The Summer That Didn't Happen

Blog neglected? Absolutely. Busy summer? Absolutely. Fishing much? Not me.

Just want to include a few images from this past summer.

Week of Fathers Day, dad and I went north for a few days to do a little kayak fishing. We hit three small lakes in north-central lower Michigan. We managed to catch a few fish. Not much to write about, but hey, for us, anything is pretty good! The most notable party of our experience at this lake was the mosquito activity. We were swarmed. From the time we opened the car doors, they were on us immediately. It was raining a bit, but even after it stopped, I continued to cover myself up with waders, rain jacket, hood, gloves, and buff on my face.

Here are a few pics from another lake in the region. We did catch a few fish here, although no pictures taken. I found this neat little creek flowing either into or out of this lake. I don't recall current direction. There was a seriously nice-sized bass where this creek met the lake, but I effectively scared him off with my casting.

July brought me north with my future bride and her family for a family vacation in Boyne Mountain.

Harbor Springs was one of our day trips while staying in Boyne

If you haven't been to Leggs Inn, you owe it to yourself. Food is exceptional, but still doesn't compare to the scenery. 

South Branch of Boyne River. Marked as a designated trout stream. Mid July, I came stocked with small dry flies, mostly stimulators. I even picked up a few from Boyne Outfitters. 

The guys at the shop failed to mention I might encounter this insects, though. Hex hatch happening. I've never experienced one on a river; only by Lake St. Clair. Not a fish sighted, though. Didn't matter. Largest fly on me was probably a size 16.

Wilderness State Park shoreline, north of Harbor Springs

 Had a fun outing in August with my dad on our boat in Lake St Clair. Rode out from Salt River over to the North Channel area. Just drifted and casted for bass. Dad boated a couple bass. Guess who didn't.

Finally, September came and a friend asked me to come out with him and his son. His son turned 9 and got a great gift, an Orvis rod and reel with a pair of waders. We decided to go out at the pond in front of our subdivision.

Luke showing us how it's done. Nice first fish on the fly.

I had a couple fun encounters on the end of my line this day, too. I threw out a wolly bugger in a group of four of five bass. One went for it, hooked itself, and threw the hook before I landed it. Fun, none the less, especially on a 8' 4 WT. 

A little while later, I was throwing Clouser Minnow. I chucked it out as far as I could; maybe 25 or 30 feet. I let it sink a while and slowly stripped it in. With ten feet of line left out, I thought I was caught on the bottom, but the bottom suddenly brought quite a fight. Then nothing. Line broke at one of my surgeons knots in my leader. It was something sizable. Funny how the biggest fish we encounter are the ones we don't handle (or even see for that matter).

The wedding day is fast approaching. Not sure how much I'll get out before fall truly sets in. I plan on going out to throw some flies for trout this afternoon, providing the river isn't too high after last night's rain. I'll try to post a quick report.

Much to Say, Not Much to Report

Happy Spring, Everyone. Traveled up to the Grayling area Friday morning with Tim from Clinton Valley Trout Unlimited's annual weekend at Wa Wa Sum. Great times were had, for sure. Spoiler Alert: no fish were caught by me all weekend. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to get out and fish, but the catching could not have been more lousy.

Michigan's most popular micro brew posing by Michigan's most popular trout stream.

Looking upstream from the Spite river access on the Main Branch of the Au Sable.

After gourmet breakfast sandwiches served at home, Tim and I were on the road around ten in the morning. Shortly after dropping bags off at lodge, we were on the river before two in the afternoon, with Jason and Tim O. Jason and Tim fished downstream, on a more gravelly stretch of water, while Tim O and I fished upstream in a mostly sandy stretch of stream. I don't know by how much, but the water was running high.... and cold. We were not out but maybe a couple hours. My offerings didn't receive any attention, as far as I could tell. I'm not sure if Tim O faired any better. Downstream however, Jason and Tim B at least had some insect activity to watch. I'm not sure if they had any takes on hendrickson dries or droppers, but later on, back at the access site, Jason had a nice strike from a small brown on a streamer. The hook set pulled the little guy out of the water, but he came unhooked almost immediately when airborne.

I learned during this outing I am not a fan of fishing up stream, especially with nymphs and streamers. You need to strip so quickly just to keep up with slack, let alone provide some action on fly. I also witnessed how a little gravel can help you out if you are looking for specific insect activity (hendricksons were trickling off downstream in the gravel water). It didn't matter, though, as fish were not feeding, at least at our offerings.

I also learned that I am not an ideal candidate for steelhead fishing, as the weather was raw. Water was cold, and the air temperature was even colder. First time I was stream fishing and wore winter gloves. I know this is the norm for October, November, and winter fishing. This is not the norm for my trout fishing outings.

Saturday morning brought frost and frozen waders left outside. A group of four of us headed to the Manistee River after a late breakfast, giving ample time for the suns rays to kiss the river's water. I am not sure if this mattered. We didn't bring any fish to hand, either way. Jason suggested going to the Manistee River. As a result of all of us forget to bring the river map/guide book, we wound-up doing a few laps back and forth of the road looking for our intended access point.

The Manistee River is different than the Au Sable River; it has much more sand than the Au Sable. It is also much more difficult to wade than the Au Sable (at least the Holy Waters section). Not only was this stretch surprisingly deep, but if you wen't up to brim of your waders, the slower water velocity deposited silt and lose sand. This in turn resulted in sinking three feet down, even when you were in one foot of water. Also, it appears that you need to fish the structure (meaning wood), but also edges and drop offs if you can see them. In the Au Sable, fish can really be anywhere, there is so much cover, riffles, drop offs, vegetation, etc.

The Manistee's color has a more tannic tinge, as the surrounding land is predominately cedar swamps.

Jason working some woody bottom structure and cover

Tim looking for wadable water with stable bottom composition

Matt treading cautiously to find the crossing spot... or possible swimming spot.

During this day trip, I regularly ditched the river to avoid deep sections and to admire the forest. It was really neat to walk through the woods to both get in and out of the river. I find it fun just to get out and explore a bit.

Many downed trees and even a couple deer carcasses lay in the forest. Not sure if they were lefty by hunters (highly doubt it), or died from a harsh winter, but it was a reminder that there is wildlife in the area. I chose not to photograph the dead deer.

I was waiting for a black bear to come greet me, but no luck today

a little over exposure on one of the back trees, but still a nice picture. The river is back there.

I know we all had a good time, even those of us that managed to get a little wet. I fell in the water while sanding one foot from the bank. I wound up falling just up the top of my waders. One of us had a moment in too deep of water and got cold river water well inside his breathable waders. The same suspect also had a humorous moment while falling backward on the bank, while facing the river, which resulted in the slowest motion fall I've ever witnessed. Cameras never ready for the best moments.

Next time, I'll be taking a watercraft of some sort to this stretch of water.

Great weekend would be an understatement.

Night sky over the Au Sable

Lodge Decor

It was so cold that if not attached to wall, it was nearing use as a blanket

Can't wait until next year. Get out there...

Gear Review: SmithFly 2X

This was the inauguration of my SmithFly 2X Pouch. I like it, but it needs a strap. I had it attached to my wading belt. This would be fine for small stream wading. Not fine for regularly wading up to your arm pits, as experienced in the Manistee River.

Also, I would prefer something that holds more than some tippet and one fly box. The 2X is not ideal when you are throwing streamers and dries and they are stored in different boxes. It's nice to have room for at least two boxes; you don't have that space with the 2X.

The product works as advertised, but I think I should have gone with something larger. Next time, I'll take a larger sling bag or chest pack, specifically my Fishpond Blue River chestpack. Mine was on it's way back to me after having some broken zippers repaired.

The 2X will be going on my summer carp outings. It will also be used on summer time trout stream trips where I take 2 or 3 small dry fly boxes, filled with tiny dry flies. My SmithFly El Poquito attaches perfectly to the front of the 2X. I'd recommend it, as long as you have needs for extreme minimalist days.

Wa Wa Sum or Bust

Headed Up North for the weekend with some folks from our Clinton Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Last year was my first time up at the lodge. I am looking forward to some fishing, eating great food, drinking some fine beers, and hanging out with some great folks.

Here are some images from last year. Looking forward to adding a few more this year...

I'll report back in a few days. Get out there.

Cold Weather Fishing for Warm Water Fish

Headed out to Stoney Creek Metro Park today with my friend Scott. Scott is getting reacquainted with the sport and, for better or worse, is getting advice from yours truly.

We had choices: walk and wade Paint Creek, walk and wade the Clinton River, kayak Lake St. Clair, kayak Stoney Creek, or wade Stoney Creek. Because of the brisk winds today, I figured controlling a kayak and re-familiarizing yourself with fly casting was a tall order. And due to all the recent rains, the rivers are very high (two times their median flow).

yeah, maybe in a couple days if it stops raining

I hear this is a great time of year for pike fishing. They are in the shallows and post spawn fish are very aggressive. Supposedly you can sight fish for rather large pike.

With this in mind, I decided we should walk and wade the shoreline of Stoney Creek Lake. Temperatures were in the upper 40's, winds were steady and moderate from the west, and the sun was visible somewhere above the thick clouds. Although difficult to fly cast with the wind, I really thought it would be a good fishing/catching day. I was wrong.

We fished the shoreline of the middle portion of the lake, Scott making his way south, me working northward. It was here that Scott caught his first fish of the season, a bluegill.

I believe I recently stated one of these days I'll post a picture of an actual fish. And I was right that it likely would not be caught by me. Pardon the image quality as he had to take it himself as I was a little ways away. Scott's bluegill:

hey, a fish is a fish, right?

 After some time out there with no other action, I suggested we explore a new area to cast.

As we made our way to a new location the weather got nastier, and that is saying something. The intermittent sprinkles became a steady rain, justifying the rain jackets and hoods.

For as ugly as it was outside, it was quite beautiful at the same time. A few parts of the woods are starting to show some green. The lake has very little weed growth, which won't last for long. Not surprising, there were only a few die hards out on the lake; one guy fishing the bank, and three anglers in a small bass boat. The best part was getting to spend some time outside with a friend.

Next time we will remember to rehydrate with the goods in the cooler. Hopefully, next time we will be in the mood for them, as opposed to hot chocolate and coffee.

Until next time, get out there...

Jokes on Me: Clinton River Outing and Tax Day

The afternoon of Friday, April 11th treated me with a spontaneous outing with my friend Tim from Clinton Valley TU on the Clinton River in Shelby Township, MI. It was another beautiful day, high in the 70's, very few clouds, and gentle breezes. You could not ask for better weather for pretty much any outdoor activities, except maybe steelhead fishing.

After sharing a delicious, yet greasy, Little Caesars Hot-N-Ready, stream side, we walked in to access the river near Ryan Road. Tim was trying his luck with various nymphs and buggers using a floating line with weight on his leader. I on the other head, decided to be a little less practical and a little more aggressive given the conditions: 250 grain weight forward sinking line, chucking streamers.

Tim working a run.

Sad to admit, but I have lived in SE Michigan my entire life, and this was my first time fishing the Clinton River. The Michigan DNR plants steelhead smolts in the river every year, and they do ascend the river starting in the fall and continue to do so through to spring when they eventually spawn. I do not know if there is any successful natural reproduction due to the river's summertime low flows and high temperatures. I imagine there is some success in some of the main river's tributaries.

Because of my limited knowledge of the river, I didn't know how to gauge if the river was running high, low, clear, stained, etc.  It seemed to have decent clarity on this day.

I do know the river it is surprisingly beautiful, considering it is surrounded by subdivisions and strip malls. I also learned the river is full of snags; likely submerged branches, rocks, garbage, and human bodies. Between the two of us, we lost more than a dozen flies in a few hours of fishing. Par for the course, I suppose. They say if you aren't losing flies, you aren't fishing in the right spots. Unlike other outings, I did not care at all about losing these flies, because I actually tied all of them.

In summary, I had a tasty lunch with a great guy, lost some flies, saw a yellow perch in a shallow, backwater area, Tim nearly hooked a smaller trout, and we got to soak in some much needed sun.

Tax Day, April 15th, 2014: Joke is on us.

After experiencing beautiful, warm weather for a few days, Mother Nature reminded us good things don't last. This is what I woke up to this morning:

It would be more beautiful if it were in November or December. 

I guess the good part is we officially had the snowiest winter in Metro Detroit history: 94.8 inches.

Empty promise: I promise I will one of these days post a picture on this "fishing" blog with a picture of a fish. It will likely be caught by somebody else.

Snow aside, the lakes have thawed out. Get out there...

Good Day for Fishing, Great Day for Paddling, Terrible Day for Catching

I think the title says it all, but I'll share more. Spoiler alert: No fish were caught... at least by us. Dad and I took the kayaks out for the first time this year. Since I had three days off in a row, I originally planned on heading up north. The responsible part of my brain decided to take over those northern thoughts, and I ended-up staying home. However, staying home on days off means fishing close to home.

I decided to go to Lake St. Clair Metropark. Figured the ice was mostly gone (note last week's reconnaissance mission). We launched at the boat ramp back in the canals and wetlands, figuring it would be too rough and exposed with the steady southeast wind (and probably iced in) from the Day Sail launch right on the lake. Maybe that east wind was an indicator fish would ignore my offerings.

Hey, I'm just happy to finally be out!

 In an attempt to heed some advice shared by fellow bloggers Jason  (http://www.fontinalisrising.com/2014/04/gear-review-fish-like-local-with.html), from northern Michigan, and Mel (http://pondstalker.blogspot.com/), I tried to keep it simple. Admittedly, I am both a hoarder and kind of a boy scout at heart, so I tend to "be prepared" out there. When I go out, I always reflect on episodes of "I Shouldn't Have Survived", and think about how all of the people featured were only going out for a couple hours.

The only gear to set out with this day was my new 9'3'' 8WT Mystic fly rod, three reels (one with a sink tip, one with a floating line, and one with a multi-tip line), and my little Fish Pond chest pack with ONE fly box. I brought my trout/bass streamer box. I brought along the fish finder, too. Not exactly necessary, but I am glad I had it with me. If it were not for the fish finder, I'd swear the lake was fished-out.

My old man enjoying time on the water with his favorite son

I am not a flies-only elitist, but I almost always use the long rod. Dad brought a short, ultra-light Ugly Stick (I think) with intention of finding some perch,

Picture of fish finder at random moment along outing. Something is down there.

Another random moment showing evidence of something living down there.

Something bigger, or more likely a bigger group of small guys. This was also right by the ice. Check out that water temp.

And yet more critters below me.

Ice that is still hanging on.

This was the first time I've paddled in water with ice. I was wearing breathable waders up to my waistline, and a long sleeve t-shirt under a fleece. I was very comfortable, temperature-wise. I am really glad I didn't fall out or flip the kayak like I did last summer. That's a story for another post. That summer day I learned to have everything, and I mean everything, secured to the boat.

If you were wondering what flies and tackle do not work in the canals of Metro Beach, they are:
-small white, cone-head buggers
-biggish black, barbell eye buggers
-small muddler-style minnows
all fished on a 250 grain sink-tip line. Dead drifted/trolled and short, small strips. Nothing, nothing, and nothing.

Swedish pimples didn't work for my dad, too.

Oh well, at least we got out. It was actually pretty great.

Thursday, April 10th, 2014

Stoney Creek Lake/Ice Report

Took a brief drive today to Stoney Creek.

As you can see, it's mostly open, but man does it look nasty out there. This was the windward side of the lake today. Even if you go out past the sloppy ice, you'd be getting blown all over the place with the strong wind. Actually, you'd wind up back in the ice.

I'll be out here soon. And with that,

Get out there...