Trophy Brown Trout are plentiful in Niagara Whirlpool.
Posted on November 26th, 2010[nggallery id=371]Since this morning started below zero, Mulligan and I decided to sleep in until 6:30am, and then took our time to get down to the Niagara Whirlpool. My goal was to test for the first time a brand new version of the Rapala Andros baitcasting reel which has been modified specifically for west-coast salmon & steelhead fishing. I matched the reel with a Rapala North Coast Mooching Rod and Sufix 12 lb. Siege (similar lb. test is popular for big-river fishing in BC), and a slip-bobber rig. I stared off fishing freshly tied brown trout spawn-sacks and also tried working weighted purple and white flies in the current. The water visibility was a bout 1′, which is a little too stained for spawn-sacks, but ideal for artificials. I ended up landing one nice female brown trout. On hand to take a picture of me with the fish was Nathan who drove all the way from Port Dover, ON to fish the Niagara. He recently caught the “steelheading-bug” and regularly makes the 1 1/2 hr. drive to fish the Niagara River. Nathan said he had fished the Whirlpool before, but with no luck. I asked him if he brought any Luhr Jensen Kwikfish with him and he said, yes. He promptly selected 3-Kwikfish which were all the right size for fishing the Niagara. I showed him how to righ the Kwikfish by adding a few large split-shot sinkers about 24″ up the line and also showed him the technique to work the Kwikfish in the current. Well, on his first cast as he was retrieving slowly he nailed his first fish in the Niagara. It got off, but shortly afterward he hooked another nice brown trout which he landed. If you get a chance to fish the Whirlpool, it’s full of browns right now. With stained water conditions the easiest way to catch them is by casting & retrieving a #5 or #7 Kwikfish.
