Fishing Report Feb 14- March 11 2008

Not so much a fishing report,but a boat build and up coming events report.
I will be at the Casting lanes Thursday(March 14) from 5 pm on in the Fly Fishing section at the 2008 Sportsman Show. I'd really like to see/meet some of you at the show.
As I write this, it's snowing again in Markdale, The snowbanks have reached a new high... 9 feet!! I have to walk out to the road check for traffic!Yep, I'm tired of winter.
That being said, we should have a great spring Steelhead season. Lots of snow=water and fish that didn't get too far in the Fall.Spring Bookings are filling my calender for both guiding and the First cast course.Shaping up to be another excellent year!!
The boat is coming along nicely, I have built some pretty heavy duty seats, they might even take abuse from Tim'r... or not!!
I 've made some pretty cool changes, lost the old style gunwales and made up new oar lock blocks from solid White Oak. Changed the seat in the stern, to a swivel mount with new drink holders. I've shaved some weight off the boat by removing some heavy items,no not you Tim'r. Changed my anchor rope system,cleaner and neater. I'll be re-varnishing the entire boat in about a week,and another coat of paint. Should look good as new!

The movie I worked on as a "fly fishing expert"(The Russell Girl) on was on the tube. It aired on the 27 th of January. My job was to teach the Main actors to cast like they had been fishing for years. Paul was casting like a pro with an hour,he's a very focused guy, wanting to learn and perform like he had been fishing for years. I didn't have too much time with Amber, although she was fun to teach. The entire scene we shot was 10-20 seconds long...if that! I was to show up on set at 9:00 am and be ready for anything. I supplied the rods and reels, a net and tackle box, we had a "fish wrangler" from Camp creek hatchery bring some really pretty Browns for the "release shot". Ben had the fish (14-24 inch Brown Trout) in the Back of a pick-up with oxygen and coolers full of ice to keep the fish happy. At 2:00 pm the Fishes water in was getting hot,and The the fish restless. It was a good thing we had the Craft Truck right beside us. It was a constant supply of ice as the Air temp was getting over 90 in the shade. The sequence was to be filmed on the Credit river, the Fish wrangler,( Ben) and I had been checking the River water temp and to be honest, we got worried as the water temp hit 80+!! We figured the fish would die as soon as they hit the water. Making for an ugly shot!Well, long story short, it was well after 7:00 pm when they did the filming so it wasn't too bad. We built a small "coral" with a seine net to hold the fish and acclimate them before using them in the shot. It worked out very well, the sequence was true to life. The film crew was great and did a fantastic job. Well done, if any of you get the chance, and see the movie for rent give it a watch.
Good News.. Markdale has high speed wireless.. so I'll be able to post more often!!
Have a look at the Photo gallery,I'll be up-loading some new shots of the boat,and some old ones of the build. Enjoy!!
I'll be checking out the Rivers with a report soon.
Tight lines
I love high speed
Ken

D

Fishing Report Jan 7-Feb 14 2008

Snow Snow and more Snow!!
You gotta love all this precip, with the ground saturated and the aquifers full,we should have a fabulous spring!! We currently have 4 feet of snow in Markdale. Lets hope for a slow melt!!
I want to thank the the people that came out to the First Cast Fly shop in Guelph to see some of my fly patterns. It's always great to show new fly anglers patterns that work for multiple spieces.
The boat is getting some small modifications this winter. Mostly re-finishing/cosmetics and small repairs. I was hoping to cut the bottom off to decrease rocker but that will have to wait. That's what I love about building my own boat, no matter what,I can do whatever I want to it!!

Looks like we will have high-speed shortly, that will allow us the update and upload much faster.
I'll be posting photo's of the boat building from scratch,I hope you find them interesting. I will also be putting together a DVD this year.
My spring is looking good, increased interest in guiding and more people looking to learn to fly fish. Anyone looking for gift ideas should consider my courses,I've got something for everyone.
I look forward to getting out with all of you this year.
Thanks again for a great 2007!
Cheers
Ken

Happy New Year!!

2008 has begun, not so much the fishing end of things. I have some work to do on the boat, I'm re-designing the seats,taking out some rocker and re coating the bottom on the inside. The varnish needs to be done,doesn't sound like much,but it will fill the next 2 months. I've got some new ideas/areas for this year, some water that doesn't get the pressure and should make for some great trips.

Hey John from Michigan, could you send an email address for the drift swap? I'd like to chat about the possibilities of that trade this spring.
I hope everybody had a great holiday and look forward to seeing you this season.
Cheers
Ken

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