The brown trout have been hitting pretty good the last week or so off the local city
pier, and we saw a couple of dandies taken yesterday.   So, with no wind, a blue sky
and 38 degrees Jack and I decided to try our luck today. 
 
                                
 


We ended up getting about a 1/2 dozen of the big shad, and I hooked up with 1 trout casting
a hammered silver spoon.    Which makes me wonder....where do these shad go in the summer?
We never, ever catch one incidentally.......

The guy next to us changed over to a orange/silver cleo and got a dandy brown pushing 8lbs!
Kind of reminds me of years ago now when we used to catch coho in the harbor.......

Today was one of those days.....blink and it's raining; blink again and its snow; blink again and
its sunny.....and 35 degrees.     Ran some errands this afternoon and took a ride by the creek
on the way home.   Water was a touch to much color and a touch too fast for my liking, so
I kept going.

Winds picked up considerably thru late afternoon.  Evidently, Mother Nature was not happy
today.

                      

Helping our bud, Gerb in the morning with some drywall.......


        

January 22....figured it was time for an update.....

**
We've gotten word that we will again be on the programs for Dreamweaver Lures,
Gamma Line and Okuma rods/reels for 2012. Awesome! We really appreciate the chance
to spread the word about these great products and are honored to be part of each companies
team for 2012!!


**
Took a walk down on the beach this afternoon with my son.   Very little shoreline ice,
so the chances it's going to freeze this year look like slim and none...perhaps, with
fingers crossed, that will mean the lake warms up a bit earlier in June??  We're due for
a walleye bite that starts early and last ALL season!


**
We are still working on getting our show schedule finalized, but we know that we are
going to be at the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association (LOTSA) show FOR SURE
on Sunday, February 26 in Lockport.   I've known the guys behind this show for a long,
long time.   It's a great show, put on by a bunch of great guys for the benefit of the
Lake Ontario fishery.   What a great way to spend a Sunday...talking fishing with your friends! 

We're coming up with Capt. Gary (Kongo Charters) and Marty (Canadaway Creek
Outfitters) so it should be lots of fun!  Hope to see you there!


**
Our 2012 calendar is OPEN!   So far, it is looking really good for us that for the first
time in several years we will be spending a few days up on Lake Ontario out of
Wilson, NY.    We're going to try to mix in some fun fishing with a couple of trip dates,
so right now it looks like we would be open for May 2, 3 and 4 (and possibly the 5th too).  

Let me know if you have any interest in trying out some great spring salmon fishing.
  

**
We are a long way off from our trips to S. Carolina, and Northern Ontario, but this
weather's got the cabin fever going big time!!  

Another beautiful Fall, I mean Winter,  day in WNY.   45, and sunny with no snow on the ground.
Got done washing the cars so I decided to shoot over to the creek for an hour or so before it
got dark.   Color was a bit cloudy, and a bit fast, but overall not too bad.


                  
                

Reward was the first fish of the year!  A steelhead about 4lbs or so on a woolie bugger on
the fly rod.  Tip of the hat to Marty (Canadaway Creek Outfitters), as he suggested we make
the change and about 4 casts later we hooked up.


                 

Also had another fish hit before we quit for the day.   

Another 45 degree December day....we're starting to get spoiled!  

Got a call from Marty (Canadaway Creek Outfitters), who said that the creek looked
good, and he was going to head out to check it out.   Jack and I got our gear and joined
up with him, just after he hooked, fought and broke off a 30" steelie!

Although the creek was running a bit faster that the last few times out, Jack and I still
ended up hooking up 3 times, but again couldn't keep them glued!

Took a ride upstream before we quit to check another spot and we watched a local
angler land about an 8lber!  Beautiful color!

Despite the threat of heavy weather coming later in the day, and snow in the forecast
for overnight for really the first time all year, today was another great December day!  
Light rain, no wind, and low 40's again, so Jack and I decided to take about a mile and
an half walk down a local tributary.

I hooked up with a nice fish, and handed that off to Jack.   Really nice fight, but the
current, and a sharp rock edge was enough to break that one off.  
 
                      

We knew this section had gotten some pressure the last few days, but we still had
2 hookups walking thru, before we quit for the day.
 

40 Degrees in Western New York on the 26th of December??!   No snow on the
ground, and trout in the streams.....

So, off Jack and I went to fish with our friend Marty (www.canadawaycreekoutfitters.com)
and his son Ethan on a local tributary.   Between the 4 of us, we had 7 or 8 hookups, with
Marty landing a couple of steelhead.   Jack hooked up 3 times, which was pretty good
considering he is still pretty new to using fly rods!

             

Marty and Ethan had to go; and Jack had enough, but when I dropped him off I told
my wife that I still had all my gear on, and it was nice, so I was going to go back out
for a while.   Beautiful early winter afternoon, but no other takers.

             

Got reports from our friends Capt. Gary (Kongo Charters) and Sean Patrick McGraw
that they too got into a few fish a bit farther upstream than we were.   All in all, not to
bad for late December.

Now if I can just find that pinhole in the foot of my wader...

                   Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
                                            from 
                             TIMES TWO CHARTERS!

                 

               We hope you all have an enjoyable holiday season, 
                      and hope to see you in 2012!

Still looking for a christmas gift for the fisherman or fisherwoman in your life?  If so, we took a
look over our sponsors and friends pages, and would like to offer up some ideas for you....





Need a rod or reel?   Okuma makes a great selection of spinning, fly and downrigger rods
and reels!    We use nothing but Convector reels and Blue Diamond rods aboard Times Two
and love 'em!   If you need a new spinning reel/rod combo, you'll be really happy with an
Epixor 25b paired with a 6'6" Reflexion rod; or try an Integrity fly reel for your stream fisherman.
Check them out at www.okumafishing.com




How about a gift certificate for a day of Lake Erie walleye fishing?   We can set it up anyway
you want, either for a specific trip length or a dollar value towards a trip.   We'll send you a
nice gift certificate and a Times Two Hat to put with it under your tree!





You can't beat a selection of dreamweaver spoons (see www.dreamweaverlures.com) for your
walleye or salmon fisherman!   WD's and Super Slims are awesome Lake Erie walleye baits.  
Try alibi; mojo; green melon; chicken wing; tequila sunrise to name a few of the good ones.  




We use only Gamma line on our non-braided line setups.  It's durable and dependable.
We like the 20lb copolymer as well as their flourocarbon for our leaders.   We will also
use the 12lb in the creeks for steelhead, with 6 or 8lb leaders.    Next to your lure, this
is the most important piece of your setup.   Go with Gamma!


If you are in need of someone to do silk screening or embroidery, then Jeremy at CIS is
your guy! No job is too big or too small.    They helped us get our new logo set last summer,
and do all of the Times Two shirts, sweatshirts and hats you've seen us wearing.    Jeremy
(or us) can assist you if your looking to get any custom Times Two apparel, or if you need
help designing a logo for your own purposes.   Their site is www.creativeimprintsystems.com



SEAN PATRICK MCGRAW
We certainly cannot forget our friend, country musician Sean Patrick McGraw!   If you want
to check his music out, you can do so at www.seanpatrickmcgraw.com or look up his
videos on CMT!    Seans' getting ready to work on a new CD, which hopefully we'll have
available for you this coming summer on the boat!



Joey and Zman have been great to us!   We just wish they were still making the chatterstick
However, if you want some great skirted or plastic bass lures, go to  www.zmanfishing.com to
see their tournament winning products.  They also have a great offshore line for your saltwater
anglers!



EBC, WING CITY GRILLE and ROCCO'S
Hey, fishing makes you hungry, right?   If you are planning on staying overnight when you
come to fish Dunkirk, or if you are from the local area, you can't beat our friends at the EBC
Brew Pub, Wing City Grill or ROCCO's.   All three offer gift certificates!   If you are from out
of town and need some help arranging this, give us a call and we can certainly help you out!


***
Other suggestions for you......

For my birthday this year, my wife got me the lifetime fishing license from NYS.   That
was a cool idea!   


A Gift Certificate to go stream fishing with our pal, Marty!   www.canadawaycreekoutfitters.com


How about a new filet knife?   Rapala for the manual version, American Angler for the
electric version.


A quality rainsuit.   Took me years of working thru other suits until we got into the Guidewear
Series from Gander Mountain.  Cabela's offers it to.


Jet divers in 20; 30 and 40 or slide divers both big and small.   Again I like black first, then green.


Assorted drop weights and releases.   Offshore Tackle Co. makes a great kit.


A gift certificate to your local tackle store


For stocking stuffers.....
blacks downrigger releases; quality snap swivels (we like the dreamweaver products);
sunflower seeds; sunscreen; blackbird phantom floats (for perch fishing or streams);
hook removers; slide diver rings; batteries for the camera; Guiness and Doritos!


Hope this helps!

Had the chance today to take Jack to his first ever Bills game.  Thanks, Lou!
We lucked out and had another really great December day.....man, is Mother Nature
going to make us pay for this!!

                             

Didn't leave quite as early as we did back when we went to a lot of games, but gave
him the full tailgating experience including grilling awesome godfather burgers from
Tuscany meats in Fredonia, plus chips and orange soda.  He was happy!  As an aside
for the burger lovers out there, its a 1/2 lb patty made of ground pepperoni, sausage,
beef, cheese and pizza seasoning. Delicious.

                             

Too bad the Bills lost, but a great day with my son!