Leader to Tippet to Fly
Talk about extreme float tube fly fishing!
This superb video short is an excerpt from “Tapâm – a flyfishing journey” produced by Daniel Göz and Jan Bach Kristensen. The film was a winner at the recent 2010 5th Annual Drake Video Awards.
Check it out.
There is a group of us that fish together – seldom en mass but frequently in bunches of two or three. Bob is usually the organizer and also the aggregator of news about everyone’s fishing activities (at least of those who share it with him).
The teaser was embedded in Bob’s Sunday evening email updating everyone on various fishing successes (or lack thereof) over the past few days. “I’m planning on returning to ****** tomorrow morning early and quit at noon…..” Up to that point, I was planning on working all day but with the subtle presentation – start early and quit by noon, the hook was set. Forget return email. A quick phone call verified times and plans were set.
The weather called for overcast and showers which seemed like just the ticket. Early indications driving up were that it might actually be more like rain rather than showers but such was not the case when we arrived at the lake. It was partly overcast (but sometimes sunny) and other than the rain to and from the lake, it was dry all morning.
The lake has a deserved reputation for large rainbows. I haven’t fished it a lot but it seems most times I hear of either a few big fish being caught or nothing at all. Hopefully today would be the former. As it turns out, the big guys eluded us. Water temperatures were still quite warm and we guessed the larger fish were holding deep. However, my black palmer chenille bugger came through, producing several fish in the 12-14 inch range – not big for this lake but not a skunk either.
And yes – we packed it in by noon. Home in time to get a bit of work in too. The best way to start the week.
You see all sorts of watercraft along the Rideau River so nothing should seem strange however drifting down the river in a fly fishing float tube is a bit unusual. It is not a speedy process but it can be a great way to access less frequented fishing spots along the river. Last Saturday some of us drifted a section – probably about 3 kilometres in length with the intent of locating small mouth bass. This was a continuation of a trip started last year cut short due to darkness. Drifting this section of the Rideau in a float tube is not a speedy process - three kilometres in three hours is leisurely by my definition. But it can be a great way to fish.
Last Saturday’s float began at a put in near St. Paul University and ended at Strathcona Park – both accessible urban Ottawa locations.
We started out in mid afternoon with high hopes for some great fishing. However in keeping with the casual float, the fish were pretty casual about biting too. After one and a half hours – four fishermen (and who knows how many fly changes) – zero fish. This was not turning out as planned. But about the time it seemed like this was going to be a kick down the river and nothing else, we moved out of a slow moving, weedy section of the river to a set of riffles with good bottom structure and the fun began. The bass were suddenly much more cooperative hitting first on deep drifting clousers and weighted streamers but eventual experimentation led to hook ups with near surface flies as well.
The fish varied in size, some probably close to two pounds but regardless of size, they were adept at using the current to great substantial resistance and when they were able to locate some of the long weeds things became even more interesting.
Eventually the river dynamics changed as we moved out of the riffle section but the weeds were not as heavy as we first encountered and there was still lots of structure so the fishing continued to be interesting.
As we started to think about the possibility of sunset, our take out spot presented itself around a bend in the river. Three hours passed quickly considering we didn’t go far. Fish during the last half of the trip definitely helped.
This map shows the put in and take out spots for the drift. There are other sections along the Rideau that are also quite suitable for float tube drifting.
It was one of those nights. Everything seemed prime for a great evening of bass fishing. Nice warm summer evening, stable barometer, calm conditions (maybe more farourable for me than the fish). We hit the water around 6pm in search of small or largemouth bass.
The setting seemed perfect. But where were the bass. We managed to find a few smallmouths in the one pound range but not much else. Persistence wasn’t paying off despite varying the approach. The biggest thing we saw was a beaver who seemed upset that we were fishing in his home waters. At least the slap of the tail a couple times suggested it to us.
Although the bass proved elusive, as the sun started to set the crappies started to feed. Positioning ourselves off the edge of the massive weed beds expanding out from the shore, we hit upon a school of crappies that were more than willing to cooperate for the last half hour or so before the oncoming darkness forced us back in.
Despite the lack of bass, any evening out fishing is a good evening and the crappies were a bonus.
And one take away – bring in your fly line before you kick through the weed bed. I didn’t and my line is in sore need of a good cleaning!
Other that a feeble attempt right around ice out, it seems panfish have been forgotten this spring. So last night it was off to Appleton to see if we could find where the crappie were hanging out. Since past experience suggested they seem to turn on towards dusk, Bob and I agreed to meet around six thirty. Unsettled weather later in the day seemed like a good sign. We arrived to a brief shower after which things calmed down completely.
We geared up and the float tubes were in the water.
This spot is below a dam on the Mississippi River (Canadian version) where a nice bay forms. Smallmouth bass are most common closer to the flowing current alongside the dam but there are a number of places where crappie congregate in the spring. Other fish include bluegills, perch, pike, pickerel and largemouth bass – so lots of variety. Conditions go from virtually weedless at ice out to a jungle in short order. And it was clear that growth was well on making it impossible to fish some of last year’s crappie holes. Water levels are probably at mid summer levels (low) which didnt’ help either.
We quickly found fish but they were mostly out of season smallmouth bass so I moved around in search of crappie. While initially that proved less than successful, there were several willing bluegills who showed interest in my Palmered Chenille Bugger. 
I was introduced to this pattern last year and it has become one of my favourite searching flies. Its an easy pattern to tie and works well for panfish, bass and trout. I tie them using white, black, olive and root beer palmered chenille. Tonight the root beer seemed to be the ticket.
The fly’s bead head gives it a bit of weight so that even on a floating line it drops below the surface pretty quickly. Fishing it on a floating worked best as it would get down but by slow, steady stripping kept it from getting caught up in the weeds. The bluegills seemed to be attracted to it. They were fat and brightly coloured and always entertaining when they hit the fly.
I mentioned the various fish species earlier but now can add one more to the list – bullhead catfish. After a few bluegills it was a bit of a surprise to see a small catfish at the end of the line. My first on a fly but no picture since he slipped off the barbless hook as soon as I got him up to the float tube.
Towards eight o’clock as the sun set lower the crappie seemed to become more interested in my flies – or maybe I just managed to figure out where they were located. They weren’t there on every cast but things did pick up somewhat. Past experience has included some crappie in the 12 inch range but tonight they big boys seemed to be on a diet. 
Got out earlier this week in search of larger than average rainbow trout on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. I was being treated to a lake with limited public access with promise of rainbow trout to 6 plus pounds so how could one refuse. Its always hard to know how to measure the weather. The forecast called for warm temperatures and sunny skies – a pleasant way to spend a day in a float tube but maybe not the most productive weather for fishing. We sided on the pleasant tubing weather and headed out.
We arrived just after 8 in the morning to blue skies and relatively calm winds. After stringing up the rods and getting our tubes organized we were on the water. I had barely pushed back from shore when Wade shouted he had a fish on. It wasn’t one of the big ones but it was definately a promising start to the day. As it turns out, the first one was a teaser with the fish slow to come after that – at least as far as trout were concerned.
We decided to work our way around the lake in opposite directions and meet up somewhere along the way (I guess if you keep to the plan it should work that way). Not too long after we made the split I floated over a section of shoreline with some really rocky structure. Looking down through the clear water, this looked like such a fishy spot and I wasn’t disappointed when I felt a sharp hit. There we go I thought, first trout on my line. However I was somewhat surprised when I worked the fish into sight to see a bassy looking mouth. No one told me there were bass in the lake but sure enough it was a smallmouth bass. Since they were still out of season, it was a quick flip of the hook to release him. But at least there were fish in this spot so I decided to stick around to see what else I could coax onto my line. Sure enough, another hit. This time a lot harder. With some heavy duty head shaking, it seemed this might be the trout I was looking for. It was definitely a big fish and eventually I worked it to the surface only to see another smallmouth. And talk about mixed feelings – it was easily the biggest smallmouth I have hooked into. Without picking him up or measuring him before a quick release, I guess 4-5 pounds. Too bad it wasn’t bass season.
From there things slowed for a while. Despite trying every sort of fly imaginable, fishing shallow and deep, fast and slow retrieve there didn’t seem to be anything the fish were interested in. Lunch and a bathroom break was a welcome break from kicking around the lake.
With the store bought ham sandwich and apple gone, it was time to solve the trout problem so back into the float tubes. Wade indicated he had caught fish further along so we decided to push into the wind for a bit more before beginning the drift back to our put in spot. And a good thing we did. A short time later I had a hit on a brown wooly bugger. After a nice fight, a healthy, silver-sided rainbow trout came alongside the tube and was quickly released. That was more like it and hopefully an indication of things to come. But sadly, no more trout felt in a cooperative mood. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the anticipated drift with the wind didn’t exactly work out when the wind shifted so it was a bit more work getting back than expected.
Despite the slow fishing, it was a great day. We packed it in around 3 which was probably a bit early. With the expectation of better fishing this is certainly a lake I would return to for another try.
Another spring trip to Kenauk has come and gone. Like usual, it was a great trip – good fishing with good friends. We were a few weeks earlier than previous years so I wondered what to expect. As we got closer to departure, the weather forecast seemed to get better and better. And Sunday, our first day was great. Although I arrived late, there was still time for some excellent fishing on Lac Sugarbush. First fish caught was a chunky 18 inch rainbow trout – a sign of things to come I hoped. And several more were added before it was time to head in for shrimp pesto dinner. Did I say we were roughing it?
The next morning after a quick breakfast it was over to Lac Vert. The fishing was slower than the day before but still not bad. After lunch Bob and I decided to check out Lac Collins – a brook trout lake that neither of us had fished before. By the time we arrived the wind was up and the weather was starting to change. No matter. After a short walk in from the road, we launched our float tubes and headed out in search of brook trout, Bob heading one direction around the lake and I, the other. It didn’t take long for the fish to respond and after a couple misses I hooked and landed a couple nice fish including this sixteen inch brookie.
We continued to fight the wind which was blowing from one end of the lake to the other but after a few hours decided to pack it in and head back to Sugarbush in hopes of an evening hatch to match the previous night (when we were absorbed in shrimp and pasta). Despite a great evening, the hatch never really materialized.
Back in the cabin preparing for steak dinner, the discussion revolves around the changing weather gleaned from the papers Don brought up earlier that morning. Why is it when the forecast is bad – it is accurate? Tuesday morning looked like a different world.
But we were there to fish so off we went. Thanks to George for this shot of me looking a bit stunned.
Once you got used to the idea of fishing in the snow, it wasn’t too bad. Other than the wind blowing down one’s neck the biggest challenge was keeping the hands warm. And that was only really a problem when one caught a fish. What a problem to have.
One of the best things about having a cabin close by is that when one does get cold its not a big deal to kick back in and head in for a cup of coffee. We took advantage of that a couple times before deciding to head over to Lac Vert later in the afternoon. Gear was quickly loaded in the vehicle for the short trip over to the lake. Not surprising, the weather was snowy, winding and cool over there too.
I got on the water before Bob and headed to the bay across the lake where the fish were said to be cooperative earlier in the day. Sure enough, my yellow Hamill’s Killer started producing results almost immediately. For some reason, I was having trouble translating hits to hooked fish going about 50 percent before deciding to head back to the other side of the lake were Bob seemed stuck at the launch spot. Working my way back against the wind, Bob informed me he was fishing a floating line and dry flies in response to rising fish. It seemed a midge hatch was underway in the middle of the snow fall.
I switched over to my other rod which was rigged up with a floating line and the action started almost immediately. Nice sized rainbow trout seemed more than willing to attack our dry flies, aggressively smashing them on or just below the surface.
Although we had a bit more snow overnight, Wednesday morning was free of precipitation. But it was still windy.
There was still time for a few hours of fishing. Some of the guys headed over to Lac Vert but I decided to stay at Sugarbush and was rewarded with a few final rainbows before packing it in around mid morning.
All too quickly the three days were over and it was time to head home. Another great trip – hopefully not the last.
We got out with the float tubes on Tuesday to check out a couple lakes in the area. It was my first day in search of trout this year and it was a great to be out. On one hand, the weather was great – clear sky, little wind and warm temperatures. But I am not sure that was the greatest weather for fishing. At least that is my excuse. Other than a couple hits I was shut out on this trip.
Three of us headed up to a lake that has a history of tough fishing but also of large rainbow trout. We had the tubes on the water by mid morning which would be kind of late normally but the water temperature was still pretty low so we figured the fish would have been pretty sluggish earlier anyway. It was my first trip to this lake so I was really feeling my way around and looking for all the advice I could get.
It took a while but eventually a couple willing participants were located. This one was the first and largest. Not much energy just yet but looking in great shape.
After the brief flurry of activity things slowed down again and after stopping for lunch we decided to head to a second much smaller lake not too far away. This lake is a brook trout lake and can be fun particularly if there is any kind of hatch going on. The fish are generally small but they look great. On the water we found lots of shucks which looked promising but we tried everything and other than a couple hits, could not entice a fish to cooperate.
Not a lot of fish this time out but it was good to get out after too many months of winter.
Well, the first outing of the season is in the books. Despite remnant ice from a milder than usual winter, it was time to go fishing. We had being eying this particular spot for a week or so and were pretty certain the ice would be gone by week’s end. Friday came and it was time – beautiful sunny day, air temperature around 13C so we agreed to meet at lunch time. I arrived first and was a bit surprised to see as much ice as there was.
But when Bob and George arrived, we agreed this shouldn’t stop us. They owners of the house with the great shoreline location were kind enough to allow us to skirt the ice along the edge of their property. Bob lead the way with his Sportspal canoe aka icebreaker.
Before George and i were completely rigged, Bob was already fishing the ice edge.
George and I followed closely behind – he with his pontoon boat and me with my float tube.
Some might say we were pushing the season a bit but other than the fact that we were on the water 9 days earlier than last year, the motivation at least for me came from the fact that I hadn’t cast a fly rod since December – far too long. Some might also wonder what it felt like to be kicking around in a float tube in water that could have been ice a short time earlier. I’ll have to say, it wasn’t that bad. I started with a layer of polyester long johns, followed by bulky fleece lined pants and then my breathable waders. On my feet I had a single pair of socks (it was going to be two but I forgot the second pair in the truck). I was on the water for almost three hours and it was only towards the end that one foot started to get a bit cold. I suspect the fact that there was a warm sun and little wind, help replenish body heat. But there is no question the water was cold. So we made sure the life jackets were done up and tried to stay reasonable close to each other.
As for the fishing details. This is a spot along the Mississippi River (Canadian version) where there is a bit of tail out below a small dam. The area provides good fishing for a variety of warm water species including perch, crappies, smallmouth bass and northern pike. Further down river one can also find walleye but they are beyond the range of a float tube. Its a great spot to launch the float tube in the spring and summer for some end of the day fishing.
On this particular day, the fishing wasn’t stellar. We were able to locate some perch but they weren’t as active as they have been on other occasions. Nevertheless, we managed a few brightly coloured fish to top off a great day.
It won’t be long before it is prime time for crappies, followed by bass season at the end of June. Looking forward to a great season!
The spring version of our Québec fishing trip has come and gone. Three days of great fishing with good friends flew by all too quickly.
Our trip took us to Kenauk, the 65,000 acre fish and game preserve owned by the historic Chateau Montebello hotel. From mid day Sunday through to noon on Wednesday, we had two rainbow trout lakes to ourselves. One of the lakes – Lac Vert (Green Lake) is noted for plentiful fish and the other Lac Sugarbush for more sizable rainbows. This year I spent all my time at Sugarbush but the reports from Green indicate the fishing was excellent. We didn’t have anything to complain about at Sugarbush although by all accounts the fishing was generally slower.
While the trip started with us fishing in shirt sleeves, Monday was cold and windy and Wednesday morning was wet – a real range of conditions.
For the most part we trolled although later in the day it was possible to fish a dry fly with some success. Sunday night there was a notable Hendrickson hatch but the other nights it seemed more likely the fish were feeding just below the surface.
The chalets (one per lake) provide excellent accommodation – more than adequate for sleeping and fine dining. Sometime too much dining. We basically missed the mayfly hatch the first night because we were preparing for shrimp pesto. Note to self – schedule dinner well after the hatch since you may not see one again (our case).
Although a lot of my still water fishing involves trolling, there were opportunities to fish with floating lines and dry flies. Here Bob is landing a rainbow caught on a Humpy I think.
A couple loons call Sugarbush home and they were none too shy. Sometimes I wondered whether they were stalking us in anticipation of dinner.
The trout we caught varied in size from probably 12 inches to a massive 27 inches. The latter is apparently the largest caught at Sugarbush. This one was more modest in size. The photo is my attempt at fishing and self photography while navigating a float tube.
