Saturday, October 15, 2011

Manistee Salmon


Sorry about the long wait! I kind of forgot about this blog. Oh well, I'll start posting again! But in the mean time, I will share my fishing trip from last weekend.

After one week of my salmon trip on the Manistee River, I have now decided that Salmon fishing is probably my favorite type of fishing. My step dad and I were using 8 weights, and we were on a drift boat. We went out on the river at about 8 o'clock. Right off of the bat, I could tell that it was going to be a good day of fishing. It was about 50 degrees and getting warmer. There was a blanket of haze over the river, with the sun peeking out over the multi-colored tree line. After about 35 minutes of floating down the river and searching for salmon, we found a rock bed where many salmon were loitering. After a few chuck and ducks, I felt something on the end of my line. I have never caught a salmon up to this point, so I had no idea how much power they had. Well, as it turns out, it wasn't a salmon. It was a 19 inch Rainbow trout, the most beautiful bow I have ever seen. Although it did put up a small fight, it would have been much more fun on my 4 weight Winston VSL.
After about another hour of fishing (not catching), we found a great riffle with a log jam to the right. From what we could see, there were at least 20 salmon and steelhead mixed together. I had casted about 25 times, and then a freight train hit me. A 18 pound king salmon. To make a long fight short... I caught it. Later that day my step dad caught a 20 pound king. That day was probably the most fun fishing that I have ever had... for now.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Good Day Fishing at the Club

My friend Eric and I went to our trout club today. We started fishing around 4 PM and ended at 11 PM. After many large fish, annoying people trying to steal our hole, and an abundance of flies in trees, we came away with about 30 apiece. This is one of the better days I have had at the club. I started out with a purple crystal bugger. After only two fish with that fly, I moved on to a glow bug. Since the rainbows are spawning, I thought it would be a good idea. After some beautiful brooks and bows, some people started to come over to take my hole. Trying to make small talk, I asked a fisherman what pattern he was using. He replied, sounding irritated, "An egg... Do you know what that is." It took so much willpower not to howl back about how my cast is better and how I am more experienced then he is. Even with him stealing my hole that I was fishing in, he couldn't catch a fish. Every time he missed one, he looked up at me to see if I was watching. Even though he was about 50, he could tell that I was an all around better fisherman then he was. I ended the day with some nice bows on a parachute Adams. After the seven hour fishing trip, I caught 3 brooks, 26 bows, and 2 browns. Eric finished the day off with 5 brooks, 28 bows, and a tiger trout. I am so jealous of him. He has caught a tiger trout the past three times he has gone out there. I've never caught one! He has caught more tiger trout the past month than most fisherman will ever in their life time. But still, you can't complain with 31 fish for the day.

Bent Rods and tight Lines,

Michael