Steelhead Strike Out

Indiana - December 23, 2010

Al Bernicky and I got an early start towards Indiana this morning. We were hoping for a great day of Steelhead fishing. As we got there I couldn't help but notice how much more snow they have had in that area due to the Lake Michigan effect. There was a lot of it.

I raced off into the woods and followed the snow packed trail to find my spot partially frozen over, but there was enough room to fish. Long story short....I went 0 for three. I struck out. The first fish hit within the first few minutes after I started fishing. As soon as I pulled back on him, the hook came out. The next fish broke me off and I pulled the hook again on the third one. But when you're fishing in a setting such as the photo below, how can you complain?

Al fishes a scenic spot along the creek

A little while later Al showed up and said he had not even had a bite. I thought he would have landed a couple but he had nothing. He fished my spot a for a bit without a bite so we started fishing our way back. I shot some video of the walk along the creek and may or may not post it at some point. I didn't even fish until I got all the back to where the trail meets the creek as you walk in. I caught a couple smolts but that was it. Al showed up after a short time and settled into a scenic spot where I was able to get a nice photo of him. It didn't take long before I heard him say "FISH!". He landed a nice Steelhead and at that point we called it a day and headed for home.

Al shows off the only fish of the day before releasing it

One thing I noticed was the lack of moving wildlife. Usually the place is loaded with birds and squirrels, and one you almost always see other creatures, but not today. I saw a few birds and not one squirrel. I guess the fish were taking it easy today too.

Jumping Steelhead

Indiana - November 24, 2010


 An early morning visitor

I got an early start and arrived at my destination well before the sun began peeking over the horizon. After parking my car and getting my gear ready, I began walking into the darkness of the woods. The ground was very muddy which only added to the hazards that make the trip along the creek a treacherous one even during the daylight. The path was littered with sticker bushes and downed tree limbs, not to mention the washed out spots that can send you tumbling down the embankment into the cold water if you're not careful.

Stopping to say hello



As I got to the first spot I wanted to fish, a deer appeared in a small clearing just across the creek. He stopped to watch me for a minute and quickly decided I was not a threat to him. A few seconds later, a second deer joined him. They watched me for a little bit before they went on their way. For me, it's always a neat thing when I come across a creature in the wild and they decide I'm not a threat to them and they go about their business. Sometimes they run away when I pick up the camera, but these deer watched me as I set up my two Steelhead rods. They seemed curious about me.

My first Steelhead of the Fall

I began floating wax worms down the creek. I felt a bite right away but knew instantly that my bait was being harassed by the smolts - which are small 4 to 8 inch Steelhead that have yet to make their way out to Lake Michigan. I reeled the bait in and made an adjustment with the hope that I'd have fewer smolts attacking it. Sure enough the bobber went under and stayed there and I knew I had a good bite.

 Trying to get a grip

The fish made one powerful run as the line screamed off my reel. At the end of its run it made several high jumps out of the water. I moved down the creek towards the fish as I reeled in more line. I found a good spot to land the fish and as I knelt down in preparation to bring the fish in, it jumped again and hit me square in the chest. I thought for sure the line would break but it held and the fish landed in the water right in front of me. A few seconds later I was able to scoop it out of the water.

Still not cooperating

I made a couple of attempts to get pictures using the self timer but the fish still had a lot of fight left in him. He kept squirming and I wasn't able to get a decent shot after two attempts. I figured that he had been out of the water long enough so I turned around and lowered him close to the water so he wouldn't have far to fall when he broke my grip.

Resting before heading back into the current

The fish swam off but turned around stopped about 5 feet down from where I released him. He stayed there for a minute or two before swimming off into the deeper water and out into the current. I made a few more drifts in that area before throwing a spinner that I had made. With no luck on the spinner I moved off to another spot.

 Low water level

The mud made finding a safe spot to fish very difficult. There would have been more options for me if I would not have minded standing in the slop, but I decided to stay out of the slop and on drier ground for this trip. I tried two more spots with no luck before I wound up at my last spot.

Steep embankment behind the trees

At my last spot I wound up catching several smolts very quickly. I had to re-tie a few times after snagging in the brush that is all over the bottom of that creek. Eventually I felt some resistance when pulling back on the line and I had another good fish on. This fish was a couple pounds smaller than the first one and much darker. I managed to get it out of the water but I still had about 4 or 5 feet of mud to either walk through or drag the fish through. I got the fish about halfway and the hook pulled free. Since the fish was still just out of my reach, I turned the rod around and gently rolled him back into the water. He swam off with a burst and I decided to call it a day. There was freezing rain on the way and I did not want to be stuck in the holiday get-a-way traffic in an ice storm.

Sure Sign of Spring

Indiana - February 18, 2009

More Photos from today:

http://www.catchphotorelease.com/02182010.htm

River Otter Tracks with Tail Slide

Today's trip started out above freezing for once. It was cloudy with a slight breeze, but the air temperature was finally above the freezing mark as I ventured into the woods. There was still enough snow on the trail and along the banks to keep me from getting caked with mud as I navigated the terrain.

Clear Water

The water level was even lower than last week and the water clarity had improved quite a bit too. I kept an eye on the water as I made my way to my first spot but didn't see any signs of fish.

A Big Snag Waiting To Happen when the Water Rises

One thing I did notice were several Robbins. Around here, you never see them until spring arrives so the fact that I saw several during the day made me quite happy. Then I started fishing....

I started out drifting bait. The bobber went down three times in the first hour, but each time I pulled back there was nothing there. Nothing happened for the next several hours. I spoke to several guys fishing the creek and no one had caught a thing all day. A few of them suggested it was going to be tough until we get some rain, or we get a rapid snow melt to get some water flowing through the creek. Hopefully when that happens, it will bring a few fish in from Lake Michigan.

About the time I decided to quit, I saw a fish porpoise in the distance downstream. That added another hour to my persistence, but it was for nothing. Or so I thought...

Persistence Pays Off

After I tossed my remaining wax worms into the water to feed the smolts, I decided to throw one of my homemade spinners a few times. It was a good thing I did because on the fifth or sixth retrieve the lure stopped cold. I raised the rod tip high pulling back on it and line started screaming off the reel.

My Best Steelhead

I managed to fight the fish past some downed timber that cost me a fish a couple weeks ago, and after five minutes time I was lifting him out of the water. Once again a nearby fallen tree was used as a tripod and the fish was released after a few pictures.

Bright Red Cheeks -Back to the Creek

Additional Photos:

http://www.catchphotorelease.com/steelhead8.htm

http://www.catchphotorelease.com/steelhead9.htm

Ice Fishing the Soft Water

Indiana - February 12, 2010

More Photos:

http://www.catchphotorelease.com/02122010.htm

Frozen Solid

There was a glimmer of light in the eastern sky as I began driving east on I-80 toward Indiana. The outside temperature was 13 but the forecast high was for 26. They later revised that about 5 degrees higher after the forecast clouds failed to materialize.

No Room to Fish

By the time I parked the car at my destination, the thermometer was showing 8 degrees outside. I knew I was going to be in for a rough time with the rod guides freezing up. The creek was frozen all the way across in a couple of spots, but where there was a little more current there was open water.

Frozen Bobber and Line

The first couple of spots I wanted to fish were not fishable due to the thin ice going out so far. Where I was able to fish I still had to contend with chunks of ice constantly floating by.

Fishing in the Floating Ice

All I could do was toss the bait out into the ice and hope for the best. The ice was moving faster than my bait was drifting so I had to constantly pop the bobber loose from the ice that would over take it.

First Steelhead of the Day Comes Out of the Water

Luckily on my second drift, the bobber failed to pop back up. I clicked the bail shut and began reeling up the slack and sure enough I had my first fish on. The fish swam under the ice that had frozen out from the opposite bank. I lowered the rod to my side and was able to get him out of there. Next he swam under the ice that had frozen out from the bank on either side of the spot I was standing in. At that point I let him go where he wanted but when he went back out in the current I was able to horse him to my feet without the line breaking due to the ice that kept hitting it.

"The water isn't much warmer."

I picked up the fish, set him in the snow and unhooked him before taking a few photos. He was released no worse for the wear.

Lots of Ice Behind Me

After several more drifts I gave up on that spot and moved down stream. It took a little longer, but another Steelhead took the bobber down.

More Ice Floats By

This fish felt bigger as it pulled drag out. Then for some unknown reason it turned and swam upstream right towards me. I reeled as fast as I could until the fish stopped and started fighting in circles right in front of me.

Circling for Another Run

I was going to have to somehow get the fish up onto the thin ice that was frozen a foot or more out over the water in front of me. I chose that spot because the ice was out even further on both sides up stream and down.

Diving Under the Ice

The fish swam under the ice in front of me and broke a big chunk off. As it floated out I realized he had done me a favor because I now had more room to land him.

Steelhead Swims Toward the Bank Under the Skim Ice

At this point I got a real good look at one of the biggest Steelhead I had ever had on the end of my line. It took off again for open water and wanted to fight a little more. When I got it close again it swam under the thin ice just above where I was standing. I don't know what it was thinking because it hit the sand under the ice and kept trying to swim right up onto the bank. I got a hand under it and lifted it up and quickly set it down in a huge snow bank that had drifted out from the creek embankment.

Just enough room to get him out of the water

The fish was still hooked so I quickly got the line untangled from the ice just in case the fish decided it was going to flop around and try to get back to the water. Sure enough, it did. I stopped it once as I snapped a few pictures. The fish nearly took my rod with it into the water as it tried to get away again. This time I picked up the rod and let the fish wiggle his way out onto the ice which quickly broke under his weight. He made a few powerful splashes as he took off for deeper water.

Big Steelhead in the Snow

I drifted that spot for a while longer without any other bites. The sun was getting higher in the sky and there was less and less ice drifting by. I could still hear the ice out over the creek moan and groan as the sun warmed it. I decided to move but as I approached the spot I wanted to fish, I noticed the area was frozen to the point where there was no place I'd be able to fish so I headed back.

Through the Skim Ice to Freedom

I stopped at the spot where a nice fish had broken my rod during the previous trip. By this time I didn't need gloves anymore and there was no more ice floating by. The ice around the shoreline was minimal in this spot due to the current but all I was able to do was snag twice.

A Scenic Spot

An older gentleman I hadn't seen before stopped to ask how and I did and then went to a spot about 50 or 60 yards down. A short time later he landed a nice fish and released it. I threw the spinner a couple times then decided to hit the road.

A Nice Steelhead about to be Landed

It turned into a really nice day. It warmed into the mid 30s by the time I got home and Bear was happy to have some play time in the snow.

Bear is Happy to Play Ball in the Snow

Bear Goes Fishing

By William D. Anderson

Book Preview

Late Winter Steelhead

Indiana - February 2, 2009

More photos from today:

http://www.catchphotorelease.com/02022010.htm

Two Steelhead

Al Bernicky and I went creek hopping in search of Steelhead. The original plan was to go chase Sauger again in the IL River, but after double checking the weather forecast I thought it best not to be pulling my boat around on snow slickened roads.

Al picks a spot

We got to our first spot and began fishing. I landed a smolt right away and commented that we should use him for bait as I let him go. Al started fishing near the same spot, but after a few minutes I decided I'd head for my favorite spot on that creek.

My first Steelhead of the day covered in snow

I fished the magic hole very thoroughly and didn't get a bite. I tried a few things and nothing worked. I switched positions and started hitting another part of it and quickly hooked and landed my first fish.

My second Steelhead of the day

The problem was that I would have to get the fish past a couple of sunken trees with thick protruding branches in order to land it. The first fish I hooked was no problem.

A nice head shot showing the hooked jaw

The second fish I hooked got wrapped around the tree and I lost him. The third fish I hooked got all the way to the ice I was standing on and as I was slipping my hand under him to gently lift him out of the water, he bit through the line and was gone. I hooked and lost a few more fish while I was in that spot. They seemed to be stacked up in there pretty good.

Light snow falling

All this time it was snowing very lightly but there was one stretch where it came down pretty heavy. The birds were really active today and I was especially amused by these small birds that had blue feathers because they would constantly fly to a spot across the creek from me, poke around in the snow, then leave. Al later told me about another bird that kept diving down and coming up with smolts. It had quite an appetite.

Another shot of my second fish

I landed the next fish and took a photo using the self timer on the Canon Digital SLR I had in my bag. I used a fallen tree as my tripod and the picture turned out OK. The fish was a brightly colored male.

One of several that got away

I set the fish in the snow next to the first one I caught and decided that would be all I would keep for today. Just as I finished re-tying, Al walked up to join me. He fished the stretch of creek I was originally working on and didn't get a bite. A short time later, I hooked another nice fish and Al got the camera out of the bag and was able to get one picture of the fight before the fish wrapped itself around the tree and got away.

Al tries to keep a fish from going under the ice

Al then decided he'd hit another spot and caught several nice fish there. He took a few pictures with his cell phone.

Another fish that Al was able to get onto the ice

I decided I'd start working my way back even though I was 2 for 8. I stopped at one last spot before I was done and hooked another nice fish. This time I had him in a pool where I could keep him away from the brush and was able to get him to the bank - until my St. Croix Rod snapped in half when the fish tried to make one more run. I loosened the drag right away since I still had the fish on. It all was for nothing though because he quickly snapped the 6lb test line like it was a wet noodle since there was nothing to absorb the shock.

The "broken rod" spot

Al walked up a few minutes later and we headed back towards home. Al's catch ratio was about the same as my miss ratio, but it was still a good day despite breaking the rod. This was my first St. Croix rod that I've owned and they should warranty it if they're a reputable company since I've only used the rod a couple times and have taken good care of it like I do all my other gear.

The water temp varied between 33.8 and 35.8 according to the thermometer I had. There was a lot of ice along the bank and the water level had dropped since the ice formed so we made sure to only walk on ice that had dry (or very muddy) land under it. The ice over the water was not safe.

Last Fish of 2009

Indiana - December 29, 2009

Assuming I don't get out again, I've caught my last fish of 2009 this morning. It was a nice Steelhead from an Indiana creek. As usual, Al and I were walking into the woods just as the sun was peeking over the horizon.
Fishing was slow but I managed to land the only fish I hooked, not counting the dozen or more smolts I caught and released. The fish broke the line as I was reaching for him, but I was quick enough to get a hand under him and lift him out of the water before he got away from me. I set him down quickly in the snow and then found out the hard way that the memory card for the camera was still in the PC at home. My spare card was in my car, but we didn't have my car. That left me with only my cell phone to take the a couple photos before releasing the fish.

Al hooked 5 or 6 and landed 2. It was a tough day for both of us but still nice to be out despite the cold. The air temp was in the single digits when we left, and made it up to the low 20s according to what we heard on the radio on the way home. The wind chill stayed in the single digits all day. We had to put up with ice in the rod guides all day too. I kept chemical hand warmers in my gloves and that kept my hands warm enough to get through the day.

So with this probably being my last trip of the year, Happy New Year !

Fishing in the Snow

Indiana - December 22, 2009

Snow falling on the creek

Al Bernicky and I made yet another trip to Indiana for Steelhead. We were met there by Rich Delaney. This time it was snowing when we left and it kept snowing all day long. The snow made the creek very scenic. Before I ran off to my spot, I stopped to take a few photos of the snow settling on the trees and brush.

A Holiday Traveler

I got to my spot and began to set up both steelhead rods. I heard a faint noise in the water behind me and turned around to see an Otter coming out of the water and scampering up the bank into some downed trees. I couldn't get the camera out of the bag quick enough before he was deep in his hiding place. He played peek-a-boo a couple times before he was gone for good. Later on, Rich found me and told me he had seen it a little upstream from where I was still fishing.

There's an Otter in there somewhere

Fishing was painfully slow. If it wasn't for the snow enhancing the beauty of the creek, I would have given up a lot earlier. It took a few hours before I hooked my first fish on a spinner. It came up just enough for me to see it a was a good one and then broke off.

Al gets a fish close before it breaks off

Al showed up later on and hooked a massive fish. I was a little down stream so I grabbed the camera and raced over to him just in time for the fish to swim under a log and break off.

A difficult and dense trail

I stuck it out in that spot a while longer as did Rich. I saw his bobber go down as he was drifting bait, but he missed the fish. I briefly hooked another one later on before losing it almost immediately.

Rich waits for a fish to hit

After that I gave up. I found Al fishing near the entrance point and sure enough he tied into another good fish. This was his second hook-up of the day.

Al fights a big Steelhead

I got the camera out of the bag again and started shooting. I was able to get a few shots of the fish as it came up before it broke off.

Als fish comes up one last time before it breaks off

That was all it took for Al to call it quits too. Fishing was terrible, but we got to see the creek at it best thanks to the snow.

The one that got away