July 4, 2011

 

Hi All

 

Happy Fourth of July !

 

Been a while since I wrote. For the past 6 weeks I have been hunkered down most days from all the rain. It has been pouring and hailing hard. This has been a wet late spring / early summer. It was great for streamer fishermen but not so good for the hatch fishermen. I'm a "died in the wool" streamer guy. I will fish that method with much confidence and is probably my favorite method. I like working for my fish. I also believe it produces the most consistent results and biggest trout during the day light hours. Like any method you have to have the right conditions and we had them for the streamers more days than not. I enjoy seeing the fish chasing, hitting, rolling etc. So I was a happy camper throwing meat flies.

 

Most were feeling cheated out of their dry fly season. The Hoax Hatch I mean Hex Hatch has been sputtering along like a V8 missing 3 cylinders on the PM. Most nights someone is catching a fish here or there but bugs have been very limited and I haven't heard of or seen one blanket hatch yet. Actually most fish have been caught false casting a Hex at the right time, right place with pretty much no bugs to speak of. At least it hasn't been one of those seasons when the real bugs way out number's the tied ones on the water by a million to one.

 

The Hex hatch was looking up on June 17th. and 18th. Low clear and some heat starting up. I had good reports of some bugs and fish being caught. On June 19th. I took out Robert and his son Steven for a half day Hex Hatch and had some bugs on the water but the only ones that fed were what I call little tattle tails and the big boys stayed down. I had a total of 2 spent hexes in the boat at the end of the night. That same night a friend of mine, Brett scored a 22" on another river in a crazy spot with a Hex. The next night, June 20th,. was a wash out with 3" of rain during that day and all night. Then it rained for a couple more days not letting up until June 24th. Right in the middle of what is suppose to be PRIME HEX season. Whata Bummer...That is how this season has been overall from Mid May on thru the hatch season.

 

 I took good buddies Brett and Tom from my old stomping ground at Wallside Windows out a bunch of times this season. They have been on the water with me about 10-12 days this Spring, Steelheading and throwing streamers for Trout which is their passion as well as mine. I even went to the Au Sable and floated them down a couple stretches and Brett and Tom both caught some wild Brookies and Browns. Brett lost his biggest Brown of the season on that trip. We didn't make a big deal out of it but it was over 2' and it came unbuttoned on a streamer 4' from the boat and the net.

 

The night prior I parked the boat on a good looking spot not knowing anything about the Au Sable river and had a 2' toilet flusher feeding on Brown Drakes 20'-30' away. Like I told them, my spider senses were tingling when I rowed into that spot. Of course we didn't catch him but he was there with 2 other fish feeding. The second evening we had a good Brown Drake hatch as well in a different spot and had about 6 different fish feeding but no dice on tricking any of them either into eating our offerings. No giants in that spot but we had a lot of company on the river the second night. All 6 or 8 boats were rowing/ poling by at prime time for that time of night, while fish were feeding. Which is uncalled for in my book and does put your fish down. Pick your spot and stay put is my method for night time hatch fishing. If you have no feeding fish doesn't mean go screw it up for everyone else out there. The first night was a great spot to post up. Just far enough down stream I didn't have anyone rowing by until after the feeding was done. Perfect'o should have went to the same spot the second night. Don't worry they do it here like that as well on the PM so it's not just a bad habit on any one river. I will say that's my least favorite thing about night hatch fishing. I can deal with no bugs or bugs and no fish rising or not eating what I'm throwing, but rowing over others feeding fish at the magic hour, come on, it's worse than rowing over someone's gravel by far.. Rant over.

 

We just finished up a weekend family reunion on my mom's side of the family. We had about 20 come up from Colorado, West Virginia, Texas and Missouri. We went out on Lake Michigan with my friend Captain Sean Mc Donald aboard "Katch Me" for a A.M. half day. After that the family rented the whole truck at Mac Woods Dune Ride at Silver Lake Sand Dunes. We had some lunch at House of Flavors in Ludington and some shopping in Pentwater. That was all on a Saturday. On Sunday I shared a first ever drift boat ride for 12 of them. I put my third seat in my boat and rotated 3 in 3 out at each access point. When I was done I went from M-37 to Mc Dougals and made pretty good time for a big piece of water. They all enjoyed their ride before heading home later that Sunday morning. Some stayed a few more days that week and fished in the back yard and had some camp fires roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. They also went golfing at Marquette Trails by Big Star Lake and had breakfast there a few mornings as well. It was very nice seeing the Family and sharing with them some of our local treasures of West Michigan. I think many of them will be back..

 

After my family left I had a couple of trips. I enjoyed a evening with Pete and Steve for the Hex hatch and we had a fish or 3 feed on bugs. Pete made a whole 3 cast and had a nice 18" Brown to the net. Steve had no fish rising around him, a slow night, very few bugs. It was exciting hearing one of the 3 fish that feed was a toilet flusher (easily 24" plus) Trout in a well know spot for big fish. The next a.m. Pete and Steve rustled out of bed for a A.M. streamer trip. The night before we threw streamers for 20 minutes and rolled 6 quickly, so they were jacked up for the morning throwing meat. We did well Pete landed about 6 average fish and Steve landed his largest Trout to date at 18" and had a few others on. Pete lost a dandy that was much bigger than the one the night before. I never saw it but the 8 wt. was bent for 20 seconds and then it was gone. They had a great time each landing a quality fish and having lots of looks on the streamers.

 

After I dropped off Pete and Steve I got ready for my evening Hatch trip which was a bust. No Bugs and the dries thrown on the way down got no love and the streamers thrown on the way down got no love either. A tough trip for John and Marie but they were here for the week and relaxed most of the time. They went up to the Big Man behind the dam and caught some fish up there on the standard stuff  that works for me on that stretch of water. They also walked in and had many slow nights of little to no bugs in the lower river. The night after there trip Tommy and I were going to try our luck and we looked at the radar and it was ugly. There was more orange, red and yellow than green so we scratched. John and Marie said it was a interesting light show and wet. They did have some luck during the week in the fly water throwing streamers and a few caught on some dries. So they scored some Trout but it was a little work. A labor of love with hatch frustration as most have had with all the rain. On a positive note the fish are well fed and not suffering from low clear water and summer heat. A good summer for them and there health. They have been easy to release as well, they take right off with plenty of O2 and cooler water.

 

I have been out on Lake Michigan several times had one good day (12 for 20), one slower day (4 for 6) and one skunking. The winds have been bad mostly out of the East sending most of the fish to Wisconsin or out of the North pushing the rest of the fish down the coast towards Grand Haven or Muskegon. We had some hay days at Big Sable Point when the water set up right but I never got out those few days when we had a good South blow and some heat in late May early June. Then the winds stirred the Lake up good and it hasn't stacked up the thermal clines close to shore in a while. So most have struggled for the last couple weeks out of Ludington and Manistee. The Budweiser Classic Tournament in Manistee was won with 10 fish box= 67 lbs by Hambone and big fish for the tourney was just over 20 lbs. and that had a bunch of charter boats fishing in it. A charter boat Not in the tournament had landed a 22.5 lb.King and had well over 67 lbs on Saturday alone. They were a little sick they didn't enter. They would have won it all but it's like the lottery you have to play to win.

 

Well I have a blisters on my 2 index fingers from typing ......I mean pecking. Enjoy the Summer. Get your Salmon season dates in the books for rooms and trips. Try a Trout Trip and match wits with a smart old Brown Trout on the Pere Marquette River. If looking to go out on the Big Lake this Summer put Captain Sean aboard "Katch Me" to work either call him yourself or I'll put you in touch with him and help get a date on the water. Sunsets on Lake Michigan with a full drink in a cup holder reeling in a screaming Salmon or Trout is a perfect evening.

 

Till next time..

Tight Lines and Screaming Reels

 

Clint 

Current Weather