MIKE BRAUN Outfitter offers a steelhead encounter

Providing an encounter with a steelhead salmon is one of the main duties of John Valk, a Canadian guide and outfitter who visited a local fly shop Saturday.
Valk came down to Books and Hooks at 110 Maple St., Girard, from his normal Ontario river haunts to spread the word about the excellent fishing that the province offers.
An angler since age 5 or so, Valk now guides trips almost on a daily basis on a number of the top rivers in southern Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta.
"I guided 210 days in 2002," Valk said, "Mostly in Ontario."
As owner, head river guide and outfitter at Grindstone Angling in Waterdown, Ontario, Canada, Valk has an encyclopedic knowledge of the types of fish that inhabit the rivers he guides on.
30 years of experience
Valk has been fishing, tying flies and guiding others around Ontario's rivers for more than 30 years.
His outfitting business was the first to bring McKenzie-style drift boats into use on Ontario's catch-and-release waterways, a tactic that gives anglers a different angle on the fish.
Before his trip to Girard, Valk said he had a pretty good day on Ontario's Grand River with several nice rainbows in the 16 to 21-inch range as well as some fine brown's landed by the anglers he was guiding.
"It got to the point where there were spinners on the water wing-to-wing and the fish sounded like popcorn," he said.
Aside from the driftboat method he often uses, Valk also offers walk and wade and float tubing trips for trout, bass, steelhead and salmon.
One of the trips he is promoting involves two days on Ontario's Saugeen River in October.
Books and Hooks is actively helping Valk promote the trip and details are available from owners Bud and Scott Hanselman, at the shop, located in the old Maple Street School, (phone number: (330) 545-1906). Deadline for signing up for this excursion is Sept. 15.
The species and seasons for fish in Ontario are as follows, according to Valk: March to May, spring steelhead; May to October, brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout; July to October, smallmouth bass; September to December, fall steelhead; September to November, king salmon.
Valk said the fishing Ontario's rivers produces is exceptional.
"Our rivers are excellent for fly-fishing," he said. Because of the conservation practiced on the rivers, with water quality placed above fishing, the result is exceptional conditions.
He said that basically, water quality and fishing goes hand-in-hand and that the fish and insect life are a good indicator of stream quality.
"Basically, the fish in these streams have been born and raised on natural insect life," Valk said.
Other trips
Books and Hooks is also offering several other fishing trips.
A class/trip will be offered June 16-17 with fly-angler Greg Hoover in State College, Pa. The class will present fly-fishing and river entomology information.
The shop will host a ladies day smallmouth bass fishing trip on the Beaver Creek on June 27. Those who register for the trip will meet at 6:30 p.m. June 26 to tie flies.
Information is available at Books and Hooks for these two trips as well as the Valk trip.
For the summer months Books and Hooks is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Friday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.
braun@vindy.com