Are there any river anglers who are serious about there arsenal? I would like to see what others are using on the rivers as their primary setups.
I bass fish a lot for fun but my true love is salmon and steelhead fishing early mornings.
River Anglers?
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JapanReels
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Re: River Anglers?
I'm a big time river angler. I have been out this year around my home here in Oakville Ontario Canada for Steelhead. Up here we use a combination of methods to target what many here consider the premier gamefish in North America. Most anglers that stream fish for steelies up here use long rods ( G Loomis, Sage, St Croix, Raven and now even Quantum, but only in Canada)of up to 15' and dragless centerpin reels( Loomis, Raven, Islander, Angling specialties, Clough, J.W. Young). This settup allows you to drift with the current of the river using a float, some spilit shot, very light leaders(3-5lb) and small hooks #8 to #14 holding bait like fish eggs (roe), small crawlers, flies, pink rubber worms, extra light maribou jigs, white twister tails and meal worms. When the float drops we set the hook and it's fish on! The long rods protect the lite leader and by using your finger the angler supplies the drag. This form of fishing, called float fishing, is extremely effective (the best results by number of fish by far) in targeting stream Steelhead. The results are so good that this forn of fishing is often a cause for dispute when Canadian anglers travel to the USA targeting Steelhead in New York State, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. The Canadian float anglers frequently catch and land 50 to 100 fish daily in those highly stocked watersheds versus fly and spin fishermen working the same water for single digit results. The combination of live/organic bait and a perfect subtle presentation give the floatfishermen a huge advantage over the Yanks. That said we are now seeing floatfishing take off in upstate NY and Pennsylvania. In fact a US angler that has become proficiant at floatfishing has just designed and manufactured a new centerpin reel that is reputed to be among the very best in the world. You've got to love Yankee ingenuity and entrepeneurial zeal! If you want to learn more about "pin" fishing check out http://www.floatfishing.net This is the premier website for floatfishing in Ontario.
Personally not only do I floatfish (13' G Loomis rod, Raven SST reel) but I also love throwing small crankbaits (Rebel Crickhoppers, Big Ants and small Kwikfish /Flatfish in the K4-5 size) for migrating Steelhead. Here I use a 9'6" G Loomis GLX spin rod rigged with a Penn Prion 1800 spin reel. With 2 or 3 splitshot about 18 inches above the lure I cast into riffles and pools where steelhead lay before going up or downstream and let the current work the crankbait so that it thumps through the water aggrivating the fish much like Hotshotting accomplishes from a boat in big westcoast rivers ( but all done on a much smaller scale). Works like a charm and when an angry Steelie hits hold on for the fight of your life! I also use spinners in much the same way to pick off some aggressive fish. For this rig I use a recently purchased Airrus Co Matrix 457 spin rod in the 8' med-lite action. I must tell you that catching a rampaging Steelhead on a one piece rod is the bomb! In fact my best Steelhead so far this spring was a 14lb chrommer that hit a Black Fury Mepps on the first cast and then proceeded to sommersault through the pool to the enjoyment of several anglers looking on. Personally I can hardly wait for Fall when I'll be using the same rod and reel plus a casting setup in the same blank for 20-30lb chinnooks staging at the mouth of Bronte Creek here in town. This will define awsome.
Up here we are also able to access the mighty Niagara river from shore in a famous area called the Whirlpool. This is a huge spawning/staging area for the biggest wild Steelhead in Lake Ontario. I have personally caught 20lb Steelies here and it is a great place to floatfish and bottombounce with long rods of 9'6" to 15' but also to throw spoons and spinners to Steelhead, Laketrout, Browntrout and the occasional Atlantic as well. Naturally I do this as well using a 10'6" G Looomis 1263 baitcast floatrod, a 9'6" Fenwick Techna casting rod for spinners, spoons and jigs and a 9' Fenwick HMG "Hotshot"spin rod for throwing crankbaits like Kwikfish/Flatfish, Hotshots, rapala Shad Rap RS's, Matzuo Wart Hogs, old Storm Flat Warts, CC Shads, Bagleys B Flats/ Bassin Shads and any other diving crank. The technique for throwing these baits is to run 8-12lb leader to a 1 oz. pencil lead tied on to a 3 way swivel (to get the bait extra deep down) and then drift the lure through the water backing migrating Steelhead or feeding Lakers up against ridges in the Whirlpool making them angry. Steelhead, Lakers Browns are bullies and don't like backing up so when a little crankbait comes by forcing them back it gets hit. HARD. I've actually had big Steelhead hit so hard that the lure lip and the lure body are separated from one another. I get the lip back, the Steelie keeps the lure body. Bummer another $8 bait gone! This is again a very effective but expensive way to target big migrating fish. Around here in the spring we get Steelhead, Lakers, Lake Run Browntrout, and a little later huge Smallmouth Bass( my biggest was about 8lbs. which is a giant in Ontario) and even the occasional Muskie ( the biggest Ive gotten at the Whirlpool is about 12lb. but 50lb fish are in the water and are commonly seen sunning themselves. I saw 2 on Tuesdy myself). Later, in the fall, the same rivers that hold migrating Steelhead hold migrating Chinnooks and Coho. Same fun, bigger fish. The same techniques apply with some small variations in bait or presentation. Finally late fall/winter we get early /winter run steelhead for even further enjoyment. In summer it should alsobe noted that there lots of Smallmouth bass and Pike in many of the same places were Steelhead are caught and I fish for those as well. Usually a 7' Bass Pro Johnny Morris spin rod and a Johnny Morris spin reel throwing small Bagley Smallfry cranks (Baby Bass, Crawfish, Sunfish), Rebel Crickhoppers, Big ants, Tiny Craws and Wee Frogs, Yozuri Flat Cranks/ 3D Minnows do the job. i think this year i will be using the Airrus Co matix 457 8' spin rod for this applicatipon as I think it is a better piece for Smallies.
Hope this helps. You may want to look at a few local websites for more ideas. Try these http://www.niagarafishing.net or http://www.spoonpullers.net or http://www.greybruceoutdoors.com for ideas and comments.
Regards Snidley
Personally not only do I floatfish (13' G Loomis rod, Raven SST reel) but I also love throwing small crankbaits (Rebel Crickhoppers, Big Ants and small Kwikfish /Flatfish in the K4-5 size) for migrating Steelhead. Here I use a 9'6" G Loomis GLX spin rod rigged with a Penn Prion 1800 spin reel. With 2 or 3 splitshot about 18 inches above the lure I cast into riffles and pools where steelhead lay before going up or downstream and let the current work the crankbait so that it thumps through the water aggrivating the fish much like Hotshotting accomplishes from a boat in big westcoast rivers ( but all done on a much smaller scale). Works like a charm and when an angry Steelie hits hold on for the fight of your life! I also use spinners in much the same way to pick off some aggressive fish. For this rig I use a recently purchased Airrus Co Matrix 457 spin rod in the 8' med-lite action. I must tell you that catching a rampaging Steelhead on a one piece rod is the bomb! In fact my best Steelhead so far this spring was a 14lb chrommer that hit a Black Fury Mepps on the first cast and then proceeded to sommersault through the pool to the enjoyment of several anglers looking on. Personally I can hardly wait for Fall when I'll be using the same rod and reel plus a casting setup in the same blank for 20-30lb chinnooks staging at the mouth of Bronte Creek here in town. This will define awsome.
Up here we are also able to access the mighty Niagara river from shore in a famous area called the Whirlpool. This is a huge spawning/staging area for the biggest wild Steelhead in Lake Ontario. I have personally caught 20lb Steelies here and it is a great place to floatfish and bottombounce with long rods of 9'6" to 15' but also to throw spoons and spinners to Steelhead, Laketrout, Browntrout and the occasional Atlantic as well. Naturally I do this as well using a 10'6" G Looomis 1263 baitcast floatrod, a 9'6" Fenwick Techna casting rod for spinners, spoons and jigs and a 9' Fenwick HMG "Hotshot"spin rod for throwing crankbaits like Kwikfish/Flatfish, Hotshots, rapala Shad Rap RS's, Matzuo Wart Hogs, old Storm Flat Warts, CC Shads, Bagleys B Flats/ Bassin Shads and any other diving crank. The technique for throwing these baits is to run 8-12lb leader to a 1 oz. pencil lead tied on to a 3 way swivel (to get the bait extra deep down) and then drift the lure through the water backing migrating Steelhead or feeding Lakers up against ridges in the Whirlpool making them angry. Steelhead, Lakers Browns are bullies and don't like backing up so when a little crankbait comes by forcing them back it gets hit. HARD. I've actually had big Steelhead hit so hard that the lure lip and the lure body are separated from one another. I get the lip back, the Steelie keeps the lure body. Bummer another $8 bait gone! This is again a very effective but expensive way to target big migrating fish. Around here in the spring we get Steelhead, Lakers, Lake Run Browntrout, and a little later huge Smallmouth Bass( my biggest was about 8lbs. which is a giant in Ontario) and even the occasional Muskie ( the biggest Ive gotten at the Whirlpool is about 12lb. but 50lb fish are in the water and are commonly seen sunning themselves. I saw 2 on Tuesdy myself). Later, in the fall, the same rivers that hold migrating Steelhead hold migrating Chinnooks and Coho. Same fun, bigger fish. The same techniques apply with some small variations in bait or presentation. Finally late fall/winter we get early /winter run steelhead for even further enjoyment. In summer it should alsobe noted that there lots of Smallmouth bass and Pike in many of the same places were Steelhead are caught and I fish for those as well. Usually a 7' Bass Pro Johnny Morris spin rod and a Johnny Morris spin reel throwing small Bagley Smallfry cranks (Baby Bass, Crawfish, Sunfish), Rebel Crickhoppers, Big ants, Tiny Craws and Wee Frogs, Yozuri Flat Cranks/ 3D Minnows do the job. i think this year i will be using the Airrus Co matix 457 8' spin rod for this applicatipon as I think it is a better piece for Smallies.
Hope this helps. You may want to look at a few local websites for more ideas. Try these http://www.niagarafishing.net or http://www.spoonpullers.net or http://www.greybruceoutdoors.com for ideas and comments.
Regards Snidley