Seasons come; seasons go, and so it was with mixed feelings today that Captain Don Graham and I hit the Muskegon for one last smallie float.  We were sad to say “Good-bye” to the smallmouth bass that have given us and our clients such a good time this summer, but excited that our Fall fishery for Chinook Salmon and Steelhead is upon us.

Every day on the water affords something to appreciate and something to learn.  I don’t know that I’ve ever witnessed a river otter on the Muskegon, though I know they ply our waters, but there it was—first  a big head:  “Hey, is that a beaver?  Way too big to be a muskrat.  Whoa!  It’s an otter!”  And so it was—an adult, very fat and sleek, river otter!   Indeed, it’s probably the best trout fisherman on the river.  Quite a thrill to witness!

As for the lesson, Don and I fished a stretch of the river on which top water poppers haven’t produced very well of late.  So, out came the intermediate and 300 grain sink-tip lines with streamers of every imaginable shape and color.  We fished the structure; we fished the edges; we fished hard and long.  The result?  Two small  fish on a yellow articulated streamer;  that was it!  I noted wryly to Don, “We probably should have been tossing poppers.  We certainly couldn’t have any done any worse!”

Apparently, he agreed because soon out came the floating line and popper.   A few casts here; a few casts there; and “Wham!” the smallie that Don is holding in the picture smacked his bug.  I may be slow, but I’m not wholly without observational acumen, so soon two poppers were burbling the surface.  I wouldn’t term the action fast, but it was steady with our missing a number of fish and bringing others to hand.  Had we opened the day on top, our success rate may well have soared.  The lesson:  just because one method (or fly) produced on a given stretch of water before, don’t put your brains out to lunch and pound the water to a froth with little or no result.  Go to Plan B:  it very well may pay off as it did today for slow learners Don and Tom.

Thanks for yet another great time on the water, Don.  You are the best!

Captain Tom Kuieck

Brad and his son Dan joined me on the Muskegon river today for some smallie fishing before Dan heads back to college.

Thanks Brad and Dan for a great day on the river.

Capt. Don Graham

Dewie and his wife Nancy joined me on the Muskegon river today for small mouth bass fishing. We started out with poppers, and then switched over to leech patterns on a six weight rod. Nancy holds her first smallie on a leech pattern.

Capt. Don Graham

After a little break to take care of some other responsibilities, and spend some time at the lake with the family it felt really good to be back on the water today. Had the opportunity to fish with Jon Donehoo and his Father-in-law Mervin for some Big Mo smallies. Jon is working on improving his skills with the fly rod after coming over from the dark side last fall & Mervin (a newly retired Professor)) was new to fly fishing. Both did very well today, with both of them, after a miss or two, bringing fish to hand. There was no middle ground today, the fish either wanted a swung leach or a bright clouser stripped so fast it made your fingers bleed. The smallie fishing looks like it should continue fairly strongly for the next couple weeks at least, so if you want to get out and get some time fine tuning the casting before the “big boys” start showing up, give us a call we still have some openings available.

Capt. Dave DeVries

So, here I am lounge-chaired out on the cottage deck gazing out at North Lake Leelanau, shimmering flat with the golden glow of days end.  No fishing report here today, at least in the conventional sense; just a snapshot or two of a most pleasant and meaningful journey into the literature of fly fishing—this time with John Gierach and his book, Fools Paradise (Simon & Shuster, 2008).

It’s family vacation time at the Leland cottage, and to my marital credit, nary a fly rod nor reel bag is on the premises.  Art shows, sidewalk sales, cafes, swims, walks on Big Blue’s beaches, boat rides, tubing with the grandkids, and books—lots of books.

I’ve read a number of Mr. Gierach’s works; I like his unpretentious, “it’s good enough” approach to life and fly fishing.  That the guy can write well seals the deal for me, so much so that today I called my fellow River Quest guide and inveterate fishing companion, Don Graham, to read him the second passage quoted below.  For you see, though, I wasn’t fishing, Mr. Gierach’s observations struck so many responsive chords in my personal fly fishing recollections that I simply had to tell Don all about my latest “fishing trip.”  Crazy thing is, he says to me. “I have that book and just started reading it.  I can really visualize what Mr. Gierach’s words say!”  Talk about coincidence or… Karma!

I marked a half dozen or so passages, but here are two that I thought our RiverQuest Fishing Report readers might like:

“But then I never trust people who try to act as if catching a nice big fish is no big deal for a sportsman of their stature.  After all, fishing is nothing more than the often successful search for something genuine in a world where we’re increasingly comfortable with things like coffee ‘creamer’ that’s guaranteed to contain no actual diary products.  We’re so used to the fake and the packaged that encountering something real can amount to a borderline religious experience.” (p. 115)

And then with a tip of the fly cap to Captain Don and me, the two senior guides of RiverQuest:

“The more common view of the [fly fishing] sport now is that it is, or should be, one big fish-catching spectacle after another, while those odd and delightful opportunities in between are too often referred to as ‘poor fishing.’  But there’s a specific beauty to a well-known trout stream between those big hatches that will attract more fishermen than fish.  It’s not showing off for the company now, but just padding around in slippers with a cup of lukewarm coffee, waiting for something interesting to happen.
Of course, A.K. and I [read T.K. and D.G.] will happily rise to the occasion if things unexpectedly start to get exciting, but it’s easy enough to fall back into just being two old friends fishing together, both of whom, through sheer force of time spent, have long since caught their share of trout.  That doesn’t mean we’re done by a long shot, only that the pressure is off.” (pp. 124-125)

John Gierach, Fools Paradise:  I’m sure Glen Blackwood at Great Lakes Fly Fishing Company would have a copy for you. It’s a “fishing trip” I highly recommend.

Captain Tom Kuieck