin's Door County, one of the prettiest areas in the Lakes. We found the smallmouth just moving up to spawn and had great success wading shallow areas. One technique that worked well was to look for larger rocks in deeper areas just off the shallows and fish to them. Many of these were holding bass that were staging to move up onto beds. This fish hit a perch/crayfish colored pattern tied with a Fish Skull.

For info on fishing Door County, talk to Charlie or Tim at Tight Lines Fly Fishing in DePere, WI. These guys will point you in the right direction!

Love Those Skulls!!

Here are a couple new patterns I tied up recently for Lake Erie and beyond. These utilize the Fish Skulls from Flymen Fishing Company. Fish Skulls are proving to be a great addtion to nearly any streamer pattern. They are much more versatile than beads or cones, having easily added eyes and with their keel-like shape, can also make the fly ride with the hook inverted.

These sculpin/crayfish/goby imitators were tied to ride hook up and utilize a variety of materials including , grizzly marabou, rabbit, emu, and australian oppossum to get their look. The hook is a Daiichi #2461.

Spring Bronze

Spring has been grudgingly making its way through the southern Great Lakes. Rain and clouds are still almost a daily occurence. Things still seem to be running about 10 days behind schedule.

Here Tom Fabbro of The Backpacker's Shop shows a chunky, pre-spawn Presque Isle (Lake Erie) smallmouth caught while on a kayak expedition. Presque Isle, right outside of Erie, PA, is a top fly fishing area for a variety of species.

Clean Up Crew

My daughter Leah and Aspen the Fishdog take a break during Conneaut Clean Up activities to enjoy the sunshine and wildflowers along the bank. Volunteers from The Friends of Conneaut Creek, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders all lent a hand in this years work. A special thanks to everyone who participated and to local landowner Andy Cary, who provide brats, burgers & beer afterward!

Cleanin' Up The Creek

About 30 volunteers braved the nicest day of the year (up to that point) last Saturday for the annual Conneaut Creek Clean Up. A dozen or so areas were covered from the PA state line down into the Town of Conneaut. Here Phil Hillman of the Ohio Division of Wildlife and Jeff Liskay from the Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders are assisted as they haul a load of trash up a hillside.

Blind-Tied Buggers

Here are the final entrants in the Blind Bugger Contest. It sounds easier than it is, give it a try sometime! Dan H was selected as the final winner of the contest and received a Scientific Anglers Textured GPX line for his hard work.

Blind Bugger Contest

Dog friend, Ken Beutel, works with blacked-out glasses in the Blind Bugger Contest prior to last nights showing of the Fly Fishing Film Tour. A double-dog woof of thanks goes out to everyone who helped make the event a success. The guys at The Backpacker's Shop handled ticket sales, fish buds Jeff Liskay and Will Turek helped organize the event, Dan Panek at The Links Golf Course was a great host and made sure everything went smoothly and the crowd was well-fed and happy. Thanks also to everyone who attended the event, which was held to support the Michael Bennett Fund and provide funding for on-going improvement projects on Ohio's Lake Erie tributaries.

Conneaut Clean-Up Saturday, May 7

The Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders will team up with The Friends of Conneaut Creek and Ohio Division of Watercraft for the annual Conneaut Creek clean up this Saturday. This event has taken place for a number of years now and as well as spiffing up some of the more popular areas on the creek, has helped to build a stronger relationship with several of the landowners.

Anyone who wants to help is welcome!! We will meet at the CYO baseball field pavilion (across from the new Center Street parking lot) at 8:00 AM to get started. Bring waders and a pair of work gloves. No registration needed, just show up! Here is a shot from last years work.