Summary of the Season! Steelhead, Sturgeon, Spear-fishing and Float Planes (Pic Heavy)

[FisherGrrrl]

Hey AO! Its been a while so I figured Id just drop a whole bunch of pictures from trips I’ve done since the spring. Better late then never! So here it goes!

I started the spring off with my second steelhead trip to Northern BC. I remembered some tips and tricks from the first trip in 2012 (http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=131936) , applied it with a few tweaks, learnt a TON, and we were on to them! It was an absolute success and going on a trip with little expectation (I was crossing my fingers for at least one again) I couldn’t have asked for more. First few days I fished the obvious water structures and realized I was most likely floating over so many more fish. From then we fished every piece of water. Every single slick, ripple, run, rapid, hole, log, the long slow wide stretch, and the bite nearly quadrupled!

The first 4 days we spent drifting the rivers in the pontoons. First on the water meant 4:00 am alarm sets and early bedtimes. Steelhead was the drive.

I’ll never forget my first steelhead of the trip. I had a buddy fifty-feet downstream and Montec fifty-feet upstream. I was drifting over some shallow fast moving water and decided to anchor myself in the pontoon with my feet in thigh-deep water and toss a few floats out. Wham! My float submerges and I lock down on the centerpin and pulled the rod back. The steelhead darted down river. I gripped the rod high and it arched over my head while my palms and knuckles refined the tension on the reel. I started hollering at Montec up-river to come help while I slowly backed up against the rivers current while trying not to lose the fish nor my pontoon that hooked around my waist. Together we landed a nice buck, snapped a few pictures and released it back in the river. My body vibrated with excitement and the steelhead cravings increase immensely, it was one of many to come.

After drifting the first few days we decided to take a break and do some walk-n-wade rivers. Found one that ended up being “worth the drive”. Not a soul around and close to the coast. We checked the tide charts and waited for the run of steelhead, fresh from the ocean with salt probably still on the scales. It was incredible.

By the 9th day I was wiped. Legs fatigued, arms sore, calves sore, face and hands sunburnt…the results of a great steelhead trip!

First Steelhead
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/cb73dff1-c682-402d-91d9-91c7a3055618_zps00effee1.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/cb73dff1-c682-402d-91d9-91c7a3055618_zps00effee1.jpg.html)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/DSCN0923_zps39fbd00b.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/DSCN0923_zps39fbd00b.jpg.html)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/DSCN0915_zpsd69071bf.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/DSCN0915_zpsd69071bf.jpg.html)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/b331e4d5-fcd9-4f2f-9de9-053f0cb7dff3_zps17beadd1.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/b331e4d5-fcd9-4f2f-9de9-053f0cb7dff3_zps17beadd1.jpg.html)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/DSCN0897_zps71fed83a.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/DSCN0897_zps71fed83a.jpg.html)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/IMG_6864_zps81cf8885.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/IMG_6864_zps81cf8885.jpg.html)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/DSCN0930_zps90b842a0.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/DSCN0930_zps90b842a0.jpg.html)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/DSCN0977_zps2f782ea9.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/DSCN0977_zps2f782ea9.jpg.html) http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/DSCN0983_zpsd53f895f.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/DSCN0983_zpsd53f895f.jpg.html) http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/DSCN0970_zps99880f0b.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/DSCN0970_zps99880f0b.jpg.html)
And some dollys
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/IMG_6854_zpsb7216119.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/IMG_6854_zpsb7216119.jpg.html)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/DSCN0992_zpsd5cbd740.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/DSCN0992_zpsd5cbd740.jpg.html)

The “fillers” of the spring/summer was focused mostly around sturgeon fishing, fly fishing streams, and a few derbies. I got my first sturgeon last fall (after four years trying lol) and this year I noticed that everyone was hooking into them! It was awesome to see the population doing so well with everyone posting pics. Here’s a few big and small, my biggest measuring 58 inches.

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u617/fishergrrrl/Mobile%20Uploads/af3647b7-2f14-4566-ae28-2b2a847c2deb_zpsfafb1a2b.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/fishergrrrl/media/Mobile%20Uploads/af3647b7-2f14-4566-ae28-2b2a847c2deb_zpsfafb1a2b.jpg.html)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/162cbe01-9daf-4b14-824d-3a5039874823_zps87b05ce6.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/162cbe01-9daf-4b14-824d-3a5039874823_zps87b05ce6.jpg.html)
http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/ambuler444/IMG_1239.jpg (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/ambuler444/media/IMG_1239.jpg.html)

[FisherGrrrl]

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/e92945eb-7de5-4b84-b91e-63f101ff5b93_zpsf173a2ec.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/e92945eb-7de5-4b84-b91e-63f101ff5b93_zpsf173a2ec.jpg.html)

In June I signed up in the Eastslope Kayak Fishing Classic tournament with RavCanoe. That was an interesting day! I’ve never been in a fishing kayak before. Its’ 5:00am, I’m on the south end of Gull Lake and its gusting 40-50km winds with slanted sheets of rain coming from the northeast. If you didn’t paddle hard you were blown towards the east shore in minutes. At one point I swear I paddled for an hour just to get maybe 100 feet, a few times fighting the temptation of giving up and letting Mother Nature lead my course to the banks. When I finally paddled the distance I anchored the kayak. While getting whipped-lashed with every 3-foot wave, I hooked, measured, and released a regulation sized pike, and took 10th place! Woohoo!

The next trip was at the Iskwatikan Fly-In Lodge in Northern Saskatchewan! Montec, Applejax, Rockymtx, and many others drove up to La Ronge mid-July and we were dropped off by a float plane on an island. Here I thought Saskatchewan was all flat prairies. I was very wrong. Northern Saskatchewan looks like an ocean of islands scattered across the land as far as you can see. Once we were there we found our cabins for the week and partnered up in 14’ aluminums and we were on our own to explore the lake. Islands scattered everywhere, rivers pouring in, rivers pouring out, waterfalls and cliffs. Walleye was for breakfast, lunch, and dinner most days.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/IMG_0960_zps0a5c14c1.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/IMG_0960_zps0a5c14c1.jpg.html)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/IMG_0977_zps7c9da08c.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/IMG_0977_zps7c9da08c.jpg.html)

Larger pike and walleye were challenging to find due to the time of season but quantity of both was great. Lake Trout fishing was the highlight of each sunrise and sunset. Jigging and trolling was most effective but when it got slow I cast a big spoon out, let it drop 60 feet down, and reeled it in bouncing it along the bottom and a big laker took it!! An unexpected result for trying something new to me! Nice!

One more *new* experience… we tried Spear-fishing! So cool! We went up a river and swam around at the bottom of some rapids where the current slowed. We floated above with fish with lifejackets, snorkel gear, and a spear. I had my shot at three fish, one being a pike, and missed them all haha. In a way I was happy I missed the pike. I’m not sure how it would have panned out with me holding the other end. With spear-fishing I felt like I was a fish-hunter, trying to be all stealth-like and sneaky to get as close as I could. There was one spot that had a sunken dock and a big dark dark dark hole underneath. “There’s gotta be fish in there!” I thought… I kicked towards the black hole until I was a few feet from the entrance. Fear set in! I didn’t even want to know what lurked in there! Panic set and I kicked myself out of there as fast as the flippers would flip. I remember on Applejax’s turn, he was out there kicking the flippers in one spot which seemed to feel like 30 minutes for us by-standers. “He must be sitting on top of a school of perch” we said. And sure enough he stands up with a micro perch that fit between all the spear prongs. Haha! Nicely done AJ!

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/ambuler444/lakers1.jpg (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/ambuler444/media/lakers1.jpg.html)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/57997e1c-0ce8-456d-97dc-56940f4186a6_zpscf252337.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/57997e1c-0ce8-456d-97dc-56940f4186a6_zpscf252337.jpg.html)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/IMG_1096_zpsaa48e0b2.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/IMG_1096_zpsaa48e0b2.jpg.html)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/ambuler44/a4ede1bf-6b4c-4ac6-baa2-da3e0882b7ce_zpsea4d77a4.png (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/ambuler44/media/a4ede1bf-6b4c-4ac6-baa2-da3e0882b7ce_zpsea4d77a4.png.html)


For the last trip of the season Montec and I headed back up to Terrace BC for the fall steelhead run. I looked at the weather network and completely expected typical steelheading weather… rain, rain, and more rain. No biggie I thought. On the day we left there was a weather alert for the area “Heavy rainfall and Flood Warnings”. Crap! I crossed my fingers it wouldn’t affect any of the rivers we had planned to fish, but of course, it hit them all. Rivers rose a meter and a half and boiled and stirred from the bottom up. Visibility was no more then a centimetre if that. It felt like we were trapped in Willy Wonkas Chocolate Factory for a week and a half. We drove from river to river searching for the best conditions to hopefully hook into a few steelhead and coho. Many times we payed the “classified” waters fee for the day just to get there and see that that river had blown out too. In the end we did manage to hook into a bunch of steelhead and many coho and did a few river floats.
One things for sure, no fishing trip is ever a “bust”. We did so much exploring and searching that I feel my knowledge for the area increase substantially. I took notes, writing access points, river names, road names, and people names that will help all my other future endeavours. Plus who doesn’t like a good adventure. 

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/ambuler444/trip8.jpg (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/ambuler444/media/trip8.jpg.html)
http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/ambuler444/trip6.jpg (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/ambuler444/media/trip6.jpg.html)
http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/ambuler444/trip3.jpg (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/ambuler444/media/trip3.jpg.html)
http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/ambuler444/trip4.jpg (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/ambuler444/media/trip4.jpg.html)
http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/ambuler444/trip2.jpg (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/ambuler444/media/trip2.jpg.html)
http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/ambuler444/trip1.jpg (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/ambuler444/media/trip1.jpg.html)
http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/ambuler444/trip9.jpg (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/ambuler444/media/trip9.jpg.html)
http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/ambuler444/trip7.jpg (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/ambuler444/media/trip7.jpg.html)

[FisherGrrrl]

Click Image
http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/ambuler444/th_IMG_1893.mp4 (http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/ambuler444/IMG_1893.mp4)

Now on to hard-water!

[binnzer32]

Great season. Nice to see women enjoying the sport. Might see you around this winter. Tight lines

[scesfiremedic]

Great post Fishergirl! Fantastic pics!

[Og Dumi]

Wow!! Thanks for sharing

[RavYak]

Nice pictures as always, looks like you had a pretty good year. I might have to try for steelhead next year, did a lot more trout fishing this year and when you can find a big one a pike or walleye doesn't really compare anymore.

Who is RavCanoe? ;)

[FisherGrrrl]

Great season. Nice to see women enjoying the sport. Might see you around this winter. Tight lines

Thanks! Ya that's one thing I like about ice-fishing... I end up running into a lot more people. You can fit a lot more folks on the ice then cramped up on the banks or in a boat.

[CanadianBadass]

Awesome post Amber, Take care, Maybe see ya on the Hardwater this year !

! Nice pics...

[Geezle]

:cool:

[Wolftrapper]

Great job!
Thanks a lot for the stories and pictures.

[FisherGrrrl]

Wow!! Thanks for sharing

After seeing your short trip I'm tempted to head back again! Just need to find a few days off work somewhere:sign0176:

[Og Dumi]

After seeing your short trip I'm tempted to head back again! Just need to find a few days off work somewhere:sign0176:


Haha yeah I kept looking for excuses to turn around and go back on the drive home, work kinda gets in the way :( I definitely want to do more fishing out there this year!

[Wild&Free]

All those steelhead pictures make me home sick.

lots of beauties. that big sturg is impressive to.

if you head back that way I might be able to point you to a spot or two.

I know a little pot hole lake that's great for pontoons, rainbows upto 7lbs by now at least.

Rav, you need to catch yourself a steelhead. there's nothing that compares, except sturgeon perhaps.

[Bearen09]

Awesome pics.. I see you were lucky enough to fish some of the secret holes as well.... Man that guy has some good holes....... Congrats on a great couple of trips.....:)

[tight line]

Your posts are always stellar! Congrats on a good season!

[Pudelpointer]

Excellent posts FG. Thanks.

[huntsfurfish]

Great pics, fish and post.

[Speckle55]

Wow Great season Amber :47b20s0:

There are a couple photo's that are stunning:sHa_shakeshout:

What a Anglers dream season:sHa_shakeshout:

Thanks for sharing

David:)

[wildman]

WOW!!!
Seriously

[Fishslayer99]

Fishergirl,

Great post! looks like you kept busy this season. The pictures were fantastic congrats on the sturgeon, very nice size!
I also caught my first one this year and it wont be my last...(yours is bigger)
Just out of curiosity NSR or SSR?
I am planning a trip to the Frazer in the spring, with any luck I will hook into a beast!

[Coldhill]

That's pretty impressive work. Well done

[badger]

Always enjoy your posts and pictures. What's more impressive is that your nails match your Islander. :)

[Kim473]

Glad you had a great summer Amber. Hope the hard water is as good to you as the wet water was.

[gnugen]

Looks like a great season! We entered the East Slope tourney as well. Landed bottom of the barrel, big waves that day.