Grey/Bruce Outdoors

Steelheading Roadtrips

I suffer from a serious addiction. My drug of choice? Chasing steelhead migrations across the Great Lakes. When autumn rains bring the first hint of fall steelhead, I’m off to cure my summer withdrawal symptoms. By the time late winter turns to early spring, I am strung out on Mykiss like a hippie backpacking through Amsterdam. I crave the pursuit of these silver bullets as they undergo their magical migrations. The ultimate high for me comes at the start of snowmelt. Road tripping the Great Lakes coasts during the period of early spring migration takes up all of my available free time from early March to mid April. Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie, Michigan and Ontario have all been destinations on the sort of pilgrimages undertaken by myself and my steelhead junkie buddies. Being homegrown Ontario lads, we seem to relish the fact that the ...

Plastics for Steelhead

Float fishing plastic baits is slowly catching-on amongst anglers in the know….but it is not a new thing. That lovely morning ten years ago opened my eyes to the options that steelheaders have for drifting Great Lakes rivers. Spawn catches fish, no doubt, but it is not the Holy Grail when it comes to putting fish on the bank. When I started float fishing nearly two decades ago, fresh roe was the only bait I used. ...

Building a steelhead destination

By Josh Choronzey

The readers of this newspaper live in a region which is home to a vast numbers of outdoor enthusiasts. Ample hunting opportunities, the incredible sport fishery, and the green-space available during all four seasons, all contribute to the sense that this region has it all. In decades past, outdoor columns have accompanied the pages of the Owen ...

Tales of the fish that got away

One of the interesting parts of every derby is listening to the tales of the fish that got away. It happens to all of us anglers at times because catching fish is never a sure thing. Perhaps the lost fish was a prize winner, maybe even a derby winner but winner or not it is still frustrating to lose a good fish just ...

A Magic Bond

Children raised away from the big cities have a lot of advantages over their down-town peers. They have more access to outdoor recreation and in many cases their parents find it practical to get these kids a dog as a companion. Bonded early, the relationship is beneficial for both dog and child and the joys they experience together ...

Dare To Be Different

There are a lot of anglers out on the Lake during a derby. Most of these anglers use the same half-dozen lure patterns, rig their equipment the same old way and fish at the same depth and speed.

Lots of fish are caught during the good biting hours of first and last light with these tried and true methods but during ...

George's Record Rainbow

The date was January 25, 1976, Rhoda Hill told me, when she slipped a net under the biggest rainbow trout ever caught by rod and reel in Canada. Her late husband George Hill caught the record rainbow in Kootenay Lake B.C. on a Silver Horde lure that still hangs in the mounted fish’s jaw on Rhoda's living room wall. ...

Finesse Adds Zest

Many people find their sport or activity is more fun when done with finesse.

A good example of finesse is paddling a canoe or kayak when a motorboat would get you to your destination so much faster. It can be very enjoyable paddling quietly down a wilderness stream, making little more noise than a beaver or wading heron. Compare that to chugging downriver with a big inboard motor. ...

Home

Steelheading Roadtrips

Plastics for Steelhead

Building a steelhead destination

Tales of the fish that got away

A Magic Bond

Dare To Be Different

George's Record Rainbow

Finesse Adds Zest

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