Fly fishing and rivers and paddling and campfire concerts and such

Thanks, Zurf, I felt kinda bad about wrecking the thread.

As to fly fishing, I am an avid fly fisher. My late grandfather taught me to roll-cast when I was a wee tad, and I've never stopped. I tie my own flies, too!

As to species caught, apart from most of the trouts and salmonids, I have landed smallmouth and largemouth bass, pike, muskie, carp, catfish, panfish, whitefish and yes, even walleyes! I live near one of the greatest freshwater fisheries in the world, and regularly catch walleyes on the fly rod. If you've ever been jig fishing for walleyes, and they suddenly stop feeding, and you notice a few million mayflies buzzing around, switch to a sink tip line and fish mayfly emergers. The walleyes will be gorging themselves on them, and are easy to catch!

This condition doesn't occur that often, a few times a month, but a clue is to watch the barometer, when it starts to dip, just before a cold front moves in, mayflies will be hatching in the millions. Good times watching the hardcore walleyers freak out when I start landing them on the fly rod.

It would be interesting to organize a little trip down the Mississaugi River, perhaps next summer, 2012, before the apocolypse. ;o)
If there is any interest, let me know and I will get to work organizing.

The upper stretches of the Mississauga, from Aubrey Falls down to Pig Pen Chute has incredible brook trout fishing in early summer, and from the chute down is world class smallmouth and walleye water. The campsites are a bit spread out, but the scenery is terrific, and the river seldom runs more than a few miles from a highway. The road can only be seen in a few places, and it has lots of class II and III pool and drop runs that are tons of fun without being too difficult. The entire trip is about 100 kms or so, and can be run in 4 days, but I like to stretch it out for a week or so, cos' I'm lazy.

Check it out, folks, and get back to me about it!

I took my own kids down this river when they were barely toilet trained. It's not very difficult, and the river, in the runs, is fairly shallow and warm, particularly in July. PFD's and flexi-leads work wonders for small ones in a canoe. Best part is NO portages, it's all runnable and fairly easy, no mid-stream manouevering, the channels are all "straight" downriver, average depth in the runs in about 2-3 feet, 20 to 30 in the flat stretches.

Lots of time until summer 2012 to plan and train. It's a great learning run, though, since there is no ferrying or such required, more like an extended log-plume carnival ride.

If there's interest in a July 2012 get-together, I can also set up a trip that is very easy, lake travel only and with easy portages, instead of a river run. I am more than willing to organize the nuts and bolts of it, ie booking rooms for the arrival and departure days, menu, route, safety, equipment and so on. Would cost about $100.00 or so per person, depending on which route we use and so on, perhaps as low as $50=75, if no hotel rooms are involved.

Let me know, folks, if there is interest - the river route could accomodate up to about 20 people, the lake route a few more, campsites on both routes are roomy enough for 6-8 tents. So, reply in this thread, and I will start organizing, or you can email me at: whitewater55@yahoo.com and I will respond promptly. Could be a real fun time, I think...

I was out in the garage and asked my Penobscot 16 if she was ready for a new adventure.  As soon as she heard me mention the possibility of paddling the "river with a wide mouth" I could see her gunnels quiver with excitement.  Heck yes I'd be interested in joining a group if y'all wouldn't mind having an aging Buckeye tag along.  Too bad we're not talking about July 2011.  I've got a river fishing trip lined up every month this year except for July and was looking for somewhere to go.

I'm really not much of a fly flinger, as I prefer using spinning gear.  I build my own rods and some of the baits I toss.  I do own a 6 wt fly rig I use occasionally and although I've caught a few bass and panfish with it, I mostly use it for tossing corn to carp when our local streams are low.  A 10# carp on a 6 wt  is an adventure.  I also own a Fenwick 3 wt trout rod and reel I received for my 35th anniversary at work, but it is still in the tube and never been used as we don't fish much for trout locally and I'll admit I'm just not very good with a long rod.. My main passion is pursuing smallmouth and in most years I have had fishing licenses from 5-7 states as well as Canada. I caught a 19" smallie while wading  a small (30cfs) local stream on New Years Eve last month, and although she wasn't close to the biggest ones I've caught, that pretty girl will live in my memory forever.

DE

Okay, but I think it will be near impossible this year. I am totally committed through until November of 2011. My wife and I are going on a fly-in fishing trip for the first two weeks of July. I would get killed if I messed that up. We've been saving for this for like 5 years now. I wish...

Change of plans.  We're all going to visit TwangTown.

Zurf, I will be in touch through emails and such, depending on interest.

I'd like to ideally take 12-25 people on a little wilderness adventure, daytime paddling and swimming and fishing, evening jams by the fireside, under the blanket of stars, on a good night, the northern lights dancing above us. That is my idea of heaven.

Hope some others express a real interest, like I said, I am more than willing to organize and plan it. Doing it via email will work for a time. Let's see who is really interested, and go from there. July of 2012, somewhere in the vicinity of Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada, as close to God's country as it gets. 

Anyone interested, email me at: whitewater55@yahoo.com.

Thanks
Randy

There is no way in hell that I would take a $1000.00 guitar on a canoe trip. There are 100,000 ways to wreck an expensive guitar, canoe camping. My personal favourite is a real el-cheapo, chinese made, 1/2 size classical-style acoustic. It plays well, has good bottom and if it gets broken on a trip, it's now a $25.00 bundle of kindling, and no tears shed.