Home Waters

HEX WEEK 2005

2005-06-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

It was HEX WEEK 2005. Yes sir 9 nights in a row of fishing. Would get to the river race down the to runs or bends we wanted for the night and wait. most nights we were on the river til 2-2:30 not getting back to the home til 4am. Got to love it. We had hex ever night except last night. I started fishing two fridays ago. Thursday night was an experience that I will niver forget as a fly fisherman.
It kinda went like this:

PHIL "Hey mike, rick there everywhere EVERYWHERE!!"
I say to Rick "Whats pip taking about I don't see anything. He's on crack..lol"
Rick "whats that humming"
I say " I was kinda wondering that..... could it be??"
WE both look up.....phils just around the bend
PHIL "look at the light, damn it"
Rick and I start shaking without control.

It was unbelievable you could actually hear the hex. It was a blanket spinnerfall/hatch to say the least. Rick still managed to land a 18" bluegill shaped brown. The night before was are best night we hooked 1 good fish land two 15" 17" and 19" between the three of us. Rick and I got doubles until I lost mine. It kinda went like this:

Just as Josh Greenberg floated through with his clients rick stuck a nice one. At this point we are all within site of each other but we had to yell to take to each other. Rick sticks a fish shouts FISH ON. immeditantly the brown starts jumping loud. I yell out you hooked a beaver you hooked a beaver. Then I see a pig rise right by me i throw out there. SLURP Set the hook. I yell out "DOUBLES WE GOT DOUBLES" as my fish starts thrashing around. It took a run out then downstream and the hook popped. Later on that night we ran into Josh "Sure sounded like you guys were having fun"

ALL in all it was a difficult week with the full moon anchor problems (WHICH are solved). Next year should be great.
Chris: Fat 18"
Mike: 18" 17" 15" 2-13" lost pigs
Rick: 18" 19" 16" Lost pigs
Tim: 18.5"
Phil: Lost a monster

Night Fishing For Toads

2005-06-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

This was pig ripping weekend!!!! Nice muggy nights equal Trophy Club fishys. The brown above was Phil's biggest by an inch. 19"browns are nice to have at the end of your line just ask phil. It took an picket pin that was attached to a mouse. It was kinda funny we were working a run I moved down through picking off an 15" and missing one. Then it happened. I hear a crash on my houghton lake special, set the hook. Fish was big, heavy and i yell fish on. Then phil yells fish on. I was like what??? YOU HAVE ONE TOO!! We doubled up. To bad I lost my fish, but Phil landed the one above. We then went on to land a 17" and turned a ton more. Night Fishing Rocks!!

The night before June 3 I got a chance to take up a newbie Dan Poll to try his hand at Fly Fishing. We worked on his cast before the hatch started and he got it down pretty good. Then we worked on his mending thats alittle tuffer. The yellow sallys came out then there was a sulfer spinner fall. I hooked what I'm guessing a 24" rainbow but lost it. The hatch ended and the night flys were tried on. I turned some monsters but no hook ups. Then we head over to the South. Dan had a cannon ball hit were he almost dropped the rod. It was huge. Then we went down to the next run. Dan was just about to call it quits when a Brown lacked onto his HLS. He fought the fish well. Brought the fish to the net to find out it was a 20 incher. Guys go the whole lives fishing for brown and never get one that big. It took 3 hour for Dan. Got love it.

4001 Access

2005-05-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

This is the secret spot, the one spot were you can get 30" brown more than once a year. Haven't been here much, but plan on going more. The only problem I have with this place is the mountain lions and bears. Its in the sticks. You don't ever see another sole. I caught some smaller rainbows and hooked one bigger brown that got off. Sulfurs were the order of the day but there were a few drakes spotted. This is the first area to get drakes and hex in the system.

BUGS

2005-05-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

Yes sir, Thats a 20 inch brown caught on the Au Sable River. It was a weekend to remember! The bug action was stupid to say the least. Friday night sulfurs were emerging from 7:30 til dark. Looks like sailboats floating down the river. We had mohagony spinners mixed with some left over hennies but the never really hit the water. After moving downstream stream to a nice bend and good cover, I heard a slurp. Then I noticed the fish wasn't even breaking the surface. Thinking it was taking bugs just the surface I tied on a sulfur emerger that you can fish wet....bingo. Thats the fish above.
Saturday was alot like Friday but the spinners came down. Before all of that though I lost a pig that I had one for a minute or so. Seen a flash down deep and then snap. I'm getting used to loosing big fish....During the spinner fall I locked on one fish that in my opininon could have been the 26" rumored fish of the hole. It was in a big fish spot. I had it hit my fly a couple times but I never hooked up. I went fishless. After the bugs were done I put an Houghton Lake Special on. Slapped it down after a few cast WHAMMMMM. Heavy fish. Lost it though..haha

A Week With Trout

2005-05-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

I've just got back from fishing the homewaters of the Au Sable and the Pere Marette Rivers. Shot above was a nice fish taken from the Mainstream. The weather played many tricks on me!! Fishing six out of the last seven days has been a strain.....I might even take a vacation from fishing....ya right hahaha. The first two days on the Au Sable were good hooked landed and lost some real nice fish. Good spinnerfall monday night with mohawks and caddis. Tuesday more of the same but the spinners never fell.
Wednesday was sent on the PM with the plan to strip streamers....scratch that its sunny time for dries. Slapping dry's behind steelhead for browns, now thats funny. The brown stack up behind the steelies for eggs but like to wash them down with sulfurs. I took a few trips over there last week that were like that. Hoping to get some toads on streamers the sun shot that idea down all week. Although I did manage one steelie on a olive bugger thingy.

Opening Day 2005

2005-05-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

I had this little stonefly landed on me on opening day. Among this hendriksons ruled the air. Fishing was good. Five fish 14 inches or bigger not to shabby, but loosing a nice fish you know the kind you only hook a few times a year was a heart braker. Also achieved the Au Sable Slam. (Brown, Brookie, and Rainbow) Air temps around 55-60 were perfect as thats what the Hendriksons seem to perferr. The size 14 mayfly covered the water making it hard at times to spark an insterest in your fly.