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Manistee River - August 17th, 2008 |
RECORDED: 
80 °
FISHING: Great
AUGUST 16, 2008
MICHIGAN
Kate just finished an exceptionally exhausting editing job and very much needed some R&R. So, we loaded the dogs into the bedroom crates and beer into the cooler.
And went fishing.
I had just finished a “Rookie School” with Tom Maier, a native Michiganian, and his brother-in-law, Brad Saxon. Brad’s from the Dallas area “Plano, actually,” he said, and had stumbled onto a whole pile of fly fishing rods and other gear at a yard sale.
“I was just wantin’ to buy a couple bass rods that he asked $15,” Brad said. “When I started walkin’ to my car with them he scooped up a whole handful of aluminum rod tubes and dumped ‘em in my trunk.
“Got home and found out there were fly fishin rods inside. Heck,” he replied at my question, “I didn’t pay attention to names on the rods.”
“When I send the photos from our trip,” I said, “let me know if there are any names or brands on the rods and I’ll give you a heads-up on what you’ve got.”
After going through “basic training” on casting lessons and entomology, we spent the next couple of hours on “how to fish a trout stream” at the Guides Rest access on the Au Sable River.
Actually, I spent most of my time with Brad. Tom seemed to be doing pretty well on his own, and at the end of the day reported that he’d landed a 10-inch brookie. Which was wonderful, considering it was his birthday!
Brad never did hook a trout, but he got hooked on trout fishing!
In fact, he got hooked on northern Michigan.
“I love this place!” he exclaimed several times. “I’m gonna retire here. People tell me I’ll say that till I go through the first hard winter. But I just love it.
“I can’t get over how beautiful everything is!”
Kate pretty much feels the same way. Sunshine and blue sky during the day. A full moon at night—despite the fact that nighttime temps have been dropping near 40 degrees. Hoppers flitting around in swarms.
“This is great!” she yelled yesterday as we were rigging up on the upper Manistee. “Sunny. Hot. Hoppers. Cold beer in the cooler. It’s ideal!”
And, it was.
Lots of fish were feeding and Kate caught brookies and browns. I mostly watched, but raised a couple of nice feeders at the downstream end of a sediment trap until I successfully put them down with an EXTREMELY sloppy cast.
Ah, well. Even the best carpenter slams a hammer down onto his thumb occasionally. Right? Please say “yes” and I’ll feel a whole lot better. I mean, those were a couple of NICE fish.
People ask me if I actually fish anymore. Since I’m a guide and all.
Well, yes. Sort of. I mean I made some casts yesterday. Today, since Kate absolutely had to have a few much-needed “vacation days,” I laid back against a big log and looked at the pines and popples waving in the breeze while she fished.
Then a flotilla of canoes came downriver—which is unusual in the Deward stretch—and we decided to take a hike.
Where we stopped was at a spot we long-ago dubbed the “Seven Sisters” because of the huge popples (poplar trees) that were falling one-by-one into the river.
One of them, in fact, narrowly missed killing Kate when it fell just after she had tied a mesh bag holding a couple of beers to a streamside root to stay icy cold while we fished.
I mean missed by maybe five or six feet! And that was a loooong time ago! But we never forgot that spot or that incident.
Anyway, we were there today and a couple of guys tossing spin gear were just getting off the river. Literally climbing the bank on their hands and knees.
Ironically, we had seen them yesterday across the river. Kate recognized them, but I didn’t. We talked for a while, mostly about the old ghost town of Deward.
Then a “posse” sauntered down the mostly-obliterated trail. Two women and a man on horseback.
They’re staying at the horse camp further downstream, and sure enough were looking for “the old ghost town of Deward.” We chatted for quite a while, and explained that nothing’s left except a couple of poured-concrete foundations and old well-sites.
And holes dug by “treasure-hunters” with metal detectors nearly twenty years ago. “We used the bricks they dug up to build the hearth and fascia for our fireplace,” Kate explained. “Which is great for us. We were happy to salvage that piece of history.”
“Some of the bricks are even stamped SBC—Saginaw Brick Company,” I added. “But your horses might step into some of those holes, so be careful if you go over there.”
The two fishermen, Ken Krabbe and Dennis Quast, had already wandered back to their car before the equestrians finally cantered downriver.
Back at the Jeep, Ken and Dennis had left their addresses and a couple of bucks for postage for info on the old Deward ghost town. We’d told them we had a rough map, plus some background info, and they were really interested in getting it mailed to them.
To cap things off, on our road back into Blue Lakes Junction we couldn’t figure out what we were seeing in the distance.
Turned out to be two teenage boys and a girl, carrying shotguns. Don’t ask my why. I have NO clue.
Kate asked if they “needed any help.”
“Nope. We’re with a group.” End of discussion.
“This,” Kate said, “has been a VERY strange fishing day!”
Indeed.
ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE
Ghost saw the canine ophthalmologist Dan Lorimer again Friday morning.
“She’s doing great!” he exclaimed after a brief examination. “I know you don’t think so, but that’s why you’re the hunting and fishing guide and I’m the ophthalmologist.
“She’s 80 percent healthy. In another week she’ll be 90 percent. By September 1st she’ll be healed.”
Thank GOD! Her left eye looks so cloudy that I thought she was blind.
“It could look even worse before it gets better,” Dr. Dan warned. “It might even get red. Don’t worry. She’ll be fine.”
Heart, meanwhile, continues to ravage and savage. He’s 14 months old and definitely full of himself. Our morning “runs” are truly an adventure.
He’s a powerful young thing!
Less than a month now to Grouse Opener. WOW!
FLORIDA
Some tarpon have filtered into the backcountry of Charlotte Harbor, and certainly are working their way into the Myakka River that’s been so good to me over the past couple of years.
Redfish are lurking around the mangroves and oyster bars. Night snook are stacked up around lighted docks.
The only weasel in the woodpile right now is a tropical depression that could cross through Cuba and work its way up the Gulf coast. Only time will tell (in the next few days) about that.
MONTANA
Contact Capt. John through www.jacklinsflyshop.com to fish Yellowstone, the Madison, or the Missouri.
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
photos
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Manistee River - August 16th, 2008 |
RECORDED:
78 °
FISHING: Great
AUGUST 16, 2008
MICHIGAN
Kate just finished an exceptionally exhausting editing job and very much needed some R&R. So, we loaded the dogs into the bedroom crates and beer into the cooler.
And went fishing.
I had just finished a “Rookie School” with Tom Maier, a native Michiganian, and his brother-in-law, Brad Saxon. Brad’s from the Dallas area “Plano, actually,” he said, and had stumbled onto a whole pile of fly fishing rods and other gear at a yard sale.
“I was just wantin’ to buy a couple bass rods that he asked $15,” Brad said. “When I started walkin’ to my car with them he scooped up a whole handful of aluminum rod tubes and dumped ‘em in my trunk.
“Got home and found out there were fly fishin rods inside. Heck,” he replied at my question, “I didn’t pay attention to names on the rods.”
“When I send the photos from our trip,” I said, “let me know if there are any names or brands on the rods and I’ll give you a heads-up on what you’ve got.”
After going through “basic training” on casting lessons and entomology, we spent the next couple of hours on “how to fish a trout stream” at the Guides Rest access on the Au Sable River.
Actually, I spent most of my time with Brad. Tom seemed to be doing pretty well on his own, and at the end of the day reported that he’d landed a 10-inch brookie. Which was wonderful, considering it was his birthday!
Brad never did hook a trout, but he got hooked on trout fishing!
In fact, he got hooked on northern Michigan.
“I love this place!” he exclaimed several times. “I’m gonna retire here. People tell me I’ll say that till I go through the first hard winter. But I just love it.
“I can’t get over how beautiful everything is!”
Kate pretty much feels the same way. Sunshine and blue sky during the day. A full moon at night—despite the fact that nighttime temps have been dropping near 40 degrees. Hoppers flitting around in swarms.
“This is great!” she yelled yesterday as we were rigging up on the upper Manistee. “Sunny. Hot. Hoppers. Cold beer in the cooler. It’s ideal!”
And, it was.
Lots of fish were feeding and Kate caught brookies and browns. I mostly watched, but raised a couple of nice feeders at the downstream end of a sediment trap until I successfully put them down with an EXTREMELY sloppy cast.
Ah, well. Even the best carpenter slams a hammer down onto his thumb occasionally. Right? Please say “yes” and I’ll feel a whole lot better. I mean, those were a couple of NICE fish.
People ask me if I actually fish anymore. Since I’m a guide and all.
Well, yes. Sort of. I mean I made some casts yesterday. Today, since Kate absolutely had to have a few much-needed “vacation days,” I laid back against a big log and looked at the pines and popples waving in the breeze while she fished.
Then a flotilla of canoes came downriver—which is unusual in the Deward stretch—and we decided to take a hike.
Where we stopped was at a spot we long-ago dubbed the “Seven Sisters” because of the huge popples (poplar trees) that were falling one-by-one into the river.
One of them, in fact, narrowly missed killing Kate when it fell just after she had tied a mesh bag holding a couple of beers to a streamside root to stay icy cold while we fished.
I mean missed by maybe five or six feet! And that was a loooong time ago! But we never forgot that spot or that incident.
Anyway, we were there today and a couple of guys tossing spin gear were just getting off the river. Literally climbing the bank on their hands and knees.
Ironically, we had seen them yesterday across the river. Kate recognized them, but I didn’t. We talked for a while, mostly about the old ghost town of Deward.
Then a “posse” sauntered down the mostly-obliterated trail. Two women and a man on horseback.
They’re staying at the horse camp further downstream, and sure enough were looking for “the old ghost town of Deward.” We chatted for quite a while, and explained that nothing’s left except a couple of poured-concrete foundations and old well-sites.
And holes dug by “treasure-hunters” with metal detectors nearly twenty years ago. “We used the bricks they dug up to build the hearth and fascia for our fireplace,” Kate explained. “Which is great for us. We were happy to salvage that piece of history.”
“Some of the bricks are even stamped SBC—Saginaw Brick Company,” I added. “But your horses might step into some of those holes, so be careful if you go over there.”
The two fishermen, Ken Krabbe and Dennis Quast, had already wandered back to their car before the equestrians finally cantered downriver.
Back at the Jeep, Ken and Dennis had left their addresses and a couple of bucks for postage for info on the old Deward ghost town. We’d told them we had a rough map, plus some background info, and they were really interested in getting it mailed to them.
To cap things off, on our road back into Blue Lakes Junction we couldn’t figure out what we were seeing in the distance.
Turned out to be two teenage boys and a girl, carrying shotguns. Don’t ask my why. I have NO clue.
Kate asked if they “needed any help.”
“Nope. We’re with a group.” End of discussion.
“This,” Kate said, “has been a VERY strange fishing day!”
Indeed.
ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE
Ghost saw the canine ophthalmologist Dan Lorimer again Friday morning.
“She’s doing great!” he exclaimed after a brief examination. “I know you don’t think so, but that’s why you’re the hunting and fishing guide and I’m the ophthalmologist.
“She’s 80 percent healthy. In another week she’ll be 90 percent. By September 1st she’ll be healed.”
Thank GOD! Her left eye looks so cloudy that I thought she was blind.
“It could look even worse before it gets better,” Dr. Dan warned. “It might even get red. Don’t worry. She’ll be fine.”
Heart, meanwhile, continues to ravage and savage. He’s 14 months old and definitely full of himself. Our morning “runs” are truly an adventure.
He’s a powerful young thing!
Less than a month now to Grouse Opener. WOW!
FLORIDA
Some tarpon have filtered into the backcountry of Charlotte Harbor, and certainly are working their way into the Myakka River that’s been so good to me over the past couple of years.
Redfish are lurking around the mangroves and oyster bars. Night snook are stacked up around lighted docks.
The only weasel in the woodpile right now is a tropical depression that could cross through Cuba and work its way up the Gulf coast. Only time will tell (in the next few days) about that.
MONTANA
Contact Capt. John through www.jacklinsflyshop.com to fish Yellowstone, the Madison, or the Missouri.
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
photos
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AuSable River - August 9th, 2008 |
RECORDED: 
72 °
FISHING: Excellent
AUGUST 9, 2008
MICHIGAN
Hoppers and wind. That pretty much sums up what’s happening up here in The Northern Highlands!
I’ve been doing a lot of “Rookie Schools” lately, so we’ve been doing the “education” part of angling a lot more than the “fishing” part. But when the wind lays down enough to make a decent cast the brownies and brooks are ALL OVER hopper patterns.
Smallish olive-body patterns, along with dark brown bodies, seem to be the hot item right now. Use a dubbed body with dyed deer hair for the wing with a bushy clipped deer-hair head. Don’t bother with legs.
We still aren’t seeing big hatches of caddis or blue wing olives, which is rather perplexing. But the Au Sable and Manistee rivers (The Sisters) are fishing extremely well right now. Which is no surprise.
The key is dropping that big juicy-looking bug RIGHTNEXT to the log jams. If the fly lands six or eight inches away you just wasted a cast. These big guys (I’m talking brown trout 20 inches or better) will come up during the bright sunlight, but ONLY on the edge of their prime lie.
Which is why we don’t fish tandem rigs with a beadhead nymph and a dry fly like they do out west . You’d be hung up on practically every cast. As you can imagine, that’s no fun at all—especially for the hardworking guide who has to shove that 24-foot-long Au Sable Longboat back upstream against the current.
We do hook respectable brookies and browns using nymphs and emergers, make no mistake about that. In fact, my good friend Jim Powers—who lives on the Manistee midway between M72 and CCC Bridge—uses one of my emerger patterns all season long.
I tie it in colors that suggest brown drake, green drake and hex emergers/duns. I incorporate a lot of cul du canard (CDC) feathers, so it’ll float like a dry after a couple false casts, or sting like a bee subsurface.
I never bothered to give the pattern a name, so Jim has dubbed it “Tony’s Deceiver.”
“They eat it wet, they eat it dry,” Jim said the other day. “And they eat it all season long, even way after the hex hatch is over. Like now. It’s almost the only pattern I use, and I’ve raised some BIG fish with it.
“Last week right in front of my house I stuck one that I know was over 20 inches. He threw the hook, but he was a NICE fish in the middle of the afternoon!”
Thanks for the testimonial, Jim. Hmmmmm. Maybe I’d better start using it more often myself! Better tie some up. If you want the pattern, PM-me and I’ll be happy to oblige.
I just wish this blasted WIND would lay down! I usually don’t guide on the weekends because of the heavy foot and canoe traffic, but I wouldn’t be out today for ANY amount of money.
Gaylord weather says the wind is gusting to 23, but I’m here to tell ya’ that it’s pushing 30 easy. One just hit this big log house like a mortar round had exploded outside the kitchen window. It even woke up Ghost. Which brings us to…
ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE
Ghost had lazer eye surgery at Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield Thursday. Dr. Dan Lorimer is a canine ophthalmologist who worked on that same left eye when a blackberry thorn poked a hole in it a couple years ago.
He saw here up here in Grayling at Paul Mesak’s clinic a couple weeks ago and prescribed some drops, but it just wasn’t getting any better. Hell, it’s been six weeks since she started wincing and closing the eyelid.
Kate and I have a phrase. I “Popeyed” on this deal—“That’s all I can stand I can’t stands nomore!” So I took her to Paul, who examined her and called Dan. Bingo!
So, I drove to Southfield starting at 5am and got back home about 10pm after stopping off to give my “Second Mother”—aunt Pat, a birthday supper.
I was a week early to celebrate her 78th, but we caught up on family matters and she finally got to see Heart—the 14-month old puppy whose nickname is Conan The Barbarian.
We’re keeping Ghost and Heart separated for another day to make sure he doesn’t scratch Ghost’s bad eye while roughhousing with her. I still can’t believe she tolerates his antics. He’ll run at her, she’ll juke, and he’ll jump over her back.
Quite the little “game” they have going.
Just wait a month when Grouse Opener rolls around! I took them out for romps on the 40-foot lead this morning because it was cool and wet and they went nuts.
Heart got a special thrill when one of this year’s fawns started running up the open pipeline toward him—obviously thinking he was another deer fawn.
Suddenly the fawn stood stock still. So did Heart. So did I. Then the fawn whirled around with its white flag up and ran into the jackpines. Heart bolted forward. I held onto the lead. AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!
When calm was restored, we finished our run and drove to Lakes of the North for the morning paper.
I’ll keep you posted! It’s gonna be one doozy of a grouse/woodcock season, I can tell you THAT. I still have some prime days open in October, so let me know quickly if you can break loose.
FLORIDA
I talked with my pal K.O. Corl yesterday. He was guiding on Wednesday and found plenty of spotted sea trout and some ladyfish down in Lemon Bay.
“We looked for redfish in a couple spots,” KO said, “but never could locate a school. It was one of those days when I had a father and son on the boat, and the son was getting action but couldn’t hook the fish.
“They both finally got fish to the boat so we got some photos, but it was a challenging day.”
Tarpon have left the nearshore barrier islands, and the fishing is earlyearlyearly in the morning.
MONTANA
This is prime time for the Madison, so if you want to head west contact www.jacklinsflyshop.com and ask for Capt. Gospo!
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
photos
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Manistee River - July 28th, 2008 |
RECORDED: 
78 °
FISHING: Great
JULY 28, 2008
MICHIGAN
Our weather continues its roller-coaster ride of highs and lows. Temps at night have dropped into the 40s, followed by hot sun at mid-day, then the threat of T-storms in the late afternoon.
A lot like Florida at this time of year. Except for the chilly nights, that is!
All things considered, fishing has been pretty darn good despite the barometric fluctuations.
The puzzling thing is that we’re not getting the usual daytime hatches of blue wing olives (Baetis) and caddis. Likewise, the Hopper Hatch hasn’t exploded. We have started seeing some larger hoppers flitting about, though, which is terrific.
And THAT means (I hope) that August will provide exceptionally good fishing on the Au Sable and Manistee rivers.
Actually, we’ve raised a lot of fish during the past week, including a fat, beautiful, 14-inch brown that Jack Helder nailed on an olive caddis. More on that in a minute.
Eric Sharp, Outdoors Editor for the Detroit Free Press, and my good friend Jim Powers floated the Manistee with me last Tuesday. Eric made photos, I poled the Longboat and Jim fished.
In three hours, mostly using an orange-bodied Tarantula, Jim raised at least 25 trout and boated nine. Pretty good for a “pound-em-up” kinda day!
Seems like every time I take Eric fishing or grouse hunting we have more than our share of success. Which is a GOOD thing when newspaper articles are involved (more on THAT later, too!)
The Tarantula, which gained a lot of popularity out West several years ago, is a variation on the venerable Michigan Skunk that’s caught a bazillion fish around these parts during the past hundred years. The Au Sable Skunk typically has a black body, white rubber legs, and deer hair flared over the back. Tarantulas have a variety of body colors, incorporates some Krystal Flash, and usually has a white calf-body wing.
It was all the rage around here, too, a few years back, and Jim pulled one out of his fly box when caddis weren’t “getting ‘er done.” Bingo!
The next day Gar Collick and his lady friend Phyllis Thayer floated the Au Sable from Stephan’s to Wakeley.
I had given Phyllis some casting lessons a couple weeks ago, but this was her first time ever actually fly fishing. We spent a considerable time in the trees, but finally put a fish in the boat.
“What a beautiful day,” Gar repeated several times during the float. He hadn’t been trout fishing for 50 years, “and I’ve been longing to get back up here on the Au Sable River.”
In the “It’s a small world” department, Gar “broke in” one of my regular clients—Mike Wesch—at Detroit Edison many years ago. “I can’t believe you guide Mike, too,” Gar said. “Wait till you tell him you took ole Gar down the river!”
Thursday was Jack Helder’s day to shine. We did the Stephan-Wakeley stretch and Jack was Game On. He hasn’t done much fishing lately, but his casting was on the money.
That fat 14-inch brown was the highlight, but he raised many others and boated quite a few. Dennis was content to sit in the middle all day, but did catch the first fish of the day.
Since both are old friends (and Dennis owns the ad agency Kate does freelance work for) they stayed at Blue Lakes Junction with us.
MAN did we feast! Jack made whitefish over a bed of cilantro, sliced tomatoes, and a sauce of oil, paprika, bouillon, cumin, turmeric and pepper. He also made a salad of avocado, blueberries, raspberries, sweet onion and fresh basil leaves. Superb!
I fished Bill Hardesty and his lady friend, Faye Duren the next day. We did “Rookie School” down near CCC Bridge on the Manistee, and covered all the elements of fly fishing.
Faye had done some fly fishing back in Minnesota (she works for an ad agency in St. Paul), but Bill is new to the sport. He’s a Tactician on racing sailboats, and had just finished second in the Chicago-to-Mackinaw race.
Bill raised a few fish but didn’t hook up, and Faye landed a smallish brown trout just before we called it quits. Both had a great time and a great day. In fact, I’m taking Bill on a float trip tomorrow.
“This is really great,” he said. “Too bad you have to go back to work, babe!” Faye grimaced. Especially since her cell phone messages made her wince about personnel problems at the agency.
I, on the other hand, went home to an outstanding meal of whole wheat spaghetti topped with a luscious clam sauce prepared by Dennis. YUM!
Saturday morning the guys decided to sleep in rather than join me on the Upper Manistee just a few miles from home. I was meeting Jack String, who had become THOROUGHLY frustrated by the fact that he’d fished this water a dozen times and never caught a trout.
Jack actually called me the end of June, while I was still guiding tarpon anglers in Florida.
“That’s okay,” he said. “I live in Columbus, and won’t be back to our cabin on Blue Lake (a few miles west of our house) until late July.” We finally set the date, and I watched while Jack fished.
“You’re moving too fast,” I finally told him. “And you need to cast a longer line. You’re pushing the fish downstream ahead of you. The nearest ones get spooked, then they swim down and panic the others.”
Ultimately, Jack nailed a 10-inch brook trout—which a VERY nice brookie for this water—and was grinning from ear to ear.
“What a way to end my bad streak,” he said. “This is a great fish. And I really learned a lot. It was really frustrating coming over here time after time without ever catching anything!”
He went home to Blue Lake and I went home to Blue Lakes Junction, where I prepared a cordon bleu of grouse stuffed with proscuitto and provolone, topped with Mornay sauce and crumbled bacon bits.
It was pronounced edible by Kate, Jack and Dennis. “Urp!” Truly three nights of Bacchanalia! In fact, yesterday Jack and Dennis each claimed to have gained four pounds during those three days!
Yesterday—still so stuffed I couldn’t even eat a slice of the wild blackberry pie Kate had made for desert Saturday night—I floated Bill and Lorrie Howenstein down the Manistee.
Bill’s an attorney from Grosse Pointe Farms, and Lorrie’s a “Candler Girl”—meaning she literally grew up on the Manistee at “Beaverkill” the lodge her father, J. Nall Candler, built 62 years ago.
As you might imagine, both Bill and Lorrie are pretty good casters, and raised 14 fish during our three-hour float. It was the first time I’d had the pleasure of guiding them, although I’ve fished past Beaverkill hundreds of times over the years.
Perhaps we’ll get to spend another afternoon together when they come back Up North for the Upper Manistee River Association (UMRA) potluck and fundraiser August 23.
Speaking of which, UMRA is raffling off a Temple Fork Outfitters 479 Finesse rod, along with a TFO reel and Royal Wulff fly line, and a David Ruimveld Manistee River print. Tickets are $5 and you need not be present to win!
ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE
Golly, only seven weeks until Grouse Opener! And Heart still hasn’t learned all his manners! In fact, he and Ghost are laying down in their crates out in the Tahoe right now because they were getting rowdy.
Every day he get a little bit better, but we still have to stop him from jumping up onto people. He just gets so excited he can’t control himself. He is getting better at “heel,” though.
And brother does he get excited over birds! Mourning doves send him into a frenzy when he’s on the porch and they land under Kate’s bird feeders.
Ghost’s eye is getting better, but it’s not a hundred percent. She’ll need to see Dr. Dan Lorimer again when he comes back up to Grayling in August. Nothing slows her down, though.
Indominatable is the word that most comes to mind when talking about her!
I’ve booked Ken McIntyre for a couple of days in September, but I still have a few more prime days open in October. Check your schedule and let me know!
FLORIDA
There still are tarpon being caught off the barrier islands around Venice, Casey Key and Sarasota.
There’s also a wide mix of fish in Sarasota bay, including pompano and bluefish, and snook under the lights in Venice and Nokomis continues to be excellent.
Just remember to fish very early or very late in the day. The heat’s literally a killer!
MONTANA
Contact www.jacklinsflyshop.com and ask for Capt. John. All the rivers are fishing well right now.
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
photos
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AuSable River - July 20th, 2008 |
RECORDED:
83 °
FISHING: Excellent
JULY 20, 2008
MICHIGAN
The Sexy Hexies are done for the year—safely burrowed into the muck awaiting their emergence late next June!
HOWEVER, the Hopper Hatch is imminent. That means big brown trout and brookies will be looking up during the middle of the day waiting for a “SPLAT” that means a tasty morsel just hit the water.
Which means you, too, should anticipate “hitting the water” real soon.
And the really good news is that I was smart enough to marry Kate
** years ago. See, SHE used her brain and called the Circuit Court in Gaylord and found that I could postpone my jury duty service.
That means I’m now open to book trips tomorrow, the 22nd, 28th and 29th. And yes, we’ve been raising fish.
We’ve had some rain—actually it’s much like southwest Florida right now. Temps in the 80s with T-storms in the forecast every afternoon. But we’ve been getting out in the mornings and have raised quite a few fish.
Ryan and Josh Martin floated the Au Sable with me on Monday from Thendara to Wakeley and they raised about 40 fish. Mostly on a #14 brown caddis with a light wing.
I had started them off with an Iso and a yellow stone but didn’t get any takers. Switched to an olive caddis for Ryan and after he raised several fish I gave Josh a brown caddis.
Bingo!
Really glad we were able to get some fish since Ryan’s now in training at the FBI Academy. Big-brother is crunching numbers for Volvo. Mom (Betty Ann—who taught them to fish) and Dad Larry are back in Hagerstown, MD after a week’s vacation in God’s Country.
Tuesday I floated Bob Osgerby and son John from Stephan’s to Wakeley with similar results. Bob hadn’t been fly fishing for mannnny years, and John had never cast a fly. We spent some time on the grass before heading out, and the brief lesson paid dividends.
John raised more than a dozen trout and boated several brookies and a brown. Bob was fishless—although he had raised several—until I literally was pushing the Longboat up to the takeout.
BAM! A brookie decided to eat the caddis practically next to the boat. Go figure.
The next day, after getting my Tahoe stuck in her yard (husband Jack helped me “Unstick”) I took Karen Harrison to the Manistee. She was unhappy with her casting that day, but still managed to raise several fish, hook some, and boat a smallish brown trout.
Thursday and Friday were errand-running and catch-up days before spending yesterday on the banks of the South Branch at the Roscommon River Festival.
Nice folks, and a fun event. I was glad that I was back from Florida and able to participate again this year.
It’s raining now, so I guess I’ll spend some time at the vise and get the fly boxes restocked!
FLORIDA
Walking the beach for snook is still a good idea, and there are a few tarpon way up near the head of Charlotte Harbor. Night snook are always a good bet around the lighted docks.
Remember that it’s very hot so plan you trips for early morning and take along plenty of water. And DRINK it!
ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE
Ghost is still having some problems with her left eye, but the medications I got from Dan Lorimer, canine ophthalmologist from Michigan Veterinary Specialists, seems to be working.
She’s holding the eye open most of the time now. Poor girl has had a tough time during her 11 years because she’s so darn tough.
This is her third eye injury. Scratched the cornea several years ago, and poked a hole in it (all in the left eye) with a blackberry thorn two years ago.
She also needed seven stitches in her right front “wrist” in the Upper Peninsula, drove a stick the size of a wooden match into her right paw, poked a hole in her chest on barb wire, and of course blew out her left Anterior Crusciate Ligament!
All because her throttle is either FULL SPEED AHEAD or off! And you obviously can guess which is most common.
She and Heart were a big hit at the river festival. Everybody wanted to pet the dogs. And naturally the dogs loved all the attention.
Hard to believe that it’s now less than two months to Grouse Opener! Heart still has to learn “Down” but he’s really looking good. Skinny as a rail, though. He just doesn’t care about eating unless Kate or I stand right next to his dish.
Ghost, of course, is the quintessential bird dog. She quite simply is superb in the field. I still have a few days open in October if you want to walk the uplands for grouse and woodcock.
MONTANA
This is prime time on the Madison if you have a yen to head west. Contact www.jacklinsflyshop.com and ask for Capt. John.
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
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Manistee River - July 8th, 2008 |
RECORDED: 
87 °
FISHING: Excellent
JULY 8, 2008
I’m BAAAAAAAAAACK! Nearly two months to the day after I left Kate, Ghost and Heart in Michigan to guide tarpon anglers in Florida I’m BAAAAAACK!!!!!!
So are Hex. But I’ll get to that in a coupla minutes.
Gotta admit that Michigan’s weather during May and June was pretty awful. “No guiding today! not in this weather,” Kate would tell me time after time. Meanwhile, I was booked solid in Venice. Whew!
We saw lots of tarpon. The “hooking” part was below-average because I had a lot of first-timers who were so awed/mesmerized/intimidated by those huge fish they sometimes forgot to cast!
Oh, well. It happens. That’s all part of the learning curve. Next time, they’ll be much better!
Snook, trout, and redfish were wonderful playmates, however. Lots of fish and big smiles from happy anglers.
Anyway, I got back to Deward at 7:30 last night after a gratefully uneventful drive. No flat tires. No near-misses with other drivers. Just some heavy rain south of Atlanta.
The dogs were absolutely THRILLED when I pulled up next to the house. I think Kate was, too, but you never know about wives. Especially as long as WE’VE been married! Just kidding Red. That was a great big hug and kiss you laid on me in the driveway!
Heart has grown tremendously in the two months I was gone. He’s getting to be quite the big, handsome, young man.
Ghost, of course, is perfect in every way. Except fort that left eye she diced and sliced several times over her years of crashing through heavy brush and blackberry thickets. She’s seeing canine ophthalmologist Dan Lorimer on Friday to get THAT handled!
OK, OK. About the Hex!
They’re still popping on the upper Manistee River. Talked with Steve Sendek, fisheries biologist for this area, a few hours ago and he told me the Au Sable’s finished for the hatch, but the upper Manistee is still getting duns and spinners.
Nobody knows how long that will LAST, of course. So, get here quickquickquick if you want to try and hit them this season!
Hoppers will be starting soon, so keep that in mind. White Flies (Ephron lukon) will be covering the Au Sable below Mio in a month and that’s as spectacular a sight as any you’ll ever see in your angling career!
It’s also only TWO months till Grouse Opener. I still have some prime days open in October! If you’re into pheasant, Capt. John has a magnificent lease in central Montana near Great Falls. We (Ghost and I) hunted there a few years ago and it was crawling with roosters.
I’ve got a casting lesson tomorrow (a woman who’s new to the sport and has a float booked with me later this month), but I’ll be dropping the Longboat in the water realquick.
I’ll keep you posted!
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
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Venice - Snook Alley - June 28th, 2008 |
RECORDED:
90 °
FISHING: Excellent
JUNE 28, 2008
FLORIDA
I’ve been hitting the lights in Venice and Nokomis for snook before heading out to Tarpon Country and the fishing has been superb in those pre-dawn hours!
The snook are stacked up like cordwood, and there’s an incredible amount of bait in the water. Some of my regular clients—such as Dr. Mark Johnson and Mark Goodnight—have had a blast with these aggressively-feeding snook.
The tarpon bite remains quite good off the barrier islands from Captiva all the way north to Egmont Key in lower Tampa Bay. We’re finding them a few miles north of the Venice Jetty along Casey Key.
Some days have been better than others, of course, but there still are plenty of fish milling around. Pinfish and crabs are the food du jour—either artificials or live bait—IF you can find live crabs.
They’re in short supply this year, and bait shops are charging as much as $5 EACH!!!!
I’ve got Mote Marine tarpon specialist Dr. Aaron Adams Monday, then Frank Mariano again Tuesday. He still can’t stop talking about that 19-inch pompano he landed in Sarasota Bay last month.
Let’s hope he can start bragging about the 100-pound tarpon he expects to catch. And, of course it’s always a pleasure to learn more about tarpon from Dr. Adams.
My last trip is scheduled for July 7, then I’ll be heading home and will start guiding Michigan trout anglers on the 11th. Speaking of which…
MICHIGAN
Despite the predictions for more rain, the Manistee, Au Sable, and Pere Marquette rivers are getting back to normal after the torrential thunderstorms during the past two weeks.
Some of the water is still a bit tea-colored, and you DEFINITELY want to stay away from the South Branch for a while longer. But, the BIG NEWS is that Hex have started popping on some stretches of the Mainstream, and are just beginning on the Manistee between M72 and CCC Bridge.
There also are Gray drakes and Isonychias fluttering around, along with the usual cast of caddis, blue wing olives and sulphurs.
With luck, the Hex will still be in the air when I get home. If not, the big browns will start keying in on Hoppers during the daytime—which is actually my favorite time of the year to fish in Michigan. Lots of activity with large fish and gentlemen’s hours!
ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE
The BAD news is that Ghost’s left eye—which has had two serious injuries over the years because she’s absolutely fearless in the field—is acting up again.
Kate has been saddled with putting drops and lotion in Ghost’s eye SIX TIMES A DAY!!!!! Something Ghost DEFINITELY is not thrilled about.
“That dog KNOWS when it’s time for medication,” Kate said, “and she finds every possible hidey-hole to try and escape. It’s been a challenge, to say the least!”
So, I’m making an appointment Monday to take her to Dan Lorimer, who owns Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield. Dan treated Ghost when she poked a hole in that eye a couple of years ago. That’s also where she had her left knee rebuilt.
The GOOD news is that the puppy—year-old Heart—is absolutely crazy about birds. “He’s just plain crazy,” Kate says. “Every now and then his brain just goes sproing! But, he’s starting to settle down a little bit. Gotta remember he’s like an 18-year-old boy.
“Remember what YOU were like at 18, kiddo?”
Uh, let’s not go THERE!
MONTANA
Capt. John’s busy floating the Madison, The Park, and frequently the Missouri. So, if you’ve got plans to head out to West Yellowstone this summer or fall get ahold of Jacklin’s Fly Shop and for Gospo.
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
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Venice - Snook Alley - June 21st, 2008 |
RECORDED:
90 °
FISHING: Great
JUNE 21, 2008
FLORIDA
Tarpon still hold center-stage, as you can well-imagine at this time of year--although fishing the surf along the beaches for LARGE brood snook isn’t far behind in popularity!
It’s been an unsettled season for tarpon, I must admit. We’ve had early morning thunderstorms—like the one that postponed my Thursday trip with Dennis Sandwith and Jim Dalton into Friday.
When we met at the Higel Park ramp the sky was filled with lightning bolts. “Guys,” I asked, “what are you doing tomorrow at this time?”
“Fishing with you!” they replied in unison. Right. And, we did run out of the Venice Jetty after Jim tagged two nice snook, boating one.
Almost immediately after anchoring off Casey Key some tarpon popped up. Shots were taken, but no “hits” were recorded. However, the chop started to build and the boat started rockin’ so I pulled the plug.
We convoyed down to North Port and cruised around the Myakka River. Long on expectations, but short on results. The guys had a lot more shots, but those *%#@*#!!!!! fish wouldn’t even suck down a live crab!
Go figure! Ah, well. We’ll keep plugging away at ‘em.
There are Spanish mackerel off the beach, too. And redfish in Lemon Bay are big and hungry. In fact, I’ll be poling those flats Monday morning with Jim McGinnis and his brother.
There are some pompano around, too, and some really fat sea trout are cruising the grass flats.
MICHIGAN
Water levels are still high, so most folks are stripping streamers hoping to entice some large brown trout into making a mistake in the tea-colored water.
Reports are favorable if water levels and flow start to drop, but forecasts are calling for more rain this week. There have been brown drakes, mahoganies, sulphers and the usual caddis on the water.
Hex have “reportedly” been sighted in a few spots, but don’t take THAT ONE to the bank.
It could be a week before any REAL Hex show up. In fact, I’m likely to “Hit The Hatch” when I get back to Michigan just after the 4th.
Speaking of which, check your schedule and get with me for Hopper or Hex fishing. Don’t forget, July and August hopper fishing produces some of the finest daytime angling of the year on the Au Sable and Manistee rivers!
ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE:
“BONEHEADED PUPPY!” was the header on Kate’s message to me this morning. Here’s what she had to say:
“Okay--so the dogs come in from their bedtime walk, and Heart, bounding up the steps, leaps into his accustomed crate. Seeing that Ghost wanted to get in there, I told Heart to go to the other crate, which he did. Then, for some reason, before I could close the door to Ghost's, the puppy leaped back across the bed and got into the same crate with Ghost.
“I think I stood there frozen for a split second before the dustup started. Felt like an eternity.
“Lemme tell ya, that crate was rockin' and rollin'. Lots of snarling and whimpering. Now that I think about it, it reminded me of Sarge and Beetle Bailey going round and round--I can just see all the stars and exclamation points and clouds of dust!
“Once I got them quieted--and I don't remember how I did, except to keep saying That's enough, that's enough, it's okay--we reached a standoff. Heart was huddled in a back corner of the crate, Ghost in front. I tried to get her to come out, but she didn't want to turn her eyes away from him. I know that she wanted him to leave first, but of course that just wasn't physically possible. I think if he could have evaporated himself through the wire, he would have.
“All I could think to do was to go get a Mr. Patterson (ed. note: Meaty Bone biscuit) to lure them out. I brought it up, sat on the bed, and kept saying Okay, it's alright now, everything's okay. I certainly was not about to stick my hand in there to grab Ghost. Even in pandemonium, I'm not that dumb.
“There was no further snarling or whimpering while I went downstairs; I think Heart was afraid to even breathe at that point.
“Finally, after a fair amount of soothing talk, Ghost tentatively wagged her tail and then finally came out, followed by Heart, who shot over to the other crate.
“Calm now has been restored. Doesn't appear to be any blood or any injuries; just a lot of sound and fury.
“Ever since Ghost reclaimed that crate several days ago I have tried to remember to close the door on that one while they're out for their bedtime walk, to avoid scenes like this. However, being a busy mom, I can't always remember every detail.
“So now the question is, will Heart have learned that's no longer his bedtime crate, or will he still try to get in there?
“Stay tuned for the next exciting episode!”
Later, Kate reported “Pals Again: They’re playing together out in the pen.”
WHEW!
Boneheaded Puppy is RIGHT! Jumping into the crate with Ghost was NOT a smart move—which Heart now FULLY realizes!
MONTANA
Haven’t heard from Capt. John, but he’s rowing the rivers out west so give Jacklin’s Fly Shop a call if you plan to head out that way this summer.
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
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Charlotte Harbor Area - June 7th, 2008 |
RECORDED:
88 °
FISHING: Excellent
JUNE 7, 2008
FLORIDA
John Freeland had so many shots at tarpon yesterday in the Myakka River that we felt like the Seventh Cavalry at Little Big Horn.
Fish were everywhere! They ranged in size from 20 pounds to nearly 100. What they ALL had in common, though, was an UNCOMMON case of lockjaw.
I mean to tell you we threw every size, color, and combination of materials at those fish! And not one would eat the fly! Just one of those maddening days.
John, who’s fished with me many times over the past few years, was celebrating the sale of his software business. “If I can just get the new owners to fire me before my three-year contract is up then we can go fishing ALL the time,” he said. “I’m tired of working. I wanna play.”
I like the way you think, John!
Earlier in the week I guided Linda Moore a couple of days, then Austin Adduci Tuesday and Wednesday.
Linda’s a fellow Michiganian (from Muskegon) who fishes the White River for trout pretty regularly. The 8-weight and 12-weight rods were a revelation to her, though, so we spent a lot of time working on casting skills.
By the end of our two days she had added about 20 feet of distance to her cast, and began hooking some fish.
Austin, who fished with me three days last tarpon season, doesn’t need any casting lessons. His distance and accuracy are just fine, thank you.
We pretty much covered all of Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound during our time together. His shots at tarpon in Gasparilla Pass went unrewarded, but he caught quite a mixed bag inside Captiva Pass. Plus a bonus snook under the lights during the pre-dawn hour on Wednesday.
Ron Boehm is going to chase tarpon with me again on Monday, then Shane Smetak gets more “lessons” on Tuesday. After our last session, Shane dramatically scaled down the size of his tackle.
I ran into him on the water while I had Linda out, and he was really excited. “I had some friends down from New York and got them into a bunch of fish! It was great! Yep, I broke out my little rods. It was great!”
Shane, you see, had watched too many videos and was subject to a lot of conflicting “advice.” The old “big baits for big fish” syndrome. But he’s MUCH better now.
John Bachey, who had a spectacular day with me in Lemon Bay in January, is on for poons on Friday The Thirteenth! But who’s superstitious!?!
I guess I could take a hacksaw along. Or was it a chainsaw? I can’t keep those horror flicks straight. Just hope our day together doesn’t resemble a fright flick!
John certainly had no trouble catching big fish the last time we were out, so I’m expecting big things from him next week.
ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE
Kate says Heart—who will turn a year old on Friday The Thirteenth—is “a little learning sponge.” She’s been working on his training every day in the 800-square-foot pen, and he’s really focused upon her commands.
It’s staggering to think he’s a year old already. Seems like yesterday he was a confused eight-week-old bundle of fluff trying to figure out where he was and who the heck these strangers were.
Ghost, who’s 11 years old now, still reigns supreme, of course. She puts up with a lot from the pup, but every now and then she lets him know who’s Top Dog.
Looks like they’ll work out great in the grouse and woodcock coverts this Fall. I’ve already booked several days in October, so if you’re interested in hitting the bush don’t delay in contacting me.
We averaged seven points per hour last Fall, and I think this year will be at least as good.
MICHIGAN FISHING
Kate’s been so busy editing books and taking care of the dogs that she hasn’t been out much. She did release several beautiful brookies the other day, and raised a couple of browns in the 14-inch class that spurned her too-small black stonefly.
She did have a really interesting experience the other night, though. For the first time ever there was a HUGE yellow stonefly on one of the kitchen screens. How do YOU spell “salmonfly hatch?”
Good friend Jim Powers, who lives about 30 miles down river on the Manistee said the water temp has been holding at 50 degrees and the fish have been hunkered down.
“It’s supposed to get really hot this weekend, though,” Jim said. “They say near 90. That should warm up the water enough to crack things loose.
“It seems we’re about three weeks behind, though. Hell, we still have black caddis coming off. At this rate, the Hex hatch might not even start until you get back around the Fourth of July!”
Speaking of which: don’t forget to check your schedule. Hex? Maybe. Hoppers in July and August? Definitely!
MONTANA
Capt. John is back in West Yellowstone waiting for the Spring Runoff to clear the Park waters. There still are plenty of other places he can go to put you into fish, though. Contact Jacklin’s Fly Shop and demand Capt. John!
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
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Charlotte Harbor Area - May 24th, 2008 |
RECORDED: 
88 °
FISHING: Excellent
MAY 24, 2008
FLORIDA
What a madhouse the past two weeks have been!
Steve Sendek, DNR fisheries biologist for the Grayling area, and steelhead guide Vince Bode drove back to Venice with me from Michigan on May 10.
Yep. We did it—drove straight through in 23 hours, zonked out for three hours and went fishing the afternoon of May 11.
The wind definitely was not kind to us during the four days they fished with me. We saw plenty of tarpon in the Myakka River (THAT name’s going to pop up a LOT in this report) with many, many shots and three “grabs.”
The guys still had the mindset of using the “Yankee Trout Lift,” though, and took the flies away from those tarpon immediately. Much to the anguished wails of Mr. Bode, who has a personal vendetta against the elusive Megalops atlanticus.
That was on Monday.
Tuesday we started to run outside Stump Pass but immediately turned back. Seas were WAY too rough. Steve and Vince had a field day on the flats in Lemon Bay, though.
We lost count of how many fish—and how many different species of fish—they caught. Both really focused upon using the strip-strike, though, instead of the YTL.
Wednesday produced some dandy snook under the lights in the early morning hours, but once again the wind wouldn’t let us get outside.
After a welcome day off, Tom Ladimir and Wally Hedman joined me once again. The Myakka was as flat as a pool table and we expected it to be crawling with tarpon in the 25 to 70-pound class.
Brother, were we wrong! Absolutely nothing showed. Zip. Zilch. Not a wriggling fin anywhere in sight.
So, I Bugged Out. Stump was still too rough, but the guys said what-the-heck, let’s go catch SOMETHING. So, that’s just what we did!
Frank Mariano and wife Diane met me at the Thompson ramp on Longboat Key just before noon on Monday, and we scoured Sarasota Bay. Stuck one here, stuck one there, stuck yet another one over yonder.
The highlight of the trip was Frank’s 18-inch pompano, which dragged him around Bishop Point for quite a long time before I finally could slip the big, long-handled “Manly” net underneath it. He had been pretty pleased with the 18-inch trout he’d caught a while earlier, but that pompano made his day.
“Great day,” he said when we parted company. “I’ve never hooked a fish as strong as that pompano. What a thrill!”
The next day I was more of a counselor than guide for Shane Smetak. He’d called me the previous week lamenting the fact that “I can’t catch any fish down here in Florida.”
“Back in Illinois, I can catch smallies all day long. Down here I get bites but I never hook anything. Eight hours I’m out there, and I don’t hook up. It’s frustrating.”
We agreed to take his boat, and I’d observe and consult.
The most evident issue, as Shane had warned me, was his 26-foot
T-top center console boat. Perfect for cruising the family offshore with its twin 225s, but hardly suitable for inshore flats fishing.
When we stopped for bait, I examined Shane’s gear. It was equivalent to shooting jackrabbits with a .418 Rigby! WAY too big. So, we bought some size 1 hooks and a dozen live shrimp and headed up the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).
I pointed out a couple of spots where he could fish, then we cut into a small bay that’s been kind to me over the years.
As God is my Judge, with his gear downsized to proper tippet and hook sizes, Shane caught a fish on his first cast! A lizardfish, true, but an actual fish that was brought aboard and released.
There soon followed several ladyfish, and finally a very respectable 18-inch trout before the black clouds and lightning drove us off the water.
“Wow!” he said. “I can’t believe my gear was too big. I actually thought you were going to tell me it was too SMALL.
“I read everything I can, and watch all the cable shows. They all say big bait for big fish, so that’s how I geared up.
“You sure proved THAT wrong!”
Shane eliminated his major issue last week, though. He found a flats skiff at a reasonable price, so NEXT week we’re going to get it properly rigged and then go fishing. His days on the flats definitely are destined to become a lot more fruitful and relaxing.
My ophthalmologist, Mark Johnson, went up the ICW with me the following day, but the fishing was tougher than I anticipated despite the perfect weather. We hooked a couple ladyfish and trout, but the redfish and snook just wouldn’t come out and play.
Mark’s a true Workaholic, though, so ANY time he gets to spend on the water fishing is a joy to him.
Frank Boiteau and Dan Ferraris each assaulted the Myakka with me on Thursday and Friday, respectively. Both had a lot of shots at tarpon. Especially Frank, who had a grab but wasn’t psychologically ready and never set the hook.
It was one heckuva boil, though! That tarpon sloshed the water right next to the boat like he was thrashing around in a bathtub.
Naturally, Frank beat himself up the rest of the day.
Dan, on the other hand, was frustrated because several really good shots were completely ignored by these regal Silver Kings. And, with good reason. I mean, one pod of poons were barely more than a rod-length from the boat but completely ignored the fly!
Have I ever mentioned that I hate fish?!?
ENGLISH SETTER UPDATE
Kate tells me that the 11-month-old puppy, “Heart” is starting to learn some manners. FINALLY!
Of course, as Kate wrote in an e-mail to me, “Ghost still enjoys clobbering him when he grabs something he shouldn’t.” She says Ghost is really bonding with the “Little Guy,” which is extremely helpful.
Of course, the term “Little Guy” is a bit misleading. When I took them to vet Paul Mesak before I headed back south, Ghost weighed 40.5. Heart, on the other hand, was 50 pounds. God knows what he’d weigh if he cared anything at all about EATING!
Both dogs have been spending a lot of time outside on long leads and in the 800-square-foot pen. Heart, I’m happy to report, has been keying in on birds. Kate says he barks furiously when mourning doves land in the driveway, or anywhere close to the pen.
Good portents for Fall grouse and woodcock guiding!
MICHIGAN
Weather up there has been lousy! It’s finally bumping up into the high-60s to low-70s, so perhaps there will be a “spring” trout season after all.
I’ll be in Florida chasing tarpon until some time around July 4. Not sure yet when I’ll head back north. Mostly, it’ll depend upon the weather, the tarpon, the hatches, gasoline prices, and—above all else—the bookings!
Let me know where and when you want to fish. Don’t forget that the “Hopper Hatch” on the Manistee can produce some excellent brown trout during the middle of the day during July and August!
Late August and early September is the best time to target FRESH Chinook salmon, with a smattering of steelhead thrown in for good measure.
Let me know what turns your fish-catching crank!
MONTANA
Capt. John’s heading back June 3, so contact www.jacklinsflyshop.com and request Capt. John Gospodarek if you want to fish The Park, the Madison, or the Missouri.
Tight Loops,
Capt. Tony
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