Fishing Report Dec1 - Dec 23 2007

Happy Holidays!!

Rivers are or were frozen solid. With these high winds and warm temps the rivers will rise and possibly give us a crack at some steelheading in the new year.

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish all of you the best the season has to offer. Thank you for your support this past year and I look forward to spending some time with you in the new year.
Tight lines and travel safe!
All the best
Ken

Fishing Report Nov 2007

The Fish have arrived!!

The Saugeen now has good numbers of fish

above Denny's dam. Water temps are stable at 33 degrees,with very little bank ice. With the colder night this won't last,so if you need your Steelhead fix better book a trip soon!

Cam purchased a trip for his Grandfather last year,as with everything Steelhead,timing is everything. We had a great day even with the

high winds and snow.

We have about a foot of snow in Markdale,expecting more with the next system.

Here are some photo's of Cam's day on the "geen"

Fishing report? Oct 25- Nov 17 2007

Well, after 18 cancellations and still no real rain we are struggling. I refuse to take anyone out if the fish are not in good catch able numbers.
I spent a few hours looking for fish on the Saugeen this week. I have never seen the river in this condition this late in the year. The water is gin clear and cold at 38 degrees, some sections have good flow, and with any luck the rain in the forecast next week will bring the levels up. The ground is saturated so any rain should be running into the rivers.
I will again be at Bass Pro,The White River fly shop next Wednesday, I'll be tying more steelhead patterns. I will also be tying some leaders that I use for both swinging and indicator fishing.
With this years poor fall conditions, a good gift idea for the spring is a drift boat trip for steelhead. I'm sure with the weather patterns I've kept over the years this bad fall will make for a great spring season. Keep that in mind when you are suggesting Christmas gift ideas to your loved ones.
Thanks for checking back, I'll be looking forward to posting some more photo's when the rivers come up.
Tight lines
Ken

Fishing Report Oct 11- Oct 23 2007

I must have done something to really anger the Rain Gods!! Maybe Mother Nature has a chip on her shoulder...who knows. It's been a long time,or it seems anyway ,that we have a fall this dry, or maybe I just can't remember..I am getting older.

The Upper Saugeen has again reached a near stand still with flow, even with the rain we have had nothing has gone up at all.

The Maitland...I can't even talk about it,

The Lower Grand is at a good temp, and I have heard all kinds of stories about Steelhead. I have a hard time thinking that fish are moving above Caledonia with the river at this level..but stranger things!!

The Notty, thank God for the Notty! Fish and flows are stable. The Steelhead are enjoying the water temp, and not slowing down at all. Some decent pods of fish have entered the river, not slowing much to be caught. I got out for some fun fishing after a couple of very slow days in the drift boat to find some fish with one of the best Steelhead anglers, no.. he's one of the best all around angler's I know. Cam Moore, this guy is a ton of fun to fish with, I always enjoy his company and look forward to any time on the water with him. We fish the Notty in some water that we figured fish would be holding, After a early and slow start to the day we found a few fish.

All told we landed a dozen or so Steelhead, Cam tagged this fish fairly early on float gear.

We had a great day and covered a ton of water, it's not always about the numbers, I still enjoy a few fish with some great company. I managed a few fish on the fly gear, even a decent Brown trout, that was a nice surprise. I didn't think the water was in any condition to swing flies so all the fish came on egg flies under an indicator.. pink and orange. The fish on the right was a fly caught fish, both of these fish spent more time out of the water than in!!

With any luck Mother nature will mellow out and give us the rain we need. Patience is the key, but I personally am running out of that.

If your out and have some good success, remember these fish are precious and need to be released to continue the cycle. Let them go, for future angling opportunities.

Tight lines

Ken

Fishing Report Sept 11 - Oct 11 2007

Now that Trout season has closed,and steelhead season is at our door, I want to thank all that booked with Ken Chandler fly fishing adventures. It was truly a difficult , strange,but rewarding trout season.

It seems with the rain we've received the last few days, only a very small amount of it actually has hit the rivers. With two days on the Notty and only a few fish to show for it,temps still in the mid 60's, and rising water levels and colour it should be very soon for that river. Some fish are hitting dark spey flies on the swing, most are coming on peach egg patterns. All fish are being caught in fast water, and not fighting like they should due to the warm temps.
I stopped by The Beaver and bighead to have a look....at what!! Man they are still very low and warm. Not a normal fall by any standards, anyone have a good rain dance ??
The Forecast for the next few days will bring the night time air temps way down to single digits.
It's a start, but rain will be the big factor.

For anyone that is interested, I will be at Bass Pro Shops every third Wednesday on the Month.
I'll be In the White River fly Shop tying some of my best producing fly patterns and giving seminars on how I fish for Ontario's warm and cold water fish. I'll be in the Shop the 17 th of October, tying steelhead patterns from 6-8 pm.

With November almost completely booked and the later part of October full, now is the time to call if you have been thinking of booking a steelhead trip. My fly boxes are full and the boat is ready for some steelhead!!

Take a look at my photo's page ,I've posted some new Bass shots of this summers trips, enjoy
It was a truly fantastic season for smallmouth and Muskie.
Thanks for having a look
Cheers
Ken

Fishing Report Week of Sept 4 - Sept 11 2007

Finally some much needed rain!!

It's not likely enough to bring the river up to trigger runs of salmon, but it's a start! The colder night forecast for the week should make a big change in the rivers.

The Grand River, it's still too warm for my liking, 70 degrees on Sunday. The upper section has had some great caddis hatches, #16-20 in Tan and Olive. Good amounts of fish keying into the emerger.

The Rocky Saugeen is at 70 degrees as well, with any luck the temp will drop and the Brookies will find themselves feeding on whats left of the Hex's and Isonychia. The hex's last week had been heavy at dusk. Not one fish rising for these big flies. The Iso's are heavy right now. the last hour of day light has seen some fish brave enough to move for a meal. The bats are eating really well before they head south...can't wait till they are gone...not that I don't like them...just not in my House!!

The Main Saugeen is still at a trickle, my Brookie spot has seen some heavy traffic with very few fish over 10 inches left. Make me sad to see natural Brook trout taken from a river that is struggling to maintain a decent population.

The Smallmouth have begun to school up, "double header" are the words of the day. Big fish are starting to pool up and are willing to eat for the up coming winter months. The Muskie have been more cooperative with lots of follows and some great takes.

The Notty around Angus has some good numbers of fish, and anglers, I don't fish this area, at least you can get into some fish if you can stand the crowds. The lower Notty has seen some very small Pushes of salmon heading into the river. With the rain... we might see more fish entering the system.

Had a visit from Fly Fitters Mike Verhoef yesterday, we talked about the level of the Maitland.

He has never seen the River so low, not in 37 years.... I think he's older than that, but live that dream Mike!!

As promised, Mike B sent me a CD of the photo's they took on the Drift trip down the Saugeen.

The shots just don't do the fish justice. If you know Mike he's a big dude, this fish took him all over the river while he giggled like a school girl...great job Mike. Mark was Mikes fishing partner,

he got into some great fish too! Same time next year guy's??

Okay.. this is obviously not the fish, it is however the smallest fish of the year!!

This Is the Fish..The smile says it all!!

Fishing Report Weeks of Aug 20- Sept 4 2007

Smallmouth Fishing has been outstanding!!
The Saugeen continues to produce some truly huge fish, Mike can attest to that with one of the largest fish I've ever had in the boat! I'll post the photo when I get it from Mikes camera.
The Maplehill Dam continues to be a problem with the flow changes as drastic as a 2 foot drop within minutes. The Rainbows have been showing up in really good numbers in the Saugeen feeding heavily as they head to the lake. I've also seen some good sized Browns feeding on Dries in some areas.
The Rocky has had a good Hex hatch the last few evenings. Super tough fishing with all the growth in and around the River. These big flies bring out the best of the best in the Rocky!
That's all I'm going to say.
Still waiting for the Nooks in the Notty to be in catch able numbers. Fished it a few hours last week with nothing to show for it. The flow is okay,lots of guy's looking for the fish but nothing to be seen. I'll post another update as I will be on the Notty again this week.
My Steelhead season is going to be crazy with very few days still open.
If you have been thinking about getting into the drift boat with me this fall,better get an email off soon.
We are in the last month of trout fishing.Get out and have some fun as it's a long winter without resident trout fishing.
Tight Lines
Ken

Fishing Report Weeks of Aug 1 - Aug 20 2007

I know I know...update the Blog!!!!
This has been one of the best Months I've had! Thank you to all that have booked a wade or drift boat trip!
The cooler nights are a welcome relief, to all species in this part of Ontario. The Upper Saugeen has very little water, can't imagine how the Brookies are surviving in this drought.
The Rocky Saugeen, with it's heavy tree cover, has been at better temps but I will not fish the River until the water cools. Val and I often make a trip down the road to let Sulfur cool down and do some fishing on her own...(mostly for frogs). We have seen Trico's, Olives and Mahogany dunns, with some trout feeding very close to dark.

The Grand's trico hatch has started, but be ready to be on the river in the dark. We fished it today (Aug 20) with dunns and emergers in the early hours, then to spinners after 9:00 am.
Some good fish rising, but nothing huge. It's challenging fishing at best and a lot of fun.

The Notty is still very low, running at 70 degrees, we really need some rain! The cooler nights might start bringing in more fish. Lets hope for larger Salmon this year!

I'll be out for the next 3 days, I'll post a report early next week.
I'm Drifting for smallmouth and muskie and am sure we'll have a good week.

Tired of fishing low water for picky trout??
Why not give me a call and try some hard fighting smallies.
Tight lines
Ken

Fishing Report July 27- Aug 1 2007

A quick up-date.

The Saugeen is fishing great!! John booked a full day on the Saugeen to try these hard fighting fish,and after a slow start he was into some great fish!!

John has asked I no longer call him my "Poster Child" so I'll just call him the best student I've ever had. Completely focused and determined to get the most out of his time angling. I truly enjoy his company and willingness to learn. It's a pleasure to have John in my boat.

Thanks again John,see you in the fall!!



It's time for Hex's on the Saugeen. If you have yet to experience this hatch on the Saugeen now is the time!!

The lower sections are getting good emergence and spinner falls,with smallies keying into these good sized meaty flies. This is an evening thing,but well worth booking a drift boat trip for dry fly action.
I have not been On any Trout waters.With this heat, I'm sure temps are beyond what I will subject clients and fish to. The Trout Creeks in my area are very low and warm,not worth wetting a line. The Rocky Saugeen is beyond fishing temps. It's all bass, bass,bass, not a bad trade off!!!

I have limited dates open,call today to book your trip!!

Tight lines

Ken

Fishing Report July 17- July 27- 2007

Wow! it's getting way too warm out there.
The Grand is fishing well. The early am hours and the evening are the times to be on the water. Water temps continue to climb close to my cut-off point. Monday at 5:30 pm it was 72 at the Trestle!! Had good success with Caddis, Cranes and Cahills after the sun was off the water.
The Rocky Saugeen has hit 70, Still fish rising in the evening to Iso spinners,I will no longer angle the river with the temps that high. It's never worth the possibility of killing a Brook trout
Right?
The Saugeen has been good for smallmouth. The Rain we received last week, the River had come up and gone off colour. I was very fortunate to have a day out with the staff of Canadian Fly Fisher magazine. Although fishing was slow, due to the conditions ,we had a great day on the water.
Derek and his buddy Paul cashed in on a drift I had donated to the Co-operators for the Children's Make a wish foundation. They are great anglers,good casters and after a short tune-up with presenting flies,they were on the money!! We had a good day and a lot of fun.
Dan from Montana had an introduction to smallmouth, he's never fished for bass with a fly rod. Why would he when he's got a fantastic fishery in his backyard. This guy was awesome,he could place a fly on a dime!! Again, with practicing presentations to smallies he got some good fish.
Dan, if you read this thanks again, I had a great time on the River with you and enjoyed the conversation and all the info on your beautiful River.
In the Lower stretches of the Saugeen the Hex's are just starting, won't be long before the Hatch is hard and heavy...anyone not yet experiencing this, has got to get out for an evening of dry fly action to these hard fighting brutes.

On a side note, the T.U. work day we had on the west branch on the Rocky was a huge success
I was so into slogging wood out of the river that I forgot to take pictures of our day. The New fly-Fisher attended the work day with cameras in hand,so you may have a chance to see what we did on the show. Please,If you ever get the chance to do some in water work with the Trout unlimited people ,get out and spend a few hours to help enhance our cold water fisheries, I'll bet you feel as good as I do.
Have a look at my Photo's page for shot's taken over the last few trips.
I'm currently booking Steelhead trips, so if your thinking of heading out this fall,
Drop me an email soon as I'm booking into November. If we have a fall like last year
you'll want to get out in the drift boat for a day of Steelheading!!
Tight lines
Ken

Fishing Report June 25- July 17 2007

Bass, Bass,Bass and Muskie!!

Mr. Cooper shows us how it's done!! He cast the 10 wt all day and it payed off!!

We've been busy with warm water species, smallmouth fishing has been excellent to say the least. I've seen some truly huge bass on the Saugeen.

Had a long day on the Saugeen Monday with two guy's from London, Ruben and his new fly fishing friend Dave. Dave started off slow, but quickly picked up casting the fly gear.In no time he was hooking smallies with the 6 weight. Clousers and crayfish with a couple of fish taken on Ruben's flies! Never met a smallmouth that didn't want a crayfish. Dave found that out when he cast to a large boulder, his fly was met by a 18 inch bass as the fly dropped!

Thanks again Guy's.

The Upper Saugeen has reached it's summer flows, and temps. It's become almost impossible to find a brook trout or brown in the system.

The Rocky has warmed up, still below the 65 degree mark.The evening fishing has been fair to good on small BWO spinners and cahill spinners. The Happy Trout Chapter of T.U. has a work day Wed the 18th of July, I'll post some shots from the day.

The Grand River, what can I say. If you know what sections to be on,you can get some great fishing in. Be prepared to fish late...and spend some time on the banks watching.. I did with Don and Rob well worth putting in the time, Don missed a big fish and Rob hooked this 21 inch fishing on a Iso spinner

Had a chance to head to the Conestoga, water levels look good. I didn't have time to fish,but looks like the water to be on is up-stream of county Rd 12.

We need Rain, the small brook trout creeks have come to a stand still, no flow and algae getting a good foot hold makes fishing not an option.

The Sydenham below the Falls has great tree cover so, it's still fishing well, not great. You still have to work for a fish,but it's so nice and cool in the bush. Nymphing has been the a good producer, caddis and small pheasant tails are what have been best on 6X tippets.

Maitland, if you know the deeper pools you'll get sore from fighting smallmouth.

It shouldn't be more than a few weeks before Chinooks start moving in to a well know River

We will however, need a good couple of days of rain to start that small and early run of fish.

All in all thing are still good, if you want to make the most of your trip out,give me a call and I'll be sure to make your day worth hiring us.

Tight lines

Ken

Fishing Report Weeks of June 5 - 25, 2007

First, I need to get this off my chest.
Three times I have been guiding on the Grand River, a single person, a double and a 3 person corporate deal. I took these people to the Upper River during the week thinking that it would have less pressure, and it did.
All three times I had another person or person's come into the pool I was fishing and without asking or saying anything to me or the clients (other than anyone fish this side?) start fishing directly across from me! Not only that, but no one was fishing up or down stream from us!The sad part is, one of the guy's was a guide, from a local fly shop with a student!! Not the way I would teach etiquette to a new fly fisher. This breads the same behaviour. Completely unacceptable!!
Lets take everybody into account while fishing, if you see someone fishing a pool, move to another spot..simple solution.

Fishing is still good on the Grand, watch for large fish rising. The rise forms have been deceiving as of late. I've hit a couple of fair spinner falls, with few fish on the bugs. Have a mix of spinners Iso's and Foxes have been the ticket for us.

The Saugeen river is now out of the question for any trout, in the head waters the temp are above 75 degrees!! Good Bass and Muskie temps, and this fish are willing and ready.
I've had a few drift boat guides on the Saugeen and managed Muskie and good numbers of bass.
The deer flies are out in full force, so if you are booking or out on your own be ready for some heavy slapping of skin!!
The rocky has been keeping cool and the hatches are great, still an evening fish with Iso's Cahills and olives bring the fish out of hiding. I love that River, it's tight fishing, but well worth the effort.
I plan to fish the Notty soon for smallmouth , this river always fills the bill for good numbers and sizes of smallies and occasional pike.

I've been busy in my area and have not been able to get to the Conestoga or some of the other rivers for a good report.
Be sure to check out "The First Cast" website as they have been able to get on those Rivers with more frequency.

If you have yet to get in the Drift boat, booking dates are filling fast with the smallmouth opener, call soon to book your trip.
Tight lines
please give people space out on the rivers,lets all try to enjoy the sport.
Cheers
Ken

Fishing Report Weeks of May 20-June 5, 2007

As of writing this report the Saugeen water shed has received plenty of rain. The Upper River is no longer fishable. Too Bad, I found this pod of Brookies before the River level climbed to un-fishable. I counted 28 fish from 8"-14" all just hanging around in this pool.

Rain is a good thing, as this will bring water levels and temp back to appropriate levels for this time of year. The Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority reports precipitation levels down 40% from a normal year!! It's too bad the water is up, as the Green Drakes had just started on the Upper Saugeen. The Drakes always brings out the bigger Brookies.The Browns will find their way out of the under-cuts to eat these big meaty flies.

The temperature in the Saugeen and Rocky Saugeen was 5-9 degrees above normal.

The Grand River has had some amazing hatches and spinner falls, with fish still needing to key in on them. I've had clients out for evening fishes, and have had very heavy spinner falls. After waiting in prime areas till dark nothing but small fish had been rising. Caddis was the ticket with the two guy's I had out, We fished below the second line, good old "Caddis Kate" made her presence known to one of the angler I was with. She quickly made short work of that Caddis emerger and wrapped it around a rock.. and so it goes...

I have had a chance to fish once since the last report on the

Grand and managed one fish on Hendrickson spinners.

Muskie season is now open, Did a drift on the Saugeen with a good friend , he managed a nice 38" fish, ten minutes into the drift..and that was it. Looks to be a great year for Smallmouth as we had seen some huge fish close to the banks as we cast to prime areas with the big gear for Muskies.

The Conestoga is picking up, Take Caddis and find a riffle,that's all it seems to take on that river.

I"ve heard(not had a chance to fish it) that the Credit Is fishing good, Now that everybody is on the Grand River, It may not have the best hatches right now but lots of river to fish and less people.

With this current cold front your guess is as good as mine as to what is in store for us.

The Grand has not changed the flow rates still around 3.5 and should be clear,it will all depend on in-flow.

Feel free to add a comment if you have been out and had some good luck.

Cheers,and Tight lines !!

Ken

FISHING REPORT WEEKS OF MAY,06-20,2007

WOW!!

What a Crazy couple of weeks!!

I've been spending my spare minutes concentrating on my local streams,so lets start with The Saugeen systems.

The Hendrickson spinners have been so thick, Val and I spent a few hours casting #16 Hendickson spinners to Brookies, very selective Brookies. These are not big fish but can you pass up on a beautiful natural Brook Trout from an area like the photo?

The Grand River Tailwater has had the best Hendrickson Hatch I've seen in years!

Too bad the fish can't recognize these bugs as food, We've seen blanket hatches with few or no fish rising. With these warmer temperatures the fish will start keying in on spinners.

Watch for an evening with some cloud cover to keep the spinners from the trees.

I had a couple of hours after a course and managed to stick a 21" Brown on a reversed spinner

Nice fish,and met a truly nice gentleman in the Can Robert area. Blair is a great guy and fishes the Grand often,he shares his time with his wife who loves the areas B&B's. We stayed late waiting for the spinners to fall, Blair had a couple of shots a big fish in an area that he has never fished. Blair made a great cast, the fish came to his spinner, Blair was a little slow on the hook set stuck the fish for a second...and that was it, we both figured the fish to be over 20" the first big fish Blair has had a shot at with a dry fly..next time Blair ..we'll get him!

The Conastoge River has been good to fly fishers, spend some time in pools below riffles. Caddis seem to be the ticket.

The Credit Fished well early,but is now winding down. Some good fishing can be had to the dedicated fly fisher with a good nymphing style.

I'm looking forward to some great days on the Saugeen targeting Muskie and Big Smallmouth,

I'm booking guides for these amazing hard fighting fish. Call to reserve your day soon.

519-820-8506.

Remeber to keep the fight times short, the longer you fight a fish the higher the lactic acid build up, the lower the survival rate. Be sure to revive the fish well, let the fish decide when it's time to swim away. If the fins have a reddish colour to them and the fish is not staying up-right hold the tail gently, keeping the fish in the current and slowly move the fish back and forth in the current. Doing this will slowly allow the acid build up to disapate,allowing the fish to move freely on it's own.

Cheers

Ken

Fishing Report Week Of 28-05th

Fishing on the Grand River tail water has been tough, with the clear water and cool temps the Browns have been fairly difficult to come to a fly. Nymphs and big rabbit strip streamers seem to be getting most of the fish. Isopod and Hendrickson nymphs are getting Browns in the Upper river, fish deep and slow covering the water well,did I say Patience in the rule?
Steelheading opening week was also a low catch scenario. Water levels are very low in the Maitland,with the Saugeen dropping fast and the Lower Grand almost at summer levels and Clear as gin. The water levels are good in the Notty,with drop back steelhead starting to leave the system. Watch the water temps,with the sun as intense as it is these fish will find the way back to the colder water of the lake quickly. Morning temps in the Steelhead Rivers has been
54-56, by noon the are climbing to 60-65. A low pressure system and some rain is desperately needed as our spring run winds down.
The Brook and Brown trout fishing in the Markdale area has been good, Stone fly and Hendrickson's have been coming off in moderate numbers. Doing some walking is the rule, finding fish in the deeper pools and runs in this clear water is fairly easy. Presenting flies up-stream is a must staying low and quite will get some respectable Trout.
Tight lines
Ken

fishing report week of 20-27th

I've stayed away from the rivers cause i can't handle the crowds of opening weekend.
that being said,I drifted the Maitland on Sunday with a friend,saw very few fish and hooked even less.
Water levels were starting to drop,and the high pressure system, gin clear water
and the huge amount of anglers fish were in shock.
The Saugeen was a zoo, like most rivers this weekend. I'll have more information on the Trout Rivers for the next report.
Tight lines
Ken

Fishing Report Week Of April 15-20

Once again the weather is playing a major role with conditions. We had another 4-5 inches of Rain and Snow, last week.The Rivers sky-rocketed and are close to being back to "normal" for this time of year.

The Saugeen River; lots of water, good flow temps are up and down like a yo-yo.They have started lifting fish, at Denny's.

Maitland River; Again was too high to fish mid-week but back down to high but fish able.
Temps are up and down but between 36-42 degrees. Fishing is slow, it can only get better.

The Notty; Man, did this River get ugly, It's dropping, but dirty...big surprise. No fishing data for the Notty, sorry just not worth the trip.

The Grand river; I'm going on what I've heard on this one, which isn't much. Still cold but the levels are good.

Should be a great spring for Drop backs, all this water is a great thing lets hope we don't drop the levels too fast.
Good luck, just a couple of weeks away before Rivers open up again.
Cheers
Ken

Fishing Report week of April 9-13 2007

The rivers are coming back into shape. Although the snow we received the last couple of days is now melting with the light rain it will change the river levels and clarity.

The Saugeen, as of Thursday is slowly going up. The River has fish, and lets hope it
keeps some good visability

The Maitland, is also on it's way up, remember its only open to fishing below the #21 bridge.

The Notty, Is steady and should be okay without any rain. The Notty can be a tough River to find fish,but with the cooler water temps concentrate on the slower pools.

The Lower Grand, is also holding steady,but for how long?With the high water this fall it may be difficult to find fish in the main River. The Grand is open from Caledonia down stream.
Be careful not to get within the 25 meters of the Dam... the C.O's have no mercy , can't blame them.

Take a thermometer with you,check the temp and you'll know what water to fish. Slower for cold water...medium to fast water above 45 degrees. Remember, it only takes a 1/2 of a degree to change inactive fish to active fish.
Fell free to leave your comments or let us know how you did on your last trip out
Cheers
Ken

Funny how things change

Well we can disregard the last post. The Saugeen is well on it's way to high and dirty...again!
The Maitland is going the same direction, with the 1.5 inches of snow we've got in the last 4 hours,It's going to be interesting to see what happens over the weekend.
The Notty is also going up and off color, Should be out for about a week. Depending on the temp
it may slow the run off and clear the rivers a bit.
keep checking back
Cheers
Ken

Fishing Report April 01-06 2007

The Saugeen has dropped and is clearing as of Sunday. We are expecting more rain, that will affect the river again. Water temp in the Saugeen is 43 degrees,with about 12" visability.
A majority of fish are being caught in slower water close to the bank.
The Maitland had dropped and is fishable only down stream of the #21 bridge. The cold water temps are keeping fish in the slower water.
We still have about a foot of wet snow in the bush,in Markdale,and are expecting more cold temps and snow before the weekend.
When fishing the dirty water,remember the fish have a hard time passing the silt over the gills.
Fishing close to the bank will produce more fish as the silt level is lower in these areas.
Look for slow moving pockets and eddies,fishing with pale pink egg patterns and black stones has been working well. The tiny winter blacks are hatching in huge numbers,be sure to have some #16 nymphs in your fly box.
Good fishing
Ken

Moving fly tying

As much as we would like to continue fly tying on the blog, we find it is too time consuming and difficult to have the post appear to you as we would like. I will be posting a link
to the new tying album.
We apologize for the inconvenience
Thank you
Ken

Materials list

The Vise is here and I'm ready to go. Well almost, It seems I've purchased a camera without a good "macro" setting . While I wait for my new camera ,take a look at the vise,great value and a fantastic tool. Well Done Peak!!
I also have the list of what you'll need to tie the Pink Matuka Spey;


Hook,#3/0 Partridge CS10/1(or equivelant)


Thread, 6/0 uni thread Pink or red


Tag, Silver flat mylar #12


Rib, Oval Tinsel x-strong medium


Body, Micro Chenille White


Wing, Magnum Rabbit Strip (cut to a point to tie in)


Collar, Large Cactus Chenille Pink


Hackle, Pink Saddle hackle (to be wrapper in front of collar)


Hackle#2 White Burnt spey(soaked in hot water,strip one side,tie in at tip of feather)


Over hackle, Pink mallard flank (strip one side tie tip first)


It's a long list,but I've taken 10 years to get this fly perfect. In various colors (Black, Purple, White and Olive) this fly produces on every River I've fish.


The Pink Matuka spey can be a tricky fly to tie first time,so be paitent and take your time.


It can also be tied in smaller sizes,the 3/0 is what the size I fish with the two hander and a heavy tip.
Thanks
Ken

Hot Great Lakes Steelhead Patterns

Hi everybody,

We had a problem last week,actually a few problems. The website was lost,my hosting service had a hard drive melt down and lost everything on the drive. I apologize for the down time and hope it doesn't happen again.It took sometime but we are up and running again. I"ll be working with Peak rotary vises, for the Peak Pro-staff team. This is a great vise at a fantastic price! Take a look at my Links page for the URL for Peak, I'm sure you will be as impressed as I was!

I'll be tying these flies and more "Guide Flies" and will post the recipes on the blog. With spring Steelheading starting soon we'll start with steelhead patterns. These flies have been my "go to" flies all fall. You'll want to have a couple of each for the spring when the water temps get around 50 degrees.

Thanks

Ken

Father's day Idea

The new season is just around the corner,you should be thinking about Father's Day and Valentines day for a Fly-Fishing adventure. I now have gift certificates available through the web site. All you need to do is email me(ken@ontariodriftboatguides.com). I'll suggest an Adventure that will suite the needs of the person you want to enjoy the Adventure.

I require a 50% deposit for the booking,balance due 7 days prior to the booking date.

I'll mail you a receipt for the deposit.

Looking forward to seeing you in the 2007 season

Cheers

Ken

Happy 2007!!

It's a new year and I'm looking forward to having a great year.
The extended season Rivers are now closed and we are down to to River mouths,except the Notty,that has a good amount of river to be fished. The Steelhead are in the wintering pools
but fresh fish continue to move in the rivers.I can't believe the amout of big fish that have been entering the Rivers this year.
This has truly been a fantastic year for Steelheading.
Here are a few shots from December
Enjoy,and don't be fooled we still have lots of rivers to fish.
Why not give me a call and work off some of the "Christmas Cheer"
fighting Steelhead!!