Happy Holidays From SAO

Hello everyone, and Happy holidays!!!

With the recent snow melt off and sustained temperatures, we should have good fishing opportunities late into December and if we are lucky enough even longer. If your looking for that late season fly fishing experience on steelhead alley nows the time. Stay tuned for more trip photos and blogs from our SAO steelhead guides.

PHIL FIGHTS A STEELHEAD ON A LAKE ERIE TRIBUTARY.

Starting December 1st we will start our Christmas sale on our Jag Fly Company fly pattern selections. $20.00 dollars off each and every selection till January 1st. please call 419-466-9382 to place your orders and to receive this discount, and expect at least 1 week for delivery due to volume.

Bonus: For the month of December only, receive $50.00 off any two man guided steelhead trip, please contact 419-466-9382 or gregsenyo@yahoo.com to receive this Christmas bonus. (NOTE: Christmas bonus only valid on reservations made from Dec 1-30...does not apply to previously booked trips)

PHIL WITH A THE PERFECT STEELHEAD FROM A GREAT DAY.

JOHN WITH A FINE FALL COLORED BUCK STEELHEAD.

Our spring dates are filling rapidly, please don't wait to book your prime steelhead dates for the 2009 spring run. We thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for a tremendous, busy, and successful Fall season and wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season!!

See you at the shows or on the water!

Greg Senyo

Owner/Operator

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Ice Fisherman "R" Us

Oh, yeah....call us nuts, call us crazy, question our sanity....the truth is that over the years many have done just that when it comes to my fishing habits.  Well, Monday was definitely one of those days.

With night time temps in the mid 20's, we knew that ice would be an issue.  The day prior ice didn't burn off until early afternoon, and we knew that we were in for much of the same on this day.

As we arrived to start the day, which was later than normal, we met guys walking back to the trucks, proclaiming that the ice was just to much.  Nevertheless, not to be deterred, we geared up and faced the inevitable.  The facts were that fish were there, we were willing, so all that was needed was a little persistence.

Well, fortunate for me and the other SAO guides, we had clients with the drive to go get the job done.  Even with the drive, I wanted there to be some sort of reality in our minds, so I prepped the guys on the walk to our starting point.  I told them that large slush flows would be present and that we shouldn't expect much activity for the first couple of hours.

Quite frankly, I love it when I am wrong....at least in this kind of instance.  For the first half hour, it was just as I said....ice, ice, no fish, ice, ice, ice!!!  Since the conditions were less than ideal, I did as much teaching as I could with full expectation that fish would come, and come they did.

Within thirty minutes of our arrival, I heard my client Steve give the "fish on" call and thus the day got underway!  It was a picture perfect hookset and fight with Steve acting as if he had done it thousands of times before.

STEVE POSES WITH HIS FIRST FISH WHILE JERRY FINISHES A DRIFT.

We took a few minutes for photos of the skunk chaser and off he went back to his cold winter home.

STEVE DEMONSTRATING THE POWER OF FISH PROPERLY FOUGHT, PHOTOGRAPHED AND THEN RELEASED.

Not long after that first fish, Steve was hooked up again.  Unfortunately, that fish broke the line just a few feet from the net.  

No sweat there though, as a short time later, it was Jerry's turn to put points on the board.  As I was working with Steve, we look down stream to see Jerry's rod doubled down and so I made my way for the net and then sprinted down the shore to his location.  Moments later we had this beautiful fresh hen in hand and a big smile on Jerry's face.

JERRY SHOWS OFF HIS FIESTY FRESH HEN.

After a few more lost fish and another couple landed, we made our way to another location and within moments of giving instruction, Steve whacks this monster buck.  He was 27" long and weighed in at 10.25lbs.  What a fish Steve.....Nice job!!!

STEVE POSES WITH THE BIG FISH OF THE DAY....A 10.25LB BUCK.

John Clouser and John Miller were also on the water for the day.  They both were blessed to host first time steelheaders on this most challenging day.  However, despite the challenges, both Zac and Anthony banged their first Steelhead ever.  Good job guides on putting them on fish and hats off to Zac and Anthony for doing their part as well.  As I always say..."I can put you on fish, but I can't guarantee you will catch them...that is up to you!"

  

ANTHONY WITH A BEAUTIFUL FIRST FISH ON THE FLY.

ZAC WITH A SMILE FOR THE CAMERA ON HIS FIRST FISH DAY.

As always, thanks to all the clients for the privilege of allowing us to serve you and fish with you over the course of a day or days.  The smiles on your faces are the reason why our job is so rewarding.

Keep your eyes on the conditions as they are ever changing and get out when you can.

Tight Lines,

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson

Head Guide

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Burrrr, Its cold!

Most of my trips out to the PA spring fed streams involve catching a lot of browns with the occasional mix of brookies and bows. Last weekend I had to check myself for a second to realize I wasnt fishing for steelies. I debated making the two and half hour trip to steelhead alley but the temperature wasnt condusive to the driving. It was very very cold.

I found myself at the tying bench friday night trying to discover a few new patterns for the box. Ive come up with three new. A new egg and two new nymphs. The one nymph is a hares ear variation and the other is a variation on the pheasant tail, both are very large and incorporate flash. The flashy material is the Spirt River dubbing that greg uses in his sculpin. The hares ear is simply that a hares ear but with a twist. I take the spirt river dubbing in a small amount and cut it into very tiny pieces with scissors, then i blend the dubbing by hand. This gives the nymph a very tiny amount of sparkle. The reason behind this is native fish I have found are not bigger eaters of sparkly flies but a little flash can pay. With the pheasant tail I replace the tail and legs with hungarian partridge. In the process of tying the thorax I replace it with the Spirt River peacock herl. Not only does this create much more flash but its much more durable. The egg I plan to do a demo on soon. Its been tested and smoked the competition on other egg patterns in my box. If the native fish love it I cant imagine how an egg lover might like it. One other fly Ive come up with recently is a very small sculpin. Ill save that for another day.

After my tying frenzy trying to fill my boxes in preperation for lots of upcoming fishing I managed to make it to the stream on sunday. Before heading out I attached a new pair of hemostats with scissor jaws to my vest. Two hours later those babies were gone. I cant keep anything on me fishing unless its tied down. Ive always been that way, I can only hope that someday that I will stop losing nice stuff.



I could see the fish hanging in the shallows. Ive observed this behavior for the past five years now. When the water drops, the fish go shallow. I dont know if its warmer water theyre after, the sunlight, easier pray or something else but I find more then 90% of all the trout in this type of water in winter. The typical feeding lies of riffle heads and fast water are gone, the fish are lathargic, the water is saturated with oxygen and they simply lay around and conserve energy.

My setup consisted of my 4wt Orvis Superfine, by far my favorite rod, I just love that slow action, a 10' leader, two split shots the new egg and the pheasant tail. In about the first twenty drifts I managed to roll at least 5 fish and land two. Heres where I need to throw out a big thankyou to whoever invented the thingamabober strike indicator. These things never sink and provide almost effortless drag free drifts, which i have no doubt made a difference. Some fish hit hard but the majority just ticked it. I even caught a couple on the swing. I had a great day and landed a lot of fish, one a huge rainbow male the rest were smaller rainbows. The browns eluded me. Maybe theyre still spawning, maybe theyre still holding in deeper water. Ive never caught so many bows in a native stream without catching a single brown. Im not complaining though, it was a great time and maybe that was gods way of saying, you have your own little paradise right here with rainbows too.


In all it was an awesome day, with two of my new patterns doing really well. The icing on the cake... I found another public hunting spot with a monster buck. Additionally, I didnt see another angler all afternoon. I like to fish around other guys but I also like fish that havent been spooked. My day ended with me dropping my gloves into the creek and freezing my hands. I walked back up stream, took my gear off and couldnt stop smiling. What more could a guy ask for, great fishing, seeing something you invented work and finding a big buck.

Soon Im going to have to take a trip to one of the big stocked streams. It seems to bring out some really monster fish in winter.





Id like to end with a tip: When a fish is giving you wrestle while trying to remove a fly, flip him on his back, he will lay still.

Keep your eyes peeled for the egg. Ill try and get it up soon.

~Jeremy

Fly Anglers of Snowy Mountain

After a number of days off due to less than desirable river conditions, yesterday we hit full stride again. The day was exciting in many ways starting with the snow. With ten clients, four guides, and hundreds of miles to be covered to get them all in the same place at the same time, snow was not our friend.

Knowing the forecast, we planned the best we could for the lake effect snow event that was forecasted to dump snow from Sandusky, OH clear to Buffalo, NY and at times in large quantities. When I got up at 4 a.m. we had about 16 inches on the ground and it was still snowing. Nevertheless, we loaded up, locked it in 4 high and hit the road.

At a slower than normal pace, we all converged on the rivers we planned to fish. Below is a shot taken at the parking lot as we grabbed gear to start the day. With high winds and driving snow, there were actually moments where all you could do was look at the ground or go get a good set of goggles :) It was a snow event that the region is known for, but for the "Anglers of Snowy Mountain," we would not be turned away :)

THE GUYS PREPARE FOR THE DAY IN THE DRIVING SNOW

Greg had a couple of guys who were newer to the sport of fly fishing, so we got them started first and left Greg to do what he does best.....teach newbies.

He obviously did a fine job as within just a few minutes, the first fish struck and was on its way to the net. Ed, pictured below, was inducted into the steelhead ranks with this fish. Ed was a fun guy and provided us some good humor for the day.

ED WITH HIS FIRST STEELHEAD

Shortly after Ed got his first fish, it was Mike's turn. An eager fresh fish struck and Mike struck back. The skunk was already out of the bag and only a few minutes of daylight had elapsed. That is why we entrust Greg with all of our first timers :) Job well done sensei!

MIKE WITH HIS FIRST STEELHEAD

ED STRIKES AGAIN

About this time, I called Greg to find out how they were doing and found them to be doing very well. I unfortunately hadn't seen a single solitary fish on the day. I knew we were on fish and we contemplated moving. However, with one of my clients being a former Alaskan guide we quickly concluded that it isn't wise to leave fish to find fish. Unless of course you have already caught a number.

I knew that conditions were less than desirable at the moment, but within a moment it could and most likely would change. The conditions we were dealing with were large slush flows and ice in the guides, on the lines, indicators, waders, oh and did I mention the nets?

HERE WILL TUREK DEMONSTRATES THE AVERAGE

NETTING EXPERIENCE FOR THE GUIDES ON THIS

BONE CHILLING DAY

It was that point of the day in between daybreak and the actual sunrise and our location became choked with slush. I knew that as soon as the sun could hit the water, the slush would dissipate, and the fish would turn on. At least that is what I was telling my clients....I was banking on the fish not making me out to be a liar.

Both of my clients were very good guys with decent experience on the fly, yet neither had ever caught a Steelhead. So, that was my goal for the day. I managed to keep the pressure of Greg's already profitable day at bay while I waited in anticipation of our moment. I had to trust my instinct and experience which as fisherman we must do from time to time. I continued fishing the guys as if every cast would be the cast and then that magical moment came.

The sun rose within minutes and I told the guys to pay attention to the slush. I said, "Just watch and see....that slush is gonna disappear within about five minutes, and then it will be on!"

Just as I had confidently stated (whether in complete hope or stupidity), it began to happen.

Minute by minute the slush dissipated and then all at once it was gone. Within seconds I heard the cry "FISH ON!" I moved to an upstream position with a skip in my step and with my net in hand. Soon, we had Brad's first Steelhead in hand.

BRAD WITH HIS FIRST LAKE ERIE STEELHEAD

After a couple of fish and some photos, Brad got back in position and laid out a cast....another...and another....and BAMM, fish on! The fish were making me look very good as they were turning on just as I had hoped they would.

Below Brad poses with a very nice red cheeked buck. His stripe and cheek coloration was vibrant and beautiful. Needless to say, Brad was feeling pretty good about the day at that moment. But what about Matt?

BRAD WITH HIS SECOND FISH...A VERY BEAUTIFULLY COLORED BUCK!

Yes for a time, Matt was the recipient of "watch every one else catch the fish." However, that time came to an end for Matt with a very nice thick shouldered fish that took his nymph on the dangle. Matt was excited as was I to see such a nice fish as his first Steelhead.

MATT LANDS A VERY NICE 9.5 LB STEELHEAD

AND JOINS THE STEELHEADERS CLUB.

After a few more fish, Matt struck again. This time he landed a fish that had come from a long way off. In the photo below, you will see a missing right pectoral fin. That is what is called a clipped fin and the right pectoral clip is the mark of a Huron River fish from Michigan waters. A couple of Huron fish were caught during the day.

A HURON RIVER, MICHIGAN FISH (NOTE THE

CLIPPED RIGHT PECTORAL FIN)

After a very productive morning, it was time for lunch. The frozen gear was stacked along a streamside dinner table and out came the food.

THE GROUP STOPS FOR LUNCH INCLUDING A NICE HOT CUP OF SOUP

After lunch, the catching continued and so did the making of memories.

In addition to Greg and I, Will Turek and John Miller were also on the water for the day.

Below, are a few photos from Will's day with clients.

RICK WITH A NICE PIECE OF STEEL

RICK FIGHTS A FISH WHILE CHUCK LENDS A HAND

CHUCK BAGS A FISH OF HIS OWN

CATHY GETS HER CHANCE AT STEEL WITH GUIDE WILL TUREK

And so, after a long cold day on the water, the anglers of snowy mountain walked the snow covered banks with a certain sense of satisfaction. Not only had it been a beautiful day out in the great outdoors, but it had been a top notch day on Steelhead Alley.

PICTURES BELOW FROM GUIDE JOHN MILLER'S DAY

FIGHTING THROUGH THE MORNING SLUSH.

JIM WITH A COLORED UP BUCK ON A SNOWY DAY.

ANDREW WITH A FINE BUCK STEELHEAD.

Thanks very much to all the clients who did their part to make the day a success...we had a great day with you.

Until next time, tight lines....

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson

Head Guide

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

This week in review and whats new!

This is why we fly fish for steel!

Well since the weather has given us a much needed break, and mother nature is providing us with enough water to make it through the fall season, I am taking advantage of the time to put up a few more steelhead trip pictures, finish completing numerous fly orders, and share the new updates coming early next month and thru the winter. As soon as the river levels come down we will be at it again snow or shine :)

A nice Ohio hen steelhead caught on an Ohio Lake Erie Tributary.

Mark with a beautiful silver hen caught and released on Tuesday.

Stay tuned for the latest Mid West Spey School class announcements from Will Turek, and the updated SAO show schedule, regional seminars, casting, and tying events during the winter months. Thank you everyone for choosing us as your personal fly fishing guides, and we enjoyed spending time with you all on the water this week.

Rudy poses with a fine Lake Erie steelhead.

Rudy with his big buck steelhead of the trip.

Sending her home....

Our second cabin is nearly complete on the Tionesta Creek in PA, we will be featuring this with our other cabin for our popular brook trout and summer fly fishing retreats. Stay tuned for our all inclusive small streams trout school, where we will cover equipment, fly tying, casting, reading water, and finding trout. We still have family vacation and fly fishing retreats available during the summer months if you are interested, and we will be utilizing these cabins for our warm water trips on the Allegheny and surrounding rivers during the Summer. We now are able to offer the traveling angler Vacation packages, Rustic Lodging, fly fishing, and golf retreats please call 419-466-9382 for availability and pricing.

Rustic Amish Cabin over looking the trout stream.

Under construction 24x12 rustic cabin above Tionesta Creek,

PA. Will be completed before the spring trout season.

Stay tuned for the latest from SAO!!!

Greg Senyo

Owner/Operator

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Rancho Relaxo

All things considered, it was a good week of catching. Monday brought the first lake effect snow to the Southeast shore of Lake Erie. And it came blowing in with full force. Certainly made for interesting driving conditions in a full-on white out, but we managed to stay on the road and get to our fishing destination. Unfortunately, the camera was left at home. So although we caught fish in the driving snow there were no pics for the blog that day ; (

Tuesday was a day of relaxation, then back on the water for the rest of the week. (See Pat and Greg's posts).

Watching the second snow fall of the week, this time from the windows of Rancho Relaxo (AKA home), reminded me of Wednesday's trip with Don and Ryan from the Schultz Ranch in Montana. As you'll see from the pics, neither the fish nor the anglers were bothered by the snow on the ground from Monday's blizzard. Living in Montana, they had a chuckle at what we call "winter weather".

Don and Ryan have been working on a pipeline outside of Columbus, OH for several months. Their first thought for fishing Lake Erie was to link up with a charter captain to take them walleye fishing. As luck would have it, however, they ran into a fellow angler that enlightened them to the little kept secret of Ohio's excellent steelhead fishery in the tribs to Lake Erie.

Don and Ryan with a distinctive Ohio landmark in the background.

Even though the air and water temps were cold enough to keep the snow on the ground, we started hooking fish first thing in the morning. Because of the colder water temps, and the slower metabolism of the fish and less chance of a fish to move to a swung fly, we stuck to drifting nymphs and eggs under an indicator.

Ryan with a nice chrome hen.

Don quickly followed Ryan's fish with a short, but stout male.

As long as we were willing to move to find fish, and took the time to adjust the amount of shot on the leader and the depth (the length between the indicator and the weights) of the indicator for each spot, we were able to stick fish throughout the day.

Ryan with a big hen caught in the afternoon.

Nice green backed, chrome sided girlfriend.

The catching was good enough that as the day wore on a competition grew between Don and Ryan. I came to find out that Ryan had bettered Don on the last several fishing trips. Of course, Don was looking to even the score and as luck would have it on the last pool of the day Don lit into a big hook-jawed buck that gave him a good fight before finally coming to the net.

Even though Don had bested Ryan, they both had a great time fishing steelhead alley for big chrome fish.

Will Turek


Head Rancher, Rancho Relaxo

Reel Women Reel Men of Indianapolis on Steelhead Alley!!

PATTI DRIFTS A POOL IN SEARCH OF SILVER AT DUSK, JUST AS THE SUN FALLS BEHIND THE TREES.

Last Spring I was out on the water with Patti Beasley, organizer of the "Indiana on the Fly" show and "Reel Women & Reel Men" fly fishing club of Indianapolis.  After a great day of spring steelheading Patti knew the club would love to do an annual trip to Steelhead Alley. Due to all her hard work and the support from such a great group of members, the first annual steelhead alley club excursion was born, and this is how our trip begins.

CAPTURING THE MOMENT ON STEELHEAD ALLEY.

I started out by meeting everyone Wednesday night for a quick dinner and refreshments at the Days Inn in Conneaut, Ohio. At first glance I could see that this group was ready for the challeges ahead! I figured that I would have a few tired faces due to the long drive, but again I was wrong and if we could have started the day right then, I believe they would have. We discussed several locations to fish and due to having guides on the water literally everyday for the past 4 weeks we had a good solid game plan. We decided on a 5:45am start time and headed to the sack.

PATTI STRIKES SILVER.

The morning brought an energetic and hardy group to the breakfast room, and after a quick cup of coffee and a few bites of blue berry muffin we were off to the river. The groups were split into 5 groups of two for a better fly fishing experience and to provide the groups with more options on the water, and the ability to stay mobile while fishing. ( see results in the photos)

FRANK WITH HIS FIRST OHIO STEELHEAD.


SESIE WITH A LAVISH FALL OHIO HEN STEELHEAD.

We decided to have a central meeting place for lunch but found it hard to pry these guys off the water LOL!!! They were hooked already!!! You have to admire the die hard mentality, and After our meal it was back to the water.

MEREOLIDH WITH A STUNNING SILVER HEN.

BIG MIKE WITH A NICE CHROME BUCK.

After the day everyone was extremely excited, tired, and ready to do it all over again the next day. Just listening to the stories and tales from each others day on steelhead alley let me know we had provided them with a lasting impression. The second day of the trip was the icing on the cake for another great day on the river!! The saga continues in December when the club returns to Steelhead Alley!!!

DESE' POSES WITH ONE OF HER STEELHEAD FROM THE TRIP.

DONNY WITH A FINE LOOKING STEELHEAD.

Patrick Robinson, Will Turek, John Clouser, John Miller, and myself would like to express our sincere appreciation for spending a few days on the water with us. We enjoyed every last minute and we look forward to seeing you guys in December. Once Again thank you!!!

I WOULD LIKE TO PERSONALLY THANK THE TEAM FOR A GREAT YEAR TO DATE AND A FANTASTIC TRIP, AND WITHOUT YOU GUYS SAO WOULD NOT BE WHERE IT IS TODAY!

DAVE WITH A NICE OHIO BUCK.


CHUCK WITH A NICE COLORED UP BUCK.

Tight Lines!!!

Greg Senyo SAO