Coho Jack

We've continued to have low and clear water on the Flat. It occurred to me last night that maybe I should try something smaller and a little less flashy than what I normally use. Awhile back, I had tied up a bunch of comet style flies, based on some Jay Nicholas/Oregon Fly Fishing blog videos. I had an excellent night a few weeks ago with chartreuse and black comet in low light for bass. But I really like blue and black at first light. I tied on a blue and black comet on a size 4 Gammy B10s this morning and hooked up with this little jack. He took it on the hang down right at the end of a deeper hole that sits on the edge a current seam.

Here is the link to the Oregon Fly Fishing Blog Post and Video:
Jay Nicholas’s Blue Chinook Salmon Comet Fly Tying Video

First Day of Fall Coho

My buddy Jason stayed over, we fished and scouted the Rouge the day before. Up at 5am on Sunday, grabbed the best run we found special-opps style. Fish were stirring, but nothing consistent until a little after first light. I tried swinging a black and blue bad hair day, and then some comets with no luck. After seeing a couple fish breaking the surface, I tied on a moose hair muddler. This hen took it on the hang down.

Shortly after Jason tied on a strange double fly/spawn bag rig he had pulled out of snag. We were pretty sure this is what the father and son were using that we'd watched fish this run yesterday. A spawn bag, two small simple old school looking streamers with mallard wings and the remnants of wax worms on the hooks. I handed him a Thing-a-ma-bobber that I randomly happen to have in my pocket. This was more of a joke than anything, but amazing he landed a real nice little Rouge brown on it.

Betsie River Salmon

Put in about 12 hours over a total of three days on the Betsie between September 1st-3rd. I was swinging flies (comets and clousers) as well as tossing Thundersticks. I ended up using my 8-weight singlehander with a 390 Skagit Switch line on it to swing flies. It worked awesome. I could hit everything I wanted to and then some. Standing under trees, up against the bank - no problem. This is going to become my small stream rig for sure - the Rouge, White, Platte and maybe even on the Pere Marquette.
Day 1, out at first light, casting Thundersticks. I pretty quickly hooked up and thought I had it in the bag. Big crushing grab, nice sticky hook set. But rather than running the fish goes face down into the river bottom, tail kicking out of the water for what seem like 30 seconds. When this all calmed down, I tried to put some tension on the line but nothing was there. I had one more nice grab after that, but no stick. Rolled a few fish the next day. On the third day I went out with my brother-in-law, but we really didn't see many fish and neither did anyone else on the river.  Explored some other parts of the river, but didn't find anything as nice a my secret spot.

Back on the Little Manistee

Such a nice river.

Things you find on the river and/or stuck in a salmon this time of year  in Michigan

Juvenile Steel -  Hopper Eater

Start of the 2013 King Salmon Season

Made my way to the Little Manistee to check out all the rumors about the river being packed full of early Kings. I left the Interlochen area around 5:15AM and morning was already breaking.  Thought for sure I knew how to get to the access spot I was looking for, but I couldn't find it at first and didn't get on the water until almost 7AM.

Dave's Bad Hair Day in royal dress with a stinger.

Besides this guy, I only saw one other fish and it was a lot fresher.  Not a single bump, grab or hook-up, so I chalked it up to a recon trip. After I got off the water, I stopped by Schmidt Outfitters and talked to the new owner.  He gave me some suggestions as to where to go on the Little. He said the section I was fishing only had 1 or 2 good holes, which is pretty much what I observed.

In any case it was a nice day even without any fish.

Hex - First Time

A few years ago I read a story about Hex fishing behind a particular drive-in movie theater up north. I still think about this story every time we pass by the place.  So the other night we were up north at Brigid's parents for the 4th of July holiday and decided to take the kids to see a movie.  With a little time to spare before dark, we stopped at a road crossing to do a some recon.  I made my way to the river and almost immediately I saw a few bugs.  I ran back to the van and asked Brigid to give me a little time on the water, grabbed my rod and headed back out. Right as dark set in, I ended up stumbling upon a huge spinner fall of bugs .  First cast and a big dude flushed the toilet on me, but nothing stuck.  With the splashes of fish crushing the surface all around me and bugs filling the air, I started casting pretty hectically. Every few drifts I was getting some serious tugs, taking my fly underwater but nothing was sticking.  After fishing longer than I should have with Brigid and the kids in the car, I reeled it in and head back up the bank.  Right away I saw my problem.  I'd tied the loop on my fly so big that it had fouled around the bend of the hook, essentially making the contact point with leader the rear end of the fly.  Come to find out, I only really have confidence in one knot for big fish - a non-slip mono loop.  Because of this mess, any sort of hook set would just be yanking the fly directly out of a fishes mouth - suck!

The next day I had that fishy feeling all day long.  I nervously arrived back at the river about an hour before dusk. Once I got down to the water, I rigged up, sharpened my hooks and mentally mapped out the piece of river I'd be fishing - log jams, bushes, shallow bank (a good landing spot), deep slots. I set up all my back-casting options for when the fly got too water logged from my single-handed snap-t.  I made a few practice casts and drifts.  Rather than moving around a bunch and risk spooking fish, I took up position and waited like Qui-Gon Jinn during the pauses in his lightsaber battle with Darth Maul.
Eventually dark came and so did the bugs.  There were a lot less bugs than the night before, but it was still game on. It's amazing how far you can cast an 8-weight bass line on a 4-weight rod and I sent a few casts flying towards some of the rises that I saw - no takers.   I was standing pretty close to where Walter had flushed on me the day before.  Then there was a splash about 10 feet straight across the river from my knees, was he was back?    I instinctively  dropped my fly into position using my hybrid high-stick dry fly dead drift approach that necessity had evolved a few weeks back while fishing the nighttime Gray Drakes on the Muskegon.  Again, I swing streamers I'm not much of a dry fly guy.  The fly drifted into place and smash he took the fly and pulled it back underwater with him.  Then in a Matrix zen type moment that seemed to last a really long time, I set the hook and....tug! The line went tight, we had made contact.  This guy pulled HARD!  Right away I thought Steelhead - no way this was a brown.  I pulled him away from where I remembered the logs being and he yanked back.  We danced like this for a few minutes.  I got him in close and scooped him.  A Coho!  Makes sense based on where I was fishing, but  he was a few months earlier than I would have expected - but what do I know.  He was bright chrome and likely fresh in from the lake.  Did he have the hex hatch marked on his calendar from when he was a fingerling?  In any case, he came in hot.  I got him near shore snapped a few photos the best I could in the dark and set him back in the water.  He was still fired up and took off none the worse for wear.
I knew Brigid needed me back at her parents place, she was solo with the kids.  I launched a few more casts as I walked out of the river and then headed back up the bank towards the road.

Flat River Fall Steelhead

A small "Jack" Coho Salmon ~16"

A 27" hen

Early Kings on the PM