Paul Castellano Occupation: Full time fishing guide:
Cast Adventures Hometown: Niagara Falls, Ontario Fly fishing since:
Age of 15! Bio:
Fishing has always been a big part of my life! Not just for
one species, always targeting different fish at different
times of the year. Fished my first bass tournament on Lake
Erie at age 15 and still love to compete. I started guiding
part time at age 17. Teaching people about fishing is what I
do! Each week we will share our stories of fly fishing the
Niagara Region for Trout , Bass, Carp and Muskie with you!
The Niagara River Grand
Slam
Posted on December 10th, 2009 by Paul Castellano
I 1st met Paul and Gail last January at
the Somerset fly fishing show in New Jersey. I remember talking with
them about the Niagara River and different species available from my
home waters. We shared stories of salt water strippers and powerful
fall steelhead found in the mighty Niagara.
Almost a year later my phone rings, it’s Paul and Gail wanting to
book a trip! He asked if I remembered talking with them, I continued
with “ Gail had the really nice Puglisi files” Paul, let’s out a
loud laugh and we quickly get caught up.....not sure how I
remembered, but hard to forget Gail’s files she ties! Very nice
work!
They tell me about a trip there planning down to the Niagara Region
and we set up a date to do some fly fishing on the big river. I was
really looking forward to this one! Hey, I don’t know many anglers
that are as crazy about fishing as me! Paul and Gail may like
fishing more!
The morning of our scheduled trip, the conditions are perfect!
Almost no wind, water’s clear, and very few boats out.....you really
couldn’t have asked for a better day. After a quick how-to, we
rigged the rods, and headed out. We started targeting deeper fish,
running egg files and trout beads. Both of them hooked, landed and
released some bigger lake trout, which is always a blast on the fly
gear! They can really test your leaders’ strength, and push your
gear to the max.
Paul and Gail were excellent at casting, and after seeing this I put
them both to work! “The Streamer bite is my favourite” I tell them.
You could see the excitement in Gail’s eyes. “let’s get one angler
swinging streamers, and the other using the indicator rod” Paul
really wanted to try out the New LOOP Opti Switch rod matched with a
Loop Opti Speed runner reel i had on the boat. It doesn’t get much
better for an indicator combo! This rod and reel is a roll casting
machine!
I was really impressed by how well they adapted to the fly fishing
equipment and methods we use here on the Niagara! They both had
excellent days on the water, landing and losing lots of great fish!
But Gail had one of those magical days that the Niagara is known
for! She almost had the rod ripping out of her hands when the trout
smashed the streamers, both on the swing and stripping it back to
the boat...
She is the 1st female angler to ever get the Niagara Grand slam on
the fly rod with Cast Adventures! ~ Steelhead – Brown Trout – Lake
Trout ~ , all in the same day. Her smile tells it best...
Hunting Shallow
Smallmouth Bass
Posted on July 29th, 2009 by Paul
Castellano
Fly fishing for
Smallmouth bass is one of my absolute favorite things to do! Hunting
the shallows of the Niagara River and Lake Erie, sight fishing. It’s
really been a great season so far! Water levels are up on Erie and
I’m finding all kinds of new areas this summer that are holding good
numbers of fish. Ideal water for targeting big smallmouth with the
fly!
The nice thing about the bass, they seem to cooperate often. You
don’t have to make a perfect cast; they usually travel in numbers
and will take a wide selection of flies. I think Poppers are the
most fun! But I seem to have better success with subsurface patterns
like streamers and wooly buggers. I normally tie shiner (3” to 5”),
Crawfish (browns/greens/olives), Leech (woolly buggers) and gobies
patterns. These along with your favorite poppers will cover almost
every shallow water situation you’ll encounter.
Bass are also a great species to introduce a new fly angler to the
sport because of their aggressive nature and at times, not stop
action! On the other hand, I’ve seen some seasoned veterans shaking
at the knees while sight fishing, watching a 5+lb smallmouth
following their fly…..waiting for the strike.
Having good polarized glasses is a must! Without these, you’re going
to have to rely on blind casting, hoping to raise a fish. Nothing
wrong with this! Blind casting will get you into lots of bass on
Erie…..But the most fun (I think) is when you can work together
looking, watching for movement, shadows, fish that are on the move
and then cast your fly of choice at the fish! It’s a rush! Doesn’t
matter how many times you’ve done it, you never seem to get tried of
watching those beautiful bronze back react to your offering!
For most situations I’ll use an 8wt, because of the wind, weighted
flies, at times sink tips and these bigger bass really can pull! But
it’s always fun when conditions allow you to use 4, 5 or 6 wt
outfits. So it best to bring a few different combo’s and be sure
your covered in case conditions change during the day.
It never seems to fail…..Some of our biggest smallmouth bass landed
this season to date have been from younger anglers. Father and son
fishing trips are always a blast! Check out this 6lb 22” Niagara
River hog that is lucky little angler landed, (it was his first time
fishing for smallmouth ha-ha).
Bass season is in full swing, if you’ve never tried hunting shallow
water smallmouth bass in clear water; put it on your bucket list. It
goes hand and hand with fly fishing!
Fly Nation comes to
Niagara
Posted on June 22nd, 2009
So many great adventures since my last
blog! I’d like to share the last week of steelhead season with you
on the Niagara River first. We had the Fly Nation crew in town,
chasing big steelhead on the lower, filming for an upcoming episode.
Naoto, Nicole, April, Nick, Tim, Victor and joining us on this trip
was our good friend Josh from Out Fly Fishing Outfitters, all the
way from Calgary. Everyone hooked into fish that day! Be sure to
watch for this one! Conditions were perfect! Water temps were still
cool, there were a lot of drop backs in the system and wait till you
see the bloopers from this shoot...ha-ha!!!
On the 3rd day everyone left for the Spey Clave which was being held
on the Grand River. Josh stuck around for a few more days. We were
going to do some fun fishing before he had to head back to Calgary.
The game plan, hook as many dang steelhead as possible…….We fished
some different water, mainly with egg patters although we did get
some arm jolting hook ups swinging smaller streamers both days. The
1st morning Josh and I hit the river at 9am got to the spot……no
other anglers in sight! “Sweet”! We set up our rods, moved into the
run, 2nd cast, we were into fish! It was steady for the next 7
hours. Almost stupid at times! (no joke) we also hooked and landed
some tanks, mostly darker males and talk about strong……I landed my
personal best for the season on the fly that day. Our count at the
end of day one was 17 steelhead.
We called just after 4pm to meet up with Nick, Tim, April and Victor
who spent the day at the Spey clave on the Grand river. We all
shared some sushi, said are good byes, and headed back to Niagara
Falls to get ready for the next day.
The next morning another buddy of mine Chad Weir of Southern Ontario
Fishing Adventures met up with us. We were going to spend half the
day on shore and the 2nd half from the boat. Once again the fishing
was really hot, if not better then the pervious day! It was some of
the best fly fishing I’ve experienced this year, when the smoke
cleared at the end of the day our count between the three of us was
37 steelhead…….over the two days josh and I had seen close to 60
steelies!
Things couldn’t have gone better, crazy numbers, big fish, no
crowds, blue skies…..it doesn’t get much better. Josh my friend your
timing was perfect! Those fish were gone the next week!
See you on the River!
Early Season Crappie
Posted on May 13th, 2009 by
Paul Castellano
Every spring on the last Saturday in April my Dad and I head north
of Toronto and fish for Crappie. It's one of trips I do every season
and really look forward to! This year my cousin joined us for the
annual crappie weekend which was great because we haven’t fish
together much since we were kids. I wanted to share this with you
because of the method that landed 70% of the biggest Crappie
including one 15" slab monster using my 4wt.
We normally fish crappie with ultra light spinning rods, slip
floats, and mini jigs. It’s a fun way to fish, but I’ve always
preferred to fly fish for pan fish with my 4wt. Sight fishing when
possible with small bead heads or dry files.
Saturday morning 4:30am we arrived at the boat ramp (“why is it that
I can never sleep the night before a fishing trip….”), rigged a few
rods under the glow from the street light above and put the boat in
the water. My cousin had never seen fly fishing before, seemed
really keen when he watched me put the 4wt together. “I can’t
believe how small those flies are!” he said while looking at one of
the fly boxes. He was looking at some of my trout flies I used on
the Grand River for browns. Small bead head cadis, pheasant tails
and hairs ears all in size 18 to 22.
We made our way to the area in the dark driving no more then 5mph.
At this point the sun is just coming up. Wild turkeys were gobbling,
loons were calling…..it was perfect! Water temps were still cold,
only 47c. We moved around with the trolling motor looking for new
weed growth of any kind……no luck, this area has lots of wood sitting
in deeper water, we decided to try here 1st. It’s an old pier that
used to connect an island with the main land. Big old cribs with
smaller chunk rock, and pilings still stand below the surface but
the pier it’s self is long gone.
The game plan was to target pre-spawn fish. Crappie love structure
like all fish, the wood and rock will hold heat better this time of
year, and the fish can really school up if you find the right spot.
The old pier had deeper water surrounding it (20 feet) and the
crappie seemed to be moving from the open deeper water and staging
on the wood and rock which was much shallower, sitting in 4 to 6
feet of water.
By 7am the wind had started to build. We used an anchor and
positioned ourselves just down wind of the spot making casts into
the wind and allowing our offerings to drift back to the boat. We
were picking off the odd crappie using small jigs, but it was
slow...by now a few other boats were working the area with the same
results. There was enough light out now that I could see the fish
suspended, holding tight to the wood. This is what I was waiting
for. I grabbed my fly rod, tied on a size 20 bead head cadis (olive)
with a short 4lb floro leader and roll casted to the 1st crappie I
saw. The fish swims up to intercept my bug and sucks it in
instantly! This continued for the next 5 hours lol! The crappies
were really keyed in on the small flies. We did keep a few for the
table and they were packed with mayfly nymphs and small cadis. This
explains why the fly out fished live minnows and plastics! The
bigger year class of fish wouldn’t touch anything other then the
size 20 cadis! Drove the other boats around us nuts! Lol
Sight fishing for Pan fish is a blast and easy to do, it’s also I
great way to introduce new anglers to the sport of fly fishing. The
fast paste action and aggressive nature of the sunfish, perch or
crappie make for a fun day on the water. Next time you want to try
something different take your ultra light fly combo and some small
trout flies and give Crappie a try, you’ll love it!
Niagara River Primer
Posted on May 5th, 2009 by
Paul Castellano
This is long over due...trout opener
has come and gone and we still haven’t talked about different
steelhead flies on the Niagara River. Well, I’ll back up a bit…cold
water temps are the norm on the Niagara. During the winter months
water temps are consistently 32 degrees but flowing. No spawning
activity is present, although we still take trout with egg patterns.
The Niagara is full of bait fish. Young of the year smelts and
emerald shiners call this system home, along with other aquatic
insects found in most tributaries of the great lake. Because of the
size and power of the fish and the flow of the river, we almost
exclusively use bigger hooks with our flies. It’s pretty hard to
land a fresh 10lber on a size 22 cadis pupa when it’s peeling off
into the deep channel of the Niagara. Which happens often, oh ya
it’s a channel that is 180 feet deep in the centre of the
river...yikes!
For example my egg patterns are tied on size 12 or 10 light wire
Kamasan hooks. It important to use a light wire hook to get the best
action from your egg fly as is drifts along the bottom. Heavier wire
hooks will sink too fast. Streamers hooks should be matched
accordantly to the size of the streamer being tied. For example: a
4”-to-5” smelt pattern, I like to use #2 streamer hook.
There are countless patterns that will work for steelhead on the
Niagara, these are just a few of my picks that seem to work every
season for us. Colours and sizes are something that I’m always
experimenting with. It can really make or break your day. Trout are
consistently changing what they want to eat. Please keep this in
mind when out on the water. It’s always best to change up flies and
colours often for best results.
These patterns work well from October till early June on the river.
The same flies we use when water temps are 32 in the winter will
take fish during late spring when the water reaches 60 or in early
Fall when the river is starting to cool for the fist time after the
summer heat wave. Experimenting is the key to success! When spawning
activity is present (fall or spring) we favor the egg imitations.
The numbers of fish spawning in this system is mind boggling. Each
spring when temps hit 40C adult smelts return from the Lake Ontario
to spawn (these are much bigger 5”-to-9”) . Baby smelts remain and
the trout take full advantage of this high protein food source. The
best smelt bite for me is December till late June (3”to 5” seems to
be the average size of the baby smelts).
Emerald shiners also spawn in the spring on the Niagara. Although
present year round, they flood the shallows every year just after
the smelt run is over. These are much smaller in size 2”to 3.5”.
Trout love these tasty little buggers in the spring. Both fresh
steelhead and drop backs will gorge on these before the season is
done. You want to tie these on smaller hooks and smaller in size.
Woolly buggers are something that seem to catch fish year round
despite water temps or conditions. White/browns/blacks and purples
have worked well. Zonkers can be sick some days! These are great for
stripping and swinging, hunting for aggressively feeding trout. Get
ready for the arm ripping strike! Be sure to have your drag pre set!
Bunny jigs are something that works well from December till late
June for me. These are tied much smaller, on light 1/64 or 1/32 jig
heads. Try twitching and popping these when faced with clear water.
I like to use Marabou, the action you get from the tail of the bunny
jig drives steelhead bonkers!
With the exception of the egg patterns, all of the above flies are
tied both weighted weightless. Weighted flies are necessary in some
situations to properly work these areas.
Hopefully these will help get you started. It’s been an amazing
spring for Fly fishing! Lots of big steelhead, crappie up to 15”,
huge smallmouth bass (NY state waters). I hope your all getting out
on the water and enjoying this beautiful spring were having!
An Early Season Trip to
the
Bow River, Calgary!
Posted on April 16th, 2009 by
Paul Castellano
This Easter weekend we were in Calgary Alberta. Myself, Nick, April
and Tim were all on this adventure. Nick and April were in town
giving seminars at the new Bass Pro Shops, celebraing the Grand
Opening. If you haven't already, you should really check this store
out! It was awesome! Tim was doing his thing with all of their fancy
cameras and well, I was there to fish lol :)
I’ve never seen mountains before……The rest of the team laughed when
they heard this, but the truth is I’ve never fished anywhere in
Canada other then Ontario. The weather was great, warm and sunny
conditions with very little wind. Man was I pumped for this trip! To
the point were I couldn’t sleep the night before my flight lol.
The plan was to fish the Bow River one day with
Josh Nugent of Out Fly Fishing Outfitters.
I couldn’t wait! Although it wasn’t peak season, the water temps
were only 35 degrees and because of the warm weather, the run off
from the mountains had turned the Bow into a muddy mess, we didn’t
care! We had one of the best guides on the river and a positive
outlook towards fishing this famous system!
Faced with less then ideal conditions the morning of our trip, we
launched the drift boats and started what for me was one of the best
days of fishing I’ve had in a long time…..it wasn’t one of the big
number days that the river produces, nor did we land any really big
trout but the company, laughs, scenery and new friendships are what
made this trip so memorable! Josh is a real pro, his easy going
nature and knowledge of the river made this trip! I highly recommend
booking a day or two with him if you are planning a visit to the Bow
River.
Despite the tough conditions, our guide did a great job of putting
us on the fish!!!
Thanks Josh!
The
Niagara: A Cure for Winter Blues!
Posted on February 18th, 2009 by
Paul Castellano
It has been a long cold winter
for all of us here in southern Ontario. February is a tough month,
counting down the days until trout opener, tying flies to pass the
time. Some folks ice fish, others read CFF articles.
Most tributaries are locked up tight, sleeping under a blanket of
ice and snow, but one runs clear and fast. It has been called the
greatest multi species fishery around, a world class steelhead
destination, with year round fishing and no closed season for trout.
The best cure in the business for the winter blues - the Niagara
River!
We fish the Niagara all winter long from shore and from the boat.
February is cold, but the gorge blocks the wind making for ideal fly
fishing conditions despite the weather. Sunny days are best with
light winds. Most new comers are surprised just how nice it can be
while drifting down the river in the middle of winter.
Here is a sample of what winter steelheading on the Niagara is all
about, this 15lb buck was landed on February 17 2009.
Now that I have your attention, be sure to check the Canadian Fly
Fisher site often to learn more about the Niagara River, Lake Erie
and other Great Lakes tributaries. In future blogs the team will
share with you top fly patterns, techniques and equipment for
catching fish like you see above! Our next blog will cover some of
the hottest winter steelhead flies were currently using on the
Niagara. Stay tuned!
