( Don with an awesome hen that took a hot pink/orange meth weave)
( Charles with a nice buck that took a Super Iceman Minnow)
( Ahhhh!!! perfection after a cold winter's day- European Charcuterie!- Fresh Polish garlic sausage( KIELBASA!) from Frank's Butcher Shop on Fulton St.- Grand Rapids ( 616-456-2706-best Polish sausage outside of Warsaw!)- lightly grilled then steamed in your favorite ale or lager beer in a pot( this one in Leffe Abbey Belgian Blonde), Austrian red cabbage with bacon and red onions( check our home page at our web site- click on newsletters 2011- go to archive -fall/winter 2009 for entire recipie)- and pan-fried new potatoes with rosemary, celery seed and olive oil------unbelievable to warm up the body!- enjoy with a Belgian ale---------Guten Appetit!(Geman) ..or "smacznego"(Polish)-ENJOY!It was a great four days of my favorite time of year- winter steelheading! Light snow falling, some nippy wind chills ( especially Saturday!) and nice steelhead caught and around to be had.
Had the great pleasure of having "super awesome clients"!- Doctors Frank Vormohr and Jay from Muncie ,IN and teachers Don and Charles from Waterfod, MI. We had a great time learning new techniques, trying new fly patterns, hooking and landing beautiful Michigan winter strain steelhead and talking about everything!- current affairs, our faith, love of cuisine and American single barrel hand crafted spirits and the fish!- of course.
Yesterday in particular was a magnificent day we rarely get in December- sunny, no wind, warm 32F( balmy actually and a great afternoon bite from our quarry-the steelhead! I saw one humongous lake- run brown in a pool that was an actual behemoth, and looked like a large atlantic salmon with its big kype jaw. We worked swinging big road kill, nymphs and egg patterns to it with no avail- but the steelhead were very cooperative!
Cheers guys!..... and thank you for you warm camaraderie and generosity- can't wait for your return steelhead trip!