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Manistee River - October 11th, 2008
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing RECORDED:66 °FISHING: Excellent
OCTOBER 11, 2008
MICHIGAN
Salmon and steelhead are the primary focus right now on northwest Michigan streams. And, brother, are they finning upstream! We had a blast on the Boyne River again last Thursday. LOTS of fish in a beautiful environment.
Kate absolutely LOVES the Boyne. She wades its cedar-lined banks in hip-boots during the summer in search of steelhead smolts, and absolutely MUST make at least one “pilgrimage” there every summer.
The salmon, of course, are on a Spawning Mission right now and really aren’t interested in anything except, well, you understand! But they WILL devastate a big ugly streamer pattern that’s irritatingly dangling in front of their big ugly jaws.
We’ve been using a lot of different colors. A purple bunny-tail streamer with silver Mylar body has produced. So have black bunny-tails with gold bodies, silver Flash-Flies, Showgirls, Popsicles, and big (size 6) black stone nymphs.
On rivers such as the Pere Marquette and lower Manistee, add the little green free-swimming Rhyacophelia caddis larva, smaller black stone nymphs (size 10), and Hex nymphs (size 6) to your mix of offerings in hopes of nailing a steelhead or big brown.
They’ll be holding in the deeper holes behind the salmon spawning redds.
Of course, egg patterns in cerise, orange, and chartreuse are a “must” if you’re primarily interested in steelies and browns. Fish them as a dropper about 18 inches above the “point” streamer that’s targeting the Chinook.
And above ALL else, get your flies deep—either with sink-tip lines and VERY short (3-to-4-foot) fluorocarbon leaders—or by adding lead. I very much prefer tossing sink-tip lines rather than using the “chuck-and-duck” method. I’m sure you will, too.
The secret is to target the dominant male, along with the “wannabes” who constantly dart onto the spawning redd tangling with The Big Guy for the hen’s amorous attentions.
When “the guys” are mixing it up, that’s the prime time to get a fly in front of them. They’re so embroiled in battle that they simply snap at just about anything big and gaudy floating past their faces.
What I tell my clients is that “if you hook the hen, she’s going to get mad and go off someplace to sulk. That’s like having the only good-looking woman leave the nightclub. All the guys leave, too!”
Jack Brake, who never had fished stream salmon before—let along with a fly rod—had a marvelous time last week. True, he didn’t land a King Salmon, but he certainly had fun with them.
“What an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day,” he said several times. And, it was. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the river was loaded with “targets of opportunity.”
What more could ANY angler ask for? He fair-hooked two, which gave him an “uh,uh,uh,thesethingsarereallyPOWERFUL” introduction to salmon, and foul-hooked three.
“What should I do?” he asked. Then pointed the rod tip at the fish and did The Right Thing. Breaking off, that is!
If you’re more interested in catching stream-bred brown trout and brookies, Michigan’s fly-only stretches are open year-round on a catch-and-release basis.
That means if you come to the Grayling/Gaylord area you can work the Manistee River from M-72 to CCC Bridge, or the Au Sable “Holy Water” from Burton’s Landing to Wakeley Bridge.
OR, you could do a “Cast & Blast”—which brings us to the…
ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE
This grouse and woodcock season has been superb throughout all of northern Michigan. Probably the best in many years. EVERYBODY is reporting birds, birds, birds.
Ken McIntyre was no exception today. We “flew” 13 birds in just a few hours of “boot-time.” Mostly in the morning, before the temps climbed into the lower 70s.
He harvested two grouse—one over his seven-year-old Gordon Setter, Ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee, and means “party” in Scottish) along with a woodcock—and the other over Ghost.
Dave Stellingworth and Bob Steiner were with me Monday and Tuesday, and we “flew” 36 birds in those two days. Lots of opportunities. Lots of fun. LOTS of walking the upland woods. Also lots of empty hulls, with just enough success to keep things interesting.
Poor Heart is still “in prison” and hasn’t been allowed to roam the woods because of several egregious gaffes in the field. First go to the Articles dropdown and read “Heart’s Great Adventure.” Then read the recount in the Featured Article on the Home Page.
You’ll get a bunch of chuckles. I certainly didn’t!
Tuesday, however, he’s going to have a chance to sniff some chukkar while tethered to a 40-foot lead. The 16-month-old boy’s testosterone level is WAY over the top and his legs and hormones keep overrunning his nose.
But he sure went nuts when I dressed Ken’s birds this afternoon!
Now I have to rein him in if he’s going to get into ANY wild birds this season. The thing is, he’s just so darn smart and handsome and Kate loves him SO much I just HAVE to get him to concentrate on birds.
So, we’re going to Jim Avery’s bird farm where Ghost got HER first sniff of pigeons and chukkar. ELEVEN YEARS AGO!! My, my, that just doesn’t seem possible.
Temps tomorrow are forecast for mid-to-high 70s, then it’s going to drop in time for Greg and Geoff Bump to hunt with me on Monday.
Mike Beatty’s going to hunt with me Tuesday afternoon (helping out at Avery’s) and Wednesday, then Bill (Magoo) Ross and Don (No-T) Schulz will tromp around with us on Thursday.
I’ve got some days open later in the month if you’re interested!!!!!!
FLORIDA
The big news is that Kate and I are heading down early this year! We’re leaving Deward on November 8, and I’ll be ready to start fishing the flats and backcountry on the 12th.
That’s just about the time Spanish mackerel and Bonito (also known as Little Tunny or False Albacore) start their annual fall migration. And boy are THEY a bunch of fun. Bonito are my second-favorite fish to hook after tarpon. Run fast, dive deep, and fightfightfight.
So, if you’re planning to be in southwest Florida (anywhere from Tampa to Marco Island) over the Thanksgiving holiday—or anytime thereafter throughout the winter and spring—you know how to reach me.
The Christmas-to-New Year’s week is always a madhouse, along with Easter/Spring Break. So get with me quickly if you’re interested in days during those time frames.
Of course, I’ll be back in Michigan for a couple of weeks around trout opener the last Saturday in April before heading back to Florida to chase tarpon in May, June, and early July.
During the fall, winter, and spring we focus upon baby tarpon in the rivers, snook (mostly under the lights at night in the winter), redfish, spotted sea trout, jack crevalle, ladyfish, and whenever we can find those elusive rascals—cobia and tripletail.
Obviously, I specialize in fly fishing, but in Florida I also have a complete arsenal of spinning gear. Many days I’ve got a fly angler on the bow and his/her buddy or child (sometimes multiples, since I can carry three anglers on my Hewes Redfisher 18) casting from the stern.
MONTANA
The Golden Days of Fall will soon be turning to the Snowy Frigid Winter. So get with Capt. Gospo at www.jacklinsflyshop.com right now if you still have a longing to fish the Madison, Missouri, or Yellowstone National Park.
AuSable River - September 18th, 2008
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing RECORDED:67 °FISHING: Excellent
SEPTEMBER 18, 2008
MICHIGAN
Chinook salmon have flooded many of the rivers on the west side of the state, including the Boyne, where I’ll be next Tuesday with John Manley. We might even get into some steelhead, and big brown trout feeding on eggs that drift downstream from the spawning redds.
Unfortunately, the salmon fishery in Lake Huron has totally crashed because zebra mussels have devastated the grasses that provided the plankton that alewives fed upon.
No alewives, no salmon. It’s that simple. To make matters even worse, the numbers—and size—of Chinook coming out of Lake Michigan has dwindled to a fraction of its former glory.
It’s entirely possible that Michigan’s once-fabled salmon fishery might cease to exist within two or three years unless someone can find a way to control those invasive zebras!
Thank God for the hydroelectric dams that protect the upper Manistee and Au Sable rivers from invasion!
The “Sisters,” as they’re called by a lot of the locals, remain two of America’s finest trout streams—WILD TROUT streams, I must add. No plastic fish. Just big, brawling browns and gorgeous brookies.
Charles Murphy floated the Au Sable “Holy Water” with me on Tuesday. We had a small caddis hatch, and he raised several fish on size 16 olive and gray caddis patterns.
His best fish, however, came to an orange-body “Tarantula,” which is a variation on the venerable Michigan Skunk, which has a black body with white rubber legs and a white wing.
Tarantulas, which originated in the Rockies, have bodies tied in a variety of colors and incorporate Krystal Flash for some additional attraction, along with rubber legs.
Both rivers were up a bit and slightly tea-colored because of several days of hard rain, but even as we floated on Tuesday the Au Sable was clearing.
We’ve had several “Indian Summer” days recently, with more in the forecast, and both rivers are fishing extremely well during the warmest parts of the day.
I talked with Bob Linseman a few minutes ago, and he said streamers in white, black, and tan have been producing well on the Au Sable below Mio. “I’ve had reports of two 24-inch fish in the past couple of days,” he said.
“And believe it or not, a couple guys came in who were camped at The Loop and said they had White Flies (E. lukon) the past two nights!”
Which also provides a wonderful opportunity for a “Cast & Blast”—bringing us to the…
ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE
Grouse season opened on the 15th and we had a marvelous time! Old friends Don Schulz and Bill Ross did the gun-toting. I handled Ghost and Heart. Eric Sharp, outdoors editor for the Detroit Free Press, took photos.
Everybody met here at Blue Lakes Junction for an old-fashioned Grayling breakfast of “lumberjack” pancakes slathered with Kate’s home-made blackberry sauce, venison sausage, bacon, and strong black coffee.
Pete Stephan, a good friend who regrettably passed away several years ago, first showed me how to make “Lumberjacks.” Here’s the recipe:
2 cups of flour
2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp sugar
dash of salt
2 eggs
water
Crisco
First, preferably in a cast iron skillet, melt enough Crisco to cover the bottom a 1/4-inch deep and make it smoking hot.
Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt, and create a depression in the middle of the mixture. Whisk the eggs and pour them into the depression. Then add some water and stir everything together, adding water until the mixture is “spoonable.”
Pour a quarter-cup of the mixture into the smoky skillet for each thick “pancake” and when tiny bubbles begin to form on the surface check to make sure the bottom is golden brown. Turn them over and when the bottom is golden they’re done. Maple syrup, of course, is a good substitute of you don’t have blackberry or blueberry sauce.
The name, as you might imagine, came from the logging era of the late 1800s and early 1900s here in northern Michigan. As you can see from the recipe, they were easily made over a fire in a remote camp,
And, once you make them, you’ll taste why they were such a favorite!
OK—back to The Hunt.
We hadn’t driven a quarter-mile from my house when I saw two grouse sneak across an opening between a small clump of trees and the riverbank.
Stopping my truck, I eased out and made a flapping motion with my arms and pointed at Don and Bill as if I was shooting a shotgun. They eased out of their truck while I fastened a beeper collar and bell around Ghost’s neck.
It took her approximately 35 seconds to lock on point. The bird flushed unseen, and so did another. Ghost took off through the tall, dense ferns, and within five more minutes she was on point again.
We drove to my intended spot and put Heart on the ground for his first-ever grouse hunt. He ran like the wind, but his beeper always was within hearing range.
Nine more grouse went up, and Don bagged one—Heart’s first grouse! Eric got a great photo, which he used in today’s paper along with an account of our adventure.
Ghost pointed two of the three woodcock we found at our next stop, but woodcock season doesn’t open until this Saturday. So, they’re still there—waiting to be turned into pate for our annual Wild Game Dinner on November 2.
The past two days have been equally spectacular. In fact, we’ve seen 24 grouse and 14 woodcock, averaging 12 birds PER HOUR! The dogs are having an absolutely marvelous time. And that, after all, is what this game is all about!
FLORIDA
I am extremely happy (for us) to report that the Venice/Sarasota/Port Charlotte area was untouched by the recent hurricanes—except for some high wind and heavy rain that kept anglers off the water.
Now that things have settled down, redfish in Lemon Bay and Charlotte Harbor are schooling up for the spawn. Big time. As in manymany fish.
Night snook fishing around lighted docks remains excellent, and there always are baby tarpon finning around in a few special places.
Look for “Gator” spotted sea trout on the deeper grass flats, and don’t miss getting outside—just off the barrier islands—for Spanish mackerel.
Kate and I will be back in Venice just before Thanksgiving, so if your plans include our part of the world don’t hesitate to get with me soon. In fact, the sooner the better.
MONTANA
Capt. John is floating the Madison, Missouri, and Yellowstone National Park every day. You can contact him through www.jacklinsflyshop.com.
Upper Manistee M72-CCC - October 11th, 2006
supplied by: Tight Loops Flyfishing RECORDED:43 °FISHING: Excellent
October 11, 2006
MICHIGAN
This is absolutely the ULTIMATE time for a Cast & Blast getaway in northern Michigan. King salmon have filled the rivers, and the upland gunning for grouse and woodcock has been superb.
In fact, Steve Shihanian is driving north from Lexington, KY, even as I type, exactly for that purpose. He’s packing fly rods, shotguns and a couple of English setters for five days of blissful fishing and hunting.
The fact that the “S”-word is in our forecast daunts him not at all. “I need to get away from the horse country for a while,” he said earlier this morning. “I don’t mind a little snow on the ground.”
Great attitude!
Great conditions, too. We’re averaging more than seven birds per hour (grouse and woodcock combined), which has given my clients a lot of excitement.
Jo-Jo Dorian was with me last Saturday, and he experienced the best we have to offer. The sunshine turned the aspen leaves a brilliant gold, the maples were flaming red, and the oaks were a deep burgundy.
Ghost and Ben found plenty of birds for him, and he managed to take home one woodcock. “I am fulfilled,” he said, as we shook hands goodbye. “What a great day to be in the woods.”
Don Schulz echoed that comment Sunday evening and Monday morning after I squired him through several different coverts. He was especially happy that he could contribute a bird to the woodcock pate that he will help consume at my wild game dinner November 4.
Yesterday, Bob Benz (who’s heading back home to Houston next Tuesday) got a thorough walkabout and took a grouse home for his dinner. We saw eight grouse and nine woodcock throughout the day, but Bob had trouble picking them up in flight so his Beretta didn’t go “bang” very often.
He and Jo-Jo are planning on hitting the Hexagenia hatch with me next June. I just hope the weather NEXT year is better than last June.
Overall, I’d have to rate the fishing season as very good. Not excellent, since cold temps (down to 35 degrees at night in late June) mostly wiped out the Hex hatch and spinner fall.
But our Isonychia hatch was long and productive. Same for Dorotheas and Baetis. Caddis, of course, are always prevalent.
The other strange thing about this past fishing season was that the big browns took a looooong time to key in on grasshoppers. Normally, we’re sticking nice fish during the daytime beginning in late July. This year it was nearly September before the big guys started gulping hoppers.
John Jepkema certainly had a blast the day he fished the Manistee with me and nailed an extremely fat, hook-jawed brown just before our takeout at Yellowtrees Landing. It measured 18 inches, but was hefty enough for a 21-incher!
Best of all, Kate was pretty much back to normal after her bout with cancer! She didn’t fish quite as many days as she’d like, but much of that was due to her itch to plant a bunch of trees, flowers, and bushes this summer.
“NEXT year,” she vowed, “I’ll get out at least four evenings each week!”
FLORIDA
Thank goodness we were spared hurricanes this season! Conditions are excellent throughout southwest Florida, and most all of the species are eating flies very readily!
Look at your schedule and get with me to reserve some Winter Getaway days. I’m taking delivery of a brand new Hewes Redfisher 18 November 22, and it’s a real snazzy fishing platform!
I’ve also found a couple more spots that hold baby tarpon, so we’ll have even MORE fun this winter!
Pere Marquette River - February 27th, 2006
supplied by: Silverside Outfitters & Guide Service RECORDED:30 °FISHING: Fair
Steelhead fishing has slowed the last few days on the lower Pere Marquette. Went on a picture trip today with good friend Andy B. and floated a lower section of the P.M. Managed to land a couple steelhead on small Oregon cheese nuke eggs and hooked a few resident browns. Water levels are normal and clear with afternoon water temps. near 36. Stoneflies have been active and the first few salmon fry have been spotted close to shore. Look for fishing to pick up again with the next warm-up.
Patterns to try include:
Stoneflies- small black Tiny Dancer's, Pheasant Tails, Fuzzbusters, and sparrow nymphs. Salmon fry-B.T.S.(Better than spawn) Hex.-rabbit strip Hex., wiggle-Hex. Eggs-nuke eggs in grapefruit, Oregon cheese, and cream delight. Estaz eggs in peach, and orange.
Check out our site (www.silversideguide.com) for recent pictures, and the most updated, honest, fly- fishing reports on the Muskegon, Pere Marquette, and Manistee river systems. Tight Lines! Capt. Fred
Muskegon River - February 20th, 2006
supplied by: Silverside Outfitters & Guide Service RECORDED:20 °FISHING: Good
Rain, snow, hail, lightning & thunder along with single digit air temps. started this past weekend's weather and kept all but the hardcore(i.e. crazy) off the water. The lack of fishing pressure with decent numbers of fish thru-out the system, have made for overall good fishing lately.
The water temps. barely made it above freezing on Sunday but surprisingly the fish didn't seem to notice. The fish we hooked came right away or not at all in each new spot. The chartreuse clown egg hooked most of our fish but the B.T.S. also hooked a couple. The B.T.S.(Better than spawn) is a salmon fry imitation, originally developed by Feenstra, that can be very effective at this time of year. I'll have to admit I was a little skeptical the first time I saw this pattern in a friend's fly box, but have since become a believer in it's effectiveness. Fished dead-drift or on the swing, steelhead, trout and the occasional walleye all find the B.T.S. to there liking once the salmon fry start to hatch out.
Check out our site(www.silversideguide.com) for recent pictures, and the most updated, honest, fly-fishing reports on the Muskegon, Pere Marquette, and Manistee river systems. Tight Lines!
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