April 6 2009

 

 

Hi All

 

The fishing has been really good. We seem to have a good amount of fish and many more to come. I have put a few days on the water lately but guiding has been a little slower this year compared to previous years. I have still been keeping myself out of trouble with projects around here. The biggest and most exciting project is that we have installed a LIVE STREAMING WEB CAM! It isn't totally finished but it is up and running. We installed this so all of you can have up to the minute weather, river, and boat launch conditions. It is also there so people will be able to locate current snow depths in the winter, or if the river is blown out etc...This camera wasn't a cheep venture for us. Please help us offset the cost by staying with us or keep us in mind for a guide trip if you enjoy using it. I can't wait until you can watch canoes flipping over and crashing into the log jams and trees out back all summer, it will be a hoot. Now everyone will have the same view I have out my back door wall. Just the other day I was watching some nice trout enjoying a stone fly hatch . You will be able to zoom right in on them trout. Pretty Cool....Just some information points regarding the camera:

1. You can find the link at the end of this fishing report. We will be re-locating this link on the main page and making other web site changes in the coming days.

2. There is a maximum of 10 people allowed to view the camera at one time.

3. The camera only has the ability to allow one person to manipulate the camera at one time. The length of time for each person will be 5 minutes and then someone else will have a turn.

4. We are working on increasing bandwidth and messing around with static IP addresses so bear with us while we fine tune this camera,

E-mail us and let us know what you think. We are excited. This project has been 1 year in the making.

 

 

I have also had some other projects finished up, we had new counter tops made from hickory and a few finishing touches on my bathroom winter project. I would like to thank Craig and Susan from the Log Carpenter for making such fine custom counter tops and furniture. I have allot of their custom pieces like a desk, beds, dressers, vanity, counter tops, etc...They do great work and they are one of a kind pieces made with all 100 % real solid wood. You can contact them by calling 231-652-9601.

 

 

 

 

The river is in great shape, has a nice stain and is wade able. There are good #'s of fish in the system, both new and old. The weather is a mix still. Some days very nice and others foul. Typical Spring Steelheading. A cold snap has rolled in and will be around for a couple of days with some colder temps. and snow. Snow is a 4 letter word after some of the 60's we have had already. I'm looking forward to our first warm rain which we haven't had yet. Most of the moisture has been melting snow or cold rain which leaves us with a nice stain but cools the river and slowed the bite a little. The Lamprey Weir was turned on April  1 st. and has passed fish already and the Lamprey traps are in place as well. I stopped by and talked to Hank and Jeff at the Weir on April 2nd. when I was down that way.

 

 

 

April 4th.  I took out Rob and Zack his son. I haven't seen a young man that into fishing in a while. It was a breath of fresh air to see and talk to him. He has been down at the local docks hanging out with charter boat captains and wants to get a summer job as a mate on a charter boat. He is already talking about saving his money to invest in equipment for a fishing boat he owns. It was cool to see a young man with ambition and goal towards what he loves to do FISH. He kinda reminded me of what I was like when I was his age. We did a combo trip the first half was cold so we went low for fresh fish down river pulling plugs. Good Call we had the river to ourselves not another boat or guide for miles on a Saturday in April WOW...We enjoyed having a piece of water to ourselves saw a Bald Eagle, a mink and went 1 for 4 on steel and had a second Steelhead  to the boat that came un-buttoned but we got a good look at.

 

 

 

The second half of the day we joined the general public in the upper fly water. I guess we were lonely. No that wasn't it. I wanted them to see the pretty side of the PM . We caught a few super smolts in the dark water on some buggers but no hookups on Steel for us up top. It was a nice day for a boat ride in the drift boat and a good day to go over a little casting and fly fishing 101. They seamed to enjoyed both methods. Zack can hardly wait to come back and do more fishing.

 

 

March 29th.  I had Pete and Steve in the boat. We went in a mid section fly fishing. It was slow fishing and the weather had blew in some cold & nasty weather with 3 to 5 inches of wet heavy snow we caught fish but mostly just tried to stay warm. The river had come up overnight and had cooled off the river. The reports from the day before in that section were good but the weather had effected there mood. Steve was a popsicle by 10 A.M. and it was a long day for him even with a heater on. He has vowed that he is now a died in the wool trout bum no more ice cold fly fishing for him. Pete on the other hand lives in Michigan and will be back next week sometime for more and better Steelhead action.

 

March 24th.  Johnny Robinson and I scouted the Upper Fly Water for a half day 11a.m to 3p.m. we went 2 for 3 on Steel and 2 nice browns one on a streamer and the other on a nymph. Forgot my camera sorry no pictures. Not bad for being behind 8 other boats and a bunch of walk- ins and not a fish in sight on a gravel. That was my first trip in the fly water in a while. I try to stay out of there in the spring unless I have a trip. Just to be one less guy taking up a good spot in the river sore mouthing a bunch of fish that I would rather have a guest catch or someone on a trip catch. It's funny how close it is for me to go to there. I guess I have fun learning and fishing new water on other rivers and in other sections of the PM just to have more space, and less pressure even if there is less fish elsewhere.

 

March 19th. I was out scouting with Steve Martinez for a half day lower river mission. went 1 for 1 on steel. The river was on the rise and the water and had dropped from 43 deg. the day before to 40 deg. and had shut things down a bit. The one we did get was a only a skipper. The last time we had fished together was a day back in February on the Big Man and it was a shut out. I was kidding around with him how if we don't get a fish in the boat soon "this fishing relationship is over" and "we just weren't meant to fish in the same boat". But in the bottom of the ninth a skipper saved the skunking. Steve and I met last fall while helping me on some projects around here he is very talented at brick, block, plumbing and rough framing. He has helped me do allot of wok this winter and last fall. A great guy to know and fish with. 

 

 

Thanks for reading and enjoy the camera. Like I mentioned above it isn't totally finished up yet but will work for most people it needs a little tweaking in and some may need certain software or programs to be able to use it .We do have some room in our books for both lodging and trips so please call to see if we can put something together for you. 

Check out our new webcam.

 

Tight Lines

Clint