With the Muskegon River running at a 16 year record low, we are fly fishing the Manistee, which is flowing near its mean. The river has an excellent run of Chinook salmon, and today with regular customer Ron and his friend, Skip, who was new to fly fishing, we had a great day. For those of wanting a color tour, now is the time; the reds and yellows are mixed with greens, and it’s flat-out beautiful.
Ron was the perfect host, hooking up repeatedly but experiencing any number of misfortunes as fish after fish eluded the net for him. Good sport that he is, Ron handled it just fine as newcomer Skip boated four kings using both C & D and switch rod delivered indicators. I busted off all non-lip hooked fish. Again, find undisturbed fish, and you stand a fighting chance of their moving to take the fly. The buck Skip holds moved some 4-5 feet downstream to turn on a steelhead orange nuke egg. Ron caught one of Skip’s fish going airborne.
All in all, a wonderful day for two great guys. Thanks much, Ron and Skip. Really enjoyed hosting you both.
Captain Tom Kuieck
