Land of the Pinks!!!

[JimW]

This past weekend made my first trip for Ontario pink salmon, since 2008, and only my second trip ever for pink salmon. Last time I fished with only small spoons and spinners, but this trip thanks to some advice from great salmon anglers and a couple friends lending me some gear, I was fully rigged with spinning, centrepin and fly fishing gear.

I headed out Friday around 4:30 pm picked up my fishing partner and we were off heading Northwest. We arrived in Sault Ste Marie around 4 am on Saturday and met up with some more fishing buddies in the dark early Saturday morning. We followed them through the woods and then waded across the river in the darkness to a few fishing spots across the river. It was sketchy to be honest.... unknown territory... wading through a fast moving river in the early morning darkness, but we made it safe and sound.

Saturday morning I was fishing with a fly rod for the fist time in my life and it took awhile but eventually I could at least cast it more than 10 feet in front of me. Once I got the hang of casting it did not take long to catch my first pink salmon since 2008 and my first ever fish on a fly rod.

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Saturday morning was a little slow for me as my casting ability was poor at best. lol But caught a couple and lost a couple. Just before noon we left the "Creek Candy crew" and headed back to shore, as we have been up for over 30 hours and needed coffee and food.

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After a coffee stop we went on a little back roads tour to a little river I fished back in 2008, with a quick stop at the Little Rapids General Store for some cheese, smoked fish and awesome summer sausage!!

At our new spot we ran into local angler Kris Bain, owner of Junction Tackle Company, who had his kids out catching salmon. We set up and started casting and drifting small spoons and spinners and had steady action all afternoon. Kris was a big help in helping to land and unhook, my big incidental catch of the day... a nice snapping turtle that was hanging out in the pool, waiting to feed on dead salmon.

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Later Saturday afternoon we headed back to Sault Ste Marie and checked into our room at Sleep Inn. After cleaning up and a bit of relaxing we met back up with the "Creek Candy" crew for dinner... and had a great evening of food and fun with the guys. After dinner back to the hotel and a few hours of sleep (have now been up for 41 hours) before getting up at 5 am on Sunday and back to chasing pink salmon.

First thing Sunday morning we went back to the small river we fished Saturday afternoon and the fish were hitting immediately, after catching a couple of a bright coloured hair jig, and with nobody around, I got out the fly rod again.

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This time I was using a tandem set up with 2 Creek Candy Beads with #10 hooks and a small Eco Pro Tungsten split shot for a bit of extra weight. Well the fish definitely liked chomping this set up as I had not stop action for the next couple hours and the fly rod.

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After a few hours we packed up out gear and headed for another river, this river was much larger across, deeper and more current, the large "pool" we were fishing was the size of a football field, fluttering bright spoons in front of the salmon as they swam by caught numerous fish, but was not as effective, so we backed up and headed east towards home.


Mid-afternoon we stopped a one last stream for a quick fish, this was a small stream and has a couple nice pools in it, the pool we fished has a nice school of at least 100 salmon and casting a spoon or my trout beads on the fly rod and letting the baits drift in front of to school, seemed to greatly annoy the fish and they would readily dart out and grab the lure or bead floating by. After landed and losing a bunch more pinks it was time to hit the road and head home.... as we still have over 8 hours of driving to go.

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Not to end the trip excitement too quickly on our way home I decided to turn of highway 17 and get a Tim Horton's coffee in Renfrew, well I took the wrong road and after realizing the road I wanted was not this road but the next one, I planned on taking the next left turn to get back on the highway. As we approach my road to turn left there was an OPP car parked near the corner with lights on and the officer out of the car, I first thought it was a RIDE program... but we decided it was just a single police car and the road was not blocked, so just figured he stopped someone for speeding. So we turned left in front of the OPP vehicle.... well less then a minute later an OPP vehicle with lights on is behind me.... it WAS a RIDE program and we got pulled over thinking we were avoiding the RIDE program stop.... well after a nice couple minute chat with the the officer about our fishing trip and us telling our story of trying to get coffee... he then gives me bad news... BOTH Tim Hortons in Renfrew are closed!!! So we end up getting coffee in Arnprior and made a final run for home!!!

Arrived home around 1:30 am Monday.... getting up for work this morning at 6:30 am was a little rough. lol
Well time to figure out this weekend's adventure....

Trip summary...... 57 hours total trip... 26 of the hours driving on highway and back roads.... 1900 km round trip distance... 5 hours sleep in total.... lots of coffee..... fished 4 different rivers and steams..... lots of pink salmon caught.... lots of laughs with new and old friends!!!! Already looking forward to next year. Need get a new Okuma fly rod set up first so I can practice.

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[FLOATFISHIN]

What a GREAT report Jim!!!!!! Those Pinks are so much fun indeed!!!!! Have not fished them Ontario in years, the last time I fished em was out west in Chilliwack BC. Did it on the Centre pin all outings, if ya need a one two lesson on casting and set up, just let me know brother!

Great report!!!!

F.F

[JimW]

What a GREAT report Jim!!!!!! Those Pinks are so much fun indeed!!!!! Have not fished them Ontario in years, the last time I fished em was out west in Chilliwack BC. Did it on the Centre pin all outings, if ya need a one two lesson on casting and set up, just let me know brother!

Great report!!!!

F.F

Thanks man. This trip I used my friend's fly rod and my spinning rod, caught about 70% of my fish on trout beads on the fly rod. I have a centrepin set up, so I will be practicing using it for next time,

JimW