[Dana]

We are planning a second 2002 Spey Pages Spey School with Grindstone Angling in Waterdown Ontario this fall. The dates will be either September 21st & 22nd, or October 5th & 6th, 2002, to be determined by customer preference. The school is designed to improve your Spey casting and will feature a flexible format so that we can focus on topics of individual and group interest. Suitable for casters of all skill levels, beginner through advanced. If you’d like to attend, contact the shop at 905.689.0880 or via email at [email protected] for more info and to let us know which dates are best for you!

 

[pmflyfisher]

Dana,

Will see how that fits into business and family schedule. Where do you fly into to drive to Waterdown.

I could use the instruction for sure and would like to try the Ontario fishing.

We will see.

Hal

 

[Rick Whorwood]

Dana's school

Hal
Waterdown Ontario is 45mins from Toronto Int. airport.
By car; 3hrs from Port Huron, 4hrs from Detroit, 1 1/2hrs from Buffalo. There are lot's of places to stay, camping and motels etc.
The exchange rate is around $0.65 on the U.S. $ in layman's terms this mean the U.S. $ is worth about $ 1.55+ in Canada.
A great value for our friends from the south !!

 

[pmflyfisher]

Rick,

Thanks, I now Toronto well matter of fact our Toronto office manager was here this week and is looking for some assistance from us. Hmmm a business trip to Toronto around that time with a weekend stay sounds very appealing.

We will see. What steelhead rivers are in that region, The Grand ?

Hal

 

[Rick Whorwood]

Autumn School

Hi Hal
There are number of rivers you can fish, as in all Steelhead rivers, it depends on the water conditions. The Grand might be a good shot, or go north. The Cat in N.Y. is only 11/2hrs away as well as other river on the U.S side. I can better answer this question closer to Dana's School

 

[Dana]

Hey Hal!

I'm pretty excited about the whole Great Lakes steelhead fishery after my visit earlier this month! I picked up an excellent book on the subject as well and it is fascinating reading.

Hope to see you there!

 

[pmflyfisher]

Dana,

The Matt Supinski book I think is the best and I have been collecting them for the last 20 years.

I don't much about the canadian side of the great lakes but it must be good since they are very zipper lip about it. Actually I think Michigan may have the best blue ribbon steelhead waters in the great lakes which is my home waters. When you see fisherman from all over the U.S. coming here leaving there home steelhead waters you know it is good.

Hal

 

[Dana]

Hal,

I haven't looked at the Supinski book, but I picked up the Kustich volume and it is dandy! I'll see if I can track down Matt's book as well. Thanks for the tip!

 

[MikeB]

Dana,

That is grat news to hear. I was unable to attend the school that was held this spring and was even more disappointed after reading about how informative and fun it was. I am definitely looking to attend this one.

As a beginner caster with only half a season under my belt, and no instruction past looking at diagrams in magazines and in the RIO casting book, I think it would be wise to learn the correct way to cast before I get too many more bad habits or ingrain them too deeply!!

Look forward to seeing you this fall,
Mike

 

[West Mich]

Regarding the Supinski book - it is quite nice - very glossy with many wide-angle lens photos. I personally think of it as a disguised self-marketing tool by it's author. I think the Kustich book - although not as slick - is more truthfully accurate in it's portrayal of Great Lakes fisheries. IMHO the east side tributaries of Lake Michigan (in West Michigan) are probably the finest steelhead waters in the Great Lakes. They probably also have the fewest traditional spey anglers - most (of the few) spey rods here are used for indicator nymphing. I know of less than a handful of steelheaders who swing flies exclusively.

 

[dansteelieman]

......

I know Rick might have a great book, but Matt's is up to date and he knows almost all the tributaries in the Great Lakes and he has fished many of them. Is knowledge is unparalleled, and his book deserves an A+!

Good Job Matt! I can't wait to go surf fishing with him this summer, myself and maybe another guide are all hooking up.....its life!

 

[pmflyfisher]

WestMich,

I am a wet fly/nymph swinger in West Michigan waters spey and single hander. Just getting into the spey thing. Don't talk too much about the West Michigan rivers (I agree they probably are, boy have I been spoiled for the last 22 years !)

At least we have a couple of new books on great lakes steelheading now. Really there are not many over the last 20 years.

 

[West Mich]

Bob Linseman and Steve Nevala also did a book, Great Lakes Steelhead - A Guided Tour. It contains some basic steelhead fly fishing instruction and then features their experiences with a number of Great Lakes steelhead guides including one who participates in this board.

Additionally, Fish and Fly magazine recently had a 2 part article titled "The Deadly Dozen" which profiled 12 Great Lakes steelhead guides. I only recall two guides mentioning swinging flies on a spey rod and a third who uses one for indicator fishing. It was a nice article and good to see a couple of these guys get credit for their knowledge and experience. I must admit I'm caught between praising their reputations and opening my backyard waters to crowds. I'll leave things at that in this public forum.

 

[pmflyfisher]

West Mich,

Yes I have had the Linsesmann and Nevala book since it came out, its not bad, got some new fly patterns out of it and some technical hints. Don't have the Kusitch book yet, looked at it in book store a couple of times and it did not turn me on, maybe I need to actually buy it and read it.

Have not seen the Fish and Fly magazine article will have to check that out.

Not many of us great lakes spey fisherman in US, more on canadian side, Ontario I think. I have not ran into another spey fisherman yet this year on the rivers in Michigan.

Hal

 

[Dana]

looks like we'll go with the October dates!

The Spey Pages/Grindstone Angling Spey School is scheduled for October 5th & 6th, 2002.

For everyone attending, please pm or email me if you get the chance and let me know in advance what you'd like to work on or see during the school.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

 

[Dana]

notes for the October Spey School

for those of you planning on attending the October school in Waterdown, it looks like we're going to have a good turn out. We're keeping the class relatively small (10 casters) to maximize contact time, and there will be another instructor working with me as well. Bring along your favorite rod/reel/line system, and a floating leader the length of the rod (if you have a 15ft rod, bring a 15ft leader).

You've all seen my line overviews on the Spey Pages, and I have a number of lines from various manufacturers that I can bring along for people to try on their own rods. Drop me a note or reply here and let me know if there are any particular lines you'd like to try and if I have 'em I'll bring 'em along.

There are a couple of spots left if you're interested. Contact the good people at Grindstone Angling for more info.

Looking forward to it (even the plane ride)!

 

[pmflyfisher]

Dana,

Looks a little to far to drive for me but moreover family obligations with high school football games that weekend keep me near home in the fall except for the times I can sneak away for Michigan steelhead and salmon trips.

Have a good class, and try the Ontario GL autumn fishing while you are there although I think it is to early for steelhead in early october but not sure for the Ontario tribs. Michigan tribs don't really turn on for falll steelhead until early november although there are some in with the big king salmon runs we have in Lake Michigan.

Best

Hal

 

[Dana]

thanks for the note, Hal!

unfortunate to hear that we'll miss you in October. Perhaps next spring.

I will definitely try and do a little fishing when I'm out, but my trip will be a little shorter this time (seems fall is busy for everyone--we're all gathering acorns in one way or another!)

 

[pmflyfisher]

Actually, Halloween and first week of November is when we usually can depend on the first good runs of fall steelhead in Michigan waters. Thats when things really get going after the salmon runs have died down to the trickle and the chromers come in force.

Dana, put that in your trip planning folder for the next GL spey school. See you are going to be in Ontario the first week of October that is to early down in Michigan for reliable steelhead runs, there are some with the salmon run, but the end of the month is usually the prime time for beginning of the fall runs in most of our rivers.

Thats my experience any way.

 

[pmflyfisher]

MJYP.

Thanks for the tips, yes thats is where they will be behind the salmon. I beleive you, but I have never fished the BiG M during the fall salmon season. Only spring time. Same for the Big Mo. Got tired years ago of dealing with the salmon crowds. Due to my two son's involvement with HS football and business schedule the last five years, I usually don't do steelhead in Michigan until November. Big M is the west side Michigan river I know the least about also.

Hal