Michigan Doubleheader ~ Muskegon & Manistee Back To Back

[solopaddler]

Guessing the wife strapped you down for good Friday ?

 

Hi all, this is Mikes better half Joanne, I tried to register my own account but it didn't work.

 

Strapping him down is a great idea I think I'll have to try that.

[solopaddler]

Hi all, this is Mikes better half Joanne, I tried to register my own account but it didn't work.

 

Strapping him down is a great idea I think I'll have to try that.

 

Uh Oh I think I'm in trouble.

[FLEX ROD]

Mike, if you only think that you are in trouble, then you really are in trouble .

 

Most of us would have been shoot by now, but as a plea Joanne, please you can't strap him down that is the only way I get to enjoy any aspect of this great hobby as I am really srapped down for a varity of reasons.

 

FLEX

[lew]

Excellent fishin tale Mike and it made for a great Sunday morning read !!

[irishfield]

Uh Oh I think I'm in trouble.

 

 

Sounds like fun to me Mike....

[aniceguy]

Hi all, this is Mikes better half Joanne, I tried to register my own account but it didn't work.

 

Strapping him down is a great idea I think I'll have to try that.

 

 

best post ever on Mike thread.........Joanne rocks !!! ohhh sweet report Mike

[JohnF]

.... and yeah Candy was an unbelievable character.

I couldn't believe it when I realized I had no picture of her.

Picture if you can a female version of Burgess Meredith with a liking for floral spandex.

 

Yowzer!!!!! She sounds hot.

 

Okay report, if only you could catch some serious fish and be more articulate.

 

JF

[JohnF]

Uh Oh I think I'm in trouble.

 

Hey! Go with it. Sounds kinky.

 

JF

[River Rat]

wow Mike......great report, hours and hours of prep time.

 

Sounds like you are black listed at the boarder for some reason. I never get checked (knock on wood!!!) and I cross all the time. Then again, I never bring meat across and I try to stay away from white powder while packing for my trips. My buddy had a case of burgers one time and spent three hours in the line for a $20 meal......I was held for an hour once for crossing illeagaly (waded across a river to the US side) as they ran my name through interpol! .....glad they didn't check my pockets!!!!!!!!!

 

You didn't mention what rod you were using with the 15lb main and 8lb lead ? I am curious because I am looking for a good big water float rod but not a spey conversion if I can help it. Speys are heavy and stiff when you hook smaller fish they aren't much fun but they have the backbone for the big boys. I'm looking for a rod I can run 8lb when I need to but still have fun with the scrappy 4-6lbers. Looking at your pics with the viscious bends back into your cork, you aren't running a spey, that's for sure.

 

RR

[MJL]

Unbelievable reportage!

 

Float tubing for steel is something I definitely want to try...Pick a seam and go with it

 

Definitely some beautiful water there.

[JEREMY]

Wow i will be honest i did not read the whole article,but what i did read was another exellent job.Good pics looks like you had a blast.

[Cookslav]

Wow!

 

I remember these state side trips from last year, and this one was just as riviting.

Stunning results, and a great read.

Thanks for sharing that.

 

You gonna write book soon er what?

[ironstone74]

Only one word to describe that trip Solo:

 

______________________________________EPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_____________________________________

 

 

Paul

[Paulus]

 

Absolutely love this pic. Awesome post, excellent pics and great trip as usual, Mike. Thanks for sharing & allowing us to fish vicariously through both of you

 

p.-

[canadian_copper]

NO WORDS BUT AWESOME.

ONE THING THAT HAS TO BE AMAZING IS NOT ANOTHER BOAT OR PERSON ON A SHORELINE IN ANY OF THOSE PICS.

DREAM THE DREAM LOL

[super dave]

Amazing report Mike.

 

Too bad about the float tubes. Similar thing happened to me with the exact same tube. Luckily I was able to patch it up after 2 hours of gluing and salvaged my day. I took mine back to BPS and they gave me a full creit even though it was 3 years old. I'm sure your buddy won't have any problems.

[mattyk]

great report!

[CLofchik]

Epic.

 

 

Do you know if those fish are a wild strain native to the Manistee? They look alot more built than the Erie cookie cutter trout.

And that pool below the dam looks like a perfect spot to slip in a canoe or kayak.....atleast they can't deflate

 

And about flouro, I run either 12lb or 15lb Seaguar and never get nicks bumping along mussel infested harbour bottoms. You mentioned this before in another flouro th'd, huh I'm stumped.

[solopaddler]

Epic.

 

 

Do you know if those fish are a wild strain native to the Manistee? They look alot more built than the Erie cookie cutter trout.

And that pool below the dam looks like a perfect spot to slip in a canoe or kayak.....atleast they can't deflate

 

And about flouro, I run either 12lb or 15lb Seaguar and never get nicks bumping along mussel infested harbour bottoms. You mentioned this before in another flouro th'd, huh I'm stumped.

 

Hey bud, a good percentage of those fish are wild, something like 70%.

Although most of our fish here in Ontario are wild I've still never seen anything quite like those Michigan fish..

Especially the Muskegon fish. The tails on them are HUGE, very very similar to west coast fish.

 

As far as the fluoro goes I believe that once you bump into the gorilla range in weight it's pretty tough stuff.

 

It's the lighter stuff used for steelhead tippet that's not as abrasion resistant.

 

Cheers

[wallacio]

Epic.

 

 

Do you know if those fish are a wild strain native to the Manistee?

 

The Manistee fish are definitely a superior strain of fish...their origin spans back over 100 years to the original stocking that was done in the Great Lakes. The Big Manistee sees a combination of wild fish (which spawn in tributary rivers such as Bear Creek) as well as hatchery fish which are reared directly from wild fish, captured each year from the Little Manistee River. These fish are used to stock not only Michigan's southern rivers but are also stocked in Ohio as well as other states. These fish are definitely not the PA cookie cutters that most people think of when mentioning Lake Erie Steelhead.

 

Some reading on the Little Manistee program:

 

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-1...51534--,00.html

[BillM]

Mike, I expected nothing less from you and Ferg. Looks like an awesome couple of days. Great report man!!!