Great Lakes Steelhead

Just got back from a phenomenal trip out to the Great Lakes region of Ohio and Pennsylvania. A good friend of mine invited me along on a steelhead trip and I was quick to accept! It was a return trip for him, but would be my first time to that area. Especially my first time to that area in search of the migrating steelhead that the area is famous for. Needless to say, we had a blast!
The town we stayed in was right on the eastern shore of Lake Erie. To say that the town (or the whole region for that matter) was fishermen friendly would be an understatement! The people were great, the prices were good and the atmosphere is definitely "fishy", in a good way, of course. The whole area becomes enchanted with the steelhead run. I have never seen so many people walking around a hotel in waders and boots in my life. I loved it! And despite the intense draw, NONE of the streams were crowded....not at all! I guess that would be due to the fact that there are so many Lake Erie tribs to fish that everyone stays pretty spread out. Whatever the case, the crowds were non-existent on the actual streams. We did have some good interaction with other anglers at our hotel though. Typical fishing talk you know. Some came from as far away as Colorado and Maine to fish the run. Good times!
I'm posting a couple fish pics below from the trip. More will follow soon on our newsletter. See the post below for info. on how to subscribe to it if interested.
We are currently considering the possibility of hosting trips to this area each year. They have great runs of steelhead, brown trout and smallmouth, all fresh from Lake Erie. The runs are obviously spread out over the year. We have the local intel in place to ensure that we have the best chance for success during our time there. IF YOU ARE AT ALL INTERESTED in the possibility of participating in one of these hosted trips, don't hesitate to give Steve a call or email. They make great family trips and can even be done over a long weekend. If we get enough interest, we will definitely pursue hosting these trips. If not, I'll just go by myself. Either way, I'm going back!

Nice Buck....on the swing!

Dropback Hen

 

Newsletter

Due to several requests from store customers and fishing clients, we have decided to start putting out a monthly newsletter. We'll be sending it out via email to subscribers that sign up for it on our website. It's an easy process to subscribe. Simply go to our website by clicking HERE. Then scroll down just below the main picture and you'll see the box to enter your email in. Once you do that, hit the "Submit" button and you're all set.
The first newsletter will go out in April. It will go out to many customers and clients that I already had on my email contact list. If you happen to receive the newsletter due to simply being on my contact list instead of signing up for it, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I hope that it's something you'll enjoy reading and that you'll want to continue receiving it. However, if that is not the case, it's easy to unsubscribe. Simply go to the bottom of the email and click the "Unsubscribe" link.
The first issue will simply be a sort of update on the business and the river since many of you are out of touch with our area during the so-called "off-season". I know that many of you don't care about the update, but we had to start somewhere. With the large number of calls and emails we get requesting this info., it seemed like a logical place to start the series. So with that being said, we hope that everyone enjoys the read and tight lines to all.  

Fishing Report

The Hiwassee River is fishing great! Lots of hungry trout are being caught and we've had plenty of water for drift boat trips. They should start filling the lakes soon, which will be good for wade fishermen. This year has started out with great fishing. All signs point to this trend continuing through the season. This will be one of the best years in recent memory for our fishery. We're all excited about the upcoming season.
The majority of fish have been taken on nymph patterns, sometimes dropped off the back of an olive bugger. A couple of times on today's trip the client caught 2 fish at once, one on each fly of the dropper rig. Gotta love that! No particular fly has really stood out. They don't seem to be picky, they just seem to be hungry. A good presentation will get the job done.
The Hendrickson's have also made an appearance on the river. A huge hatch was spotted coming off last Friday at about 3:00 at the steps. The dry fly action was sporadic Saturday and Sunday, but there were a few heads popping up to eat here and there. It should be epic soon...real soon.
The shop is now open 7 days a week. We just re-stocked the fly bin and even added some new patterns. We're putting in another fly order this week. We sell a TON of flies.
Our Echo rod order also came in this week. We're all impressed with the quality as well as the price of these rods. If you need a new stick come on in and test drive one. As mentioned above, you might want a new dry fly rod soon...real soon.

New Hours

Now open 7 days a week!