I was lucky enough to have a work trip planned to Michigan for a GM meeting in August 2020. Having skipped this trip twice already (July 2018 for a personal vacation, and February 2019 because of a hockey tournament), I needed to make sure I went to this one.
I have a former work buddy who has been asking me to come out and fish with him - which I did a couple years ago on the Muskegon River - just after steelhead season in late April. I didn't catch anything that time - except a small brown trout - but the river was roaring from run off and the steelhead were a bit past running - although we did see a bunch and hooked a couple.
This trip I flew into Grand Rapids (direct flight on SW) and drove to his place in Canadian Lakes (which is an hour northeast of GR). I got in around midnight and he was up waiting for me with the "local" New England Style IPA's I had ordered. We had a few and shot the shit for a couple hours. He is building an outdoor kitchen in his backyard - which is a about 10 yards from the Little Muskegon River (which was low).
While we were chatting I noticed these huge flies that were hovering near and on the trullis near the lights - they were huge - about 2"+ and recognized them as Hex's - the famous Michigan and Wisconsin bug that makes the night time fishing in Michigan epic (and the fish super horny). These things were spectacular:
Unfortunately the Little Muskegon behind his house gets pretty warm (72*) and the fish run up feeder creeks to find the colder water from spring creeks. He has seen larger trout in the river, but not during the summer months.
We went to bed after some beers, and were up around 6:30am the next morning. Our plan was to float, on kayaks, the Little Muskegon and fish it in the deeper holes. Most of this river is 30-50 feet wide and a foot deep - in the summer. In the spring and fall it gets pretty high from run-off. Normally a small creek like this would get salmon coming up out of the Great Lakes, but this creek has several down river dams that prevent this. We woke up to a nice morning, and about 12 deer in his yard, including sets of twins, and 3 new bucks. We also saw about 14 turkeys in the neighborhood.
We floated the whole day - hitting various deeper holes. My main purpose was to see how beautiful the river was, but also to work with Scott on fishing with a 5wt and a trout rig. People in Michigan "chuck-and-duck" - the best way to explain this rig is no indicator, use a medium swivel, just above the swivel loop another swivel through the eye of another swivel and then connect the leader/tippet to the first swivel and put a huge nymph or bugger on the end of your line. The swivel above the swivel is used to put on weight and so it can move up and down depending on depth. In a small "pouch" (which is a little stocking "sleeve") you put between 1 and 5 bb weights and use the open swivel to grab the netting of the sleeve to close it up. This moves easily up and down the line - the deeper the water, the more bb's you use. What this does is gets the flies down to the fish (in high water) and then the fisherman watches the line for "hits" or "takes" and sets it on the takes.
I am not a chuck and ducker by any means - I'm a 5wt trout nympher and wanted to show him (even with his 7wt rod) how to do it. After a few tweaks, he was a pro - and we soon were into many of these river chubs and small suckers:
We floated for about 5 miles and Scott's wife picked us up. We soon were out on Scott's pontoon boat floating around one of the many Canadian Lakes - water temp about 72* - felt like bath water.
That night was a shit show - many many more beers, great steak, some wine, hanging out in the back of his house - Michigan is crazy beautiful and a sportsman's paradise. I passed out around 10:30 - fat and happy.
On Monday morning we struggled to get up - but had a long ride ahead of us - so we got out of the house around 6:30am. The drive to Baldwin is about an hour - we stopped at the Orvis show to ask some questions and I got some tippet and weights. We headed to Gleasons Landing to stash my truck, and then back up to Green Cottage to put in.
The forest is thick up there and Green Cottage is down a dirt road that ends at a Forest Service campground and put in. We unloaded the kayaks, parked the truck, suited up and put in. The river is fast, but not deep - except for the bend pools - which there are MANY bend pools. All of these rivers are oxbows that wind and turn and follow the hollows of the country. Deep woods and brush and thickets follow the banks - along with several old cabins and cottages. Michigan has Montana like water laws - access to the high water mark.
The river was clear, but had a tanish color to it - like tea. The water was cold - but when we took the temp only about 64* - which is still hit or miss with the trout. We knew the salmon would not be in yet - maybe we'd see one or two - until the rains come and the river drops in temp and raises in volume, the salmon stay in Lake Michigan - which is 30+ miles away.
I said "wow" at least 1,000 times today. I cannot express just how fishy every corner and run on the river looked. Lots of deep bend pools, 4 foot deep runs, riffles, bugs, gravel, sandy areas that drop to dark deeper areas, even the smell reminded me of fish. This was easily the most beautiful river (for fishing) I have ever been on. Not 20 yards from the put in is one of the best salmon pools on the whole river - and the runs and pools didn't stop for the full 5 mile float. THIS RIVER IS BEAUTIFUL!!
This is one run - panorama view - that far bank is about 6 feet deep with a riffle at the end - pick your spot, fish the top of the pool? Fish the deep part? Fish the tail of the riffle?
The very first run we stopped at was a huge bend pool that was feet deep and dark - and had a grassy undercut bank on the far side - fished it for 40 minutes - nothing - but snags from branches in the water. OMG, that was not a good start. I would explain in detail each run we fished, but I'd be here all day.
We did see fish in deep pools as we floated over - we stopped, but realized they were LARGE suckers - I did hook two of them, but they got off easily. Scott did see one salmon in a deep bend pool - I did not see it.
I did see a 24" plus rainbow sitting at the end of a deep hole - we tried for it - but no luck before it spooked. I found that in order to see fish on the rocky bottom, many times I would have to sit in a hole a while and stare at the bottom - sometimes fish would materialize, sometimes they wouldn't. I did see one nice brown in a hole and fished to him for a while - but no luck. I even tried a size 22 micro midge - but they weren't eating small either.
The float was amazing - nice and easy, no rapids, lots of areas to pull out and fish. A few canoes and kayaks came down, but we didn't see a drift boat until we hit the take out - and that isn't a good sign for the fishing. We packed the yaks, shuttled the trucks and then re-packed the kayaks. Scott headed for home and I headed for Fife Lake (about 40 minutes south of Traverse City) for my Managers Meeting. I pulled in around 6pm, grabbed a shower and brushed my teeth - and headed to dinner with the guys.
One of the GMs owns the Fie Lake Lodging and Party Store - which is a few cabins right on the water - not a bad view!! There are so many lakes in Michigan and everyone seems to have a house on one. We did dinner, then a pontoon ride around the lake - and I went to bed relatively early - watched my daughters softball game on my phone - then the Bruins, called the wife and then fell asleep.
I had meetings all day, played in a poker tournament that night, and went to bed again - woke up on Wednesday morning to rain - drove back to GR and flew out.
It was a great quick trip - glad I could spend it with a buddy and fish Michigan!
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