Caddis.

As soon as I saw the first fish rise, I knew what it was taking. Caddis. It's not that the splashy rise those flies elicit is solely their domain, but I had some a couple struggling about on the surface previously in the evening.

At first I thought to ignore them. My thinking being, were the rises were taking place, the fish were likely Rock Bass. However, as they kept splashing about, I became more intrigued and decided to tie on size 10 Elk Hair, It didn't take long to get results.

Pleasantly I discovered that the fish smacking the caddis weren't Rocks, but Smallies in the 6-10" range. For around 45 minutes, the fish were consistently taking bugs, and I was taking fish. Given the size of the fish, the fly being chucked, and the hookup rate, I couldn't help but be reminded of days fishing on the Grand River, mucking about with the stockers.

While I did see a rise that was produced by a better fish, I never did touch anything over 10". Wasn't disappointed though. It was a lot of fun and a break from my standard popper/streamer routine. I look forward to the next time I can catch this sort of action..............though in the meantime I'll be given some thought to tying a up a caddis that will suit my purposes a bit more.

........lately.

Truth be told, my fishing has taken back seat to getting wood cut for the winter. I have what seems to be a never ending supply of timber from the development of my property. If I even get half with through it before the fall, I will have a couple of winters worth of wood. I am nowhere near half way. While I'd like to be relating fishing tales to you..........those will be sporadic.

I've been heading out in the evenings recently for the duel purpose of recreation, and food for the table. It's been good for a good number of smaller bass, but more importantly, it also produces a few good Rock Bass for the plate. Unlike some other panfish, I rarely half to downsize my fly in order to hookup. The same size 4 streamer I'm throwing for smallies will also hook the rock bass. By the time I head home after a couple of hours, I usually have a few largish specimens that will make terrific table fare.

One of my favourite ways to enjoy these fillets is Hank Shaws 'Simple Fish sandwich.' 2-3 fillets make for a hearty sandwich.. Actually, Hank Shaw's recipes are fantastic. You really should check out his recipes if your a hunter or angler...........................or just like good food.

First fish of the year.

Was actually out looking for perch. Always like the early season panfishing. Still a few days away from an abundance of those though. There were a couple of smaller perch around, but no numbers or size. I did hit this fish though. He was doing what I was........looking for perch. I know this because he spewed one up during the fight. I was cruising along the shoreline and spied him about 10' of shore. I dropped low, stripped off a few feet of line, and flipped him a Mickey Finn. No hesitation from this fish.

Credit River Hatch Chart.

I can see by the sudden surge in site traffic that my southern ontario angling brethren are once again anticipating the upcoming opener. Hoping it's a great one for you.

Here's what is bringing many of you here, reposted for your convenience.

I guess since last post, I have made a half dozen or so forays out onto Dunlop Lake for a look see. Mostly what I have seen is.................nothing. I have stared far to long at depth finders devoid of almost everything. I have covered a lot of water in the process. Even so, I have only been over a small portion of the lake. It is big. Bigger than any waters I have spent much time fishing. The one thing that became very apparent early was.........................I need a bigger boat. This is not the best venue for my pontoon boat.

As I searched for fish, I had decided that I would have most luck initially hunting out bass. So, I checked out the spots which I felt for certain should be holding fish. They weren't. I was more than a little put off. I put in a lot of hours trying to figure out where they were. Thing was, I was fishing in a situation previously unknown to me.

I knew something was up. Those very fishy spots that should hold good fish? Well, all they were offering up were small fish. To immature to spawn. And that was my issue. The bass hadn't started the spawn yet. Having never fished for bass pre-spawn, I had no clue where to look for them. Spawn, post spawn, high summer. etc..................no problem. To be honest, even if I did have a game plan for pre-spawn, I am not sure I would have known that was where they were at. Literally, 20 minutes down the road, in  a smaller lake, the bass were done with this a couple of weeks ago.

Another fish falls to the GFC.

My diligence did eventually pay off however. Fish are starting to do what I expect of them. I finally managed to get my first 'good' fish out of Dunlop. Like the trout from last post, it was a very welcome relief. That I took it topwater on a GFC was just the icing.

Long time, no post.

Long time, no post.

I currently have no access to the net. Or TV, telephones, etc. So, updates will be sporadic. This one was written 2 weeks ago, only posting now.

I've spent the last month watching a lake thaw. It has been a slow, painful affair. For the past week however, it has been clear. I have taken a few paddles around to see whats up, even cast a few spoons. So far, the only life I have seen in the lake have been a few bugs hatching off the surface, and some  plant life starting to emerge. Still going to be a bit before I start to fish it seriously it seems. More telling on that front, more than my eager amaturish observation is that so far I haven't seen anyone else out there yet. They're on other lakes not to far south, so I should see some activity here soon.

Top flies of 2014 ( Bass )

I recently cataloged footage shot last year, and noted what flies were doing what for me. Here is my selection of top bass getters from last year, though it would probably have been the same previously.

#1 Clouser Minnow.  This fly has caught me many, many, big bass. The base pattern for this fly is very durable, but can be tarted up to the tyers content. My versions are tied sparse, generally yellow and red ( throat ), and on the smaller side....sizes 6 -8.

#2 Green Fish Critter. This is a pattern I whipped up for bass in southern ontario. I have supreme confidence that if a bass will hit a top water bait, than it will hit this. I have always found it more likely to produce than any other top water pattern I own. I also use it on full sinking lines to good effect.

#3 Muddler Variants. Think Marabou Muddlers (or often I use rabbit strips) Chamois Muddlers, etc. These also account for a lot of fish. I say variants simply because thats what I tie. I'm sure the original pattern would also produce.

Honourable Mention................the Wooly Bugger. In Black or Olive.


First Fish of 2015.

This fish made me happy for a number of reasons.
I was desperate to go fishing. Not chuck at some water in hopes that some fish might have come in, but to use my head to figure out what my best chance for a fish would be. So I chose a river ( been open longer than the lakes ), and for my quarry, trout. Specifically, brookies. If you have followed my blog, this may seem like an odd choice. My only trouting up here so far has consisted of a couple of 'look and see's' expedition resulting in not much to speak of. I was bouyed however by the knowledge of some water I had spied and deemed as fishy, did indeed hold fish and was worth more than a 5 minute fly-by. This confidence was inspired by a lengthy conversation with a fellow fly angler.That was all the confidence I needed, and I was more than glad to dust off one of my 3wts that had been neglected the past few seasons.
I had to go north for 40 minutes or so to hit my destination. Pretty much the same time it took me to get from Georgetown to the Hwy 24 stretch of the Upper Credit. When I got there I was delighted to find some insects coming off. Some big mays I wan't familiar with from my Southern Ontario days, and some caddis. No fish rising though. That would have been grand. Just watching those bugs however, made my heart happy. That is one thing I have sorely missed since moving. The hatches.

I did intially try some dries.........trying to entice a surface strike, but it was for naught. I wasn't seeing any signs of fish taking nymphs. So, I decided on banging the bottom as being my most likely chance hook up with a fish. For this purpose I chose a Clouser. It wasn't many casts before it produced. For my first brookie of not just this year, but since I moved up here, it was extremely satisfying. Not huge, but at 14" it was no dink either. This was my first fish dinner of the year, and also marks the first trout I have eaten in over 3 decades..................at least that I have caught.