Michigan Wanderers

So, as Dad and I headed home from a week in Northern Ontario, I wasn't quite sure if I should be sad, or happy. After all, we're leaving one of my favorite places on the plantet, but I'm headed home so I can hop a plane the next day for a Due North work trip to Northern Michigan. I got home, washed my dirty gear, and hopped a flight to Michigan the next day.  There we shot three stories for upcoming shows.  First was at a place called the "North Branch Outing Club".  What a place.  It's the old fishing camp where folks like Henry Ford, Rockefeller, Nash and Dodge used to fish.  Now the Fuller family runs the 110 year old camp. Our ride around the camp was an Old Model A. That truck actually belonged to Al Capone at one time.  No joke.  Nice ride.  Lots of brook trout fishing on the North Branch of the Au Sable River. Guide Todd Fuller showed us an absolutely great time.  Funny, but just before dark,  Todd and I noticed the big Drakes hatching. Just had to look up to see 'em.  We ended up sitting for a couple of hours fishing one big hole.  After dark, we decided to do a little mousin'.  For any of you who've ever done it, you know that's the way to get the big browns to bite. Swinging streamers downstream in darkness tends to work pretty well.  Just trust your cast! After all, you can't see what you're doing.

Our second story took us to Saginaw Bay near Bay City. There, we chased carp on the fly on the bay's flats alongside guide Todd Zwetzig.  Although the carp were still in spawning mode, we were able to hook and land a few big fish.  Here's Todd with our dandy.  She ran right at 20 pounds!  Nothing better than spotting a tailing fish, figuring out how to approach that fish, presenting the mayfly pattern just right, hooking, landing and then releasing such a fish. Catch and release a 20 pound carp on the flats and your respect for carp will change. I was disappointed to hear that quite a few bow fishers were killing these fish and just leaving them to waste in the bay.

Sunday, we chased Saginaw Walleyes with Captatin Dan Manyen. Nothing like having three walleyes on at the same time!  Now, we're back in Minnesota getting ready for our next adventure.  I have a very interesting trip set for Thurday and Friday of this week. I'll be guiding a couple of guys from Georgia and New Hampshire on the Misssissippi River for smallies. They won an auction at the Hooked on a Cure event last fall to fish with myself and renowned sportsman artist Bob White. Bob will paint in his drift boat while I guide Wes Elmer and Bill Bruner.  Watch for an update later this week!  

To Canada and Back....

Well, it's great to be back home.  I've been running a two week stint on the road.  It started with a quick road trip to Kansas.  Tornados and rain chased us all the way down from Minnesota and then all the way back up two days later.  Got home, packed the gear bags and headed to Canada with my dad for our annual trip away.  He and I chase pike, lake trout and walleyes at Kabeelo Lodge each year.  We show up in the evening, stay overnight at base camp, then fly out the next morning to our lake.  This year, we visited Bertha.  Nothing quite like hearing that DeHavilland Beaver fire up in the early morning hours. A half an hour flight and we found ourselves in a remote camp.  Dad and I put up with frost a couple of mornings and plenty of rain, but the fish were definately biting.  Nothing like being out on your own lake far away from civilization or help.   Check out www.kabeelo.com.

Just don't forget a life preserver on a trip like this.  After all, we have no real communication with the outside world. You'll notice my life vest is about as compact as they come.  My Stearns pouch hangs from my waist.  If I were to hit the water, the vest would automatically inflate.  That's a great product!