Go figure: no snow, no sleet, no gale force winds! Can this be the Muskegon River? Ah, yes, indeed it was, replete with bluebird skies; an oh, so pleasingly warm sun; and no wind. Wow! What a change from the rest of this week; to be sure, what a relief!
Not only that, but amid a waning first run of April steelhead (We’re hoping for the second push of fish we’ve historically received to carry us well into May like last year), we found some happy camper steelhead and brown trout that bent the fly rods of Greg, Tom, and host Pat, who served as my first mate, all the while managing to pop off a few casts, one of which resulted in the hen he holds in the picture below. Neither Greg nor Tom, avid outdoorsmen both, had ever cast a fly for steelhead, but suffice to say, they are now hooked big time. Tom brought the beautiful 17-18″ brown pictured below to hand, which was a virtual twin of one that Greg landed earlier on a stone fly. All in all, I had a great time with three men of faith whose tales of all sorts of high jinx with each other had us all laughing throughout the day. Throw in some spirited political debate (Thank the Lord they didn’t toss me in the drink with my rants!), and one had the makings of a most memorable adventure. So, thanks for a terrific time on the water, guys! Hope we can do it again sometime.
Captain Tom Kuieck
