A Face Only A Mother Could Love..

I suppose I could be talking about Morin....
Greg got me thinking about some of the uglier fish that I have caught over the years so I thought that I could dedicate a post to those unfortunate little fishys that are breathtaking in a whole nother direction..
8O/

Here is a Brown Trout from NY that stopped growing!!
Nice colour but WTF?
lol
If my memory serves me right (and it seldom does...I mean lets face it I am a fisherman)..Morin caught one that was picture perfect just before this abomination hit the beach.
That is just about Par for the course..

Here is a great example of the kind of sport created by our local hatchery.
I picked this thing off at the Outflows a few winters back.
At the time I was so stir crazy that anything with fins was beautiful to me...and that is how it should be really.
It is like setting up on a wet blanket most of the time with these beauties.
If you can pick up a pellet head that has been swimming all summer in the pond outside the hacthery before it dies of starvation out in the Lake ,you have a legit chance at a 20+lb fish...if you can call it that.
The club keeps them around for PR sake and the soccer moms will lob pellets in to them all summer long only to have them released to 'wild' in the fall....lol

This fish was caught few years back when the river saw a weird run of hatchery uglies... I don't know what was up with the gills.
I do remember distinctly releasing this fish only to catch the same fish again on the next drift...not too bright

I have no idea what this thing is....and the fish is kind of ugly too.
Gotta love cape Croker..
Oy..

Thought this post would be a good idea to bring some levity to what has been at times a rather frustrating season....might be cool to follow up with a post of dimes
...but for that I would probably have to borrow some of Brians photos.

Everybody and Their Brother...

I slept in a bit this morning.
Had a case of the Lazys..whatever.

I didn't expect too many people on the river today anyway...after all, twas a bit frosty and it was also midweek in the second deer hunt.

Turns out I didn't need to worry too much about getting shot unless it happened to be a through 'n through

I have never seen the river so busy...it was just beyond belief. I don't think that I fished anything but second water all day...oh...and I just love that. The great thing was that it didn't look like it was just today either. The place was trampled.



Ah well.

Oddly enough it didn't send me over the edge. Most of the people I ran into were surprisingly decent.



A couple of meathunting shitrats here and there but it wasn't like walking into an abattoir. I have seen that act before and I don't care to see it again.

Tough fishing with that much pressure. I had some Neophytes saddle up next to me at one point and completely screw up a piece of water. They might as well've been throwing rocks into the water. Frustrating...but even that might've saved lives.lol



Oh well close but no cigar. Water looked good....looked good to all fifty of us.
:o/
I was flying solo on this trip and kind of glad that Morin missed this shit.
He would've blown a gasket.

An Act Of God...

I remember that in the not too distant past a 1 for 4 day , with quality fish, under less than ideal circumstances, would've had me grinnin ear to ear.
Well... I have come to expect more.
This speaks to the quality of our fishery as well as to my skills I suppose even though I am more than willing to acknowledge that I am hovering right around mediocre...lol....especially lately.
I kinda miss the good old days when a 10 or 12 fish season would fill me with pride. There seemed to be more mystery to the game then.
There is no going back of course but I have been struggling to maintain a philosphy about this little pastime lately.


This season is wearing on my nerves ....and yesterday around 10:00 I was right prepared to call it a complete write-off.
I have today regrouped and can laugh about it a little...very little.
Dig this...
Yesterday I arrived at water and found hope....in a season bereft of hope....I found hope.


The Giant Niagra like river that our river has become had dropped to a level that was almost recognizable and had right around 12" of visabilty. With no real precipitation in the forecast I also knew that not only would it continue to drop throughout the day but it would also warm and clear even further and right around noonish I could expect to, excuse the vulgarity...beat the living shit out of them...


My gameplan was to circumvent the GBO/FFnet spawned dirtbags and hike way up and start at the top. Crossing the river was tricky to the point of stupid and looking back I regret the risk but we've all been there .
By the time I reached the starting point the morning was well underway.
First drift...Bang..fish on....
It was a strong take and the fish fought very well and even jumped a few times...very impressive considering the temps caused by the melting snow.
Slid the fishy in for a quick photo-op... walked back up for the next drift.
Bang fish-on...


Here I slide into a very Morin-esque fit of uselessness...
The next three fish were all winners...lol....good for them. It didn't even bother me at the time and it served me right really for teasing Morin so much lately for being useless ....and he is useless!!
...After all ... I had an entire day of easy pickin's ahead of me.
Then the water starts to turn...
:o/
Slowly at first...
I tried to hike above it but that didn't seem to help so I turned back and tried to get to the a spot we call the wintering hole before it all goes for a turd...
I stopped at the sausage run to fish the tailout and I witness something that I have never seen before.
The water goes from 12" to ZERO....like I mean pure MUD in an instant!!!!
I look upstream and can actually see this wall of mud coming downstream and ruining everything.
Unreal.
It looked like someone had dumped it into the river.
I can only assume that one of the clay banks upstream must've had a slide or something.
My luck is running....
WTF...
I could've hopped in the car and tried to get above it but I had neither the time nor the energy so I called 'no joy' and turned towards the hike out with my tail between my legs.
I must've wronged someone at somepoint...Maybe God is punishing me for hangin around that shitrat Morin??
Oh well...
Today after Hockey my son and I made our annual donation of toys to the Salvation army...Ho Ho Ho...maybe I'll get some bonus points with the big fella for that one. If nothing else this very small act seems to help get me into the Christmas spirit.....no small feat sometimes.Morin is out today...and of course they will hammer them....
MFers'..
BTW...If I ever run into the POS that is leaving his crushed Busch Lite cans on the river I am going to open his fucking head.

Mud

Sometimes you just have to see for yourself I suppose.
So off I go in the wee hours of the morning to a river that by all rights should be destroyed by rain.
I don't know whay I do these things but I will say this ....I don't regret it. At one point on the way out I sat down under a tree and just stared up at the sky.
There was a soft rain coming down through bare limbs and it covered my glasses until I couldn't see anymore. I could feel the rain find its way down the back of my neck but still I sat there....thinking. You can think out there....and I need moments like these. This is the only place I can find them.
I go there to fish but anymore I really don't give a shit if I catch fish or not. It is fun to catch fish ...particularly these fish and if I am fishing with another I am still vain enough to be bothered if I can't keep up but I have noticed that I have lost that sort of maniacal predatory edge that we get once we have reached a certain level. That is gone. I remember it though. I remember getting to the river an hour before sunrise and listening to my heart pound and watching the water for any indication of fish.
Now I just want some peace and quiet.

...And I like watching Morin lose fish.

Because he is a POS.

My Mother In Law Loves Me...

..and I am sick of winter already.
It seems Morin and I had some people in a panic over our decision to fish yesterday. On the way home we just missed the closure of the highway.
My Mother In Law called me first thing this morning to give me a blast of shit about how concerned she was yesterday. She said that the radio had claimed that at times you could only see 1 car length in front of you....
....It was way worse than that!
Morins wife called and suggested that we should just stay over...now that is something
..My wife would have me abandon the car and crawl home...lol



Winter Steelheading has arrived early and I suppose I should be happy. The increased hardship getting to and from the fish is usually enough to filter out some of the Shitrat contingent and that is always a bonus but I can't seem to shake the feeling that we got ripped a bit with the fall weather.


There is no end to the Nerdiness between Morin and I and our new thing now is using the movie mode on the cameras.
There is one video we have made this fall where I am fishing a wee piece of water we call the 'stick' and in the background the wind is blowing the trees back and forth. The fall colours were in peak and it looks like a Tom Thompson painting come to life.
I have watched that video so much over the past two weeks that it actually concerns me a little bit. I love being in there when the colours are up...and we had very little of that this year.
The forest is smashed now. ...and that has its own special charm.
I just wish that we could have transitioned a little more gently.



The plan this week was for a back to back Thursday Friday assault but 'common sense' (courtesy of my wife) and road closures have shut us down....well at least me anyway....I haven't heard from Morin this morning....could be he is en route with the dogsled...that OCD POS

Oh well...we made it home alive....caught some fish...and the best part was when I arrived home to find out that everybody is now healthy in the Norland infirmary.



Here is hoping that the river will shape up at some point and I can fish it without having to take my life in my hands at every crossing and I won't have to tie my roe up in bags the size of grapefruit...


Enough already...

..Oh Yah...BTW...
On the way home we stopped at an awesome Bakery where we bought, among other things, extra spicey Oatmeal/Raisin cookies...they were delicious in a burn your throat kind of way ...but they tasted

like my Grandmas house smells

....
WTF
...is there a lethal level of Nutmeg?
I have had a headache ever since and I can't wait to have more.

W T F ?????

So... I figure that I have wronged someone or something...
Maybe my lack of recycling zest has offended now even the fish gods??
I had better start scrubbing those yogurt cups out so that I can save the world along with all the other victims....
Look at that snow... I mean come on...
Mid November and we are literally snowed in.
This is getting depressing.

Morin and I are fishing tomorrow regardless of any of this shit so look out....
Chances are it will be a fruitless slush-fest and I will end up even more depressed than I am now...

But the bottom line is ...I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!!!

...and who knows...we just might get lucky...

Genesis 7:19

....It just keeps coming...and I am getting very irritable.
:o/


Just when things were starting to shape up fish wise we get enough rain to last us 10 seasons all at once...
I was hoping to fish this week but even if the rain stops right now...which it hasn't....it'll be at least a week before any river ...particularly my favourite ..is fishable.
Lord..

When the water gets this high...and it is really friggin high...I can't help but wonder if all the fish that have loaded up don't just bounce back to the Lake?
It would be one helluva a trick to hang in there while the river tears trees down.
Oy .. I am bummed.
Oh well at least the Pistons are playing well.
Damn
...I really wanted to fish this week

My legs hurt

Hiking is cool...
But it was way cooler when I was younger.
:o/
I fished with Morin a few days back and we did alright but I am seriously thinking that I am getting too old for this shit. These trips to the river whip me into shape just about the time when the season closes and until then it is a test of sheer will.
My favourite moment is when we pull into the driveway and I try to peel my pain riddled body out of the car. My legs are still cramped up.


The fish were difficult and the weather was cold. I had forgotten that this is a cold weather sport. I actually broke out the hot pockets.
Most the leaves were down and the forest is taking on that wonderful stark look that I really dig. I would like to get out a few more times this week in order to savour this stage but it looks like the river is going to blow again.
I think my weatherman must die comment has cursed us a bit but I will take too much water rather than too little water any day ...and so will the fishies.
With this high water I think that a lot of the fish are just shooting through and not holding up at all...


I don't pretend to know a ton about these fish...in fact I am quite stupid most of the time....but when it means so much to be able to tangle with these little silver monkies you do pick a few things up out of necessity.
My day started slow and I blew the first fish which can always test ya but luckily there were a few dumb ones kicking about.


Now I find myself praying for no rain.
Steelheaders are crazy people.

Weird week...

My father in law and brother in law are hunters.
They live for the deer season in particular. Two weeks out of the year they disappear into the bush in the hopes of filling the freezer full of Venison ....but more importantly to get away from it all.


It took me a while to to get on board with this whole delio as I was very much under the influence of the Bambi vibe...
Poor wittle things..
...that is until I tried Venison chops on the BBQ with Montreal Steak spice.
Bambi can lump it...besides the population of deer here are very good and we don't need a situation like northern MI where you are taking your life into your hands driving on the highways at dawn and dusk.


On our first run to the Cadillac Michigan area Morin and I added a significant amount of travel time to our fishing trip just having to slow down because of the abundance of deer. It would be a helluva thing to have one come flying through your windshield.
The getting away from it all thing is something that I really dig...


Generally there is a crew of four that take advantage of a sugar shack that isn't being used this time of year. They will roll back into town a week later quite often with nothing to show for their time and effort other than facial hair and stink.


Sounds like a blast.
Card playing drinking and bad food. Sign me up.
The boys hunt very close to where we fish this time of year and this year they were kind enough to extend me an invite. I am not a hunter but I am a drinker and a card player and there is nothing like the smell of a wood burning stove....
I was there for two nights.
I had to clear the mouse turds away in the loft to make room for my sleeping bag.
LOL
The first night rained so hard that I had to sleep in the car. The sugar shack has only a tin roof and shortly after midnight the joint began to sound like a snare drum. I am no Mary but WTF!!!??
I got up that morning to a stiff neck and a blown river. Not a good way to start the week. The hunters too were a little down in the mouth so rather than hang around camp and be miserable I bolted for a river a little farther north.
When I got there I was surprised to find that the water albeit high and fast was quite fishable. I managed two strong-backed Steelies that this river is known for and a confused looking Lake Trout???
My friend Dave filled me in that they are actually quite common for this particlar river.
Hmmm...
I would've liked a pic of the Laker at least for the memories but my camera was right next to the empties on the table in the shack.


I was a wee bit hungover. Nothing like a combo of Scotch ,Red Wine and English ale to put you against the ropes...
After I fished that river which shall be nameless I had to scoot home for a dinner party we'd planned with some good friends.
The plan was to return the following day early in the morning and fish my brains out...Sugar Shack it...then fish hard the following day with Morin.
Ah November ...
So I pick Owen up from school and he greats me with Daddy ....my throat is sore...
Of course it is ...why wouldn't it be....Jesus H Christ....
I love my kids more than life itself and my son is a low maintenance angel from heaven but I cannot remember a Fall that has been without a steady string of bugs in the Norland house...sometimes it can get very depressing.
So we have a look in Owens throat and it looks like a grenade went off in there. I whip him in to the Doctors to find out that he has Hand Foot and Mouth disease.
WTF!!!!!!!!
"yes...we've seen quite a run of this this year"....
WTF!!!!!!!!!
After having fifteen heart attacks the doctor manages to assure me that it isn't that big of a deal other than the fact that it is very painful. It is a virus that is common and should clear up on its own in 7- 10 days.
ugh
..Oh well..I tried to pull the plug on the trip but my lovely Wife assured me that it wouldn't be neccessary. God I love her....and my kids...
...and fishing...
So...early the next morning I am forcing it on a river that I know well enough to know better...handicapped not only with high water but with a guilty conscience.
It was only fitting that I had my ass handed to me...
6 solid hrs and nary a tug...rotten fish.
Back at camp the boys were celebrating over two deer. My brother in law got himself a Buck that weighed in at the butcher at right around 3 bills. They were beside themselves. Good for them.
:o/
The next day was better. I hit a fish right off the bat and I could exhale...


The river has been a wee bit tight so far this year.


Hardly worth the effort ...unless you are in love with it.
The deer camp thing was fun and will surely become a tradition with me.
I bought Owen some Lego today and it put a smile on his poor little face...
I hope he is feeling better tomorrow.
When my kids get sick it just breaks my heart.

Weatherman must die....

Honest to Christ...

Why do they even bother trying to predict precipitation???

We are supposed to get a good rainfall this weekend but every time I check the weather network the projected mm's fall a few numbers......

:o/I am counting on a good downpour for next week.

I am just starting to shake this chest cold that has kept me at bay and I am looking forward to cranking it up a notch.

There have been a few fish that have managed to find their way into the systems but generally the consensus has been that the big push is yet to come...and I am getting antsy.

I don't mind October fishing even if it does mean less fish and more shitrats..and there has been quite a few of the latter so far this year.

I am a fish snob and I have no problem with that. I love the area that I fish as much as I love my own family. This activity is as special as the quarry we seek and the connection I have with it is essential to me. It has become precious and when I see people shit on it.....

There is one dirt bag who kills fish on every trip and both Morin and I have come to suspect that he is poaching even beyond his creative interpretation of the catch and possession limit. I shudder to think of the number of wild fish that have found their way into the saddle bags of this sportsmans ATV both before and after the season closure.

Ah well...the Sausage Man is getting a little long in the tooth for this game and I am sure that in the not too distant future we will experiance a season where the hike in isn't ruined by the approaching rumble of deathmobile ATV....poach-wagon.

I work for the government so I know only too well about the absence of needed funding.There isn'tenough money to provide quality enforcement for more important things that are crucial to public safety. The Steelhead are way down the ladder and they will have to fend for themselves I suppose. The MNR is smoke and mirrors.....but it is not their fault. I believe they are doing the best they can with what little they have.

I do know that I fish as much as just about anybody that I have ever run across and I have been 'carded' once.

:o/

..Have at 'er Sausage Man and the rest of your meathunting shitrat brigade ......and bring on the nasty weather.

Maybe it would be better if the rain held off for a while....

Bite my tongue..

With any luck we'll be able to educate a few fish before they end up in the smoke house.

Oh Yeah..I have added some background music to this BLOG....It is me playing guitar complete with all the rough spots and mistakes....Internet is pretty cool...

Being a Guide..

...Sucks..
However,.. I kinda owed my father in law a trip to the river.
He was a big help with my basement project and he is an all around great guy. Morin and I put him over some fish last year and he has raved about it since so there was no mystery about what would be the best way to repay his kindness.
I am not a fish hog and I really enjoy watching other people catch fish but when the river is clear and low getting these fish to play can be a real trick and Gerry...bless his heart ...is a useless Steelheader.
I spent most of the day parading through all of the greatest holding water I know of only to watch him shit the bed with each fumbling drift.
Again....he is a prince among men and he has the patience of JOB ,...but after a while the good old "Oh well....it is nice to just get out and get some fresh air and exercise" begins to ring false ..to say the least !!
It was a beautiful day..and I do enjoy his company but after a few hours of futility I was ready to take a bullet. I don't dig wasting a day on the water...especially this water and if we couldn't get the guy a Steelie , to me that is what all of this would amount to.
Ocassionally good things do happen to good people and just about when I had given up all hope Gerrys float dipped....and popped right back up again.
.....He missed it
JESUS H CHRIST!!!
Chin to Chest..
Oh well... "Just send it right back through there ...gently"
(fingers crossed, silent prayer)
BANG!
Fish on...and it is a good one!!
Well it appeared that he tried to do everything wrong ...lol....but sometimes that hook is just going to stay no matter what.
It was a beautiful October fish so bright that it was hard to look at.



I whispered thanks in her ear just before she showered me and disappeared into that beautiful water.
Thank God.
I am not a poet...but that was poetic, and even though the day was a great test of my patience I know for certain that when the clock starts to wind down and my fishing interests become boring stories this day will be as vivid in my memory as any.

He talked about it all the way home.
I should also add that it is not lost on me that Gerry has outfished Brian so far this year....
tee hee
;o)

Sigh....

All is right with the world....I am fishing again!!

Not exactly a stellar day but not too shabby considering.
The water was just a titch on the high side but I managed to sting a few anyway.



Normally I prefer a cold and gloomy rain-soaked Steelhead outing but even I could appreciate the beauty of todays weather.



I bumped into a couple of Brians old buddies.

I pulled into the parking spot at around 6 am only to find that some old creep had beaten me to the river.
Hats off to my new buddy George ...at 70 yrs young the old prick goes even harder than me!!!
NICE.



I hope he got a fish but he and his comrade weren't making out too well when we parted ways.



God I was happy out there ....

This has been a long summer and the fact that there are a few fish in the river already is a very good sign for this fall.



Fresh air and Chrome ...
I will never get over how beautiful these fish are. That last moment when you are cradling them in your hands submerged in the water is really something. The sun just made them glow.
What a treat today was for me.

OUT.

DIY....

Before.....

AFTER.....

...never again.

I am not a big fan of work of any kind.

Around late July of this year a friend of mine talked me into renovating my basement. It was an eyesore and with my parental leave I certainly had the time.He assured me that with his know-how and my limited means we could create the ultimate basement sanctuary.

"A weekend dude...we could bang this off in a weekend...three days tops."

Fast forward to 10 weeks later...lol

It is good for me to have friends like this because without Garnets enthusiasm I never would've made an attempt and as corny as it sounds,.....even with the wee course areas , I can now look around and say "I" did this!!! ( With help of course)It is a satisfying feeling and I can understand a little bit how the DIY thing can become addictive. I am almost going through project withdrawal.........almost!!

The river is up and the nights are getting cooler. I have removed some eggs from the freezer and tomorrow will be my first run at'em ( barring any unforseen marital VETO). I usually have been to the river by now somewhere and I feel a little strange not having wetted a line yet. I console myself with the knowledge that it is still a bit early.

I restrung the guitars today and hopefully my drywall hands will return to normal and I will be able to play again soon. I praticed a little bit today but I felt like a lobster. The acoustics in my music area are way better than I could have ever hoped for.

I don't know a thing about designing a room for good sound so I must've gotten lucky.

Now I can play my guitar without waking the baby.....which is huge. She is my worst critic.Anyway....that is where I have been......And now I am back .....

With any luck I may lift up on one tomorrow.Good luck to all you Steelhead freaks this fall....I have a good feeling about this year and I am pretty sure I can get the time off work.

Dog Days....

Here is a little something for those hopelessly addicted Steelhead fiends



For those of you philistines that can't dig Sonny Rollins playing the Blues
please feel free to turn down the sound ....or put a gun in your mouth.

Watching this helps lower my blood pressure....I particularly like the part right around 51 secs when the little round ports start spinning counter-clockwise....pretty.

October is right around the corner and the clock is ticking.


.....And BTW....flying to Alaska is cheating.