Chasing Silver !

[Squali]

It's about that time in the Great Lakes Region . The leaves turn colors , the temperature starts to drop and the steelhead head for the tributaries . We call it "Time To Chase Silver" . When they come out of the lakes they are mint silver or chrome and full of fight ! Catching these chromers on a 6 or 7 wt fly rod with light tippets and small flies is a blast ! Hold on and be prepared to "Chase Silver " !

Here are a couple photos of me and my son holding a couple nice fish .

[CanuckSARTech]

Well done, and awesome fish & pictures. You just can't beat the various "outdoorsman" activities that we have around the Great Lakes region. We're very fortunate for what we have.

Looks like a great time. Congrats.

[Colt45]

Great pics, great fish

[hoyopr]

Nice looking day on the river!

[Squali]

Nice looking day on the river!

Photos were taken last year on two separate bodies of water . Both times we had the holes all to ourselves and they were loaded with fish . If your willing to walk some distance , usually you can find good spots and have them all to yourself .

Nothing like spending a day on the water with a good fishing buddy ...... especially if he's your son !

[BlackFriar]

Beautiful looking fish! Growing up in the city, I never learned to fish or really had the opportunity to do so. Just curious but what is with the mesh glove on one hand? Does it make it easier to grab the fish? Is it a form of protection when you grab such a large fish from the mouth? I'm always interested in finding out what specialized gear is for.

Thanks,

Chris

[FlyFishingDude]

Saweeeeet, nice chromers

[Squali]

Beautiful looking fish! Growing up in the city, I never learned to fish or really had the opportunity to do so. Just curious but what is with the mesh glove on one hand? Does it make it easier to grab the fish? Is it a form of protection when you grab such a large fish from the mouth? I'm always interested in finding out what specialized gear is for.

Thanks,

Chris

It's called the landing hand .

These fish are really slimy . It makes a heck of a difference when tailing a fish .

[#2 man]

Wow !! the fish your son caught is gorgeous !

[Ken Gargett]

fantastic!!

is it sight fishing? if so, i'm on the next plane.

[Squali]

fantastic!!

is it sight fishing? if so, i'm on the next plane.

For the most part , yes ! Especially in the spring . If you can find gravel in the streams , you can find fish .... usually a lot of them . There's a saying we like to use , " If I spot em , I got em" ! It's also cool to read the water and find fish that you can't see . I've had days where I've caught fish from day light till dark and never left the spot we started at and not see another fisherman . You talk about memories ! We have plenty of pictures to prove it ( believe me when I tell you that the pictures that I posted don't do these fish justice . Mine was 13.5 lb hen and my son's was 12.5 lb male ) .I would also add that I've NEVER taken a steelhead home with me . Strictly catch and release .

These fish come out of Lake Erie starting in the fall and they stay in the tributaries until the water starts warming up in the spring ( early to mid May ). The great thing about these fish is that they average 6 to 7 lbs but 8,9's and double digit fish are in the mix . And they're in shallow water .They can put 30 or 40 yds on you in the blink of an eye .

Right now we are getting hammered by rain and that means there's going to be a big push of fresh fish coming in . When the the water level starts going back down ......it's on !!!

Come on over and get your arm sore !!!

[Ken Gargett]

For the most part , yes ! Especially in the spring . If you can find gravel in the streams , you can find fish .... usually a lot of them . There's a saying we like to use , " If I spot em , I got em" ! It's also cool to read the water and find fish that you can't see . I've had days where I've caught fish from day light till dark and never left the spot we started at and not see another fisherman . You talk about memories ! We have plenty of pictures to prove it ( believe me when I tell you that the pictures that I posted don't do these fish justice . Mine was 13.5 lb hen and my son's was 12.5 lb male ) .I would also add that I've NEVER taken a steelhead home with me . Strictly catch and release .

These fish come out of Lake Erie starting in the fall and they stay in the tributaries until the water starts warming up in the spring ( early to mid May ). The great thing about these fish is that they average 6 to 7 lbs but 8,9's and double digit fish are in the mix . And they're in shallow water .They can put 30 or 40 yds on you in the blink of an eye .

Right now we are getting hammered by rain and that means there's going to be a big push of fresh fish coming in . When the the water level starts going back down ......it's on !!!

Come on over and get your arm sore !!!

we have got to have a czars event right there.

fascinating that you can stay in one spot. in nz, it is very rare to catch a second in the same pond or bit of water. you are on the move all day. it is not because there are not more than a single fish but simply that once you hook one, the others are off. sometimes, in fast flowing water, if you can hook the back one, you can move up to the next and so on. can be frustrating as the biggest usually take up pole position at the head of the water and then back to the smallest. but if you go straight for the biggie, you need to go past the smaller ones and they'll spook the big ones. so sometimes, you find yourself casting to a small fish with a big one nearby, knowing you'll never get a crack at the big fella.

[Squali]

we have got to have a czars event right there.

fascinating that you can stay in one spot. in nz, it is very rare to catch a second in the same pond or bit of water. you are on the move all day. it is not because there are not more than a single fish but simply that once you hook one, the others are off. sometimes, in fast flowing water, if you can hook the back one, you can move up to the next and so on. can be frustrating as the biggest usually take up pole position at the head of the water and then back to the smallest. but if you go straight for the biggie, you need to go past the smaller ones and they'll spook the big ones. so sometimes, you find yourself casting to a small fish with a big one nearby, knowing you'll never get a crack at the big fella.

Steelhead get a little spooky also after a ton of fishing pressure . But for the most part they have one thing on they're mind when they enter the tribs .......sex ! It makes them do things they wouldn't normally do when you find them in the shallows on gravel . They take chances , let they're guard down . The males won't leave until the last female is gone . Sound familiar ????

[FlyFishingDude]

Shhhhhh, cut it out. Now Ken will want to come here and chase steel.......

[coneatty]

Holy Moly...that is all around outstanding....on a 6 wt.? Holy Moly!

[Squali]

Holy Moly...that is all around outstanding....on a 6 wt.? Holy Moly!

Most of the bodies of water we fish are shallow and the currents aren't super fast . That's the reason for the 6 and 7 wt rods .

My rods are Scott Steelhead rods (10' , 6wt and 7wt ).There are a few reasons I prefer a 10' rod .

These are big , strong, fast fish , and for the most part we are using small flies (small hooks ) with lite tippets . The 10' rods have a very flexible tip section that acts as a shock absorber that helps protect the light tippets . They also have a strong butt section that have some backbone , so you can lean on fish when you have to .

Also , I fill that the longer rods give me more line control when it comes to mending and achieving a drag free drift .

I'll add that I like a large arbor reel with a good quality drag . I prefer a cork drag .

With this being said , you can use standard trout gear for these fish . But in my HOP , the chances of landing a 7 , 8 or 9lb fish is going to be greatly reduced . It's tuff enough landing these fish anyway!

There's a reason they're called "Silver Bullets " !