Friday Photo Essay: October in Ohio

It's Fall Y'all

Got a chance to filter through some more pictures from yesterday. In doing so I was inspired to share a piece I stumbled across on one of my favorite blogs, moldy chum. Dudewater prides itself on providing original content, but this might be one of the funniest things I've ever read. Almost had to shut the store down the other day when I showed a few of my co-workers.

Enough of this artsy stuff though; next time you hear from me it's going to be straight fish porn...

Fall Colors On The Catt

The fact that I'm not leading with a shot of a big sloppy chromer should tell you how the fishing was today...

Got off to a good start this morning - knocked out my reservation license and was hiking up the creek before the sun cracked the horizon. Had the water to ourselves for most of the morning but just one hookup to show for it.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who got the memo about the Catt being green - every Tom, Dick and Harry between here and Buffalo was there with their 13 ft. spey rod, embattled in a virtual jousting match for choice swinging water. All for naught though, as by the end of the day none of the folks I'd talked to had anything to show for their efforts.

To add insult to injury, I found out during my 2.5 hour drive home that the PA streams had gotten a shot of water over night and that my buddy spent the day smacking chromers in the mouth...

At least it was pretty out there today.

Here Kitty Kitty...

Making the pilgrimage to Cattaraugus Creek tomorrow and I can't freakin' wait. For those unfamiliar, I'm talking about the Valhalla of Lake Erie Steelhead. It's as close to a western river as you're going to find in our part of the country, except for the jumbo trouts.

Naturally a report and plenty of pictures will follow. Hope the Catt plays nice tomorrow...

Friday Fish Porn: Saturday Edition

Ghost of steelheads past?

Sorry for the late entry. Somehow I have a feeling this won't be the last post sporting that title. Little shindig at the new crib carried over into the new day...

The good news: Chromers were had on 10/8. See below.

These things are so damn pretty sometimes I can't take it. Had a hard time sending this girl on her way this morning. But, in the end she left me lonely.

The bad news: Looks like the steelhead militia has established outposts on OH waters. Dudewater is going to DefCon-3, and it appears that war is imminent. They are seen here in satellite surveilance photos taken at a primary basecamp just west of Erie, PA...

Prepare yourselves...

DUDEWATER ADVISORY ISSUED

***ATTENTION STEELHEAD***

A DUDEWATER ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: ASHTABULA (OH), ERIE (PA), AND CHAUTAUQUA (NY) BEGINNING TOMORROW (10/4) AT 6AM. THIS WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 6PM.

RECENT STREAM FLOWS AND WATER CONDITIONS HAVE INSPIRED LOCAL STEELHEADERS, INCLUDING THE PENNSYLVANIA STEELHEAD MILITIA, TO GO FISHING TOMORROW IN SEARCH OF CHROME FOR THE DINNER TABLE. DUDEWATER ADVISES STEELHEAD IN THE LAKE NOT TO LEAVE THE THERMOCLINE. STEELHEAD ALREADY PRESENT IN THE RIVERS ARE ADVISED PREPARE THEMSELVES FOR AN ONSLAUGHT INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO BROWN TROUT EGGS, KING SALMON EGGS, ATLAS SPAWN SACKS, FLIES SWUNG AND DRIFTED (INCLUDING BEADS AND WHITE WOOLLY BUGGERS), SPINNERS, SPOONS, MINI FOO JIGS WITH AND WITHOUT MAGGOTS, AND POWERBAIT OF ALL COLORS AND FLAVORS.

THIS WARNING WILL BE UPDATED AS MORE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.

Friday Fish Porn: Do It For the Doo-Daddies

The word chromer gets tossed around amongst steelheaders pretty recklessly these days. I've seen some pictures of "chromers" on message boards that were gasping for their last breath after being ripped off a spawning bed. In an effort to restore integrity to the word, we invoked a clarifier: The doo-daddies

This highly-scientific term was coined by a legendary local steelheader and refers to the silver scales on the tail of a fresh-run potamodromous steelhead. They are akin to the sea lice found on many Anadromous fishes of the Pacific Coast, and I am told they do not last more than 48 hours after the fish has entered the river, but this could be farce. Bottom line is, if it gots doo-daddies, it's a chromie homie.

So why do we do the crazy things we do this time of year to get a fix? We do it for the doo-daddies...