Gord Ellis with personal best Lake Superior steelhead caught on x Rap, April 5,2011.
After asking forgivness in the last blog for being so spare with my posts, I go and wait two and a half months to do another. Hmmm.
Well spring is here. It’s already near the end of April,and while the northwest has been getting an extended winter, it looks like the old man is finally on the ropes. There is still lots of snow in the woods, however, and it should be a big run off. We need one, as last spring was a disaster for our stream spawning fish due to super low water.
I started off the 2011 open water season with a bang. My first fish of the year was a 33 inch buck steelhead caught shore casting. The thing was a brute, and hit a hot head X-Rap,one of my favourite lures. It was certainly the largest steelhead I’ve ever caught from Lake Superior. It’s likely the biggest I’ve caught anywhere,although I did get some good ones in the St.Mary’s River back in the mid 1990s. An exciting fish to catch anyway. I let it go so hopefully it will be the Dad to some more big steelies. I’ve attached a pic of the fish taken by my dear old Dad, Gord Sr.
In two weeks, my friend James Smedley and I will be off on a spring turkey hunting adventure. It’s been 3 years since I’ve gone, and that’s too long. We will be in the Kincardine area, where James has family. The pre-hunt scouting reports are good, but I never assume anything when it comes to gobblers. James killed a nice gobbler there two years ago, so I’m hoping his good luck rubs off on me.
Finally, I was thrilled to make the cover of the April issue of Ontario Out of Doors. Although I’m senior editor, it had been a while since I made page one. The fish in the shot is a beautiful Lake Nipigon brook trout in all of its coloured up glory. You can just see the feathers of the Mighty Mitch and Jungle Joe jigfly the fish hit.If you’ve never seen their stuff check out their website at mmjjjigflies.com
Have a good spring!