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