Grant Ferris
Grey/Bruce Outdoors

Russ was ready first and made a cast well across that wide Saugeen River pool with a spinner while I fumbled in my vest for a hook. Just as I got ready, his second cast splashed down and moments later a big silver fish came half out of the water with Russ's spinner in it's jaws. Five minutes and he was in the lead already, this was not the way to begin a contest.

It was a classic confrontation, the greying veteran and the downy-cheeked youth. Experience vs youth and vigour, or almost. Well, maybe my 29 year-old son does have a heavier beard than me and maybe I'm all grey, not just greying but haven't you heard about poetic licence? It means you can exaggerate, even twist the facts a tiny bit to tell a story. The fishing parts are dead accurate but forgive me if I'm a little easy on my aging appearance. 

It was a cool overcast morning on the Saugeen and Russell and I had agreed to a contest of spinners against roe. I knew there were fish in the river and hoped the low overnight temperatures had kept them from rushing through to the fish ladder before we started. Russ was spin fishing with his Loomis graphite rod and Shimano Stradic 4000 reel full of 12 pound test Silver Thread line. He had brought some fine spinners designed by my long-time internet pen-pal Derrel , who lives and fishes in Oregon. I was rigged up with my 13 foot GL3 Loomis float rod and J.W. Young "Purist" float reel, Seaguar fluorocarbon leaders, tiny roe bags and #14 Daiichi hooks.
The night before, I thawed out some special rainbow roe that I had stored carefully in my freezer in the spring of 1997. It was sealed in a bag and protected by a layer of ice. The river water was a cold 35F or 1.66C and underwater visibility was close to five feet. 

To me this means fishing the slow runs that are deeper than five feet, using subtle coloured roe bags tied up small. We conferred on spinner colours and chose chartreuse with a matte silver blade, more of Derrel's advice for cold, clear water. Russ only had to tie on a spinner so he was ready first while I had to dig out a light leader and tiny shot. His second cast while I was still fumbling away with cold hands got a solid hit and a big silver-bright rainbow splashed as it tried to shake the hook. By the time I was ready for my initial cast, Russ's first fish had been landed, photographed and released. I made a couple of drifts before he had a chance to re-tie his spinner and was relieved to see my tiny float dip under, right where winter rainbows always lie. Striking quickly brought a strong 8 pounder to the surface just as my son made a second cast since he released his fish. 

Suddenly a big silver rainbow broke the surface right beside mine and we were into a double header, putting Russ back in the lead. It appeared this wasn't going to be an easy contest at all. After a good battle, we both released our fish and I re-tied my hook. Russ made only two more casts before another trout hit that darn Oregon lure. Derrel's spinner designs had hooked three fish over 7 pounds in six casts, it wasn't fair. 

I watched my float with one eye and my son's casts with the other. His second cast after releasing the fish didn't produce this time, so I figured maybe I could get back in the game. His third cast was ignored and I was holding my breath. He was fishing in just the right spot but maybe the fish were spooked. On his forth cast a big male came to the surface in a boil of red, the spinner was taken too deep and had caused an injury to the gills. This was a trout we couldn't release. Five fish splashing around had spooked that pool fish though and neither of us could get a bite afterward so we headed upriver to another pool. 

The new location was tricky for fishing spinners but an old friend to my floats and I was able to hook three in a row, tying us with four apiece. One was a dandy nine pounder that sloshed water out of that pool like a five year old playing in a bathtub. Time was running out though as Russ had an appointment right after lunch. With about twenty minutes left we made a quick trip to the last pool of the day. I took my favourite location at the tail end of the pool but with such clear water I could see the bottom, not a good thing when fishing for rainbow trout. Russ, slightly upstream of me, was eager to break the tie and waded well out in the deep part of that treacherous pool. The clock's hands were almost at noon when the winning fish hit...on Russell's Oregon spinner. I watched for a few seconds and then turned back to my float. It ain't over 'til it's over as a wise man once said. Suddenly there was a tremendous splash. It was too big for any fish and when I looked back all I could see was Russ's arm sticking out of the water, with the rod bouncing in his hand. Russ had gone right under but refused to give up and struggled shoreward to land his fish. 

So he won, I was beaten by luck, youth and an Oregon spinner, I joined my dripping son as he climbed out of the almost-freezing water clutching a 6.5 pound rainbow trout, cold water streaming from them both and both gasping in the cold air. Russ was the winner but I was warm and dry. 

I'll settle for that.