The Blog

There are scarce few things that we do in fly fishing that can compare to taking a fresh, fall steelhead on a swung fly.  Ask anyone that has done it and they will tell you that the take from these fish can flat out mess you up for life and leave you scratching your head […]

I had a client several years ago who asked me, after not catching a steelhead for his third year in row, “How many (Expletive) times do I have to hire you guys before I actually catch a fish?”  With my back to him, I thought that his tongue was firmly implanted in his cheek but […]

Steelhead are the glamour fish of the Great Lakes and while they are not indigenous, they have been around long enough that they have been raised to the elite level of game fish.  Although they take second fiddle to other species in terms of their popularity, (it would be hard to argue that walleye and […]

Most of us that hunt for steelhead through their entire season (Sept to late May) will tell you that there is an opportunity to strip streamers with some success.  Post spawn fish, upon vacating redds will quickly return to eating voraciously after feeding very little for several months and can therefore, become extremely aggressive.  Traditional trout […]

I had the opportunity recently to get my hands on the new Echo OHS (That’s ‘One handed spey’) and am convinced that this is a very innovative and fresh idea for Great Lakes steelhead.  While rods in the 10′ to 10’6″ range are not new, this 10’4″ OHS and its action, the brainchild of  Tim […]

Perhaps the most endearing feature of fly fishing in southern Ontario (for that matter, fly fishing in Ontario) is that it’s tough to get bored of the same ole’ same ole’. On any given day in July for instance,  one could be hunting for smallmouth bass on the Saugeen River or Maitland River, trout on […]

The final day of the Ontario trout season was a mix of frustration and excitement for this angler.  I typically spend at least part of the day ushering out the season but this year I was afforded the majority of the day and was happy that I did.  The morning was dedicated to streamers but […]

Reports are coming in daily of salmon showing up on most Great Lakes systems and we would say at this point that we are on the down hill run.  It looks like conditions will catch up and the early fall should be solid.  Here are some fish from the past to whet your whistle.   […]

Where did trout season go?  It seems like just last week I was standing on the river with GROF Guide Nick Groves on opening day, drinking a coffee and waiting for the light.  Giddy as a couple of school kids.  But what an extraordinary trout season we had on the Grand River tailwater.  Not since […]

I had a conversation recently with a gentleman that walked into our shop looking for guns and ammo.  After I explained to him that we didn’t deal in that category, the conversation shifted to fishing.  He indicated that he has lived in the area for the better part of 20 years and lamented rather matter […]

It’s not every year that we get the chance to fish for Great Lakes Steelhead in fair condition this late in the season. The long range forecast is looking very favorable for the next two weeks or as far as we can see on all of the weather sites available. If at this point, you […]