The trip started with a 12:30am trip to Walmart.  Now Walmart usually isn’t our first choice when it comes to sporting good equipment, but you tell me another store that is open this early in the morning.

Maybe I should back up a bit first.

Our steelheading trips always start off early, but this one started off way earlier than normal.  After watching the Michigan State Spartans lose the National Title game to those pesky Tarheels, we knew that – if we managed to sleep – we’d only be getting about 2 hours in before we need to leave.  What to do, what to do.

All of us then decided, that leaving right then, and sleeping in the truck once we got there was probably the better choice.  We also decided that we needed a few last minute things, and so it was off to Walmart we went.  Once that task was completed, the truck was loaded up, and we were off on our steelheading adventure………..at 2 in the morning.

In retrospect maybe we should have slept for a couple of hours, because as it usually goes on these trips, none of us slept at all.  It sure makes for a long day on the river when you are sleep deprived.  At the start I was fine, but it’s always the trip home that kills ya.  Thankfully I had a couple of people who could stay awake so that they could drive me home.  That worked out nicely.

We arrived on the river at around 4:30am – a full two hours before we would even see daylight.  Usually getting here this early is a good thing, and is required in order to find a spot; but on this particular day our promptness wasn’t really needed.  Why, you ask?  Because there were no fish.

Alright, so there was a few fish in the system, and Jeff did manage to land one.  Matt actually landed one as well, but once we realized that he was inadvertently hooked in the belly, that catch got taken off the scoreboard.  Me, on the other hand, well I think the title should speak to how many fish I landed.

It was a rough day, and although we did manage to find a few fish, the fish numbers just weren’t quite where we wanted them to be.  It was a tough go, and required many a cast just to have a random chance of hooking into a fish.  Plus, the 30 degree weather didn’t help the fishing out either;  it brought the water temp way down, and caused the fish to go into a hibernation of sorts………especially around my flies.

The day on the river was great, though.  We ate lunch on the bank, laughed a bunch, and all around had a good time.  And while I was frustrated with the lack of fish, and a little crabby on the way home because of it, the day was definitely not a waste; if you’ve never fished while its snowing, you just haven’t lived yet.

This will probably be our sole steelheading trip this year; and while it didn’t go exactly as planned it still created memories:  my reel bouncing downstream (for another post), Jeff’s mask pulled down over his face while sleeping, and Matt’s “fat guy in little coat” routine.

Another steelheading season come and gone, but turkey season is right around the corner.

Note: We did take a picture of Jeff’s fish, but unfortunately I don’t have it yet.  Maybe after reading this he’ll feel like sharing it.

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Once again Matt and I ventured off to our little secret spot to do a little steelhead fishing. Even though I’m not a big fan of fishing in the dark it sure can produce some good fishing! This night would be no different; as matter of fact it was our best night yet.

We ended up landing 4 fish between the 2 of us. We also had at least 20 fish on over the course of 3 hours. We pretty much had this spot to ourselves most of the night. There was one other guy we met while we were there that just moved to Michigan from California. We helped him out a little with the set up for that area.  All and all it was a great night outdoors and we now have more fish for the grill!  

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It really is a crap shoot.

I guess all fishing can be a crap shoot if you think about it; but I think fishing for salmon and/or steelhead in our local rivers is the hardest of them all.  Back in the day I actually think river fishing was a little easier.  Of course back then you didn’t have the amount of fisherman that you do now, and you didn’t have the internet to let everyone know just the right time to hit the river.

I’m not complaining, really.  I think having the internet is a great thing.  I think – especially in today’s economy – that having a resource that informs the fisherman when they should spend their money and take their trip fishing is great.  I just think with that resource being available, that it definitely adds a new dimension to the whole river fishing experience.

Jeff and I are going to roll the dice early next week.  We’re hoping that we pick the right day, and that the fish cooperate.  It could go either way: we’ve had it where we didn’t hook into one fish, and we’ve had it where we hooked and landed so many fish that we left because we were tired.  You honestly just never know.

I do know this, though.  Regardless of what happens, or how many fish we catch, we are going to have a good time.  There is just something very tranquil and peaceful about being on the river.  The sights and sounds on are the river are truly second to none; and I am looking forward to every minute of it.

I can’t wait to try our hand at the crap shoot we all call river steelhead fishing.  After all that is what keeps you casting, and casting again; just the chance that the next drift, or the next cast could be the one; the one that ends with some fresh chrome on the end of your line.

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Well as I write this it’s 4:00am and I have to work today at 12:00pm so this one is going to be quick! Matt and I decided to hit our local Steelhead spot after dark again tonight. We got in the river around 11:30 and did pretty well, Matt had few on but nothing to the net. Me on there other hand had three on and landed two! We both caught  suckers and I also caught a lamprey(nasty things I tell yeah) We seen 20 or so fish landed so I would have to say it was a great night on the river. Make sure you get a good look at the war wounds on the big male I caught..Crazy fighters for sure

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I hardly consider myself to be a true fly fisherman.  The guys who are truly good at this type of fishing make it seem like a work of art.  And while I would love to be that good one day, I think the chances are probably slim to none – because being a “true” fly fisherman takes years of work and practice.

This post is going to discuss river fishing with a fly:  it can be attached to the end of an actual fly rod, or it can be attached to the end of spin cast reel;  it doesn’t really matter what the fly is attached to, what does matter is the presentation of the actual fly to the fish.  Now we could argue about what type of pole presents a fly better:  an actual fly rod, or a spin cast rod – but we are going to leave that argument for another time and concentrate on the subject at hand:  the fly.

I learned presentation early in my salmon and steel heading days.  It didn’t take long – after watching Jeff catch fish after fish, while I caught nothing – that I was doing something incredibly wrong.  It really sunk in for me at one of our local rivers, when I had been casting at a few fish for about an hour with no hook-ups, and Jeff – in a matter of mere minutes – proceeded to show me just how the drift in that particular spot worked.  He didn’t land that fish, but it was sure an eye-opening event for me.

Proper presentation takes time and a lot of patience.  There is also a good chance, that unless you have fished this particular hole quite a bit before, that your first few casts will not be placed properly; there are times when taking just a few steps to the left or right, and making the same cast, can make all the difference.

You have to remember that most fish in the system have seen their fair share of poor fly presentation from fisherman.  This makes it much more important to assess the hole you are about to fish – paying attention to the current flow, obstructions that affect that flow, along with any underwater features – and presenting your fly to the fish.  A fly that drifts naturally through the current is a thing of beauty, and a skill that can be picked up with some practice.

At first I didn’t understand the appeal of fly fishing.  But after my first well-placed cast, and first fish on the line I was hooked.  I think I’m so attracted to fly fishing because of the sure challenge.  It is ultimately quite a contest.  No fly fisherman ever caught his limit easily, and no fly fisherman ever goes home feeling empty.  It is a game of constant adaptation; not only to conditions, but to the quarry as well.  And after a day of heartbreak, one articulated move can mean success.

And that is what always keeps you casting: the quest for the perfect presentation, the perfect drift.  That one cast where the fly glides across the water, and entices a strike.  It will constantly keep you coming back for more.

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