Fishing Reports

I caught many steelhead on a west Michigan tributary. The river had good flow and a pretty good stain. I caught most fish on eggs; tangerine, chartreuse, steelhead red eztaz, and black wooly buggers. The weather was bright and didn't seem ideal but the fish were there in numbers and were ready to strike. It seemed as though many fish were just new to the river and there were fish moving up. The weather was downright summery. For a change the coolness of the water was a respite from the heat. I caught fish in every situation.

This has to be the beauty of the season. She fought hard and made the reel sing several times. She was heavy.

This is the beast of the season, unless big dorsal fins turn you on. I love all my fish equally

I took numerous coffee breaks. During one of these breaks I noticed a black animal approaching. My first guess was mink or turkey. It turns out it was closer than I thought and it was a fair sized snapping turtle up on all fours making for the river from his pond. He fearlessly let me take his picture and seemed to be enjoying the warm sun. He later decided against going to the river and sped up the pace back to the pond. Now you don't see that kind of thing sitting in west Ann Arbor.

More beast. Now them'r diggin' claws. He needs that big neck hole to snap your damn finger straight above him.

I camped in the Manistee national forest Pines Point area. The USFS campground was closed and gated but there was a pull off spot. The campground area is secluded so I could enjoy the distinctive sound of the great horned owls. The skies were clear and I enjoyed my IPA while my chicken heated inside. I did not have a campfire because of the dryness and fire warnings in northern Michigan.

I hauled this fish out of a fast deep run that no doubt has gravel. He didn't want his picture taken.

I had the pleasure of exploring some new areas of this river. I also met Bluegill Bob, who lives near the river. He recognized my camper and stopped by for a visit. We had a nice talk.

This trip was to be the season capper for me but now I am convinced that there are fish coming into the system.

Fishing Steelhead on the Pere Marquette and White Rivers Near Baldwin and Hesperia, MI, April 7-9, 2008

It was hard to sit out a week of steelhead season, but the lack of a big run and very high water made it tolerable. I was eager to get going on Monday and was excited as I drove to the White River. I took my mountain bike and planned a walking tour of a stretch between two bridges. I stowed my bike and drove around to the "put in" place, well known to everyone. One thing that was clear right from the start- steelhead were few and suckers were many. The suckers were unlimited and I enjoyed catching them. They are beautiful fish in their own way. They eagerly took eggs. I did not take one to eat but I will next week, remembering how hard we fished for them at Maple Island Bridge in the fifties, before the rise of high fashion in fish eating. I also added a walleye that was right in with the suckers.

My rig with bike for spotting myself on the White. It looks like a clear fall day, but later the clouds would open up with a window of good steelhead catching.

I made an amateur's mistake with my leader. I did not buy a new spool of Seaguar flourocarbon, and should have, because I had used my line in Florida. Salt, sunlight, and aging degraded it so when I hooked a bruising buck, he tested it. We've all been in a situation where a quick decision was needed. An out-of-control fish heads for the woods with power, and you have to stop him or hope for the best. My experience says do or die and the line said "snap." I had landed three smaller fish the last time out, but when I tested the line in my hands it was small pound test. I was overtaken by two guys who dashed past me and hooked several fish.

I was happy to see my bike and was pleased to re-visit the beautiful spots in that section. I rode down Garfield road and enjoyed coffee before heading upriver with an attempt to kill the skunk before heading to Baldwin to camp. Right at dark I got a solid hit and managed to land him with the stand-in Maxima. I'm annoyed that catching something remains such a burden. At my age I should be able to assume a more global perspective, look at the higher values, appreciate beauty, and all that, but man, catching a beautiful buck at the end of the day sure put more celebration in the pale ales at Ivan's campground. I am a shallow person.

I got out on the Pere Marquette River in the late morning and found it surprisingly not crowded. The fishing report is that there are not tons of fish and I hooked nothing until the old west Michigan clouds severely darkened the skies. I enjoyed having plenty of room to spread out and no problem landing fish. I had confidence in the new flourocarbon I bought at Baldwin Bait and Tackle.

It was raining like hell for this photo and even my new waterproof camera was affected

I got a couple of small bucks like this one and tried out my underwater camera skills. You can see the stain in the water. The water looked clear in this shallow area. Eggs were working for me.

It rained off and on all night and even thundered a little. The river was up a little on Wednesday and I thought it would be a big day. It was, for the lucky few who managed to find fish. I caught nothing. I was pleased with the outing and look forward to the rest of the season.

During a break, I had a vision of things to come when three carloads of anglers sped into the access parking lot looking aggressive and furtive. About ten people were quickly milling around in highly Orvisized style. They seemed to have a leader who was exposing them to a day on the PM. Seemed to be a kind of fishing club.

I enjoy walking by this rare monarch that somebody missed when they clear cut this area.

Fishing Steelhead on the Pere Marquette and White Rivers Near Baldwin and Hesperia, MI, March 26-28, 2008

Reports from Baldwin amounted to a slow start to the season and that fishing deep holes very thoroughly was advised by the experts. I decided to check out the White River on Wednesday before I went to the PM. I had a pleasant memory of catching early steelhead in a place and I was excited to be plowing upriver to get to that hole. I passed by a major gravel flat and did not see a steelhead. "This is really late for not seeing a fish here," I thought. This thought kept going through my head for the next two days as I passed place after place that usually held fish. Except for the three steelhead I hooked and landed I never spotted a steelhead. I even took to walking through some deeper holes to see if the stain was blocking the view. I saw nothing.

It wasn't long in my first spot when a fine buck took my honey colored eztaz egg. I like this fly with a white veil and tied off with red thread.

I didn't spot anyone in this entire section although I was pleased to meet Carey9er at the parking lot as the sun was going down. We had communicated on a steelhead forum about fishing on Elk Creek in Pennsylvania. He had landed two steelhead. Both were taken from one deep hole downriver. He generously told me where it was and I marked it down for Friday when I would return from the foray to the PM.

I pulled into Ivan's campground because I wanted electricity to run my quiet ceramic heater. Plus I did not know if I could reach my usual primitive spot in the Manistee National Forest. The owner apologetically said he wasn't open yet and said the winter had been rough and there were ice ridges on the campsites. He did say I could camp if I could get in. I lined up a spot I used before using 4wd and used the 6.0 PSD to land nicely on the level. I did wonder what the morning would be like when that snow froze my wheels in. Happy as a clam and feeling successful, I enjoyed two IPA's and ate my venison noodle casserole.

I drove on ice into the claybanks access and broke through in a couple of places. I wondered what would happen if the ice melted and I was a foot deep in slush trying to get out. I played it safe and went to to the green cottage access. I didn't spot any fish all day on the pm. There were many driftboats but no encouraging reports. I connected as it warmed around ten o'clock in an extremely well known hole where you throw in at a little bush. She was just laying in the black water.

Since I had never been to the fisherman's trail of 72nd street I went down there and ran into Alexsalmon and Julius. It was nice to meet them. Alex told me where to go and after a long tour I found a hot one.

I fished very hard on Friday and devoted a huge effort to a hole that seemed perfect. It produced one snagged walleye. I marked it down for next week which promises to be much better with some rain coming. They gotta come up sometime soon....right? Another thought. How come walleyes don't run up the PM?

Fishing Steelhead on the Pere Marquette and Manistee Rivers Near Baldwin and Manistee, MI, November 5-8, 2007

Rain and gusts up to 40 mph were forecast for the Baldwin area for Tuesday when I took off from Ann Arbor in the late afternoon. As I drove north with my truck camper the west winds made it rock and roll. Typical for the fall seasonal change in Michigan, low lying clouds passed in bands. Periodically the sun forced its way through creating brilliant rainbows. I was not expecting steelhead at the end of the rainbow because the recent reports were not encouraging. I did look forward to the solitude that the week before deer season and weather promised. I gave up my idea to camp in the USFS when the sleet started and enjoyed the quiet of my ceramic heater, plugged into the hookups at Ivan's campground. There were no cars in the motels and I was the sole camper. The pattern continued in the morning as the wind blew very hard. I ran into one guy who had fished downstream from Green Cottage to the Claybanks where he met up with me. He had seen no one. John from BBT came by with a client later on and that was it for the day. I was encouraged by the darkness of the day and the moisture I was convinced would change fortunes on the PM. I didn't sight any steelhead. I caught a small brown on an egg early on.

I found a couple of what seemed to be fresh coho and caught a steelhead and a brown trout below them. The steelhead jumped several times lighting up my day with my first winter fish. Both of them took tangerine eggs.

This brown trout was all over looking for eggs until he found mine. He was unafraid and came out of the wood several times for more treats

I think this is a coho hen. The male I targeted was reddish. It has the spots on the upper tail and the white gum line.

I stayed on the PM until dark and it felt great to get the wet clothes off and drive north on 37 to meet up with Jerry Schmidt, my tarpon fishing buddy from the Florida keys. I knew we would be reminiscing the may fishing and hopefully catch some steelhead on spawn. He camps for the entire month of November at the InstaLaunch in Manistee. Besides fishing he hunts deer and ducks and enjoys his hermetic existence. This time his brother and three other guys from Saginaw would be there.

Weather was on everyone's minds because it had blown up to 50 mph all day there. I camped right on the water's edge so I could see the boats and bank fisherman as I enjoyed my fishing breaks. The next day I fished hard with spawn but never had a tap. The other guys caught several coho at the mouth of the little Manistee. Jerry lost a fish before I got out but he soon connected on a dime bright steelhead.

I was lucky on Thursday morning with two steelhead. This one tasted good broiled and served with curried rice.

I went over to the mouth of the Little Manistee river on my was home and saw there was a whole different approach over there. The two guys who I immediately identified as experts had three rods which they used alternatively on coho and steelhead- bottom spawn rig, orange KO Wobbler, and drift rig with spawn. I had none of that a futilely threw a Mepps spinner. I watched one of the two experts land four steelhead and two coho (all released) on the drift (under bobber) rig. The other seven guys caught nothing during this exhibition. I talked to the guy and he works at the little Man weir and he told me they pulled the last gates the day before. He said they had passed 700 coho before they closed down. I saw many, many coho rolling and plan to get on the Little Man after deer season next week to intercept them. Both the coho and the steelhead were dime bright. It was strange how they shut down and wold not hit hardware when they had- I am told- the day before. Bottom line- lots of fish in the Manistee. I even saw one as I did my run over the M55 bridge. I'm excited to get back there. It was a great outing.

Fishing Salmon on the Pere Marquette River Near Baldwin, MI October 9-11, 2007

I knew this would be my last outing targeting salmon so I tied up just enough olive wooly buggers and egg flies for one more trip. After a spotty season due to seemingly endless days of July weather in October I knew I would not be finding the mother lode of salmon. Still, the weather had cooled down into the thirties at night and, finally, rain was predicted. As it turned out the rain was welcome but not strong enough to spike the action into high gear. I was still excited to be driving through the Michigan scrub oaks feeling the softness of the sandy ground as the diesel growled along and me on the lookout for deer and turkeys.

It was getting twilight by the time I unloaded my firewood, started the propane hot water and refrigerator. I was surprised to find myself the sole camper and only two cars in the river access. I eagerly made the hike to my spot and landed four fish before hunger got the best of me. I was surprised by the number of dead fish strewn around, but also pleased to find so many fresh fish that had been recent runners. I liked beaching or tailing the fish and two gave me quite a shower. I made a quick trip to the camper and turned the lights on. I couldn't get the fire going fast enough because the steak had had planned for dinner- my new staple- was even more appealing. At about midnight the rain drove me back inside. I was pleased to hear rain coming in waves through the woods.

It's nice not having to go to a motel or eat out. Just crack open the beer, heat the potatoes in the fire and broil the steak

I read some good articles in the NYT's magazine that I had fallen behind on. Next morning I drank coffee and enjoyed running over by Gleason's Landing. The soft two tracks are easy on my my legs and you get a chance to sneak up on wildlife coming over the little rises in that area. I also brought my mountain bike but underestimated how short the days have become. Unbeknownst to me, Scott Smetana had emailed me that he would be in the area. Kary wrote back to him that I was already there. By chance we met up as I was starting out downriver from the steps. He had already haled in some brown trout but had his Spey rod in a case on his Hobie pontoon boat for some later salmon action. It rained as we we spoke. I found out Scott is a pilot and pasts as Ramjet. It was nice to meet him. Although I was there for the salmon I hooked a nice brown trout that must have gone five pounds. He jumped so quick on a downriver run I did not get a chance to practice "bowing to the king" and he spit the eztaz egg. The drag was also set to..... well, you know- too heavy.

This little guy from the rapids put on a great fight and I had to walk in the current downstream to tail him with my landing glove

I followed my pleasant ritual on Thursday but planned to fish easy and really didn't do anything until two spots in the rapids got me excited. I landed three in an hour and was pleased with ending the season with some scrappy fish. I had a good salmon season. I never tried to put in big numbers and broke up the efforts to keep it exciting. Adding running and biking to the outings and taking time to camp made it pleasant. I don't think that will be an attainable Zen attitude during steelhead season where I want fish badly, the effort borders on the obsessive, and getting skunked is deep and personal.

Fishing Salmon on the Pere Marquette River Near Baldwin, MI October 2-4, 2007

My wife, Kary, and I spent two nights camping on the Pere Marquette River near the Claybanks access. There were new signs posted there limiting the numbers of cars at each site and it has already made a difference in the mindless "salmon camps" that had sprung up. The weather was perfect for what we mostly did- camp, burn firewood, read, run, hike, cook on the good oak coals and talk with our fellow anglers. Since we stayed up very late enjoying barefoot weather in October, I got out after six o'clock and was back by 10:30. I caught about five each night, Not much different than last week when I hauled in more but with a later effort.

I took the photo below last Wednesday night as the near full moon rose over the PM. Since I'm fishing alone it made the night seem friendlier than last Tuesday when, after dark, the humidity produced a soup like fog that even rendered by headlamp useless to see the river well.

I like my new black cone headed WB with metallic olive estaz body that took this fish

Next week should be better week for fishing because plenty of rain is predicted. Not that this week lacked anything. it was a pleasure to be out in the woods with my wife. Many camp sites were open this week so I'm predicting a big drop in angler pressure and great fishing for guys like me. I noticed a lot of people in town but not that many on the river.

Fishing Salmon on the Pere Marquette River Near Baldwin, MI September 18-20, 2007

When I was in high school I was the captain of the wrestling team. I was undefeated up to a meet with a Grand Rapids school. It was a home match and I was expected to win. The guy had defeated me the year before but I had lifted all year, played football and track and had a lot of confidence. Right before the match I looked over at the non-descript, red headed guy with masses of freckles. I can remember trying to bend his bony body late in the match the year before and wondering how this guy could be ahead. Maybe that thought undermined me and I went on to another defeat at the hands of this freakishly strong guy as points added up to more for him. It hurt a lot. Red headed freak I still don't like you.

It was like that again in a pool above Sulak yesterday (September20). I had already hauled in a nice fresh hen and it seemed like the fun was just beginning. I had set aside the day for a foot exploration of the area from Upper Branch Bridge to way above Sulak. It was the perfect day for hiking and I drank in the vistas of the river and the many deep pools and bends. I had landed one nice brown trout all day, being heavier on the exploring. I noticed some fish forms deep in a run where the river narrows. Bucks were diving up out of a black hole and bombing each other to get to an invisible female. I threw into the pool for ten minutes when the hard head shaking assured me of a solid hook-up. Right away I turned the fish away from a pile of brushy doom. My inner smugness was rattled when a very large buck showed himself three times in a series of splashing lunges. I glanced at the fast riffle below the pool and tried to imagine a good outcome if he got into that. I couldn't. He was in control diving first to the head of the pool and then got a running start to the end, blasting into riffle. I headed downriver, slipping on the hidden clay. Not bad I thought, and we were in another pool, with an even longer riffle below it. Just as he hit the riffle he thrashed at the surface and the 10# Maxima snapped. I think he hit the line with his tail or maybe the leverage of a hot 20# fish in current was simply too much. It reminded me of fighting tarpon, either and endless fight or stay right at 99% with no mistakes.

In this case, I shared the experience with a few blue jays and had a smile on my face.

I enjoyed meeting John Kramer who lives near Belleville. He was also exploring the area on foot. We exchanged notes on carp and I gave him one of my purple eztaz mulberry flies. John catches them in Ford lake on tiny nymphs. He was surprised to know that we fish carp by mulberry trees in fast water and that they aggressively take flies and pursue them for ten feet or more as the current takes the flies.

I got up to the Claybanks campground on Tuesday night. I got on the river at 7:00 and fished to 11:00. I had a ball and landed many fish in my favorite stretch of the river. They were there in numbers and it took the edge off. As my headlight faded I was pleased to remember the spanking new one my son bought me at the REI store in Seattle on my recent visit there. I stayed up late on a beautiful night. I had plenty of firewood. A nice couple from Grand Rapids were camped next to me and gave me advice on smallmouth fishing on the Muskegon.

On Wednesday I started near green Cottage and walked the river down to the Claybanks steps. Pickings were few but I managed to land five or so, mostly older fish. It was a very dark night and not another fisherman was around. The river needs rain to get another big push in the system.

The excitement starts building the moment you hear the diesel churning down I-75 from Michigan and you know you are headed to the Florida Keys. It gets boost when you hear from your fishing buddy and he has jumped numerous tarpon in the Bahia Honda Channel. My friend Jerry Schmidt is a camp host at Bahia Honda and is serious about catching tarpon. The last time I saw him we were fishing steelhead in the Manistee river in Michigan. His hosting duties are just an attempt to take the financial sting out of a ten week fishing expedition. Happily he reports, "Game on!"

With the camper off the truck and our tent set up on Big Pine Key (Spanish Channel) we were ready for some Margaritas.

On the way down we take 74, 40, 26 and 95. We stay at places that are easy on/easy off and are pleased to discover some nice campgrounds and meet some nice folks on or limited time. We are also pleased with the truck camper and it's ability to camp anywhere with little hassle. We got to Mandarin, near Jacksonville FL, in three easy days and have a nice two day visit with my sister Lana and her husband Joe. We made it to the keys the next day and checked into Big Pine Fishing Lodge. We drove through clouds of "love bugs," which are harmless very black insects still plastered to my truck and camper face. South of Jacksonville, smoke from forest fires was heavy for fifty miles. The fires were still burning and the smoke was even heavier in Georgia on the return trip two weeks later. During the winter our three year attendance doesn't come close to getting hookups but we took a prime spot and hooked up.

After a long Michigan winter we were ready for blue skies and a Keys lifestyle.

Jerry called and I agreed to pick up the blue crabs and drive the bridges to Bahia Honda from which we would launch his 24' Carolina Skiff. We were lucky to have an outgoing tide. It seems to me that the outgoing tide brings the best fishing. We saw a big tarpon show up current as we tied up to the bridge. Jerry couldn't believe it when a tarpon hit his my crab on the first drift before it went fifty feet. He rocketed out of the water and we released the boat. He found the bridge after ten minutes and we were both astounded. On the second drift I got another one on and lost him by getting caught by the speed of a jump and he spit the hook. In fairness the hook pulls out when you do not "bow to the king" on a jump. It would not be the last time I made that mistake.

This tarpon went upstream and caused a tarpon show as he plowed into to gulf side. We thought we were clear when he took a 180 and decided to go between the causeways and then do a tour of nearly all the fisherman on the bridge. We landed him past the old Flagler bridge.

This picture shows the current escaping the gulf. The far boat called On The Fly had the four hardest fishing guys I have even seen. They threw black jigs with plastic tails and had many hookups. I enjoyed talking to them back at camp.

One thing I liked to do on days when I did not fish tarpon was to ride my bike over to the Bahia Honda bridge and watch the fishing action. It's a great point of view to see all the different tarpon fighting strategies. One guy seemed very passive in his approach but it seemed that he landed several tarpon by not making the tarpon jump or make strong runs. It may be that he was using very heavy tackle. I know that fish hooked on our down rods with 100# Fireline often seemed to go better than when using our 30# on lighter rods. however, nothing stops tarpon when they want to run. My own idea is to be very active and counter every move.

Seeing the tarpon on the surface means you have a chance to touch the leader for a "release."

This is the "ghost tarpon." Note the fins. No wonder they have such enormous power.

Fingering the reel just below the breaking point of the line made the difference in keeping fish away from the sharp bridge edges. Pressuring the fish in this way led to shorter fights and that kept the sharks away.

I had the pleasure of fishing with a an named Hi who fought over one hundred missions in WWII and the Korean war. Hi had poor breathing but he was determined to land a tarpon. His lung condition stemmed from inhaling battery acid the second time he was shot down. He said it was not a question of 'whether" he would get shot down but "when" because he was giving close support to ground troops. I noted he had Florida EX-POW license plates. Hi caused me to land one tarpon by running over a huge shark that was molesting my spent fish. Jerry was helping me with the fish and Hi grabbed the steering wheel. Hi lined him up, gunned the engine, and I heard a couple of thumps. The shark didn't want any more of that and retreated.

We tried to get fish for the table but, unlike last year, we did not have good luck with snappers. One day I got three Hogfish. They taste great. This one hit a crab (5/0 hook) on a retrieve.

Kary and I met many nice people in the campground and enjoyed the Thursday night dances in the campground clubhouse. We went in to Key west for the usual tourist activities.

We like doing the Duvall Crawl but we always check out Schooner Wharf to catch the outdoor singing acts.

The dolphin (mahi-mahi) fisherman had a tough time because the high winds prevented them from getting out to the gulf stream. I missed going to the cleaning tables and watching them clean their fish. It reminded me of a weekend in Muskegon, Michigan during the halcyon days of salmon fishing. Thousands of fisherman were penned up in various marinas for days during a tournament because of high seas.

The key deer preserve backed up to our camp so these tiny deer were our constant companions night and day.

Kary and I are both intrigued by the wildlife that abounds in Florida. The singing of the mockingbirds, the iguana sightings, the magnificent frigate birds, the profusion of seagulls, and the geckos were pleasant to behold. On days when I did not fish tarpon I enjoyed catching smallish barracuda on my fly rod. On the walk back through the key deer preserve, I thought of the Robert Louis Stevenson descriptions of the distant crashing surf in Treasure Island.

Nothing like a dip in the saltwater pool to get the Michigan winter out of your bones.

Fishing Steelhead and Camping on the Pere Marquette River in Michigan March 25-26, 2007

I knew the steelhead season was winding down but I still had the bug. I watched the weather reports for Baldwin for a dark rainy day that would get the remaining steelhead out of wood and banks like they did the previous Wednesday. I saw that Thursday would be my day. I fished from about 3:00 until dark and sighted few steelhead. Few fisherman were around so I did my usual tour enjoying the lack of fishing pressure. I hit every bend and deep run. Finally my luck brightened with a nice little brown trout and shortly thereafter a juvenile steelhead that jumped several times. The water was warm and I noticed numerous trout jumping and rising. I caught a nice resident rainbow that was a hard fighter. I came to a well known riffle and practiced my presentation until a five pound buck took my offering. He made several nice leaps in the fast current and showed that there are still fresh fish coming into the river. I then discovered I had forgotten my camera in my haste to beat a path to the Pere Marquette River.

I caught this nice brown in a deep slot under an enormous leaning cedar tree

I didn't get firewood at the sawmill as I usually do because I thought the rain would come in the evening. When the evening turned out nice, I mined other campsites for wood. Someone had abandoned a nice collection of dry oak they had axed into oversized sections. It was great firewood. Blue Lake radio was playing an hour of Ella Fitzgerald as I ate my chicken casserole by the fire. It was the first time this year I could leave the door open and listed to music. My only disappointment was the no-show of the coyotes. Their serenade goes well with a campfire, good merlot, and a successful day of fishing.

It started raining about four in the morning. I was up at six and two guys were exiting their car. It was really coming down. I sipped coffee until seven, ready for the big day. I was surprised to see so many drift boats already in action. I caught my biggest brown of the season drifting a deep slot under an enormous overhanging cedar tree. I had to play him smart to get land him in a very fast section of the river. watched some guys fishing it earlier and wondered what they were up to. I remembered my cell phone an snapped a few pics. The cell phone pics mean I have to email them to my daughter Marija in LA and she sends them back.

Tanks to John Karakashian's client for a great netting job in fast water and for the photo in a driving rain

After I ate breakfast at noon I was looking for one more steelhead to finish the year. The rain cooperated and fish started to appear. I got a hit and the fish dove right at me. I moved in heavy current to the shallows on the opposite shore. I noticed a driftboat upriver had stopped to give me a chance to pay the fish. Just then the steelhead made a downriver run and I had to follow. I heard an offer to net the fish and with the current and my stumbling around it was very welcome. One stab by John's Karakashian's client did the job and he expertly took a photo of the fine looking fresh hen. Thanks for your help. They were stripping streamers for trout.

That was enough for me. I'm heading for Florida for a month of camping on Big Pine Key, fishing, and hanging out.

Fishing Steelhead and Camping on the Pere Marquette, Little Manistee, and White Rivers in Michigan March 17-18, 2007

My fiend Bruce is still part of the world of work and, like so many others, has not been able to enjoy the Michigan steelhead season. That changed when he booked a three day trip with Walt Grau, a thirty year veteran guide of the Pere Marquette River. As a solo bank fisherman, I looked forward to enjoying his generous offer to take me along for two days. My other friend, Ron Olsen accompanied Bruce on Monday. They stayed at the new Baldwin Bait and Tackle digs on Sunday night and they were able to glimpse into the guide shack and reported a collection of many pairs of boots and numerous rods and reels. They toured the White River on Monday and fished hard. The catching was hard but Ron was lucky to haul in a dime bright fish early on for his first fish of the year. On Monday night I stayed at Ivan's campground instead of my usual spot in the Claybanks USFS area. Facing two days of fishing all day, I declined to fish that evening , and made (heated) the guys a dinner of roasted chicken and curried rice. I had the oak slab campfire blazing and we enjoyed talking and some fine shiraz. They both felt good about the day. They were sunburned and talked about the beauty of the White River.

Since the PM had not been fishing very well we went bank fishing on the Little Manistee. I had seen it before but not many times. We drove into a primitive camping area between the six and nine mile bridges. It was my kind of place. I could see myself fishing right out of the camper. There were six other parties camped there. I was impressed by the speed of the river and the numerous bends and deep slots. We fished until noon. Bruce hooked a big male that jumped twice and broke his line. I saw a big buck swimming with his nose toward Lake Michigan. He looked like he knew where he was going. I spoke with a guy in his tenth day camping and fishing. I agreed he had hit the worst weather. It made me appreciate my ability to fire up north when the fishing looks good and retreat to recover. I didn't mention the obscene success I had experienced on several days.

I did mange to get my foot planted wrong on a log and was unable to stop a comical sit down in the icy current. The cold water descended my backside, and gave a lie to the thought that it really wasn't that bad. We ate lunch in Wellston and decided to float from McDougal's Lodge to Rainbow Rapids to continue the theme of "doing it different." We saw no other boats or bank fisherman. I stood in a deep run with overhanging branches front and back and managed to haul in my first of the trip. I tied the first of three nail knots of the trip in this spot as I left it all on a single bare branch. It broke off with a loud snapping sound.

Dinner was on Bruce and he produced a fine tenderloin steak with his wife's fine zucchini/tomato/rice casserole. We were hungry. We again enjoyed a campfire, conversation, and good wine. I reflected on the wisdom of staying up until 1:00 when the call would come at 5:30 for a long float from 37 to Gleason's, but we had a good time and had plenty of energy. Partly we were energized by the dark rain clouds that arrived and prompted some steelhead to show themselves and give us hope. The down side was the traffic. We spotted some fish and Bruce needed a fish. I was given a deep, black, slow moving hole downstream of Bruce's action. I felt a little hopeless in this spot and amused myself with taking pictures of Bruce casting and making what I thought were perfect casts and floating my egg's through a bubble line near the far bank. I was jolted when a hard grab from a nice hen led to a spirited fight.

This is the first of two spawned out hens I hauled out of a deep pool below spawning fish.

I appreciated the generosity of my friend and look forward to our next yearly steelhead trip. As I drove home to Ann Arbor that night after little sleep and fishing in the rain for ten hours it made me feel like the running and lifting that preserved this 62 year old body was worth it. I prefer fishing from my camper so I can pace myself better but the knowledge I gain fishing with a true expert like Walt Grau makes me appreciate how much there is to know about the river.

There are fish in the river if you are willing to be patient and you avoid bright sunny days. I have one more shot next week, before I head to Florida to meet up with my friend Jerry for some Keys tarpon fishing. I have had great success this spring because of my dogged determination. Just as in running, I overcome many weaknesses by patience and determination. I can sustain my adolescence because my parents taught me to love nature. I feel their approval from the beyond when I have a great day on one of our fabulous west Michigan rivers.

Fishing Steelhead and Camping on the Pere Marquette and White Rivers in Michigan March 12-13, 2007

I had the idea the steelhead needed a warm-up to get active. I know the reports this week have not been stellar, but after struggling last week, I was hungry for action. I hadn't been to the White River this year so I headed there and found the warm-up was not happening at all. I was amazed to see all the snow on the ground. I got in about 3:00 and fished in a very cold breeze with snow and rain mixed in. I fished a deep run near BB very hard but it produced nothing. I caught a nice brown on a #8 Oregon cheese egg with white veil.

Bart from Chelsea emerged out of the gloom with a smile on his face. One of his first casts nailed a big battle scared buck. Bart and his buddy had already been to Ohio only to find the rivers blown out. So he was justifiably happy with his catch. he went upriver and by the time he got back I caught a fine looking hen that jumped twice in the strong current. She took a green sparrow.

I saw no fish on the White. I gave and headed to Baldwin around 9:00. I left my generator at home so I pulled into Ivan's Campground and enjoyed the electricity. I did manage to hear a coyote or maybe it was a skunked steelheader screaming out his angst since reports for Thursday were that it was the worst day ever. 'Course I didn't know that yet and fished hard, appreciating a beautiful, crisp sunrise. The sky was blue and the scenery and beauty of the river in the bright light were to be the highlights of the day.

Technically I got the skunk off me when I landed a game pre-emigrant. After that I spotted one fish all day. Of the thirteen Naperville fishing club guys in pontoon boats they landed nada. I amused myself with working on my spey casting and getting perfect drifts in the darkest holes I could find. I had the pick of good spots and I fished as if "I believed." No amount of visualization could make one strike.

Fishing Steelhead and Camping on the Pere Marquette River in Michigan March 3-4 , 2007

After last week's fishing I was ready for a fall and it happened. I simply could not hook anything despite having good access to prime fishing. Reports from other anglers were not encouraging. I did manage to catch one fine buck deep in a pool behind a well known spawning area. It felt good and because I hit him early on I thought the game would be on.

I camped in the Manistee National Forest primitive camping area nearby. I had planned a nice campfire to celebrate the success of the day and my single steelhead was enough to make me happy. I got the fire going but had to watch it from under my canopy while the wind kicked up and it started to rain. I knew the weather was going to be worsen on Wednesday when I took off for Baldwin from Ann Arbor. I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the hour or so the rain let up but the wind started to howl. As I slept the wind increased and the rain changed to icy snow. Around 4:30 some guys pulled up and made a big commotion getting ready to go out. I felt sorry those guys. Two of the three spin fishers had suffered enough by 6:30 when I looked out. I think they had steelhead fever bad but they were quickly discouraged. I was soon to join them myself.

I was happy to delay my outing with good coffee and good music. Blue Lake Public Radio gave a blizzard warning for up to eleven inches of snow and 45 mph gusts. I decided to fish hard in one proven run and I did with the wind in my face. Two hours without a hit and the weather report made me break camp. It made me smile to see a brown trout on the other side of the river dancing on his tail several times oblivious to my numbed fingers. He seemed to be saying, "Good by sissy boy."

Fishing Steelhead and Camping on the Pere Marquette River in Michigan March 27-29 , 2007

There was a perfect storm and perfect fishing conditions this week on the Pere Marquette River, at least on Tuesday and Wednesday. Fisherman holding off to go fish in the flies only area because of the near record high water marks at Custer made a mistake. Not being an expert, I think the river got supercharged with water and with the temperature getting into the high sixties it triggered the steelhead instinct to move up big time. The high water would not have been comfortable for everyone. I loved it. Whenever steelhead are busting flies and there are big tails just appearing in the runs, and occasional jumping males it gives me staying power. Besides the water level was coming down over the three days I was there.

I won't say how many steelhead I hooked or landed out of respect for those who can't get up there but Tuesday and Wednesday I went back to my camper with a smile on my face. My arms ached in a pleasant sort of way from fighting all the fish. I was not the only one who was happy. Everyone caught fish and the good spirits were evident in the nice greetings. "Great day," was a common greeting, quite different from the usual dour nods of defeated steelheaders. One guy had his fill as evening came on Monday and sat on the banks and talked nicely with his buddy and me. He was just appreciating the whole scene of us landing fish, drinking in a rare event.

This photo does not do justice to this beauty with a golden hue. He was a brute to land in the fast water.

BBT forum member, Chad, took this picture. He and his buddy floated from 37 to Gleason's. It was nice to meet other forum members like Glenn Price who lives in Brighton and has a cabin below Gleason's. Glenn visited my campsite and we had a nice talk.

This mid day buck struck out of the deep pocket beside the logjam in the background. I hope the flies I gave to the guy who took this picture worked for him.

A passing drifter told me the water temperature hit 53 degrees and may account for the presence of this fresh hen.

If there is any downside to my last outing it would be that the bite was off on Thursday. I caught one buck early and then the sun rose to create the brightest of days. Scads of personal water craft guys were out on the water. They seemed to have waited for the water to come down and the weather to be nice. You hate to say you should have been here yesterday. It is amazing that all of those fish apparently disappeared.

They had to be in the dark water. Finally I began to really appreciate the beauty of the river. An eagle hung around for two of the days and was graceful and low below above burnt cottage. I went to my final spot where there are two logjams with black water above and below and deep fast slots running by them. I imagined steelhead waiting out the clearing water and bright skies. I caught a 15" brown right away. Moving to the next logjam a smallish buck hammered my veiled chartreuse egg. I had to cross the river in deep water. John Karkashian's clients made way for me as I worked him to mid river to get him past a new log sticking up in the bend. John was great with the net and I decided that it was the perfect end my best trip ever. John was nice to talk to and surprised me when he said we could use some more rain. He also said that the fishing had been even better on Monday, the day before I got there. No doubt he was right and in the painful steelhead learning process, darkening skies, enough rain, and increasing water temperatures seemed to spell success, at least in the early spring season.

This fish was a hard yanker and would not come to the net. Thanks to John Karkashian for scooping him up.

Fishing Steelhead and Camping on the Pere Marquette River in Michigan March 20-22 , 2007

Spring rains came on strong in the north country raising the Pere Marquette to near near flood stage. While it's great to see rain and not snow, it makes steelhead fisherman nervous because they wonder if they are going to catch a trough in the high water marks so they can slake their appetites for the addictive steelhead strike. The high water and warming temperatures promise to drive an early run of fish. I delayed leaving Ann Arbor until Tuesday so the waters in the flies only section could recede. I was pleased to land nine nice steelhead over the outing which amounted to a full day and two half days.

I camped in the USFS Claybanks primitive area and was the sole camper. Only two other fisherman walked in, probably because of the next deluge which was predicted. I got slab wood for a fire and set out with blue skies. It was late afternoon, the drift boats had abandoned many nice runs and I was immediately rewarded in an nice deep bend.

My first Michigan steel of the year was taken in a gravelly deep bend that ends in faster water

I also caught a nice brown trout where I caught the fish above, but he was so game he ended the photo op with some muscular twisting and was gone in a flash. I had another hookup with a monster buck that hit just before a logjam, I knew it would be over quickly if I did not turn him so I reefed on the spey rod and held nothing back. A strong surface head yank accompanied the loud snap of my Seagaur fluorocarbon tippet. I was pleased to walk back to the camper. It was already in the twenties as I walked through the woods eyeing the PM from a ridge as the moon set early with Venus as a companion. I looked forward to the Greek chicken Kary made me and to enjoying a campfire. The coyotes did their day's end wailing just ahead of the clouds rolling in that would bring in rain and a Wednesday night deluge.

As daylight broke I was excited to see no one on the water where I wanted to fish. Then I spotted a fisherman who was pulling his boat upriver and he soon hooked and lost a steelhead and then moved on, still within eyesight. I fished with the belief that this was a great spot but came up with nothing. He started catching fish in this less desirable downriver spot so I split the difference and also started catching fish. The steelhead seemed to prefer the chartreuse nuke eggs with a white yarn veil. It rained and blew all morning and the low light conditions and dark stain to the strong water made conditions ideal. I was pleased to have abundant fleece to change into and the Filson foul weather vest was paying for itself yet again.

When I came back to my fishing spot I had the river to myself as the rains intensified. Lightening and thunder made me smile as it proved that steelhead season had begun in earnest. The bite was on and I landed three more steelhead and two more browns. Sodden and happy for the success of the day I learned from a text message from Kary that a storm was headed my way. My boot drier is a made of PVC and is made to lay on the ground, powered by my Honda 2000. It works great even in the rain if you remember to point the boot heels up hill so water does not run in. Oh yea, cover the hair drier too.

I fiddled with dinner and the boot drier and rigged up after a toss into the trees in the dark. The wind and rain lashed the camper all night (See graph * below for documentation). I was determined to fish early before the river got blown out and I hooked and landed a fine buck in fast water before my luck went south. I talked with Steve of Baldwin Bait and Tackle and his clients had two, one which I saw them land. I fished above them in a favorite hole and decided the river was approaching scary. The sun came out and sky was blue so I enjoyed sight seeing. I could see the plants pushing up from the muck and many new bird sounds.

I found this big guy sunning himself on Thursday and felt bad as he jumped into the 38 degree river after he had enough of posing.

Fishing Steelhead and Camping On Elk Creek in Pennsylvania January 24-25, 2007

I only asked if the campground owner if he was open. A predicted cold front would give me one day of fishing- maybe. The campground owner asked me if I had four wheel drive. He said they had twelve inches on the ground and another twelve would arrive in the next two days. I felt like a kid buying diesel fuel in Dundee. Just the outside chance to catch a steelhead gets me that way. No problem getting to campground. The truck shuddered a little back up through the snow to position my rig on the campsite. It started snowing right away. I was the sole customer. It was dark so I read and listened to the clods of snow hit the camper. I cracked the window for ventilation and enjoyed listening to the rapids behind my camper.

Next morning I made tracks in the downriver section. The temperature hovered around freezing but it felt warm and the river was without the dreaded slush I had heard about but not seen. Compared with previous trips the fish were scarce but I spotted a few and managed to interest two.

Fishing Steelhead and Camping On Elk Creek in Pennsylvania December 4-6, 2006

"You picked the wrong time to visit Pennsylvania," the duffer said. He was wrong. It had all the ingredients of great steelheading. First of all it was the PA deer season to counter the biggest drawback of fishing PA streams- the competition. The weather was turning worse in the form of five new inches of lake effect snow with another six inches promised. The guy at Folly's campground warned me about the accumulated snow in the campground. I thought, "All the better to keep the guys from Pittsburg at home." My usual streams in western Michigan were going to get pounded with twenty inches of snow so off to PA to use some of the flies I have been accumulating during and since deer season. What better way to celebrate the nine point buck than to catch some steelhead. I congratulated myself on flawless logic and turned the PSD south and then east on 80 and 90. Not much different than going to the Manistee. It just sounds a lot further. My wife Kary seemed uninterested in being cooped up with high winds and lake effect snow lashing the camper so she made me a wonderful venison meatloaf and loaded up on Netflix for her homebound experience of snuggling with the cat on the couch.

The area around Erie is called Steelhead Alley but it should be called Lake Effect Snow Alley. Pop up the national radar any time in the winter and you can watch the bands of snow pounding the region from Erie to the more famous snow capital Buffalo, NY. By my standards the weather was nice in the high twenties when I got there on Tuesday afternoon.

I used 4WD to get into my site right on the Elk River. The bad roads had knocked some of the anglers down but the access road still had ten cars. I immediately ran into Don, whom I had met before, and shortly later I met up with two guys who have a near permanent camp in the campground. I like the friendliness of the natives who don't get too territorial about there fishing spots. The two old duffers catch well into the high two hundreds for the year so letting someone fish by them is not a big deal like it is on some steams I have been on. When I asked they gave me solid advice and the next day when they arrived and found me in the holes they just told me about they seemed not to mind. "Better people than me, " I thought. They did poke fun at my spey rod, which I think was overkill on such a small river. I said I didn't know how to cast a regular fly rod.

I fished till dark and then picked my way back through the woods going over hill and dale since the river bottom is slick shale and I can't go from memory like I can on the Pere Marquette in MI. I managed to land two fish. Arriving in a heavy snow, I was pleased to fire up the stove for the meatloaf, listen to Christmas carols on "Froggie" radio in Erie, and have a beer. Then began a texting madness with Kary that lasted the next two days. I could feel the wind pushing the camper. I was glad to be inside. I could hear a small waterfall from inside the camper when it was quiet.

I spent some time cutting some foil insulation material for my the wall behind my reading area and the windows beside my sleeping area. With the ceramic heater on the lowest setting, the camper was nice and warn without the sound of the furnace cycling.

Being raised in Muskegon, MI which gets gets huge lake effect snow, I like the way the snow bands roll in going from spindrift to blinding snow to sunlight peeking through the heavy snow.

Many good fishing runs are against cliffs that are being gored by the action of the river. As sunlight, rain, snow, freezing, and snowing succeed each other, parts of the cliffs come crashing down into the river. Bends in the river create beautiful pools that look deceptively devoid of fish, whose green hues match the greenish rock bottom.

I got up early on Thursday morning. The wind had kicked up and I could see that I was the first man on the river by the lack of tracks in the new snow. I caught a jack on my first cast into the hemlock hole and caught another shortly after. I was glad to have the heavier spey line to cut the wind. The cliffs acted like wind foils that affected fishing. The snow and mist put ice on the guides, that I fought with sucking and biting when dipping them in the river no longer worked to get the ice off. I had a hard time keeping ice off the reel and soon it was completely icebound. I was using what line I had played to land two more fish, making the catch six for the day. I had on a nice buck and thought I had him beat when a downriver run took a little too much line and it snapped. The promise of twelve! more inches drove me to pack up and head out around two. I drove in 4wd to Cleveland and had clear sailing after that.

I ended the year with 68 steelhead and 60 salmon and am happy to say it's been a great season.

Fishing Steelhead and Camping On the Elk Creek in Pennsylvania November 1-3, 2006

I have heard of the great steelhead fishing on the Elk River in PA. The allure of catching dime bright steelies was strong. I had made a trip to the Elk in the spring just to break the ice with a new place. I proved to myself at least that the best fishing is in the fall and it makes me excited to think that the best is yet to come in December when PA has their deer season and weather does it job to thin out the weak. I had a great time camping at Folly's Campground near Girard, PA. It is right on the banks of the Elk. The manager gave me a site (59) right on the river with electric and water. Other campsites I found out were rented yearly by diehard steelhead fisherman. I met a guy who said he had landed over 400 steelhead. I had one brief period of time during which I went 7 for twenty so I don't doubt the claim on the year.

Of yea- the weather. It snowed Wednesday night and it continued all day on Thursday with sleet and rain mixed in, not to mention several loud thunderclaps during the wet snowstorm.

It took me some time to figure out that to use my Michigan steelhead experience I had to find fast riffles. People were very helpful and not the least bit territorial. Guys seemed to want to help you and several times gave good advice when I asked for it. I got an earful about other rivers in New York and good descriptions of Walnut Creek and other places. With the time I had I stayed in the upriver stretch from the campground and found plenty of fish. I must say it was exciting to see large numbers of steelhead from time to time. You knew you were going to be successful.

I had a nice campfire on the first night in camp. I cooked my brats a had a few pale ales. I knew it was snowing but was surprised at the Mount of snow that had fallen. I read my book, drank coffee, listened to NPR before strapping it on. Folly's (pronounced Foley's) allows parking on their access road. When I finally moved there were fifteen cars in the parking lot.

The Elk has cut a path through solid rock. Weathering causes the cliffs to frequently break away and the shale cascades down into the river. The bottom of the river is solid rock and there is a deeper trench in which good eyes can spot steelhead moving up. I saw a guy fishing to "stacked" fish in slack water but that did not appeal to me. When it rains hard the river is quickly blown out and just as quickly returns to normal. I hit it pretty good with plenty of water and a nice stain.

I like the idea that western PA is not much further from Ann Arbor than the PM and Manistee. The fish run smaller but I did catch one about eight pounds. I look forward to going back after deer season. I had the best luck with egg sucking leeches in smaller sizes. I used one or two split shot.

I was glad to go fishing after a two week layoff after salmon season. I was curious about what was happening in the flies only area of the Pere Marquette River so I stopped of there on Monday. I landed a very fine tan buck and then a nasty one. Then I tied into a smallish three pounder that took me bank to bank with steelhead antics and then let go. I beating myself up for loosing it when I tied into what seemed to be the same fish but this time I landed it the high, fast water. Having no net I scooped him up in the declining light to discover that I had landed what I think was a totally fresh coho. When I got to the Manistee and talked about this the locals told me I had run into a pod of cohos.

I left Baldwin after dark and headed for Manistee and drove through a whiteout along M55. I found the Insta-Launch for the first time and texted my friend Jerry who is camped there for six weeks, hunting and fishing. We agreed to a later start. All night long icy snow and rain pelted the camper, telling me I was going to have to suffer to catch a steelhead. After the spooky black walk out of the claybanks and the slippery drive I was pleased to be inside with Ms Petit Syrah.

I was glad to pull my steelhead spinning outfit out of it's case in several years. Jerry had some fine spawn he was give by a local steelheader named Jack Johnson. He treats it with meat tenderizer. I immediately liked the ones tied in red sacks. Jerry hadn't landed and steelhead yet and I had beginners luck and hooked two in the first thirty minutes. I lost them both. It was soon clear that fishing would be slow in this first half mile of the Manistee.

I was impressed how friendly everyone was. They all knew Jerry and kept him updated with reports on Tippy Dam and the surf scene that had had hot action a few days before. Local wisdom had it that the steelhead were just shooting past the lower river because of the high water. I did see a boat cleaning eight fish from the upper section.

In the highly stained water the steelhead looked like they had mirrored sides.

We were given an eating sized steelhead so we took advantage of the nice weather on Wednesday and built a nice fire to grill our fish.

We fished mostly from the banks with spawn but got in the boat from time to time. I'll be back there where when my "spy on the border" tells me the steelhead are flooding into the Manistee. I may have to check out the Elk River in Pennsylvania next week to bridge the gap.

I had good luck in my last camping/fishing trip to the Pere Marquette River to fish salmon. It was almost a carbon copy of the week before where a hard rain stained the river and caused great mid-day fishing. I ended up the season with sixty salmon with most of the coming in the last few weeks. I just could not land the hot September salmon like I could the recent ones. I like fishing in the high, fast, and stained water where you could not actually sight fish but knew there were abundant fish.

This salmon season made me hungry for the solitude of steelhead season where the extreme weather and relative difficulty of catch steelhead keeps the river traffic sparse. Nevertheless, I love to battle with these large fish and also the challenge of tailing them in the current solo.

Here's a shot of one of the last fish I caught with my new Orvis Mach VI reel.

At night the coyotes and owls are my company but during the morning hours it's the New York Times Magazine, Interlaken Public Radio, and Starbucks coffee.

It feels good to tie into a fresh September salmon on a beautiful river on a perfect fall day. I hooked a good one in this pool mid way between Rainbow Rapids and Sulak on the Pere Marquette River. We enjoyed being with the veteran spey guide, Walt Grau, who aslo gave my buddy Bruce and I spey casting tips. I liked the way my new Orvis Mach VI reel roll-cast in the pool.

I did manage to bring in this guy but lost many other battles. It hit an egg sucking leech under the visible egg that several brown trout and salmon liked.

My buddy Bruce Harrison tied into this guy and I tailed him in a lucky grab as he swam by. We had forgotten the net.

We had a great time camping at Bowman Bridge campground and fishing the lower river.

We took off for Florida within days of getting our camper back from the body shop. Floridians will tell you that their best months are May and October and we set out to see what they mean. One nice thing about camping is seeing new things, but we also like some of the pleasurable routines we have developed. One stop we like to make is halfway to Florida at the Hiawassee State park on hwy 411. It amounts to a bypass of Chattanooga. It's a quiet place on the Hiawassee River and definitely not an I-75 type place. We get country ham and grits at Tooties on 411 and then get back on in Dalton, GA. You get a good look at the Smokies to the east as you drive southbound on 411.

We set our sights on St. Joseph Island State Park because of the pure white sand beaches, excellent campground, and great surf and flats fishing.

This black Drum took a green clauser minnow and provided an excellent meal

I fished the flats with my fly rod because the gulf side was windy. I landed two blue runners, a ladyfish, and the sheepshead. I kept getting bitten off on the strike and had to go to heavier leader. Saltwater fish have razor teeth. For five days we enjoyed hiking reading, biking, and fishing.

We headed for the Manatee Springs State Park and enjoyed the huge artesian spring that flowed a short distance to the Suwannee River through a thick mature cypress grove. I was fortunate to witness several huge sturgeon leap into the air as part of their mating behavior. The fish can be up to 200# and last year, one severely injured a woman in a boat on the Suwannee river. They hit the water with a loud "smack." The manatees stayed away from the observation deck on the Suwannee when male human "widlife" in a houseboat dropped anchor in the middle of the river.

We kept to our plan to explore and headed for a Pinellas county park (Fort Dodge) right on Tampa Bay. We enjoyed our ocean front real estate for one night before heading for Collier Seminole State Park in the Everglades. Kary was bummed when a local winter seafood store,Kirk's Fish Market, was closed for the summer. We both enjoyed their fresh shrimp last year. We were surprised by the lack of insects in the Everglades. Kary insisted on taking the 40 mile detour off the Tamiami trail so she could get her alligator fix.

This otter ran towards us on the road, ducked into the bushes and resumed, his trek behind us. He ain't afraid of no stinking alligators!

We took our time getting to Bahia Honda State Park. We stopped for lunch at the Fish House outside John Pennycamp State Park.

We camped here for two night before going to the nearby Big Pine Fishing Lodge (MM 33). The photo was taken form a remnant of the old Flagler bridge. Note the strong outbound tidal current

Captain Jerry Smith and I enjoying the ride back to the Bahia Honda SP (MM 35) marina after I landed my first tarpon.

Within fifteen minutes of arriving at BHSP I met Jerry Schmidt, who occupied the site across the lane from us. The BHSP is extremely desirable in the winter and the ten or so waterfront sites, in winter, might be the most desired campsites anywhere. It was obvious Jerry was a fisherman from the fishing rods leaning on his picnic table. Jerry said that he takes people out to fish tarpon but is not really a guide and that I could go for free if I bought the bait. The going rate in the adjacent marina was $800/day and $400/half day. Needless to say was elated and said I wanted to go the next day.

Jerry and I had a lot in common. it turned out he was a retired GM worker from Saginaw. My dad had been a union worker, activist, and union official. Jerry had moved around the country for GM and had been fishing in FL for 15 years. He now lives in Knoxville, TN, but stays at BHSP to fish during May and June. He says he won't charge and only his wife's insistence made him accept tips. His generosity, energy, and expertise were impressive.

Whether I fished or not, I rode my bike to the center of the bridge where we fished each day . The tarpon show was amazing at times. The fish rolled in groups of ten up to fifty. These guys are trying to catch tarpon on a fly during the tide change. That's one my goals for next year.

I hooked and landed my first tarpon within ten minutes of fishing. A bull shark made several attempts on him.

I had a great time landing snapper in three days I fished with Jerry. One of the snapper was a 20 inch mangrove snapper that was tasty. I was happy about all the action and watched Jerry float crabs in the outgoing tide. When I saw the tarpon show begin and saw people catching tarpon I grabbed my own rod. Jerry showed me how to rig the crabs. We fished just like to centerpin guys in MI. Drift it out and retrieve. The difference came in the first strike which was bone jarring. No matter of setting the hook when the fish get thirty yards of line before you touch the handle of the reel. I was amused at the sound of the heavy drag and wondered how the 30# Fireline and 80# leader would hold up. Previously he told me the drag was nearly maxed. Landing those big PM salmon by myself was good preparation because the fish came to hand after 20 minutes.

I battled one tarpon to the boat only to have it bitten in two by a savage attack by a shark that struck from under the boat. The fish above was attacked three times by a bull shark and the tarpon easily avoided it. The successful attack was by a much larger grey shark that revised my view of shark attacks. He bit the tarpon in half. The head went one way and the tail another. There was a big blood stain and a lot of scales. I don't think I will walk around the flats in the dark with bleeding fish tied to my waist.

I hooked a smaller tarpon, say around 60#, and he was by far the leaper of the day. He jumped once by the Bahia Honda bridge and twisted his body so violently that he shed scales and we could hear his gill plates- or scales- rattle. He made several other jumps in rapid succession that had me hanging on. He must have touched the touched the bridge at some point because we got him nicely away from the bridge and the line just snapped.

This permit hit my crab on a retrieve. We filleted him and took him to the Seven Mile Bridge Grille for a celebration dinner.

After losing four sharks on the heavy duty set rod I hooked and landed this 200# Jewfish (Goliath Grouper)

Our stay at the Big Pine Fishing Lodge was very nice. They had full hookups, a fine pool, and nice people. We enjoyed the key deer that came into our camp area.

Kary enjoys one of our many excursions to see the sights. This is the Flagler bridge which serves as an observation deck at Bahia Honda State Park

We originally started going to Key West because Kary liked it so much. We visited Key West (MM0) twice and enjoyed the outdoor music at the Schooner Wharf Bar and eating at Turtle Kraals restaurant and, of course, the sunset ceremony.

Next year we will be spending both February and March in the keys. I'll have my own tarpon rod and reel by then.

Briefly: I landed five steelhead in almost summer conditions on the Pere Marquette river. I lost several battles with large males who found wood. Eggs and egg sucking leeches worked for me. I fished two hours early and late and enjoyed camping in the Manistee National Forest the rest of the time.

The big news in our family is we finally got our truck camper back after five months in the repair shop for a crushed front end. Before we left for Florida for our "February" trip we thought a trip to Baldwin would put our minds at ease about whether or not the repairs were done right. We never found out if the camper holds water because we had perfect blue skies and mild temperatures. Kary and I enjoyed setting up our camper and unloading the massive pile of oak firewood we got from a local saw mill. I enhanced that with local product I got with by bow saw. I have my eye on a one man crosscut saw. I really enjoy getting wood and we both love campfires.

I fished just very early and the last two hours before dark. I easily found fish in all the places that are known to all. I had no company on the river on Friday evening, I caught a feisty four pound male that defined head shaker. I had to chase him down river and regretted not having a camera to record his flawless jeweled sides. I lost two brutish males in the same section.

Kary had the campfire blazing and handed me a cold Bell's pale ale. She had cooked baked potatoes on the campfire and I managed the brats. The waxing moon was pale and stars were strewn above the budding trees.

When I reached an overlook of the PM the sunlit the trees in the distance and a mist rose from the river. A bald eagle glided upriver, indifferent to my my admiring gaze. Later in the day we spotted another one above our campsite. The eagle brought me luck. I laded two of the five fish I had on.

I caught this hen in the same section of the river on the egg sucking leech above her head

I brought my mountain bike intending to ride north from Bowman Lake but the late night, early rising, and massive breakfast left me planted by the campfire and eventually to a great nap. Some guys showed up with spinning reels and asked about the flies only rule. They read the rules. I gave them some flies so they could fish. It was a father and son team and the son seemed eager to learn about fly fishing.

I caught this buck after his buddy took me to the wood in a spectacular bank to bank run

That closes out the steelhead season for me. I'll turn may attention to smallmouth bass and see if I can catch some Florida fish.

Briefly: My buddy Bruce treated me to guided trips on the Pere Marquette and Muskegon Rivers. We each caught Three steelhead. Bruce landed a fine brown trout and I managed a few small ones while targeting steelhead. We used a lot of nymphs and eggs. #10 green hare's ears were good for me.

I had called it a season when I learned that a friend of mine who has not fished would be unable to accompany my other friend Bruce Harrison on his season ending trip with the guide, Walt Grau. I jumped at the chance to learn from Walt, who has guided for over twenty years in Alaska and Michigan. Walt did not invent the term "set the hook downriver" but I have certainly heard it enough in my excursions with Walt. My other bad habits in spey casting like not "aiming high," starting my cast from high noon rather than two o'clock. and slinging have earned some well deserved grumbling from Walt. I won't say what my buddies fault's are but they do cast Walt a lot of flies.

We did not get the overcast or rainy weather that we wanted to chase the spooky, late season steelhead. Bruce tied into a fish not far from Green cottage and we all thought it was a steelhead until it came to the net. It was a large and colorful brown trout.

The ranks of anglers was as thin as the fish but I tied into a nice hen in a very popular spot that gained five guys during the time I landed my fine hen. We moved on.

The day was better for bird watching and just relaxing- I took advantage of it

We agreed that our PM season was over and opted to go to the Muskegon river. I lost a huge buck after a brief struggle when I snapped my 10# fluorocarbon, not realizing the effect of the current. I noticed the other guys with fish on sort of frozen in place as they let their boats drift downriver. I'm used to pressuring the fish so I can land it by myself on the PM. I did land an 11# hen after a long fight and way downriver. Bruce got a buck. The Muskegon river flotilla ranges from small personal craft to twenty foot jets powered by 100 HP engines. Some of the guides seemed like the captains of PT boats, screaming up and down the river, jockeying for the good riffles. It's a beautiful river. Watching acres of clear backlit water was a pleasure.

Briefly: I landed ten steelhead fishing the White and Pere Marquette rivers. The weather was bright and the fish were spooky. The fish are mostly fresh and I had my best success fishing very early and then late. Most hits came on #8 and #10 tangerine eggs (McFlyfoam), although I tried other flies.

On Thursday as I was leaving Baldwin on M-37, about five miles south of town, a hen turkey was getting the full plumage strut from a big tom right on the right shoulder. The traffic was heavy but it did not seem to bother this amorous pair. I admired his display and it made me think how hard some turkey hunters hunt to find such a scene and here it is on a well traveled road at high noon. I also thought of the contrast with the steelhead who seem to be spawning in the deeper and faster runs where they feel safe. That's good for me because that's where I like to fish them.

I did a poor man's float from washed out bridge to Garfield on Thursday afternoon. For some reason I got lazy and didn't bring my net. I managed to land three in that section fishing black water. The local guys whip the beds pretty hard and I think there are lots of fish in deep runs downriver from the beds. I one one pace I lost two bucks that I could neither tail nor beach because of the dense cover on the bank.

The bike ride back to may truck drew laughs from the locals. I found the portage pleasing and thought of several others I could do with my mountain bike.

I moved on to the Red Moose. It should be my last stay there because I should get my camper back next week. I enjoyed talking to the other fisherman there. In contrast to previous weeks, the were at capacity as were several others.

I got up at five and fortified by a 16 oz. coffee from the Wesco station I made my way to a fast piece of river where I thought there would be fish. there were fish but I did not land one until it warmed up after 9:00.

One setback on the trip was breaking the rod tip on my spey rod. I used it without the tip on Thursday morning but roll casting was awkward. In the evening I switched to the 9' 6" 8# and went through some relearning. I figured out later my float and weight were too heavy. No matter, I'm getting a backup spey rod.

I went out for the evening and hooked a fish that made several hard runs and sped downriver so fast I had to move quckly to catch up. It didn't seems heavy but the banging was intense. I thought it was a steelhead and didn't realize in the twilight that I had a very fine brown in the net.

This picture does not do justice to this handsome fellow that pleased me a lot

Short Form: I solo fished the flies only area of the PM for four sessions and landed fifteen steelhead and some trout. The water had receded and had a great stain. Tangerine eggs worked for me and I caught a few on egg sucking leeches. I fished those flies under a large Thill indicator (on a short dropper) and used more weight (pencil lead from BBT) to get it down deeper and slow it down. The fish were ready to play. I mostly fished a broad deep run and the many fish took the flies at the end of the drift. The Red Moose was filled with fisherman and it was nice talking with some of them. I had a nice experience there, but I will be getting my camper back in a week and I'll be a guest of the USFS. I picked a big lamprey off one hen I caught. She had a nasty scar. I would guess she brought it from LM because she was very fresh.

When I dove into the Claybanks I had to stop while a muskrat meandered across the road. Perhaps it's a new omen for me because I had great fishing on the PM while many others reported poor luck. In all, I landed fifteen fine steelhead and lost a few bungling the netting job, including the last one that I had four shots at. That caused me to conclude that I was tired. I gave up my sweet spot at 11:00 A.M. to a great guy and his dad from Iron Mountain. I also caught a few trout. This little rainbow didn't cooperate with the photo op and had to be chased down in a small pool.

I fished some fast water on Tuesday but could not get near the best water. I managed to do well anyway, by keeping my flies in water. I had to laugh at a guy who stood right above where I was fishing and then reported, "There aren't any fish in there." I thought, "There would be a hell of lot more if you weren't there spooking them." Minutes later he was replaced by another guy saying the same thing. First of all, these guys looked disappointed that they couldn't see anything. I don't know about you, but I do better if I can't sight fish and just find them by catching them. Also, steelhead are so well concealed, that there are a lot more than people flatter themselves they can sight. I caught this hen in an "empty" run.

I tried all kinds of flies but they seemed to like # 8 and #10 eggs and egg sucking leeches. I had my indicator on a short dropper with Dacron stoppers. These stoppers were just uni knots tied on the leader. The heavier pencil leads helped me get it down and run it right at them. I weighted it so it "ticked" once in awhile. I fished a broad deep stretch of water. It was overcast and the river had a nice stain. The gauge at Custer said the river was still high down there, but it was perfect for me. The occasional porpoising male told me they were still there. I caught this guy at 6:10 A.M. Thursday, in the dark and a strong downpour.

I got an early start and saw dawn on the river twice. What's different is you can relax because of the warming weather. The animals know it is spring. The bird sounds were tremendous. The coyotes and owls were also celebrating. The frogs came in strong. A perfect V of over 100 geese flew over in the setting moonlight in a perfect, unbroken formation.

This hen had a big lamprey that tried to get back in the water but didn't make it past the boot heel of the the guy from Indiana who graciously took this picture. He inherited my spot.

I fished the Pere Marquette river last night after a 3.5" deluge the day before and took a humorous dunker. Trying to avoid some deep water at a well known bend, I was going through some slack water back in the woods. I thought I had avoided the cutoff, then the bottom went out. I bobbed like a cork in the neoprene.I was just about washed away last night and I fished through the fall salmon deluge. I'm back in A2 waiting it out. Bob gave good information and I checked the gauge- wrong thinking there. The crest hadn't reached Custer yet. We never stop learning and I have a problem with patience. I'll be back Monday. I stubbornly fished my current favorite run where I caught eight last week, but it seemed like they were dispersed. The real experts might have a comment on what happens in high water.

Briefly: I fished the White and got three walleyes (one was 11#) while a buddy got three steelhead and a big brown on eggs. I fished the evening on the PM and got four steelhead and the next morning I got four more fishing eggs and egg-sucking leeches.

I drove to Hesperia from Ann Arbor and spent the night at the All Seasons motel which is connected to the local bait shop. It's a nice place and I bought some swivels in the tackle shop. I had to spend the night to make the call at 8:00 A.M. to meet Dave for fishing. After I ate dinner I went over by the bridge below the dam. I heard splashing and I thought of spawning steelhead. I got my rod and was back a few minutes later. Downriver I realized the river was boiling with walleyes. I could see the eyes in the water. I couldn't believe the commotion they made on the surface. It reminded me of the salmon run when they get into high spawn gear and chase each other around. I just enjoyed watching the scene, glad to be on the river.

On Tuesday, I fished the White river with my buddy Dave Dean who has fished the river for thirty years. He was generous in showing many places below Garfield Road that I had not been to before on my own explorations. I had a chance at a sighted fish but missed. Dave was fishing spawn and connected with a nice one and landed it. That was to be the story on eggs versus flies on the day. We moved upriver and spotted his truck at Garfield Road and toured the section between the washed out bridge and Garfield. Dave fished deep runs and caught two more fine steelhead and a 17" brown. The walleyes were thick and one nice "steelhead" I fished turned out to be an 11# walleye. I caught a few more. It was hard not to. I had a great time learning new places. I was getting a little competitive at the mounting score but resisted going to the dark side. I was happy to net some fish. Other fisherman did not report much catching and we did not sight many fish. One hole we fished, Dave said he hauled 16 steelhead out of one year. I was surprised at his endurance since he had a hip replacement.

I checked into the Red Moose in Baldwin around 6:00 P.M. and Clint told me where to fish. When I got there three guides and six clients were looking proprietary. The clients were catching a lot of fish but I had time on my side. I went downriver to continue a personal challenge to catch a steelhead in a fast deep run that goes under a small overhanging tree. It looks like snag heaven but isn't. The game is fun because of the nearly impossible cast necessary. A large male hammered my offering and I reeled fast as he charged me, went downriver, and then headed for the opposite bank. He was fair hooked and pumping the rod. The upriver guys looked because of some fine jumps. I turned him in the run below the tree and thought "OK, I'm in control." Hah, he blasted back under the tree and broke off. I thought back and remembered pulling hard to get my tackle out of a tree. Live and learn, again and again. My heart was racing. My fishing trips had produced meager numbers so this event continued my drought.

My luck changed when the boats pulled out. I moved up the river. I was pleased to be casting over fish and equally pleased to use my independence and night vision honed from many years of walking in the woods after my walker coon hounds. In an hour and a half I landed four fine hard bucks on the same egg. they were slamming it. The moon never appeared and I felt good about the morning's prospect. No doubt abut it, the run is on.

I thought the river would be crowded so I got up at five, got coffee and headed out from my truck at 6:00. Based on the ease with which I caught fish the night before, I thought the catching would be easy. I did catch four fine smaller looking bucks, but the first one came at 8:30. It was 19 degrees on the way in and I noticed the fish were not moving much. Tangerine eggs and egg sucking leeches worked for me. The first boat came by at 11:30 and blew right by. They complimented me on the fish I was photographing. Never saw another person. I left at that time.

Briefly: I got three browns (eggs) and a nice steelhead (egg sucking leech- tangerine head) fishing the PM on a co