“Off to Michigan State as a freshman this fall? Great! Proud of you, but we need to go fishing together one last time!”
I suspect that customer and long time friend, Jeff, had a conversation something like this with his nephew, Grant, who loves to fish and is just getting into fly fishing. Those of you who follow these RiverQuest fishing reports may recall how I repeatedly attest to how I love to host family float trips, and certainly, this one was no exception.
A cold front following a heavy rain plus some gusty winds—all under a high, bright blue sky—is never a recipe for easy fly fishing, and, indeed, that was the case today. Nonetheless, Grant boated his first smallmouth bass ever taken on a fly, lost three flies to pike that sheered his tippet, boated pike and smallmouth—all to the delight of Uncle Jeff who basically sandbagged the entire day so Grant could take center stage. No doubt, the guys will long remember this special day of theirs, and Grant will speculate repeatedly about what exactly was that fish that doubled down his rod near day’s end only to bust him off big time. All in all, just a wonderful day with these two fine men who managed, as first time traditional fly casters, to work successfully the bass bug taper and bug, the 200 grain medium sinktip and streamer, and the 300 grain sinktip and streamer. Thanks, guys! Loved every minute of our time on the river and good luck, Grant, as you embark on your collegiate adventure.
Captain Tom Kuieck
