On the strip.. finally

With the recent 'buzz' in the air [o.k, more like on the forums] concerning whether Steel will take a stripped fly very often or not.. it had me wondering. I'd seen it one time prior in 08 and had a very brief hook up of my own the following season.

The Buck Charles took has stuck with me every since.. and left me a little envious. Fishing a long cast he was starting his retrieves slow short and teasingly. It resulted in him getting blasted big time, his shout still rings in my ears. What a grand fish! Such a distinct predatory profile.. he certainly looks the part of MEAT EATER. Anyone recognize the 'Rockstar' posing with fish ..lol..

At last, on Weds 11-16 I got one of my own. Fly swimming ever so nice in and throughout a small pocket pool John Hayes had chosen for me.. from a few seconds of dangle the short tease strips began.. and BLAM hooked up just that fast! In the end it only seems to require such a short amount of time.. it's the journey thats endless.

Warm water = HOT fish on the Muskeegon

Originally john and I were supposed to meet Charles and share a float on 11-01 but in the end like so many plans.. it didn't work out. Charles had been on the river 10-30 and 10-31.. they found a few fish but I never was in contact with him until later in the week.



Jamey with a nice lake runner from 10-30



Charles and Chromer from 10-31



John and I met early at a remote rural gas station and shared the ride down, narrowly missing a nice Buck that pressed his luck by crossing between us and an on coming vehicle.. there was no margin for error. John states "well I was a little sleepy but not anymore!" It was that tight..

Arriving just at first light were all grins as temps have stayed high enough to hold off the dread hoar frosts.. simple things so greatly appreciated! Checking the water temp reveals a startling 52*! ..Highest temp I've ever fished here in late fall. Very light pressure at the launch, just as were dropping the drifter in a power boat comes up and anchors on the first location I had in mind. As we glide by we see it's Matt Supinski schooling a woman on the art of drift fishing an egg down through the run. Conditions looked great.. I wouldn't doubt that they had some action there.

We drop down continually, clearing another boat anchored well below Matt and head for a good bend pool. I'm on the oars, John first up caster. The water looks super sweet, that perfect 'Steelhead Green' so often -and appropriatly- referenced. Lots of late run Chinook staged and spawning on the gravel at the head. This river is the last to cool in the fall and stays cold longest into spring.. offering extended opportunities over other area tribs.

We worked the run hard with no reward.. not an uncommon result but I'd had that feeling about it.. dropping down another section into the head of a straight drift of depthy pocket water we set up to try it again. Not far into the head of it John comes back with a nice sweeping set and I see a good fish roll well below the surface. Game on.. She ripps down the pool and slugs it out a while, enough I considered dropping the boat, then comes up.. a lucky break. Nearing the gunnel John gets her head up and skillfully skates her right into the net like the true troutsman he is. Doesn't get much easier.. The other side of the coin was about to come up though.

Poor pic, but shows the size well. Nice diameter tail wrist, bright fresh henfish near 8lbs.



After the dust settles it's now my turn up front. I'm pretty optimistic as were not even 1/3 the way into the run and still high with our success. Ever notice how your sometimes reminded through various painfull ways that NO ONE is immune to rookie mistakes no matter how bullet proof they have been allowed to feel since last humbling incident.. Johns says six but I think closer to 10 swings in I get picked off with a nice assertive take and come up with a perfect lift / set into heavy throbbing weight. The fish is instantly airborne [a NICE Buck!] then back up and wallowing in the surface, a move that never fails to make me very nervous.. I drop the rod and let him rip out line downstream, the old Loop Traditional is really sizzling! "their playing our song" ..lol.. Another high leap crashing back into the surface.. I ask John to move us over onto the bank to finish playing and land the Buck. Current is really ripping as I work him in.. two more nice jumps on short line then a hard dart into a pocket as he senses the shallows.. the bend in my rod straightens as the leader shoots back over my right shoulder. John looks at me, net in hand, ..I can read his mind.. "WTF??"



I'd been dealt the deserving blow for employing a classic 'rookie move'.. taking a short cut by tying on to an old tippit section. I was pressed for time running the boat for John and rigging my rod. I use Flourocarbon so felt safe from deterioration but failed to consider the 'used' nature had likely left it weakend through a couple nicks here and there. Don't think I didn't hear about it for the rest of that run, another, and another, before 'another' incident trumped mine ..lol..

With the water temps above 50* I anchored at the head of a swift tight chute created by boulders both sides and preceded with considerable gravel bars decorated by active spawning Chinook.. an 'egg dump' in full functioning mode. John seemed a bit skeptical but worked out his line and started swinging the head of the throat.. maybe a dozen and a half swings and one boat drop in, he gets absoloutley CRANKED.. The fish is up surface wallowing bigtime in that fast current.. It's a big fish, Buck, with slight color.. I all but screamed at John to drop the rod, but knowing the amount of experience he has, couldn't imagine him doing anything but. I was wrong, he came back again, harder.. and popped the leader off.. We were both shell shocked beyond disbelief. The way he explained it to me he felt the take but was unsure if he's gotten a good set on it, hence the second lift. The way I saw it, he didn't expect a fish there to began with and was kinda blindsided by the power grab.. I looked at him and laughed "You got Buck fever" thats all.. Good to have close friends with a sense of humor! In his defence he has been fishing a lighter actioned rod long before the current powerhouse came along. The fish would have been near or just above 10lb class. Very nice for our tribs. I didn't hear so much ribbing about tying onto a used leader for a while..

Same run, I assume casting station. Once more within 10 swings I feel an assertive rap..rap..rap.. as the fly comes across. I'm thinking this water is WAY to fast for me to be tapping stones and by default lift my line ..a bit early.. into next cast. Instantly I see a mirror flash and profile of a mid sized Steelbow turn and shoot back into the run. It never came back.

The clock was fast gaining on noon.. What scant cloud cover we'd enjoyed was burning off and into sunshine. We gave it the old college try fishing mostly known cold water pools but no more players. In retrospect I wish we'd have fished some more broken water sections. They aren't nearly as well known to me though, as it's so uncommon to fish this late in the year and still have warm'ish' water temps. Certainly would be worthy of learning a few more just in case those stars ever align again.

Pick'n pockets on the Pere Marquette

It had been a while since either John or I had wet a line in the Pere Marquette. When mentioned on the tele I got an instant "let's do it" so a quick agreement for Sunday 10/30 was made.

Arriving on schedule there was only a hint of light off in the east. VERY heavy frost made for a long morning of iced guides and cold hands. We didn't cover much river until the air temps rose enough to aleviate the handicap. The river looked fairly low considering the amount of rain we've had. There was a slight stain yet which we were grateful for.

Eggs were on the menu, the plan was to play around in the abundant pocket water high up in the system. The fish showed no love for enough time to make us nervous, this river is anything but a pushover. Finally John lifts into the first good take of the day, it's a bright henfish instantly airborne. After a heated give & take both up and down I make a lucky shot and gain control of her, right hand under the pecs and left on tail wrist.. both arms in up to the elbow! I jokingly told John I don't do that for just anybody. Note to self: next time be sure net is put in.



Surprisingly there is quite light pressure.. an uncommon gift on this popular water. Early; two guys in a drifter and one guy on the bank that came back out after only an hour or so. Pleasant fella from Illinois, cited his tele had rang.. wife was ready to go. Had it been me I think would have conveniently 'forgotten' my phone when I left for fishing ..lol.. He stated repeatedly "I will be back" and "what a gorgeous river". Not uncommon quotes from first time visitors.. the river is a true jewell.

Not much action, I'd given up my egg rig for an 8' tip on a Wulff Ambush and was swinging a small leech. Meantime, John had picked off a couple fat trout. We reached a premium pool that is of the sort you salivate over in anticipation.. about the third cast John gets picked off by a nice Buck Steelbow which shredded the pool for several seconds before coming unbuttoned.. oh well, no worries.. just nice to come in contact with them.

Swinging my leech through a sweet looking stretch of bend water I finally get cranked by a decent Brown trout, the only one for the day, I was glad for the coup.

Gaining on dark thirty so we rowed out and through some of the best pools.. good mojo to save some for later.

Another email ghost..

3.5" Reel in pic

Due the lack of fresh material, another 'ghost' from june of 07

"Fishing was pretty grande for a while, before all the out of towners got clued in. The hex came on beautiful starting june 15 [early] i missed that night but was on it the 17'th for a nice emergence into light spinnerfall. Stuck a god awfull hog casting my S3 4wt, havent felt that kinda power in quite a while. Naturally had a piss poor knot to the fly that let go not long in as he surged up stream [luckily as he was only 6-8' above a massive jam] going into a deep undercut bank. You know the sick feeling, one sec your into a hot massive fish and the next.. PLINK.. they're off. i did put one just over 20" on the bank that eve and one more around 14"

Things kinda turned off for afew days after that and word never really got out that there had been some big bugs already. We fished every night which was surprisingly blank. On the afternoon of the 20'th the weather preachers were all revved up calling for a HUGE storm, high winds, lightning, golf ball hail, regular rip-snort. The GF about threw a fit when i started carrying gear out, she's big on the weather 'religion' i just laughed and told her i'd wear my hardhat. Pard shows up, off we go, sure as shit rain... We get up there, still rain, getting into waders, harder rain.. Get in river to make sure we dont get cut off... DELUGE.. 40 minutes all done and the sun lightly peeks out. Hex spinners way early, i lost count of the NICE fish i cast over.. put one on the bank about 14" early, pricked a good one putting him down.. moved upstream nailed & landed one 19.5" moved up, worked a riser from tight no backcast area finally getting him to go, fat 22" er. Its well into dark by now, drifter comes around the bend, pro boat with two guys on board, we speak ~ they're pleasant. i hook an elbow over the stern and tail their boat riding down to where i heard one feeding, killing two birds with one stone, keeping them moving and masking my approach. Standing waiting.. pard is wading up, he gets close enough i ask him to stop. I've heard wings twittering and am sure theres a emergence going so tied in a store bought i wanted for pattern reference. Fish feeds again, one lucky shot in the dark...SLURP.. he takes! By some stroke of luck i get him steered around a long sweeper thats halfway across the river and go down. Pard puts the light on him at my request for a look and tells me he'll go 15-16"... "yeah right" get him into the bank @ pards feet and hand him the rod, take the leader & get my hands on him.. 23" beautiful male, kinda lanky, but what a dandy!

Thats the best night i've ever had for multiple big fish. Should one of those lightning bolts struck me down i'd have went out smiling. Son [pard] had his biggest fish to date @ his feet after long fight when hook popped out. Estimated 23-24"

Things got worse for him, his wife had worked herself up pretty serious over the weather religion / reports and the fact that she couldn't reach him via cell [no service up there]

Next night, 07/21, we went back to same spot with John Hayes. Had very nice spinner fall, I took a approx 15" fish then got on and got to go a nice one, 21" People are starting to show in the area, there were a couple guys just above where i fished and while we were suiting up a drifter pulled in and anchored downstream on the exact pool Son had planned on fishing. Time for plan B

Fri 07/22 we made long drive north to a diff river i had an idea might be doing something by now... Things shaping up bad in yard while i was putting gear in his truck.. he's on phone with wifey.. xtended convo... We go fishing anyway but was beganing to wonder.. Right @ dusk water surface lights up with nervousness.. seconds later hex start popping off so fast it was unreal. The duns didn't ride the surface at all.. up & out. Trout were going balistic, i stung a couple and peeled one 15" er. Freakin BLANKET spinnerfall starts.. unreal! Totally covering the surface, trout hot-n-heavy ..some BIG fish.. no way to compete with the little ripples/reverberations the naturals give off. I keep thinking the bugs will thin out then a guy will be able to do something. Never happend... spinners kept coming & fish started dropping out one by one... even the most gluttonous trout gave up. Still blanket of spinners on water still after 1:00 a.m. Wierd..

Havent seen Son since. Apparently he got grounded

Went up on the rapids [Sault Ste. Marie] not long after. Drove all night hit the river at daybreak. Didn't find any Atlantics but did get one nice resdient rainbow 17" , and about a 5lb male steelhead. There was a small pod of bucks attending late henfish, HUGE male in the mix. Swung a few differant flies above them 3 passes each, had some short chases but no go. Let them be after less than 1 doz casts.

Well better give up on this novel for now.. Hope all is good with you."

In the breakers..

A week later and another monday fishing opp. The weather is right to give the beach a try. Storms have proven themselves to me as a good time to be there.

Some crazy breakers rolling in but it isn't long before I see some green shadows sharking by. Nothing like a visual to boost your confidence. Occasionally conditions would shift slightly, bigger waves or showers pelting the surface racing in towards me off the horizon, and at times both together. This would bring a pod or two of fish in everytime, riding in on a bruiser wave followed by confusion of the shallows. Even though I was never touched by a fish it was such a great time.. my state of mind is completely refreshed. I wish now I'd concentrated on getting a decent shot first instead of attempting to hookup. Once in particular, a pod of eleven fish almost collided with me. When I turned quick during the retrieve it spooked them and they sheared off towards open water throwing some acceleration spray, darting and diving. There was one, an oversized hen Chinook of solid light rust color that lifted her head and shoulders from the surface for an instant making eye contact with me at no more than six feet.. It was what I call a 'moment' ..something totally undefined.. but still very real and tangible.

Things were getting even more extreme, an occasional big one would slam hard enough to drive you back a step or two.. enough for today. Stopping on some lower river pools found them stacked with freshies, much as I'd mentally predicted. Coho were rolling and porpoising as I walked down. Best time to attempt a dry I've had yet. Stalking the gin clear bend I crouched down in the sparse grass cover and tied on a small Bomber. Working out a cast I touched it down at the head of the pool just above some holding there and immediately began a slow strip. This excited them in a big way and over the course of the next few casts several fish moved to the fly chasing and boiling on it, but no takers. I re-tied with a quite small Comet and swung it in front of them executing short smooth strips a few times with absloutley no interest shown. By then it was starting to get dark. Not connecting with a fish didn't bother me in the least.. I'd gotten what I came for out in the lake earlier.




A small pod I saw coming while walking in and crouched down for a shot.








Stalked an outside bend for shot.

The amount of rain has been pretty substantial lately. I took a wet afternoon on 09-19 to scout / fish some local water. I've played on this section my entire life chasing trout, deer, grouse, girls and following big game hounds or beagles up & down both banks. This is some pretty remote area in comparison to other sections of same river. Finding your way in to a specific pool or run on foot can be quite a task.. and if you stay well into dark fishing the spinner fall getting out can become a real adventure. 'bushwhacking' is how we call it.. not many care for it's flavor. Thankfully.



Anyway, I was amazed at the amount of fruits and feed in evidence! High bush cranberries, crab apples, thorn apples, wild grapes and dog wood berries all in abundance. Sure enough before long I jumped out a nice adult bird drinking from a small rivulet created by a fresh beaver dam. Later in the day three more went out as I worked downstream casting a run. Promising..

Fishing started off quite slow until it started to rain again. This kicked off a nice emergence of mayflies, some epherons and approx #16 mahoganys. This really jump started the trout and I took a couple smaller ones. Finally I made the target pool and made a good call reading the water, fishing an inside slack seam with depth. The fishpounced on my streamer pretty hard and pulled strong. Once he broke surface I thought it looked a bit different and sure enough it was a nice Brook trout, one of the better ones I've taken in quite a while. That reel is 3 3/4" diameter and I guessed length at 13.5 - 14" ..full bright spawning colors, very pleasing.





The pool spills nice into a long boulder broken run that looked decent so down it I went.. early in I had a smashing grab but came up empty. Midway down I got picked off and landed a decent Brown to finish out a well spent afternoon.

Email Ghosts

I tend to run a lot of searches. My email accounts, various forum boards, Ebay, Google.. the list goes on. It can be quite interesting what turns up unexpected.. much like cleaning my room as a child, I'm easily sidetracked [big smiles]

I'm going to go ahead and post a couple.. I hope you enjoy them too. First up is an excerpt from good fishing friend John H from 05-16-2009, fishing the Upper Manistee River.

Pic of John during some night time mousin.





"I came up last night and stopped on the upper. At first, I thought I was going to hosed with the weather. Light rain fell for a minute or two. Luckily, the weather cooperated and I started to see some bugs. I guess there were black quills, the larger mayfly sipiloplection basilae (which is a about the size of brown drake), hennys , mahagonny's and bwo's. Time was going by and no fish were feeding. Finally, one nice rise. It was just below the *****, below the log pile and in front of a small sticker. I'm sure you know exactly where I'm talking about. Anyway, the fish fed two more times and wasn't interested in my henny comparadun. I tied on a henny spinner and after a handful of casts, wham! Game on.

I should first say I was using a 4wt with 4x suppleflex with my sage reel which has turned out to be my go to reel now. I love it. The fish immediately took off and found the main seam and started up river like it was chrome. I thought to myself this might be interesting. Then the fish stopped, shook it's head several times and stayed planted mid river. I thought this could be easy and maybe the fish is a healthy 18". Well, just as I started put a little muscle in it, the fish responded with a long run downstream with me following. I was literally running mid seam in high water after this sucker without regard for all the shit on the bottom and the water being up and that section is loaded with a lot debris and troughs. The fish made it into the shoot briefly and for some unknown reason came back up stream. Finally! I thought wrong. The fish promptly wrapped itself around some major wood and there I was thinking to myself this can't be happening. At this point I knew this special fish and really wanted to land it. I could feel the fish still on, but in the back of my head I was thinking I was fighting a log and the fish pulled a drive-by and lost the hook. I worked as delicately as possible to get the fish free, but figured I was hosed. Then, after a minute of so and just seconds before breaking it off, it freed itself and shot downstream into the shoot with me high-stepping all the way. I figured I was going to get wet...thankfully I'm tall 'casue I had about an 1" to spare. The minute or so the fish was tangled gave it time to re-energize and I didn't think was going to be able to land it. At this point, my hand was getting pretty sore. The Winston doesn't provide much leverage especially with reel with no drag and fighting a large fish in a pretty respectable flow.

I finally managed to get the fish to shore and net it. It didn't fit into my net! It twice jumped out with me both times catching it mid air. After all that, I laid it on the shore and admired my catch. I though I was going to be longer...it was 23"... but I have never caught a fish as heavy. That was the thickest river brown I've ever seen let alone caught. Unfortunately, my camera was in my truck that was less than 100 yds which I was looking directly at with utter contempt. Oh well. No pic can replicate the fun that was had. Once I got the fish on shore, I quickly got the hook out and put him back in the water. I revived the fish for 2-3 minutes as I knew it was really tired. I wish I could have brought it in quicker, but that wasn't going to happen with him wrapping up in the wood. It swam away with lots of energy and I feel confident it's going to be fine.

Three more fish were rising, two dandies and one nice one. I went to the biggest fish and he wouldn't come up. The smaller fish, just up was making some noise, so I cast to it and wham. That was a quick battle and a nice 18" or so was in the bag. I went up to the last fish rising and got two really late refusals. If I'm right, the last fish is bigger than the 23" I caught. Right where the shoot starts, there is a birch clump and beaver work river right. In that stuff is a dandy. I've never been able to get it, but not for a lack of trying.

The light got low and the fish shut down. Just one of the those nights that keeps me coming back and makes me take those am trips back home."

j