# Another Grand Day on the Grand



## FishIgo (Apr 21, 2011)

Had another great day on the Grand ! It was still a little windy but not as bad as Thursday ! Found the fish to be more spread out thru the river today ! Beautiful day beautiful weather ! A lot of big and plump fish today ! 2 were at
Least 10 pounds !


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

I'll buy the BLT for a ride....


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## FishIgo (Apr 21, 2011)

Snakecharmer said:


> I'll buy the BLT for a ride....


may have to take you up on that one day ! I was thinking Domino`s next time ! lol


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## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

Having a good time up there I see


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## PB&J (Feb 6, 2016)

I'm impressed how 'plump' they are this year too. Not what I've remembered in the past. But steelhead fishing hasn't been a priority for the last few years. Anyone know why they are so thick? Is it a different strain? Gotta love hooking them (not necessarily landing them) in these water temps. So explosive and fun!


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## FishIgo (Apr 21, 2011)

PB&J said:


> I'm impressed how 'plump' they are this year too. Not what I've remembered in the past. But steelhead fishing hasn't been a priority for the last few years. Anyone know why they are so thick? Is it a different strain? Gotta love hooking them (not necessarily landing them) in these water temps. So explosive and fun!


I would have to say it has a lot to do with what there eating and the over abundance this year ! This is the most baitfish I’ve seen in a couple years !


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## Steel Cranium (Aug 22, 2005)

Yes. A different strain now at adult sizes. Ohio stocked a combination of Manistee River strain (Lake Michigan), Ganaraska River strain (Lake Ontario) and Chambers Creek strain (Wisconsin) over the past five years. The Ganaraska then Chambers strains replaced the Manistees when Ohio could no longer get fertilized eggs from Michigan. 

I think we’re seeing more Chambers fish this year, which seem to have the thickness of the old Ohio raised London strain (stocked until the late 1990s) and the fight of the Manistees. The Ganaraska strain that were around the past few years seemed smaller in size without the fight of the others.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

Good insight, but I thought Ganaraska were also Lake MI. from Wisconsin? 
Yes they are looking like the old London strain a bit. maybe the Fall running strains just look like that. Even in PA they always have been a bit shorter, but stockier.
Best Regards,
Rickerd


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## Steel Cranium (Aug 22, 2005)

https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Fishing/documents/species/steelhead.pdf

*Ganaraska* River winter run steelhead: This strain originated on the west coast and has since become naturalized in Lake Ontario. It uses the *Ganaraska River* on the north shore of the lake for spawning. Although referred to as a spring‐run fish in Ontario, the *Ganaraskas* stocked in Lake Michigan also contribute to the fall and winter stream fishery.

Originally from Ontario, but we could have received the eggs/fingerlings from Wisconsin since they also stock them. I will take the current Chambers strain over those since they get bigger, fatter, and fight a lot more. The Ganaraskas fought like a walleye and didn't seem to get as big by average than the Manistees they replaced. 

Not sure if the diets for the stains are much different. The original London strain fish loved powerbait tied in sacs, allowing one to get through a whole season without killing a fish for eggs. Manistees seemed to ignore the same offering. Haven't tried the powerbait sac options for the most recent strain. Sounds like a good way to waste a day for science.


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## Gogol (Nov 17, 2020)

FishIgo said:


> I would have to say it has a lot to do with what there eating and the over abundance this year ! This is the most baitfish I’ve seen in a couple years !


I was thinking the same thing. There was so much shad in the lower sections of the river, coupled with generally less rain earlier in the fall and I think they just hung out at the mouth of the rivers and feasted on shad as they migrated down and back into the lake. The little I've researched on shad seems to suggest that they head back to the lake as temps begin to get cooler in early fall. Well we had some super warms temps until just a few weeks ago. Maybe they just hung around later than usual and the fish had no water or reason to move up into the rivers.

Over the last week, I've noticed that the larger steelhead are eating larger white flies that look "shad like". The take on a swung fly hasn't been supper aggressive and I've missed a few, more like a gentle grab, almost as if there's enough bait around that if they suspect it's fake, they spit it out immediately. The smaller fish ignore the larger flies and have been hitting eggs or smaller flies in general.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

thank you for clearing up my mind Steel Cranium. 
Rickerd


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