The value of a smile

I fished the cool crystal waters of western MI again this week. As usual we went in anticipating multiple hookups of fresh run steelhead. But we quickly discovered that these rivers still have yet to experience a decent push of fish and surprisingly are still winding down from the salmon runs of 07. Late in the morning something happened to me. I hooked into a large fish at the end of a drift. We were just joking about how we would manage a fish from the wooden platform we were perched on and I hooked up. Over the railing,down the rock laden bank, and into the river I went in pursuit of this fish. I had a pretty good suspicion this was a large Hen Chinook and looked reasonably fresh for this time of year. My imagination quickly began to drift to images of fresh tangerine gold. I did not want to loose this fish and she had an obvious opposing opinion. The manistee river is a large clear system laden with gravel bars and ridges. The river is running so clear right now that it is difficult at times to gauge the depth. This combined with her swift flow can get you into a predicament if you over commit. This fish was heading towards the lake and I was well into the river on the move after her. I started to run out of wadeable depth when my feet started to go out from underneath me. For a brief moment time stood still and I had no foothold. I am so overdue to take a plunge that it is not funny but by some saving grace this day was not my time. By now this fish is well down river and I had no other option than to put the brakes on and put faith in my knots, hook and the 15' Frontier. I managed to get her stopped and slowly started to make ground. I got her steered into some slack off to the side where Gene was waiting to tail her. It was a good thing because my body was spent. I am no good at estimating weight but she was a big girl and my wishes about her stage in the spawning cycle were correct. LOOSE as a GOOSE! Some of you tree huggers might now want to stop reading as it will get horrid for you from here on in. We harvested this fish. Oh the horror!!!!!! We need roe and what better a fish than this to selectively harvest for our piscatorial passion. She was to provide an estimated 3lbs of pure gold that will keep us in business for quite some time.
The entire ordeal left me with a sense of great accomplishment that I have yet to experience on a river this fall season. I will not kid anyone here about the fact that it was fun. Very fun and very exciting. I remember smiling for quite some time and laughing aloud while Gene reminded me over and over again of how much a piece of s#%t I was for hooking this fish from the wheelchair access platform. I think he even said I was drooling heavily at times in anticipation of the roe kill. LOL!!! What a friend ;0) It has been a long time since I had that much fun on a river. Earlier in the morning I hooked and landed a magnificent 26" steelhead that jumped no less than 8 times. I have practically forgotten that battle already but will never forget the Big Manistee Hen Chinook of Fall 2007.

MI

For my entire life Michigan has been at my doorstep. Literally a hop skip and jump across the BlueWater Bridge. My mother originates from Michigan and I have spent a great deal of my youth there visiting with family members. But for some reason it has only been until recent that I have begun to explore her Steelheading >opportunities.In particular Western Michigan and all her glory. It is no secret that Michiganders are outdoors enthusiasts but once you experience her northwest you can truly begin to understand why. Huge rolling oak forests dotted with towering white pines. Clean deep gravel laden rivers with cedar strewn banks. Thriving deer and turkey populations. Blue Ribbon trout streams and yes...oh yes...huge Steelhead.
Michigan has a long successful history of steelhead management and can boast of steelheading opportunities all 4 seasons of the year.
We had the opportunity to spend 2 days on the west side recently. With Ontario conditions in near drought state we opted for a larger MI system to ensure adequate flow.
Reports from insiders were coming back poor with indications of the season just starting so we were not quite sure what to expect. The fishing wasn't epic but mixed with the experience and surroundings made for another memorable trip. My highlights were a healthy fresh in chromer pushing 30", the impromptu stop at the M37 Meat Shack, and the panoramic view over the PM. I'm already planning the next trip back to the west side. Stay tuned...

Back In The Saddle

The 2007 fall season officially started for me today. With only a couple of rivers somewhat fishable on Canadian soil we found ourselves venturing North East to try our hand on one of Georgian Bay's finest. We had reports that fishing had been slow but we had hoped for a fresh push of fish following a small weather system that had blown through the day prior. Armed with this information and the current state of affairs across the central Great Lakes region we set our expectations low. We were somewhat pleased with the conditions we were granted. The colour was nice. The flow was moderate. The scenery was stunning. But the fishing was extremely slow. I was fortunate to land a beautiful little chromer minutes before we departed.
Sure felt good to be back in the saddle.

Somethings

One tends to long for something he or she cannot have. That longing grows exponentially as the difficulty of obtaining that something increases. Mix with this longing a passion for what that something is used and you have the makings for a journey.
As anyone who reads this blog knows my passion is steelheading and that recent "something" was a MykissII Centrepin reel in original finish. My journey recently ended when I was fortunate enough to procure a new in the box original finish reel number B024. She will be a welcome compliment to my collection and her sister reel MykissI A022.
There are alot of mixed feeling about these reels in our tight knit community but for me they are aesthetically pleasing, highly collectable reels that fish extremely well. I plan to own them both for a very long time and truly use them for what they were intended.

The changing of the guard

As I sit here and type this entry Summer is hesitantly releasing its grip on the Great Lakes region reluctantly allowing Autumn to come of age. I could write for hours as to why the Fall has become my most favourable time of year but my true feelings are best expressed pictorially.

Mission accomplised

Recreational property ownership has it's ups and downs. One of the joys is the sense of accomplishment one gets when a milestone is reached. This year our goal was to build a "shed". It sounded fairly simplistic in the inception phase. "Let's build a Shed." Well the "shed" for lack of better words turned into a dual purpose building (Shed/Bunkie) and a larger project than originally anticipated. That seems to be the underling theme of my life. I can proudly say we reached the goal of erecting the building and having it closed in and weather tight this past weekend.
I like to think 25 years from now my girls will be telling the grand kids their fond memories of when we build the "shed" while we all sit around the fire pit.

Now I have all winter to save for the pine siding and cedar trim :0/

Summer

Sunworshipper I am not, humidity hater I am. I have never been a fan of the summer months. As a child it was the best time of the year due mostly in part to the fact that there was no school to be had. In recent times I have grown to enjoy all of the season in some respect. Spring and fall for my obvious Piscatorial passions, Winter for the simpler slow pace and relaxation, and Summer for the family time we spend together in the Muskokas or camping.
This Summer has proven to be a typical busy period. We have had the typical Wedding Weekend, the Drunken Bayfest Weekend, numerous trips to our Muskoka haven, and a repeat family camping trip to Temagami. Busy it has been but much quality time has been spent with the Girls.

This summers main ambition has been to build a Bunkie/Storage building at our Northern retreat. It is progressing along fine but as all projects go is taking longer than envisioned due mostly in part to my intolerance for imperfections. (well the ones I know about anyway) Each year we try to accomplish one major improvement/addition to the property in hopes that some day we will be complete and can actually relax and enjoy it as it should be enjoyed. I am starting to think the relaxation will never come to be. LOL!! I am not one to wish my life away so I am happy to take the small accomplishments as they come. My apologies for not updating this site for some time but as I mentioned earlier it has been a wonderfully busy time.

The Bruce

Had yet another opportunity to visit the rugged Bruce Pennensulia. A generous friend from work has granted my family the use of his cottage for the past 3 years in June. And we have enjoyed every trip. Since the Black Fly threat in the Muskokas is in alert we opt for an early season getaway to Cameron Lake for some much needed R & R. Our plans are quite simple. We have none. Sleep in, lounge around on the deck, soak up some sun
and go for bike rides and walks.
Life is good indeed...






It never ceases to amaze me the perserverance nature has to prevail in harsh environments. This can so easily be witnessed on the Bruce. Some of worlds oldest trees reside on towering cliffs overseeing Georgian Bay as well as numerous varieties of wild orchids and wild
flowers.
Truly a unique environment at
our back door.