Huron River Bass Fishing

I brought my kayaks down to Ann Arbor a few weeks ago. Living as close to the river as we do we should have brought them down years ago.

Going out for a paddle is a great way to unwind after a day at work. It's tranquil, smooth, and  The boats also allow me to fish in new places that were unreachable by foot, BONUS!

The closest part of the "river" is a long oligotrophic lake that happens to have a vestigial vein of the Huron River running through it. It is totally choked with plant life and nearly unfishable with anything other than topwater flies right now. That being said, smallmouth and largemouth will rise to take a frog pattern all afternoon.

FISH ON. Captured from my deck-mounted GoPro.

I hope to do some recon on other parts of the river soon. Pics to come.

-J

Remembering a Hot Summer Afternoon

I've lived in Ann Arbor for just over three years. In that time I have made numerous trips to the closest section of the Huron River to to try my hand at catching whatever would bite. I was never impressed with the mutants that I was pulling out; rock bass with white eyes, all-black bluegills, and other varying offerings that I refer to only as "panfish." Due to the many dams on the Huron I regarded it as a few long, slow-moving, oligotrophic lakes strung together that could only support halfbreeds and muttfish.

But this summer I found out that people catch some sizable carp on the Huron. The sub/ counterculture of carp fishermen deserves a post of its own. Pictures of people landing 10 lbs + carp not far from where I live got me super stoked. I picked up appropriate tackle, but the season's best time coincided with my last set of law school finals. Needless to say, my dreams of horsing in copper-colored softmouths yielded to the necessity of my school duties.

Fast forward a few weeks: I'm done with law school for good (graduation in a week and a half). Now, barring preparation for the Bar Exam (honestly, not a pun) my free time is truly free time. Today I put some of my free time to good use: I gave the Huron another shot.

I'm very glad that I made a serious effort to find a fishable portion of the Huron. It will give me one more resource to call on when I need a reprieve. We caught many Bluegill, a few smallmouths and quite a few decent-size rock bass. There were no trophy fish willing to suck up our flies but they were out there, in the water... and that will keep me coming back.

You get that Chernobyl Hopper little man!

Carp carp everywhere and me with my little 6 wt. Next time.

Hunter with his prize of the day.

J.

Morning at Gallup Park

Sunday morning we took a stroll through Gallup Park on the East side of Ann Arbor. Though the Huron River is not much more than a slow-moving oligotrophic lake, the critters and the landscape offered a welcomed reprieve from being in town.

New Snow and The Huron

-J

Soggy walk leads to beautiful discovery

After our fish last night we took a little stroll in the rain to the nearby Parker Mill Park.

It was nice to get out of the house and just take in spring with all of its musty smelling, slippery surfaced green glory!

We saw some Jack-in-the-Pulpits, Michigan Orchids and many other little bits of nature that one would not expect to see in the city.

Take a look!

I like this angle, it makes me feel like these little plants are much bigger than they really are.

Needless to say it was a welcomed escape.

Hope you enjoyed.

-J

Barton Damn/ Pond

Last week Chels and I took a short trip over to the Barton Damn area.

The area has a trail system and a few spots that look to be pretty decent to fish from, in warmer weather, as this river does not have a real run of any sort, due to its poor management.

I snapped a few shots while we were there. Take a look. We plan on a longer walk when we are more prepared for the weather!

Enjoy, let me know what you think.
(pssst click on the photos, they get bigger to show detail!)

Have a great day,

-J

Success on many fronts!

Time for some updates readers.

In continuing to test the Friday Harbor jacket by Eddie Bauer I took it on a quick fishing trip today.

With the prediction of a light mist for the entire afternoon the jacket should have been overkill. However, as usual with the weatherpeople, they were very wrong. The jacket took some pretty heavy continuous rain for an hour and a half. This test helped to instill in me the true versatility of this thing, when you slide the sleeves up to the elbow and strap them tight they provide a near waterproof seal, and the wide opening hood allows the wearer to utilize peripheral vision and reduces head turning.

So to that, the jacket is still a winner!

It takes rain this hard,

And you stay this dry, surely a winner.

News numba two! While testing out the jacket I did some casting around the Barton Dam on the Huron River. I was met with some success in the form of two smallmouth bass. I have read online that the smallies in the Huron put up a decent fight and for these two did not let me down. I now know where to go and what to use, head for the holes fishies, here I come!

I am looking for a backpack/ chestpack/ fannypack that I can use for fishing, as my current bags are not suitable at all. Please send me some suggestions if you know of any.

I am thinking this one:















News, more news:
     There are new additions coming to Randomstream, however they are going to require participation from you people.

1. Of the months, and spotlight specials.
          In an effort to tailor this blog to your likings I would like suggestions for outdoor athletes, events, festivals, products, news and other things to feature and or cover. Leave them as comments, or email them to yonkerj3@gmail.com with the tag OTM/ FEATURE.

2. Website lists.
          RSOC will soon be featuring a list of suggested blogs and sites for your dedicated reader to check out!

3. Guest writers/ reviewers.
          Look for upcoming reviews, guest commentaries and contributions from: Chelsea Bromley, Matthew Preston, Cassidy Butler, Zach Yonkers and many more!

I smell change on the horizon!

Keep up, if you can.

-J

What a nice day

I had the day off today so after some much needed cleaning of the apartment I snuck away for some casting. Though I did not catch anything the bike ride to the Huron River and the curious minnows that followed my lures was enough to satisfy me for a while.

The view from my first casting spot.

Trusty bike and the Ugly Stick.

A week ago we traveled south to Dundee for the afternoon to visit the local Cabela's. It is a remarkable store, and I encourage all outdoor enthusiasts to make a pilgrimage to the holy land, however, take warning; the weekend at Cabela's could be compared to a trip to the state fair... There were so many unique spectacles of humanoids present that I had to take routine breathers. Clad from head to toe in camo and hunter's orange, they belted out phrases including, "get'r dun!" and, "ahh bee damned if they don't."

Aside from the patrons the store has many great displays of animals for your viewing pleasure!

Enjoy:

Please share your Cabela's stories!

-J

Eton Emergency Self-Powered: Radio, weatherband, flashlight, cellphone/ ipod charger

Wow, that was a confusing thing to type, but what is not confusing is the operation of this little thing.

I purchased mine on a whim when a shop was having a sale. It just seemed to make sense; I like to do things outside where there is no power, and I am sometimes too forgetful to check the batteries in things before I do so. There it was, my solution, it is a radio/ flashlight/ cellphone charger..... all in one, no batteries required, perfect for someone like me.

To date I have used the Eton for fishing, camping, picnics, work and as a conversation piece at parties. We also used the radio feature during the many tornado watches and warnings that we had in the beginning of the summer. The reception is usually pretty good, the LED flashlight is bright enough for any situation and the volume knob goes way past eleven.

One feature that is a little of a disappointment is the cellphone/ ipod charger. It simply takes too long to charge the phone, I think that if you were in a dire situation where you needed to raise your battery level to a usable amount for an emergency call that this would come in handy. However with its slow charging time this is not a feature worth bragging about.

Overall, this is a great radio for both casual occasions and emergencies. The solar strip on the top of the unit is especially nice when you are setting up a tent, or just playing some Frisbee. Without solar backup, like in a tent at night, expect 1-2 minutes of cranking to get you about 20 minutes of steady radio reception at a moderate volume/ flashlight use. Not too bad to play cards by.

It is light, it is self-powered and works like a charm, my recommendation; buy one. Put it in your car, backpack, bedroom garage, anywhere really. 

-J

Parker Mill Park

So the move into the new apartment is now official and we thought what better way to get to know the area than a quick hike. I spotted the perfect place while on my way home from work for such a hike.

The name of the small trail system in Parker Mill Park. It is part of the Washtenaw County Parks Dept, and it is immaculately kept. It also happens to be a short distance from where we are.

There are various different paths that span both sides of the road, and even a walking bridge that crosses the Huron River.

The North part of the park is home to a trail that is approximately 3 miles in length that loops back to the road. However we were not able to make that loop as a very large fallen tree was blocking our path.

 This side of the park also has a little arbor, visible in the back right of the photo above. The coolest part about it is that the roof is covered with native Michigan plant life! This helps to lessen the burden felt by the the Huron River in times of heavy rain.

When leaving the northern area of the park guests are offered a nice view of a small tributary that will eventually feed into the Huron River.

The southern side of the park has a visitor's center and a few plaques that explain the history of the park. This great sprawling tree was my personal focal point for the park.

From here we took what we thought would be a short path to a little marsh and back. However it turned out to be an above average trip into a mini-clime within the metropolis!

It all started with the walking path heading under a working train bridge! The stonework gave a feeling of older times in a place not like this.

This is proof that Chelsea will do anything to get those amazing photos of hers over at http://www.cinemadventures.blogspot.com/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/cbromley Check them out!

We both agree that it would be splendid to see a train zoom over this!

Nearing the end of trail there is a true testament to the engineering of man; a wide bridge that spans the Huron River ON A DIAGONAL! When crossing it it feels like the bridge is going to give way underneath you due to the engineering of it, especially when someone runs by you.

It is a great bridge, but be careful, I hear that it is:

Had such a great time that we just may have to go back this weekend!

Let me know what you think!

-J