Salmon/Trouting/Tribbin'/Question

[Moosebunk]

Like you see in magazines from Great Brittain like "Trout&Salmon" and "FlyFisher" they often use a floating fly with two dropper flies, usually a wet and a nymph for example. Is that allowable here in Canada???

And, say you're floatfishing, can you use a weighted fly/lure and then have a trailing hook on it with roe or something like that??? Or are we restricted with this style of fishing? If we are not restiricted, is it common practice and I'm just being oblivious here?

[Markus]

Bunk, I think our basic regs permit that. It says you're allowed 4 hooks/line (3 point treble counts as 3 hooks unless it's attached to a lure). I can't see why that rig wouldn't be legal.

[BBRich]

A friend of mine told me to try trailing a streamer about 3 feet behind a Williams Wobbler or Cleo spoon for steelhead. He said the spoon works like a flasher and drives em wild. I'm waiting for a little warmer weather to try this one out!

[FLOATFISHIN]

Cant see it being illegal here, for the hook rule states "4 per line", though in the years of floating, I can say ive never seen this practice being used.

Mainly the rivers I fish though tend to be low and clear most of the time, so a small subtle presentation is what the fish want, and bulking up in these cons I can't see producing well.Mind you in higher stained cons, we tend to goto roe bagz the size of golfballs at times, and also beef up our flies, and use full dew worms.

I can see someone being labeld a "Snagger" aswell if using more than one hook to locate fish

Skein, any input on this one????

T.L F.F

[John Fleming]

Ontario Regulations state, that you can use 3 hooks in any series. eg. Ice fishing, you have 3 way spreaders. Walleye Worm harnesses, you have a tandem 3 hook down to a single hook with a willow leaf blade and an assortment of bead's. If you can manufactor a fly rig like the one you mention in your posting. Well then, you just may be in the money when it comes on line or hits the store's. HUMMM! I've always found that experimentation is the best way to hook fish. Just remember one thing. If the area your fishing in requires you to fish with barbless hooks, then you better bend them down before wetting the line. Hope this helps put the odds in your favor...

[heatmiser74]

Guys fish like that all the time on the Niagara. They'll have one hook baited with roe, single egg or corky. Then the second hook is attached to a long tag line from either a Palomar or Snell Knot with a streamer, minnow or roe tied in a different colour mesh.

[Moosebunk]

3 hooks? 4 hooks? I guess most Rapala's would be 9 hooks??

I saw a picture in Outdoor Canada of the spring crowds on the Ganny. It really looked insane. I would think with that much pressure people would only need to reach into the water with their hands and grab fish as they try to weave around the hordes of fisherpeople.

The rivers in Europe, as I'm sure John could attest to, probably see some heavy pressure too, maybe even heavier. I would doubt runs there would be as good as in alot of the great lakes, so it seems a novel idea that they have become accustomed to working 3 and even 4 fly rigs for their wary fish. Makes sense if it's allowable and it produces.

About the snagging as well FF, is it not all really just snagging anyways. I just have to ask here bud, because I'm under the impression that alot of the Great Lakes fish that are running the tribs are not feeding when they're in the rivers anyways. The other thing is, is flossing not common in Ontario either? Is it because of the riverbottom contours or is it not allowed??

[Markus]

Bunk, flossing is not only not common here, it's frowned upon. I believe thats more of a BC thing.

When salmon are in the creeks, they aren;t really feeding. The hit baits more out of aggresion as a protective and instinctive behavior. Remember,their lives are over.

Bows on theother hand hit for the same reasons as above, but also feed while in the tribs.

[FLOATFISHIN]

Bunk, Flossing is a term that is widely used against floaters for the way we drift.The pressure is insane yes, but, the amount of fish to angler has dropped dramaticly in years past.

As a floater, we offer a presentation to the fish as natural as possible, light lead, small hooks, tiny splits, and a float to drift it naturaly.We try to fish the "Deeper pools" and not the runs or "Redds" where the Steel tend to spawn in shallower rivers.

Fish do feed when they enter, and sometimes you cant stop them they are so ravinous.

"Lineing" is when you see a fish holding and try to put the bait right in front of its face and hope for a strike, but if not you are going to get it "Mouth hooked" or have a better chance of so.

I dont even wear polorized shades out tribbin anymore, because if you can see them they can see you.The mojority of "Bottom contour" is greyish and rocky, where the steel excel in spawning, the "Redds" are ussually small shallow riffles where they can drop there eggs.Steel for the most part are a grey bodied fish, so natural addaptation sometimes makes it hard to spot them even with glasses.

The picture of the Ganny is just sick, I walk over miles and miles of river(s) in my search of unpreasured or low preasured fish.Fishing around 50 guys is retarded, alot of snags, and spooked fish.You might get a fish or 2, but the likelyness of a "Good day" is probably not worth even trying.Alot of fish have been "Foul hooked" fought to the brink of death, released, broken off, and are half dead when you hook them in those "Heavy preasure areas" and not worth even stopping.

Which is why we use light leads, not only to present the bait with minimal sight of the line, but also if a foul hooked fish comes on, we break off immediatly.

I do not drag bottom with my lead either, that can be a "lineing" waiting to happen.I use a short lead to find active fish that will come up for a offering, sometimes others do better than me, but other times I reign on top.

I fish smaller rivers, as opposed to say"Niagra" where bigger offerings are needed to attract fish.

So Lineing, Flossing, or other terms are the norm, when you are drifting to a fish.Though it is an art that is made to get feeding, aggresive fish.With the gear we use, and the way we offer, its alot safer than a 12lb test line with 3 split shot and a #6 hook and a small roe bag, with no float dragging bottom or getting it in front of a fishes face right away.With the "Centre Pin" reels we have no resistance to offer a long drift and be 25ft or further away from the fish that may be visible and not standing right on top of her trying to intice a strike.The drift is natural and the fish are feeding on roe, worms, bugz, what have you, even small minnows or smolts.One deadly bait can be a small 2" power minnow under a float!

Hope this opens it up a bit for ya bro, and if anyone has anymore?'s plz feel free to ask!!!!

F.F

[FLOATFISHIN]

As Markus stated, "Lineing" is right frowned upon here, and I say we are refered to as liners because of the long natural drift we can make, and others look at us and say we are the ones lineing As "Floaters" tried tested and true, we catch fish Also with the presentation we use it reduces foul hooked fish, and accsessing agressive fish.

F.F

[sparky]

OK, what exactly is flossing? I didn't know salmonids were so sensitive to dental plaque and gingivitis.

[Moosebunk]

Bunk, flossing is not only not common here, it's frowned upon. I believe thats more of a BC thing.

When salmon are in the creeks, they aren;t really feeding. The hit baits more out of aggresion as a protective and instinctive behavior. Remember,their lives are over.

Bows on theother hand hit for the same reasons as above, but also feed while in the tribs.

OK, so no flossing. Getting back to the concept of snagging then when using more than one hook, why would anyone get labelled a snagger if they used a several legal fly/lure set up, if in fact these fishes lives are over anyways, and everyone on the river is in some manner of competition to be the one to catch the fish.

I understand the fish are in the river for the purpose of spawning, but take opening day for example and consider the number of anglers that have hooks already in the water, would it not make sense to up your odds of a hook-up over the stranger standing next too you.

Out west, there seemed to be some angler code while standing on the lined banks casting for Springs. Everynow and then though, someone would come and invade my respected space, both days because my group of 3 were the first out of bed and on the river to get the best spot. Obviously, and there were alot of people who would do this in a day, these people were breaking the unwritten rule. Trying to get an advantage, understandably, trying to catch fish for themselves. So it's single barbless out there, but in Ontario it's not. I find it funny that instead of an angler imposing on your space, which you have earned by getting to first, that anglers would maybe instead impose there beliefs on you by labelling you because of a fishing method that is legal yet strangely frowned upon by them. If you had to choose between an angler crowding you on your corner of the river, or you getting called a snagger by someone you probably don't know, which would you choose???

Just food for thought here. I have very little knowledge and no experience at all with Salmon/Trout/Trib ettiquette. If there is some principle which has become the benchmark for how that style of fishing needs to be practiced, I'd like to know a little more about it. I'd hate to get together this fall with FF and totally pizz him off and make him look bad for having me out.

[Moosebunk]

Just noted you posted FF, don't have time to respond or read it this second. Gotta run and see this old lady with Sinusitis. Back in 15-20 minutes.

[FLOATFISHIN]

Now "Bottom bouncing" is another way to target fish by being stationary.You use a weight, or a series of split shot, a lead, and a roe bag with floater pices in the mesh.This brings the bait off bottom for cruising fish to take.Dew worms also work effectivly with this presentation.Fish will dig into bottom, move rocks, and so on to feed aswell.So fish will feed off bottom aswell, I have seen fish with thier snouts beat right up from digging into"Redds" for eggs or under water crustations.Using the "Bottom bounce" tech by a continuous cast and retrieve, would be more lineing.

I do not bottom bounce often if at all, but if there is a no drift area(No current to drift) I.E river mouths and harbours, the Bottom bounce tech is a goto for sure!

F.F

[Markus]

Bunk the best ettiquette tip I can give is that if you happen upon another angler and he's floating...don't cast. If he's casting...don't float.

Lots of room on ON tribs. Pic your days and spots. Avoid the crowds, you won't have a pleasant experience to reflect on if you have to share a small stretch of waterwith 10 other anglers.