Frequently Asked Questions

No. Every trip is walk and wade — on foot, in the river. There are no boat or drift trips.

Enough to matter. You will move between runs on foot over uneven riverbed and bank, in waders. It is not a hike, but it is not sedentary either. If you have mobility concerns, say so when booking and the day can be planned around them.

Worth clearing up, because the word confuses people. 'Float fishing' here means fishing a float — a bobber — on a centerpin reel, while standing in the river. It has nothing to do with floating down a river in a boat.

Cold and rain are steelhead fishing, and we go. If conditions make the river unsafe or genuinely unfishable — flood, ice, water too warm to release fish safely — the trip is rescheduled at no charge.

Often, but nobody honest guarantees it. Steelhead in particular are migratory fish in variable water. What is guaranteed is that you fish good water properly and understand why it is good water.

Yes. Every fish goes back, handled wet and kept in the water wherever possible. Some stretches we fish also carry mandatory-release rules by regulation.

No. Rods, reels, centerpin tackle, flies, terminal tackle, leaders and tippet are included. Bring your own rod if you would rather fish it — learning on your own gear is often the most useful way to spend the day.

Yes, every angler does, and it is the one thing we cannot supply. Buy it online from the Ontario government before your trip and bring proof.

Bring them if you have them — they fit better than anything borrowed. Waders are available by advance request, but we cannot promise every size, so ask when booking.

A licence, waders if you have them, polarized sunglasses, weather-appropriate clothing, food and water, and any personal medication. See what to expect for the full list.

Not at all. A beginner's day starts with the cast, because nothing else works until that does, then moves to depth and reading water. Plenty of people catch their first steelhead on their first guided day.

That is arguably the best reason to book. Bring the specific thing that is costing you fish — drifts dragging, missed takes, fish lost at the net, not knowing why one run produces and the next does not. Those are the highest-value conversations to have on the water.

For numbers of steelhead in most Ontario conditions, centerpin. For its own sake, or if you already fly fish, fly. Sasha teaches both and will tell you honestly which suits the day. See centerpin and fly fishing.

Fishing weighted nymphs on a long leader in direct contact, with little or no fly line on the water. No indicator and no slack, so you feel takes you would otherwise never detect. It is Sasha's specialty and the most requested thing he teaches.

Ask. It depends on the child, the river and the season — a summer trout day on smaller water is a very different proposition from March steelhead in high cold water.

Whichever one is legally open and in the best shape for your date. That decision is part of what you are booking, and it is often made within a day or two of the trip.

Spring, March through May, and fall, October through December. December is frequently overlooked and can be excellent.

May and June for the strongest general fishing, June for dry flies, and September for cooling water and empty rivers. July and August are temperature-dependent and fished early and late.

June through August. It needs sun and low clear water for spotting fish, which is exactly when trout fishing is hardest.

Deliberately. The water we rely on stays fishable because it is not broadcast. You will learn it on the river.