A Day on the Water

Low wind was forecast so I headed to the big dyked in duck marsh at Point Mouillee State Game Area.   The wind was pretty strong so I headed for shelter down wind of the long dyke.  Staring in close to the kayak launch where I usually get nothing, about the 8th cast got the best pike of the day.  Good sized but not one of the really big ones. Easy fishing, casting, counting down a few seconds depending on how close to shore it fell, then hard short strips in a calm rhythm.  The 3rd Pike was as long as...

April 17 to April 20, many small steelhead around 14 to 18 inches were jumping, some dark, some silver.  Over two half days and two full days, small white minnow jig patterns got me a few of them.  I got two very big males on very small 1/64 ounce size #8 jigs.  Only one fat brown hit one of my usual bright UV bead colors.  Very pale, dull pink or pale yellowish white hooked a few steelhead and brown trout  for me and other people. Small white minnow pattern jigs fished under a bobber hooked the most steelhead over on...

I launched at Point Mouillee State Game Area.  Lots of Ducks, Herons, an Eagle and 4 Pelicans flying in mild wind conditions. A strong north wind quickly blew up with cold heavy rain.  I turned the corner and headed north looking for protected edges.  I sheltered in a phragmites thicket for 10 minutes until it let up.  As I continued north it settled back into dry low wind conditions so I began casting to phragmite edges. It was slow until I caught a few sluggish Pike on slow rip and fall retrieves that were small enough so it would be...

I got in above the coffer.  It was crowded with bottom bouncers, I was one few bobber guys to stick it out.  Not many fish jumping or being caught.  Several jigs didn't touch a fish.  First cast with an 8mm UV Orang Big Hole bead took the first really big steelhead.   I tried trailing other color bead and flies behind behind it and got nothing until I retied with a single 8mm Glow Apricot bead with a UV Pink spot.  That took a smaller big male and a brown.  Before getting those fish I thought I had hits and 2...

Salmon Alevin imitations have been popular this spring.  I learned how to get the little eyes securely Super Glued on without getting any excess glue in the yolk sac.  That is important so the soft Glo-Bug yarn yolk sac will not obstruct the hook gap.  The key is a procedure is explained at the end, using the wax paper and the tools shown.  The Tan Yarn on top soaks up a precise bit of glue to make the fly durable but keeps the belly yarn clean and soft.                  The Tan top yarn is tied mid head...