I have found a new fishing partner in the birds of the UP.  Some rivers its osprey, eagles, cranes, and many other smaller song birds that I don't know the name of.   Its fun watching the birds when the fishing is slow.  I have never really been interested in learning about birds if you cannot eat them.  But with so many fishing with me on the rivers I have a new interest.  Now many wading pack is full of flies and a book on birds.  Looking at what I can fit into my pack I wonder what happened.  In my mind I remember wading packs being a great alternative to vests because packs are not so hot, only hold the essentials and seemed to keep your gear more organized.  Every time I unpack though I think that I carry more crap that I ever did with a vest.  It still sits better than a vest, is not as hot and I seem  to find stuff easier but really do I need all this stuff. 

The other night I was happy I had way to much gear in my pack.  It is so nice to have a great fishing river less than 15 minutes from my apartment.  I always though that Basalt was the best town around- right at the confluence of the Frying Pan and the Roaring Fork.  Awesome trout fishing but no smallies or steelhead.  Now I vote Marquette as one of the great fishing towns. 

Fishing was good- trout had their feed bags on.  Soft hackles, winged wets and dries all fooled them.  I was fishing a new section of the river- I drove until the dirt road was really crappy then drove more and did not enter the river until the trail I was following dwindled down to nothing.  The woods were super thick, steep hills and banks and nobody else but me the birds and mosquitos.  Everybody is saying that this is the worst year in remembering for these little terrors.  I believe them if it was not for my Buff and Deet buried in the corner of my pack they might have pushed me off the river or carried me away to fest on me.  Guess I do need all my stuff in my pack.

But the fishing was great.  Trout were feeding and I landed a really large smallie- on a floppy 5 weight in a fast river it was fun.  The hike out was hellish.  I pulled ticks off me as mosquitos fested, branches caught my rod, banks gave out and the night became black under the trees even though it was a clear full moon.  Finding my headlamp in another corner of my pack was a great find.  Even though it brought more blood sucking killers to me I could at least see where I was going.  A shower has never felt so good and I realized how much fun it was.  The conditions kept even the most dedicated person out- I was asked where I caught the smallie....I have asked this question before and been asked it before (never accepting the truth).  Here is where I caught this hog- when there is no snow on the ground follow mountain biking trails in the winter its skiers climb on few ridges and you are there when you see no other signs of people.  I figure if I see you fishing there you are a person worth meeting and will know to keep your mouth shut.  Hope to see ya tonight. 

Surprise...Pike!!

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan has been called God’s Country- it is full of wonderful sights, sounds, fishing, hiking….the list is endless.  I am lucky enough to have a real job and fly tying which allows me more time than should be legal to fish.  This past week I chased brookies on an isolated stream, paddled around a backcountry lake and had a great surprise on a project smallie stream of mine.

Fishing the same stream is great- you get to learn its intricacies, it is like coming home and gives you a nice little comfortable feeling.  You know where the fish are, the workable patterns and great spots to ponder all things in life Ralph Waldo Emerson style.

But like all great fishing streams it throws you a loop sometimes.  The first time I fished this stream- it was full of small bass, another time a few epic sized fish and the this time….PIKE.  It was great day most the fish were not huge but they were hungry.  Crushing flies when you placed a fly in the fish’s backyard.  These fish wanted to kill, maim, and conquer the world.  Even releasing them proved problematic for those gentlemen who were not wearing a cup.  If fishing was predictable it would be boring and really not worth it.  I found myself laughing like a kid- it was like when I was young and skipping stones for hours was tremendous fun.   The fish in your back yard sometimes can be as great as those new sexy ones in exotic locales and it is much cheaper. 

As a fly tier I am always trying new patterns.  On a total whim I tied some flies what I would call guide patterns- cheap and super quick to tie.  I have been fishing them for years but have not been recently opting for instead using newer ones.  Flies are like….well they are like friends I guess insert whatever you can think of that is better my ability to articulate like a real author has failed me.  But it is great to have flies that work for many years and in lots of conditions.  Do not forget about them- there is a reason some flies have been selling for decades. 

Today, I finally got the chance to fish an upper part of river that I have been eyeing for years.  My brother in law and I planned on a later float- hopefully hitting the prime reaches, at dusk when the big fellas come out to play.  We had to go today to miss the cold, rainy forecast for the next few days.  Up here- in God’s Country summer keeps teasing us.  The water turned out to be nothing like I thought but so much better.  Two different juvenile bald eagles acted as our escort for much of the time- the first bailing when I would assume, we entered the territory of another far bigger juvenile eagle.   The silence was startled only by grouse, kingfishers and a huge commotion that we could only assume was a moose.  I suppose it could have been a deer lost in the marshy goodness but it is prime moose territory and considering the tight quarters we were really hoping it was not a bear. 

Most people are still chasing trout- with stellar results on brook trout from what I hear.  We decided to load up for smallies and pike.  This water is epic- lots of fish holding water.  We banged the banks, fished midstream holes….it turned out to be good casting practice.  The river is loaded with timber which made standing while casting in canoe interesting to say the least.  Many people would be discouraged by our lack of success but I got more excited.  I have been looking for a river to be a project for the summer and I have finally found it.  Many return trips are going to be in the works.  Lucky for us my brother in law has a tiny bladder and we had to pull over for him to put some needed water into the stream.  My new set up is all A’s and it finally got a chance to dance. 

Before I keep going I know these stories about the fish that got away.  And people always say it is for real and most times you just shake your head at another good fish story.  BUT BUT I did lose the biggest smallie I have ever seen on the end of my rod- I fish that will haunt me for years.  We decided not to bring a net and as I dropped to lip the fish….she turned tail and laughed.  My hands shook for a long time after that.  Tying on new flies and casting proved to be daunting since my hands were shaking and my eyes focused like I had been hitting the whiskey like a good Irishman.   Exploring new water is so much fun.  Every turn was new; every side channel into the lily pads, every ox bow was a hidden jewel.  I felt like Lewis and Clark and if was not for the occasional signs of humans- I would have believed. I cannot wait to return and get this water dialed in.  This trip has renewed my spirit for exploration.  New water, new adventures….hopefully next time I will play the fish right with a grip and grin at the end.  Because no matter what fishermen say landing fish is still an important part any fishing trip.  Photos coming soon… 

Like any other fisherman I love to catch fish.  But exploring new water is definitely a close second.  Today I spent the day exploring some new brook trout water.  I vaguely knew of some marshy beaver dam goodness and since I had some time I decided to start my summer fishing plan early.  My plan for the summer or from now on- is to fish 2 new areas each month.

Brookies stayed true to form- they love big dries and wet flies as droppers.  This new area I am gonna call Dam N' Mud proved to be jewel.  The stream runs right through an area that is often frequented by bird watchers.  There is a good chance of seeing eagles, ospreys and 20 different song birds if the park service handouts are right.  The best part of this little adventure was there was not another soul in sight- a far cry from the rivers people read about in magazines.

As I moved downstream the holes got deeper and deeper- a few miles into the river....CHROME...CHROME.  Steelhead were stacked up holes.  The UP is full of fish and no matter how many new areas I have been it never ceases to amaze me.  I got to spend a great afternoon chasing brookies and watching steelhead.  Rarely do I ever get the chance just to watch steelhead and since I was only armed with a 3 weight and my steelhead rod was miles away I had no choice.

The weekend should be dandy- I look forward to going back and seeing if the steelhead are hungry.  It was great to see these fish in an area I never thought they would be.  Having comfy home waters is great but the allure of new water and new fish is a super powerful draw.  Grab an atlas find those little blue lines and find something new.