[Float down]

I have an aventa as well, and have grown kind of fond of it. You're definitely right, it's a great starter real and for the price you can't go wrong. Had a few pin snobs stick there noses up at it, but hey, it's got the job done on a ton of steel. The only issue I've had is moisture getting inside and freezing. Have you run into this at all?

[TRINIBOY]

Float down, on 03 February 2012 - 04:24 PM, said:

I have an aventa as well, and have grown kind of fond of it. You're definitely right, it's a great starter real and for the price you can't go wrong. Had a few pin snobs stick there noses up at it, but hey, it's got the job done on a ton of steel. The only issue I've had is moisture getting inside and freezing. Have you run into this at all?

Not really but then again i have not gotten out much these days to have this happen.
Will PM you...

[Luke]

The only time it froze up on me was on monday, I am not sure if it was me being careless and not placing the neoprene cover under it while taking pics of my PB this season (in the snow) or of it was the large amount of snow that was falling that day. (I had accumulation on my fishing jacket, lol)


On a sidenote I went out for 45 min this evening and added another nice buck to the list. I think its my first February fish ever (I never truly have ice fished or fished in winter for that matter)

[NOTTA STEELER]

Luke, on 04 February 2012 - 12:21 AM, said:

The only time it froze up on me was on monday, I am not sure if it was me being careless and not placing the neoprene cover under it while taking pics of my PB this season (in the snow) or of it was the large amount of snow that was falling that day. (I had accumulation on my fishing jacket, lol)


On a sidenote I went out for 45 min this evening and added another nice buck to the list. I think its my first February fish ever (I never truly have ice fished or fished in winter for that matter)

'Tis an exceptional winter for sure , I'm still waiting for the Notty to go down ... which is USUALLY frozen for the most part this time of year .

[troutchaser]

NOTTA STEELER, on 04 February 2012 - 07:48 PM, said:

" I'm still waiting for the Notty to go down ... "

Me too!!!! in the mean time im killing the ontario tribs

[Luke]

Since I wont be going fishing for another week or two here are some from earlier in the week.

A nice colourful hen:
 Feb 6 hen.jpg (183.82K)
Number of downloads: 68

I landed her pretty early into an outing and figured things would be hot. I guess I just wasnt hitting where the fish were holding because I got nothing for the next couple hours other than a little guy.

Then on a drift I had the float go down, likely on a rock, I set the hook anyway because I have had enough fish shake a hook because I thought they were a rock. The float dislodged and started flying towards me and landed in a spot I usually avoid because of snags. All of a sudden with still too much slack line the float goes down, I set the hook anyway and surprise surprise theres a fish on. I had a poor hookset so it gets off after a few headshakes, dang.

Well I remember a few posts on here where some people had luck drifting a spot after a missed/ landed fish. So I toss it back, not at the head of the pool like I usually do but into the middle to replicate the airball hookset drift. Well it was on the second or third drift that the float goes down. I fight the fish and its just a bulldog, I'm having a hard time budging it and its not coming to the surface so I cant see what it is. It feels like I am fighting a fresh salmon. I try to land it in 3 or 4 spots but just cant get the leverage to get it close enough to shore to net it. It is now getting dark. I know that this is likely going to be a PB if I land it and I cant budge it. On the 3rd or 4th attempt I finally manage to get it into the beginning of some rapids and use them to help me fight the fish. I finally land it.

This fat Buck was about 31" inches and as you can see was chunky, my size 13/14 K Swiss tennis shoe is in the shot for comparison in addition to the rod/ reel. I hurt my wading boots and it was either glue them or go fishing I decided to go fishing lol

 feb 6 buck.jpg (147.61K)
Number of downloads: 67

[salmotrutta]

Very nice, that is a fat male. That hen is looking darker than most of the fall ones, looks like they are getting darker now.

[georgianbaydrifter]

Big shoulders on that male...nice fish luke

[georgianbaydrifter]

Big shoulders on that male...nice fish luke

[TRINIBOY]

Nice catch Luke, thanks for the pics.. your on fire with them bows...

[Dozer]

Great catches! Those are big fish in anyones book, great job

[frozenfire]

Nice fish!

[georgianbaydrifter]

this thread made me jonse so bad for steel that i abandoned lake simcoe for a day and fished the CW yesterday afterwork for a couple hours. didnt catch but i seen something very interesting. there was a steelhead holding in a run under a bridge and the fish was swimming on its side.....at first i thought this fish was redding but after observing it for half an hour i'm convinced this fish had botulism.

[NADO]

botulism??

[georgianbaydrifter]

yeah there was an outbreak here in the fall.....its a toxin that effects the nervous system. wasaga and balm beach got hit the worst, this is the first sign ive seen at CW but am almost 100% sure this fish was afflicted.

[Spinninreel]

It was more than likely something other than botulism, like someone caught this fish and harmed it in some manor. f there was a botulism outbreak, a lot more fish and birds would be affected.

[georgianbaydrifter]

Yeah they found like 5000 dead birds back in the fall....it was all over the news. Now the birds are gone south and the fish are dying under the ice. I would find it highly unlikely the fish was harmed by an angler b/c around here very few fish are released. Just my opinion another long time steelheader viewed the fish with me and seemed to be in agreeance. We tried to snag the fish to have it tested at the county labs but were unable to. In the fall cases were reported from craigleith all the way to lafontaine, but none in matchedash bay which was situated between the hardest hit areas of wasaga beach and balm beach.

[Float down]

I think spinner just likes to argue lol.

[Knuguy]

Bottom feeders e.g sturgeon and gobies tend to get botulism. The dead ducks in the fall were supposedly feeding on gobies.

I'm in Wasaga. I'm not sure where you are. Balm beach is just up the coast toward LaFontaine, whereas Match is further along.

[Spinninreel]

If this were a botulism outbreak, then this would wipe out most of the steelhead in the river. Let's hope that this is not the case.