Spring Bass in Southeast Michigan

Spring fishing is turning up to 11 on the Huron. I have been doing well with clouser minnows, woolly buggers, and leaches.

I hear that the hatch may be on. Time to bring out the big bugs.

-j

Change your attitude just a bit.

"This winter is too long," "I am tired of snow," "I can't believe that there is more snow in the forecast." Blah blah blah.

Making the most out of winter.

I get it, there is still snow falling in Michigan. You could look at this as a bad thing, a bummer, one more reason to sit on the couch and press play on just one more episode of ____________ on your DVR; or, you could make the most of it and go have some fun.

Face it: this winter is not stopping, and neither should you! Get outside and do something already!

Winter storm "Vulcan's" impact on my bike, no biggie.

-J

No snow days...

... from fun that is! 

When the winter weather hit this year I slapped a mountain bike tire up front and kept trucking. With the exception of one miserably slow slog through new snow in December and a few spills on the ice I was able to ride whenever I wanted to this winter due to this setup. This is definitely the most versatile bike that I have owned.

-J

Hard Water

Several years ago I blogged for Pure Michigan about the ice formations that are found on Lake Michigan. At the time it was no big deal. In fact the post did not receive too much traffic. However, this year it seems the Big Lake's ice features have been receiving rave reviews. 

When I was younger exploring the lake ice was a yearly occasion for me. I remember spending quite a bit of time out there the first winter that I had my driver's license. I thought that as I "grew up" the excitement of the ice on Lake Michigan would lose its majesty as most memories of youth tend to do; fortunately, that was not the case.

Every year I find an entrance to the icy playground, and every year it's just as much fun as the first time.

This is what a beach is supposed to look like; in 3-4 months there will be a few hundred people staggered along this section of beach.

While these are only about 1/2 to 2/3 the height of those in Leland I did not have to brave any sort of crowds or wait for parking to experience these.

The weather is quickly warming up and the season of playing on the ice is drawing to a close. If you haven't made it out there yet you probably have missed your chance. Better to play it safe and wait for next year than to wind up in the frigid drink.

I am eagerly looking forward to next year's ice season.

-J

Dusk Snowshoeing

Always look for the extra in what would otherwise be an ordinary day.

Get out there and do something.

-j

Filling the Boxes

I am currently working on filling my fly boxes for the upcoming season. If I were in the northern part of the state I might be doing some midge fishing or looking for stealhead in some other way, but that is not the case.

If you don't know this about me, I am currently studying for the Michigan Bar Exam (February 25th and 26th) and I really needed some stoke to keep my sails full. That stoke came in the form of some FlyFishing Film Tour Tix (F3T). Two days after the bar exam I will be sitting in the Michigan Theater with a clear head and the excitement of a kid on Christmas. Go check out the trailers and head over the Schultz Outfitters in Ypsilanti to get some tickets; it is going to be a good time.

Anyhow, the boxes are getting filled with patterns that seem sort of odd to me: big meaty streamers. It is not how I normally flyfish, but I am told that it is one of the more productive approaches to take with warm water fish in southeast Michigan. We will see.

Check them out.

-J

Clouser Minnows

A couple Hex tied as a break from streamers.

My copy of Morlock's CrawBunny

CrawBunny up close.

Atlanta Orvis Shop

I have gotten back into fly fishing and tying so while on a recent trip to Atlanta I high-tailed it over to the local Orvis shop on Peachtree to pick up some necessaries.

My first metro Orvis visit.

Like most Orvis shops, their tying section left much to be desired but had some of the zonker-style things that I was looking for. Also like most Orvis shops they had all of the periphery gear, garb and lifestyle "stuff" attributable to those who fish. (I would love their Mission style fly tying bench.)

That being said the guy in the fly tying department was very helpful. Just the kind of person that I like to talk to behind the fly counter; not too over-the-top with the bro attitude, and not super secretive about what works locally. He was a well traveled fly fisherman who could bend your ear for hours will well crafted stories about "a perfect night," "matching a hatch," and how "that fly will catch fish any day." He was also familiar with northern Michigan waters and had nothing but good things to say about them... but then again, who wouldn't?

So kudos Atlanta Orvis shop. If I ever have to be in Atlanta again I will surely be stopping in.

Shameless GoPro selfie. 

-j