Craiger Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Hey guys just wanted to share about the awesome day i had yesterday. First I had to drop off the kids to school so i couldn't make it to the river until 10am or so. I walk in and theres already 6 guys working the stretch I was going to fish. After getting skunked the day before, I was determined to redeem myself with at least a bump or a pull. Not even a sniff the day before for me. I came in with a good plan that day. The plan was to fish them deep and fast!! Half hour into my day I hook my first fish and it's a beauty chrome hen. After she was released I walk back into the run where I left off and another 20 min or so I nail another big hen. Both hit like a freight train and had amazing fight in them. I worked my way down the run and into the shallower section. I changed tips to avoid losing anything to the bottom and kept working through. Not long after changing tips I get smashed by this big tank of a buck....couldn't believe the size once it jumped out and took a long run close to 200yrds downstream. I just prayed to god that I could land this one because it was for sure my biggest on the spey by far. About 1 minute into the fight my alarm goes off...talk about good timing. This fish was worth being late getting home for... Finally I was able to tame this beast with my Beulah Platinum 12'4" 8wt and got it to the bank. My heart was pounding once I had a grip on the tail and saw how big he really was. I never measure my fish but I figured I had to see what this guy was. He was 33.5 inches long...tried to get the girth but he took off on me when I tried to get it. Never took him out of the water so he revived really fast... Oh well. Here's a few pics from the day...not bad for only 3.5 hours on the water... here's the first fish of the day the second one and here's the beast!!! Cheers guys Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadadude Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Actually I'm lost for words dude......so sweet, great fish & great way to get it....absolutely the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frog088 Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 nice fish. that buck is a tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craiger Posted October 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2013 Thanks guys...that fish sure was a tank. Biggest to date on the spey rod for sure!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iHasFish Posted October 19, 2013 Report Share Posted October 19, 2013 So jealous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craiger Posted October 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2013 ...wish I could get out right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icehut Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 Sick! Totally jealous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler0420 Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 Beauty fish. Never tried the Spey rod before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveC Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 Awesome Craig...Im going to give the switch rod a shot tomorrow. Still trying to build confidence in the swing...got some nice flys ready to go, so I will try after work for a couple of hours before it gets dark. 33.5 inch has to be in the 12-14lb range...Nice fish and great report !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyfisher Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 Nice fish Dave. Wish I could get a spey rod, but I do ok with my 10ft. 7wt. G Loomis. Maybe next year I will invest in a two hander and get some lessons from Rick Whorewood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craiger Posted November 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 Thanks guys....Dave how did you make out with the switch? Hope you nail one swingin soon. Once you get one, your confidence will rise up. Confidence is key when swingin a fly and with each fish your confidence will continue to grow. Take it easy Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveC Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 I did really well with the casting and mending craig, think I have that down to a science now. Water was super clear more so than I expected with all the rain we had making for less than ideal conditions. I pretty much tossed a few different combinations and came up empty. Spoke to 3 other float guys who also caught nothing...so that made my efforts feel better...lol. I was using a 5 ft floating and 5 ft sinking tip and still not getting down enough...Under the same conditions next time I will try the 2.5 float and 7.5 sink or start adding some weight to my flies. The switch rod is perfect for the credit....no problem at all...my 14 ft spey would be way to much rod for sure. Hoping to take my switch rod to Aruba with me if I can as I have a fly trip booked for Dec 4th. Then after that Im hitting the Saugeen with the spey rod. Next year, im not going to miss the boat on the grand and do some leg work to figure out the lower end. Did a drift trip with Rick, so Im a little more informed about the Brant / Paris area. Fish or no Fish....love the casting and the learning part...it will come, and I,ll hook up if I leave the crutch alone long enough...lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spottedGARRR Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 Niice =D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craiger Posted November 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 Hey Dave I love those MOW tips also. The 5ft sink and 5ft float is usually as heavy as I go there. This time of year the fish are more then willing to come up so I couldn't worry about dredging the bottom just yet. Try some small dumbells on the flies for starters. You can also just adjust your casting angle further upstream and put a bigger mend upstream as well to make it sink. All of my fish so far have come off and aggressive swing speed this fall. Once you have that fly down to the level you want, you need to lead with your rod tip a bit to get the fly under some tension. This is what will get you the smash you're looking for buddy. Once the temps get really cold and you know the fish have slowed down also. That is when you need to be down near the bottom since they don't want to move too far. You might have heard this stuff already but anyways I hope it helps you a bit. Cheers Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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