Memorial Day weekend is a very special time! We give thanks for our courageous service men that gave their lives for our taken for granted freedom we enjoy. And it is an amazing time in Michigan if you are a fly fisher!
Sorry for the delay in posting!.........had a busy week on the water and things are really starting to cook! We go from cold to hot in one day literally.
Tons of gray drakes last night from Croton down to Bridgton. A very reliable source said there were a gazillion drakes/black quills so thick they were in his teeth!....down by Bridgeton. Trout were taking them better up top once the wind/cold/rain died down and it got calmer- tonight-Late- should be "esscellent" as the bros say!
The Muskegon is perhaps at its finest! Water levels excellent-2080 cfs- clear with a peat tannin "natural" stain. The hatches have started in earnest- caddis -both greens and Cinnamon's-also tiny blacks-# 16-22's, gray drake spinners have been out at dusk-and dawn!( now with the heat, we will find more a.m. spinners), sulphers in good numbers, craneflys, midges, blue-winged-olives...........YOU NAME IT!
The Chinook fry are jumping in the air along the shorelines for midges and micro -caddis- plus dodging big trout, smallies, drop-back steelhead and herons and king fishers. The bald eagles are soaring and picking up dropper steels and suckers, while the suckers are spawning in full swing.
( the key to the fly's effectivness-black parr marks and a rainbow color combo gives it a chinook/eagle lake rainbow color- the Senyo's yarn moves and glitters in the water)
So a Muskegon trout is a fat football feeding machine! Eating all the above.Had the Pleasure of guiding new neighbor Jeff Doornbos- who bought the property by the high -overlook -the Conservancy land .
( Julian streamer stripping- he is one hell of a good caster when contained..lol!.....Julian, you know what I mean, bro!..lol)
Thursday and Friday I had the pleasure to guide Julian Cribb- world famous scientist/author fro Australia who was in Chicago lecturing at a symposium on global climate change and food famines /sustainability. Julian is the author of the famous book"THE COMING FAMINE". He is also a great fly fisher who fishes New Zealand often. Stripping my new"blood diamond streamer " he caught some nice browns and rainbows.He was very impressed with the Muskegon!( we were hitting nice fat footballs all day on the diamond-this brownie eat well on scuds since crustacean diets bring out the red spotting)
Yesterday with Joe Bekkin and Tom, we had dry fly caddis action, drakes, streamer stripping........and yes........we hit one female chrome steelhead and a few dark males nymphing-these late fish fight like summer runs-aerial/out-of-control!!! ........they always seem to hang -on till Memorial Day weekend if you know where to find them.June will be an exceptional month to come...........hope to see you this summer!