Spring is Here!

This is stealing an idea from another message board I know...but I think its a cool idea. Turn up the volume as you read the report and you'll know why I chose this song. LOVE me some Old Crow.....

This past weekend was mother nature's way of officially announcing the arrival of spring. After some very heavy snowfall the previous weekend and some cold/windy days during the week this weekend was absolutely perfect. Saturday was spent on some local water with a fairly large crew. Joining the usual suspects were Bryan and Justin from Alabama who had traveled almost 14 hours by car to chase steelhead for the first time. I met Bryan on a southern trout fishing message board and after talking to him for a while some plans for a trip north were derived. Bryan is an excellent photographer who has just put together a new website I would recommend checking out (www.reviveflyfishing.com). Bryan and Justin had been fishing since mid-day Wednesday and despite each hooking several fish over the course of a few days they were yet to land a fish. Below are some photos taken during that time, all courtesy of C.B Crumpler photohraphy....





We set out to try and get them a fish....or at least have someone else land one so they could see one up close and get some photos. They started off the day in a choice run.....



Things were slow for a little while as the water warmed up but Jeff stuck the first fish after the first fly change. Joe was able to net this bright fish quickly and easily and Bryan was able to get to work on some photos. Photos below courtesy of C.B Crumpler Photography...



What followed was probably the poorest day of landing fish that I've ever seen! It started with me hooking a fish in the same run as Jeff that quickly got me into wood and pulled free. Next up was Justin as he hooked a thick winter buck. After about 30 seconds of labored breathing on his end the hooks pulled free and you could hear the frustration in his voice as he screamed out. Luckily we had plenty of bourbon and cigars to help ease the pain.

This cruel joke continued as we moved upstream. I hooked a fish from an impossible spot after joking about what it would do to me if I hooked up. It ran straight for the logjam and, as predicted, cleaned out my entire rig. Upstream in another notoriously difficult to fish spot Joe and Jeff both hooked up at the same time for a true double....and then both lost their fish at almost exactly the same time. Jeff then hooked another fish from the same spot...and promptly lost it 15 seconds later. We hiked upstream to another good run and we all hung out and watched each other fish while we licked our wounds. When it was my turn up I called my shot, saying I was going to hook a fish in the tailout of the run. I guessed right (photo courtesy of C.B. Crumpler photography)...

What I didn't count on was, once again, after a couple minute battle, loosing the fish. At this point it was almost comical. We had about 2 hours of light left at this time and decided to head back and fish some of the water again. First stop for me was a quick chute that always looks good but I've never hooked in before. First drift was met with a flash of silver and the fight that ensued was fast and furious in the tight confines of a side channel. Near the end the fish got wrapped up in my top fly, bounced off the side of the net, got into the fast current, and was gone in no time. 1 for 9!! Things slowed waaay down after that, but Jeff had to go and hook (and loose) 1 more fish just before dusk to make it an even 1 for 10. To add a little salt to the wound, just before leaving I blew up my Beulah switch rod making a roll cast. The fish won....for now anyways! With the Alabama crew departing early the next morning I was really dissapointed Bryan and Justin didn't land any fish, but I think they came away with a awesome impression of these magnificent game fish. Steelhead are perhaps the most cherished freshwater fish on the planet and for good reason. Some days can be really good and you can loose appreciation for their difficulty....but then days like this kick you between the legs and leave you mumbling to yourself all the way home. I also wanted to thank the guys for bringing up some killer local brews from the dirty. A handful of Brown Ale's and I was ready for day 2!

The next day we went right back to the same water, adding my Dad to the mix. We started in the same run as the day before, and I didn't even have my flies tied on yet before I heard Dad yell and heard the splash of a cartwheeling fish. To continue on with yesterdays lesson in humility that fish got off a few seconds later. When I was rigged and ready to fish I went to the run above my Dad and I dont think it took more than a dozen drifts to hook a bright fish on a sparkle stone. Determined not to loose her I played the fish carefully downstream into some softer water and Dad was waiting with the net. It felt good to break the skunk.


After I released that fish I told Joe and Jeff to hop in and Joe hooked up almost immediately from the same spot.

The fish was out of control right from the get go and it wasn't that surprising when it got him in a bad position and popped free a few seconds later. We played around in those two runs for a while and then Dad hooked up again on a prince nymph. It looked like we were going to loose him right at the end as it got tangled in some wood near the bank but I was able to dig him out with the net. This buck had some awesome red cheeks.


I decided to make one more pass through that run and proceeded to hook one for just a split second before we moved upstream. We hooked 3 more in the next two pools and lost them all. The higher water the last two days made landing fish really difficult and it was certainly frustrating. Jeff and Joe decided to take off and Dad and I fished for another hour and a half or so. In the same run that I called my shot in yesterday I called it again. We had both fished through with an assortment of flies with only a small rainbow to hand. I said, "nobody has fished a parr pattern yet....im gonna stick one on a parr!" Three drifts later I was running down through some fast water chasing a fish that murdered my parr as it swung out at the end of the drift. After several minutes of battling the fish in heavy fast water I was able to steer him into a little cove and tail him. My camera was 150 yards upstream and Dad was on the other side of the river so I gave him a quick look and had him back in the water in a few seconds. Satisfying to say the least! I was able to hook one more super hot fish on the parr in the next run down river but he got below me and pulled free after about 20 seconds.
All in all it was a good day and a great weekend to be outside with friends and family. With nice weather and good company the fish are just a bonus and I feel very fortunate to have such magnificent fish so close to home. With a week of temps in the 60's and healthy water levels we may be making our first streamer run of the season this upcoming weekend and I cant wait! If not, I guess steelhead will have to do!

Winter Returns

This weekend winter returned to west Michigan. After alot of warmer than average temperatures and overall mild conditions this weekend felt alot more like what February is suppose to feel like. Saturday Jeff and I headed north to meet up with Joe for a late morning start. The farther north we drove the harder the snow fell and the worse the road conditions got. By the time we reached the parking lot where Joe was gearing up it was a winter wonderland.

The air temp was 24, and combined with the 9 inches of fresh snow we more or less had the whole river to ourselves. We bundled up, got the hand warmers started and walked up to the first run of the day. Joe went up to a little bucket he had hit a few fish out of earlier in the week and Jeff and I went for the main run. It has two pieces, a top and bottom, divided by a deep gravel bar, and I asked Jeff what piece he wanted. He said "whatever I pick, you'll step into the other piece and catch a fish right away." He then said he wanted the bottom. I started laughing when my fifth drift at the head of the run produced a hookup to a bright fish. The fish took us down around the corner but Jeff was able to tail this fine hen without too much trouble.

Pose.

That fish set the tone for a very memorable day. Upstream Joe hooked and lost 3 straight fish and was able to land a couple trout. This is the conversation between angler and net man of "what the hell just happened?"

A little later in the morning Jeff got on the board with this hex eating buck from some classic winter water.

Mugshot.

We tried alot of different types of water but for the most part the standard winter runs were still where the bulk of the fish seemed to be. As we moved downstream past where I caught the days first fish Joe decided to try a few casts and quickly hooked and lost his fourth of the day. After that we hit a lull for a few hours. We fished good water but couldnt find anymore fish except for this chunky brown Jeff hit on a hex nymph.

We made the decision to hike way downstream to two really good runs to close out the day. The first run looked excellent but came up a little short on expectations. We took turns throwing different bugs and I also took time to snap a few pictures.




Finally at the head of the run Joe had a hookup on a good fish that promptly took him down river and then, once again, got off. I felt bad for Joe, he was 0 for 5 and he wasn't doing anything wrong, the hooks were just pulling out. We've all had those days. With very little light left we hiked back up to the last run of the day. As we approaced I saw a fish boil mid-run, and then moments later it happened again. Jeff took the first pass through and had a fish on almost immediately. This fish was big and hot and ran and jumped wildly for a big submerged tree. Jeff did all he could but the fish busted him off. While Jeff re-tied I stepped in and on about the third drift my bobber dropped. Fish on! This fish went right for the wood too but I was barely able to steer him clear and down to open water. Joe came up with the net from below and was able to scoop up this really dark buck that ate a oregon cheese egg.

I decided to call it a night after that and watched Jeff and Joe fish for the last few minutes. Not to be outdone, Jeff hooked another fish right at dusk and this time kept it out of the wood and into Joe's net. A nice bright hen that also ate an egg.

Propeller.

That was the perfect way to end the day and we walked out in the near dark back to the truck. It was a shame that Joe wasn't able to land any, but everybody got multiple shots at fish and 4 were brought to hand along with 4 or 5 trout. Even better was we saw 1 other person all day and had a gorgeous backdrop all to ourselves!
The next day I fished with Jeff and my Dad and we headed to a different river, one I have not been on in several weeks. The fishing was much tougher today. We hooked up with 5 steelhead but due to some bad luck only 1 made it to the net, and even this one took a miracle to land. Luckily I made it count as this guy was a BEAST!


Despite a fairly tough steelhead bite the trout bit was better than it normally is for this river. I managed 4 to hand with one being a nice fat brown. Dad followed suite catching an almost identical brown about 10 minutes later.




Not a bad day, but a little slower than some of the days we've been having lately. Further proof that this year is spoiling us and we have lost sense of reality! Lots going on in the next few weeks....more steelhead this weekend, then some friends from Alabama are coming to try for their first steelhead the following weekend, and then hopefully the weekend after that will be our first streamer run of the season!

Solo Fishin'

The other day I was able to get out solo for a little while and had pretty good action in a short window of time. The fishing this winter continues to amaze me and I think its safe to say we are several weeks if not a full month ahead of schedule. I saw several fish spawning and there now seems to be a good mixture of fresh spring run fish and older winter fish. This was the day of the clown egg which was responsible for all 5 of my hookups. I brought 2 steelhead to hand along with a pair of browns, one of which being a solid 18'er with awesome coloration. The only fish I lost for the day stung the most.....it was a brown that looked at least a few inches larger than the one I landed. I wanted to cry when the hook pulled free, but if nothing else it shows that the browns are waking up from their winter nap and should be making more appearances as the year continues. It won't be too long before we break out the streamer rods and start targeting them specifically, but for now I am enjoying the heck out of the steelhead and the browns are a nice bonus. Being solo I just had the old point and shoot along and snapped a couple quick pictures before letting the fish go.......



Hopefully this weekend will provide more of the same. We are forecast to get up to 8 inches of snow overnight tonight into tomorrow so it should make for a more wintery scene! Life is good.........

A Fine Winter Day

Those of us who brave mother nature during her most inhospitable time of year have been called crazy, masochistic, and suicidal. Frozen fingers, icy rod guides, and alot of hours searching for a ghost like fish are all part of the quest. To those who don't share the sickness this seems like a waste of time. We know better, however, and every cast we can envision a silver bullet emerging from the inky black waters of the north woods. Last weekend I spent a few hours out on Saturday and Sunday and the wind chill was below zero both days. The rivers were vacant of other fisherman and for good reason.....the rod was icing so bad I could hardly cast. My beard was frozen and eyes watered and froze on my face. I finally gave up and already was looking forward to this weekend when temperatures would be a little more forgiving.
Yesterday was not warm by any means with a high around 28, but the week of warmer weather had the water temperature around 38 degrees and the fish were active. It was the kind of day we fish all winter for. Our first stop was probably the best winter run in the upper river. Despite multiple passes through with 3 guys and over a dozen flies donated to the wood we couldn't buy a hookup. Moving downriver we came to another favorite deep pinch and right away Jeff hooked and lost a nice sized brown. He then promptly hooked and lost 2 more big fish in a row. The first was a steelhead.....but the second is the one that will have us wondering for a long time. It looked like a BIG lake run brown but we will never know. Jeff was obviously pissed at loosing 3 straight fish and joked that I would probably hook one next and land it quickly. I didn't want to disappoint him, so a few casts later I hooked a bright fish and got it to hand without too much trouble.

The purple sheen of a winter hen is perhaps my favorite coloration of any fish I catch....

Not to be outdone, Jeff made 1 cast after landing that fish for me and came tight on another steelhead. This time we were able to give chase downriver and make use of Dad's net. This buck shows the male coloration in the winter.

We went back up to see if any other fish in that run wanted to play but that was it. We moved downstream aways to another run that we caught some fish from back in January. Dad went through first with his CND rig and just couldn't buy a fish. Thinking that he would have caught whatever was in there I fished it hard and after several minutes I had a very brief hookup with a steelhead at the tail of the pool. I roll casted back out and just a little farther downstream I hooked another fish, this time getting a good hookset. I got one good jump and a couple hard runs before walking her downstream 50 yards and Jeff scooping her up in the net.

Goin back....

That fish made my day and I pretty much just played around with the camera for the rest of the day. Took a few cool shots as we fished our way downstream back to the truck.



Not far from the truck Jeff caught two small trout in a row out of a fast chute and then dad broke his skunk for the day with a nice 14 inch brown. It scooted off before I could grab a pic. Thinking that was going to be it for the day dad moved downstream to a pool I have never fished for steelhead but he has done well in at other times of the year. Jeff and I were BS'ing up river when I heard him yell "FISH!" I looked downstream to see a fish cartwheeling out of the water. Jeff hopped on the video camera and I played net man. Dad did a nice job keeping this spunky hen out of the wood and soon I had her in the net.

Father and son shot to close out an awesome winter day....

Winter steelhead...ain't nothing else like em. Should be excellent for the next month or so and then we will be switching gears to some big brown trout. Be good.........