Seven Week Reward

For the past seven weeks I had been on the hook at work for a major unit rebuild outage.  Aside from a couple of quick escapes I had pretty much been tied to work. 

Finally on Friday morning on the heels of two gruelling night shifts and seven weeks of hard work we managed to make plastic.  The outage was officially over and just in time for a weekend escape to the cabin. 

It had been some time since I have been over and I longed to fish the lower river in the Hyde.  The Guide Reports coming out of the west side had been mixed.  The Southern rivers like the PM and the Muskegon were being reported to fish fairly well but the Big Manistee reports were quiet. 

Typically quiet translates to tough fishing.  This coupled with the lack of rains and low river levels pretty much had my expectations set rather low.  This didn't discourage me though as a day in isolation on the river in the Hyde was what I longed for.

Any fish would merely be a bonus.
The morning came and I opted for a late lazy start. After lighting the fire and a couple of relaxing coffees on the couch I decided to set out.

I hit the launch at 9:45.  The morning was heavily overcast and the parking lot was indicating marginal river traffic.  The fishing was tough but the solitude was a welcomed blessing.  I managed to find a couple of willing participants but really had to work for them.  

It's the same story in MI as it is in ON...There is a lack of water.  We are in desperate need of of some major rain events.  Until then the fishing will remain tough.