Friday
Mar262010
"After many years of swinging flies for steelhead, I can spot a gravel-raper just by looks."
Friday, March 26, 2010 at 12:01AM 
A primer by the Classical Angler on the techniques and tactics of the gravel raper, along with tips on how to identify this angling lower lifeform. LINK
tagged gravel raper, the classical angler in Other Sites
gravel raper, the classical angler in Other Sites
Reader Comments (8)
Man this is a bunch of rubbish. As if there's any such thing as a "fish caught fairly." What a bunch of self-stroking priggery. Every steelhead in the stream, at every second, in every spot - is there to spawn. In case you weren't aware, that's pretty much the sole purpose of living things. So don't think you're some higher-class being because you rip the lips of a chromer who didn't happen to be sitting over spawning gravel. You've screwed up the ideal plans of every fish you ever caught. That's the name of the game, so don't pretend you're doing any favors for the steelhead you yank in on your streamers.
Agreed. Mr. Helm’s logic is flawed. He seems to disdain the following things: fly fishermen, sight fishing (in general), polarized sunglasses, cigars, wading, guys, expensive "branded" things, hooks, nymphs, nets, cameras, smiling in pictures, stickers, Trout Unlimited, fishing with friends, catching fish, enjoying catching fish, catching more than one fish in a day, gear of all types, dressing “like a fly fisherman”, talking to other fishermen, walking without purpose and single handed rods (But wouldn’t buying into the spey casting trend be too – I don’t know, “trendy”?)
What makes Mr. Helm’s opinion even more humorous is that the River he is lamenting is the Milwaukee River -- all steelies are planted there each year. The "sacred gravel" he is looking to protect does not provide suitable redds. These steelies are not in any true definition "in the act of pro-creating". They will spawn no progeny. I could understand Mr. Helm’s stance if he were advocating for defending a pristine ecosystem, with reproducing fish, but the (non-native and unable to reproduce) steelhead streams of Lake Michigan are far from pristine. No amount of not-targeting or targeting these fish will preserve or “collapse” the fishery!
I hope Mr. Helm takes his own advice and stands without waders, with his eyes closed, standing alone on the bank swinging his flies (heaven forbid to a fish he can see. That would be too "Isaak Walton".) Hopefully he won't catch a fish either. That would be a travesty! That's why they call it "fishing", not "catching", right?
I’ll be sure not to smile, wave, or exude any sort of happiness if I happen to see Mr. Helm on the water. I wouldn’t want to ruin his day.
(Oh, and by the way, I’ve asked Mr. Helm about fly fishing for trout and steelhead before, and his token response was: "I don’t fly fish for trout. I’m a bass fisherman.")
For what it’s worth…
Come over to the West Coast if you want some REAL Steelhead. Why don't they just call them Lake Run Trout?
You boys in this comment section need to stop defending the rapists.Dorks.
steelhead don't enter rivers to eat streamers. they enter to spawn. west coast, great lakes, doesn't matter. so fishing for them is disrupting their natural cycle.. so is all fishing. is getting hooked in the mouth (or ass) good for any fish? glad to see you know how to use CAPS LOCK Suckit.
"rapists" listen sir she was well over 18" and she was more than willing to grag my egg and bite my streamer. she was into nymphs long before we meet.
The issue doesn't lie in whether it's disrupting their life cycle, the issue is the question of whether it's Sporting and fair,
If it's rewarding for you to catch a fish that you can see, sitting on it's redd, in shallow clear water, teasing it till it loosens it's jaw in anger, than you deserve to go fish the stocker pond up the road.
There is no challenge in it, it is not sporting, it is not fun, unless you are lost and starving somewhere and you need to eat the damn thing to survive.
They made the swim, they're doing the big dirty, leave em alone while they work so you can watch more of them in that same gravel bed in a few years.
As far as the Great Lakes are concerned, I am not going to get into whether it's cool to fish for spawners or not, I don't do it, but really could care less what anyone else does to an extent.
What I cannot stand is "flossing, lining or snagging" fish period, but especially these guys who go "sight fishing" to slip the lead between their chops while they are spawning and set the line so the hook sticks "where it sticks can vary from the tounge to the pectoral fin" and continuously do this over and over again as if they are accomplishing something grand. It's lame no matter how much you try and dress it up and should be made illegal. Regardless of whether there is natural reproduction or not it is unsporting and seriously lame in my opinion. While I would never fish for spawners the least they could do is actually try and get the things to bite...