Cast Adventures: May 2008

With the Steelhead season winding down in smaller tributaries of the great lakes, the Niagara River is still in full swing! This monster of a river connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, and always seems have steelhead around longer. Unlike most rivers in the province, the Niagara is still getting fresh fish entering the system, with a good mix of spawn and post-spawn (or drop-back) fish still present. The current water temps in the Niagara are 49 degrees - perfect for some steelhead on the Fly!

This week I called Nick Pujic of The Canadian Fly Fisher magazine and Mike Verhoef of http://www.flyfitters.ca/ to join me to fish the mighty Niagara River for some late season fly fishing for Steelhead from the boat. Once I told them of the recent success my clients have been having on the river, they both jumped on the opportunity, and were on the road that same day. The night of their arrival was spent tying different egg patterns, streamers, rigging equipment and trading stories of past fishing adventures!

We were slow to get going in the morning, enjoyed a good breakfast and a few cups of coffee before making our way to the boat ramp (Only 10mins from the house). We had the boat in the water and were off fishing by 8:30am. For those who’ve not been to the Niagara Gorge before, it is absolutely stunning each and every time you see it! At this time of year, the trees are green and the flowers are in bloom; what a nice warm welcome after a long winter. No float suits needed either, with daytime temps in the teens, a fleece and a hoodie will keep you nice and comfy! Having said that, please keep in mind that the water is still cold and currents are extremely powerful! Always use caution, and think safety 1st when fishing the Niagara River, please. This is not a place for inexperienced boat handling and I strongly recommend fishing with a guide or a friend that has run this river before to learn how to operate a boat in the powerful current!

It didn’t take us long to locate active steelhead and boat our first fish. The action was steady all day and between the three of us we hooked 17 and landed 11 rainbows…with the best steelhead to the net in the 8-to-10lb class! The fish were nuts! Strong, fast runs and lots of high flying jumps! Nick also captured the whole trip on film, which will make for some great footage that hopefully you’ll all get a chance to see. (If you haven’t heard of Fly Max films, check it out! Very original, Exciting Fly Fishing Video’s http://www.flymaxfilms.com/ )

The river still has a lot of fish spawning. The hot patterns for us this day were glo-bugs and sucker spawn tied on size 12 hooks. I was running an 8lb floro leader and Mike was using 12lb floro – it really didn’t seem to matter. The key was to make sure your offering was getting down to the bottom. We did have to use one # 5 split shot along with a 10’ ex-fast sink tip to fish properly in this location.

I’ve been using a new rod and reel combo this spring on the Niagara River that I want to share with you all. The G-Loomis, GLX Native Run 11’#7 rod http://www.gloomis.com/ , matched with a Loop, Speed Runner Fly reel http://www.looptackle.com/ . The longer Native Run switch rod makes casting effortless and is great for tight spots with very little room to back cast. Perfect for roll casting & double handed spay casting! This rod will handle larger flies use for swinging, but will also fish a light 6lb floro leader, and size 12 egg patterns if needed. What’s great about the Loop Speedrunner is it allows for very quick line retrieve due to the larger diameter design and the super smooth drag system! Perfect for the big waters, and hard fighting steelhead found on the Niagara!

The Niagara late season steelhead fishing is the best in Southern Ontario! We offer boat trips plus walk and wade adventures in the gorge. If you want to experience the Niagara region for yourself, please contact us for more information.

See you on the River,

Paul Castellano
Cast Adventures
1-888-512-8127
www.castadventures.ca