Today's Catch

After a few failed attempts in the past to get our schedules aligned, I finally had the opportunity to fish with Dave again today . As always, it was a pleasure to share a bunch of laughs, a few drifts, and talk fishing with a good fishing buddy. Although it's been a while since we've fished together, Dave didn't hesitate to pull a few nice fish from under my nose. Unfortunately, due to a temporary camera malfunction (really!) I'm not able to showcase his good work here.

At the access point, we struck up a conversation with an older Scottish gentleman, probably in his late 70's, who knows fly-fishing and the river extremely well. Even in his old age, he manages to wet his line 5 days a week, and consistently walks a fair distance to a stretch of river that I've only been to once, mostly due to laziness. Throughout our conversation, he subtly offered up some valuable information of which I soaked up like a sponge. I would like to believe that it is becuase of fly-fishing why he still has that youthful spirit, and if that is what is in store for me when I'm in my late 70's, I can hardly wait.

Although today didn't produce the trophy that I had hoped for, it did produce a couple items of interest

Isonychia! A number of them were floating about this afternoon, which prompted a few risers.

Atlantic Salmon parr. Atlantic Salmon were once a thriving native species to Lake Ontario, but industrialization resulted in its extirpation in the late 1800s. Clear cutting of riverbanks for agriculture led to rising river temperatures, and bank erosion. Dams built to power mills prevented adult salmon from reaching appropriate spawning habitat. Ecological changes in the lake made it an unfriendly place for the Atlantic salmon to exist. Now, about a 110 years later, with the help of private sponsors, the MNR began a multi-million dollar initiative this spring to restore a self-sustaining Atlantic Salmon population back to Lake Ontario and its tributaries (Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program). I had the pleasure of taking part in the stocking of Atlantic Salmon fry in the Upper Credit River this spring. Although there are many obstacles to overcome and hurdles to navigate, hopefully one day the Salmo Salar will once again be the King of Fish in Lake Ontario.