'looper scent

[Steve Foss]

Hey all:

I have a looper question that someone with a lot of knowledge may be able to answer.

It's my understanding that migratory trout (like loopers) and salmon return to the streams of their birth (or stocking) using scent and perhaps taste, picking up and homing in on the unique chemical composition or other factors from the water from their original streams.

So can loopers stocked in the Lester find their way back to its mouth now, when the river is dammed by gravel buildup from nor'easters and no Lester water is flowing into the lake? It seems like it's getting late enough that they're staging around the rivers before their spawning runs. So would you expect to find loopers around the Lester right now, like the French and Sucker, even though there's no water flowing out?

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Steve ([email protected])

[Surface Tension]

If theres water going down river then its getting into the lake. It may be flowin through the sand and gravel,but it has to go some where. I can asure you the fish that are imprinted on the Lester know its there even with the low flow. I know theres fish off the lester but I would wait till it opens up. Fish the French and Sucker till then.
Kamloops dont venture far from shore which gives the angler a wider time line to fish them. Unlike the Steelhead which like colder temps and a midlake fish that tend to stage later when rivers start to swell. Look for high water and 40 degrees for a run.

[Steve Foss]

Hey ST:

Found out an interesting looper fact today. Also posted it on the "looper" post in this forum.

A looper expert told me today that almost all the fish stocked by the DNR have imprinted on the French and spawn there.

That's because the DNR raises all its loopers at the French River hatchery. The loopers imprint when they're smolts, in the first year, so when they're released in the Sucker and Lester and other places, it's too late -- they've already imprinted on the French. He said a few fish that grew slowly enough so they weren't imprinted on the French before their release will imprint on the river they're released in, but not many. Kind of sneaky for the DNR to talk about taking pressure off the French by stocking loopers in those other rivers, eh?

He also said the loopers aren't glued to the river yet, that until it's much closer to the spawn they can still be caught from the other side of Stoney down to the Lester.

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Steve ([email protected])

[Surface Tension]

Your expert is a little right about imprinting on the French. Theres still a lot that do imprint on the lester. A smolt a fish that has lived in a river and is now going down stream to a lake or ocean. I can tell you that fish is imprinted on that river. Case in point would be the Knife. Which was stocked from the French. Why did the French have a fraction of the run of Steelhead that the Knife had if there were all imprinted on the French.

Loopers come in close in the cold months and if theres a river all the better. Glued no, but attracted to it you bet. Would you rather fish off the French or a mile down the shore.
I fished Steelhead hardcore for 26 years, and learned alot.

[Steve Foss]

Hey ST:

Thanks for the info. Twenty-six years is a lot of experience and know-how, not to mention great days on beautiful North Shore rivers. As a newcomere here, I envy you all that. Are you a fly fisherman? That could explain your handle, as I believe it's the surface tension of the water that helps hold up a dry fly.

You're using steelhead as an example to make points about loopers. And I don't know how close they are to each other in imprinting habits. Maybe they're exactly the same. I know the DNR stocks steelies, but do they stock them as smolts that were raised somewhere else and then put in the Knife or as fry that live their first season in the Knife before hitting the lake?

The guy I talked to said a few of the thousands of loopers that are stocked as smolts do imprint on the river they're stocked into instead of the French because they lag in size behind the general run, so they imprint a bit later. That would explain why some loopers stocked as smolts spawn where they're stocked.

So the hard-core looper guys and hard-core steelhead guys don't alway see eye to eye, I'm told. I'm not trying to stir up trouble. Which do you prefer to fish for? Are you a one-or-the-other guy or do you go for both?

Also, a looper guy bagged a 33-inch lake trout on a looper bug off shoreview yesterday morning. Nice fish. Looked about 10-12 pounds.

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Steve ([email protected])

[Surface Tension]

Catfish, Yes lots of good memories from days of Steelheading. Smells too. Im self tought and made a ton of mistakes while learning but it sure was fun. Used to start out in the LP's of Mich. and end the season on the North Shore.
Ya Steelheader's would rather the DNR put there resources into bringing back the Steelhead instead of planting Loopers. But the loopers have filled a nich for the shore fisherman. To tell ya the truth I would rather they scraped loopers,steelhead and chinook's and start planting coho. They taste a lot better. They havent planted them for many years and there holding there own.

I flyfish too,manly the big Hex hatch in designated trout lakes. What a ball that is when you hit it right. And yes that is one of the three meaning to my handle.
Sounds like you have learned a lot about shore fishin. Are you going to hit the rivers when the run starts? It's a whole new ball game then sittin on the beach. LOL. We'll have to hook up some time. I have new places and things you can try.

[Steve Foss]

Hey ST:

I've caught a number of steelies, but never fished the rivers for them. Just moved up here in August.

One of my "looper" rods is made by Berkeley. An 8.5 foot graphite spinning with a fast tip and fairly stiff butt. Takes 6 lb test really sweet. I got it partly because it's marketed as a steelhead stream rod, and that's one thing I wouldn't mind doing. Suppose I need a good set of waders, eh?

We should hook up sometime. I'm making like a sponge this year and soaking up everythings shore and river anglers will throw at me. Since August, I've put in hundreds of hours shore fishing from the Two Harbors breakwater and other places, including the French, Stoney, Sucker, etc. Kings, cohos, lakers, loopers, steelhead, I've got some of each of them. Wish I could find some bigger cohos. They sure taste good.

But I'd like to learn the ins and outs of spinning for spawning steelies. I've putzed around with an old split bamboo fly rod and gotten pretty good, but I don't begin to know much about flies and flyfishing for river steelhead. Guess I'd limit myself to spining for now.

I agree that loopers are the fish for everyone along the shore. So much room to fish them. Even when the steelhead (and loopers) hit the rivers to spawn, there can't be as much room to fish them.

I hear those steelhead guys on the Knife are as territorial as wolf packs, and about as deadly to trespassers.

Fished the French today and yesterday without a bite. Got there too late for fast early-morning action both days. They were catching them on the east side of the river near the casting rock, but only till about 9:30. Guess that makes up for the three previous times out, when I caught loopers and cohos each time.

That's fishing.

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Steve ([email protected])