"the dark haired maiden"

I had not been feeling well at all! Like many other people I knew over the Holiday season, it was filled with runny noses, aches, coughs, and other unpleasantries. As much as I hoped the bugs would pass me by, luck was not on my side this time. It came on fast like a speeding train in the night, starting with the fevers and cold chills, the runny nose and then I couldn't hear so well. Dammit, my ears were plugged and they started to hurt, especially my right ear. I had this constant thumping in my right ear as I could hear every beat of my own heart due to the pressure in my own ear. The next day when I awoke my wife asked me to take her to Prime care because she had been sick herself and could barely talk. She had the cough and sore throat thing.

So this was my last day of 2012, New Year's Eve! As I pulled into the parking lot it was jam-packed. It looked like a school bus had just left with all of the kids walking in through the door. I didn't dare touch anything for fear of catching more cooties from the multitude of germs sure to be covering everything. As we walked up to the door I used my elbow to hit the handicap automatic door opener. Walking into the Prime Care office I could hear the sounds of crying children, the constant sniffling sneezing and coughing you could only expect from an infirmary. The place was packed, standing room only! We wrote our names on the waiting list and waited patiently for eternity...

In a few short hours, we left with a handful of prescriptions so we headed off to the Pharmacy to fill them and get some ear drops to help with the pain. We grabbed a couple sodas so we could take our pills as soon as we got back into the car. As soon as we arrived home my wife announced that she was going into a sleep coma and please don't wake her. I was a hot mess myself and the pain in my ear was unbearable. I was fed up with pain, the last two years I have dealt with pain in many forms. I was going to use my very last Vicodin and add a Valium so I could relax enough to sleep.

I decided to check my e-mail and Facebook before the meds kicked in. I checked my notifications and saw a page I liked added a new photo. I clicked on the photo which I noticed had only one comment so I added mine, which was "fish ninja!" because that's what I saw. The meds were making me groggy now, the bed in the spare bedroom is literally 2 feet behind my computer chair. I clicked a few other notifications from friends talking about new year's eve, then went back to the first one to see if there were other comments. I noticed the page admin said " Happiest girl in the world...

I grabbed my fleece blanket and covered myself. As I closed my eyes I could still hear my heartbeat in my right ear, but the pain was almost gone. In just a few brief seconds I could feel the comfort of the darkness overtake me as I drifted into oblivion...

The darkness faded quickly as the sun blinded me shining off of snow everywhere. The snow was so bright it was like crystallized glitter. I squinted my eyes as I patted myself down for my polarized Oakley's. They are my magic fish finders and I always take them when I'm hunting Salmon or Steelhead. I have had them for about 15 years and still wear them despite a small crack in the corner. I was wearing my old winter army jacket and found my familiar glasses in the top right pocket where I always kept them. After putting on the glasses the bright glare from the snow became bearable.

I felt somewhat confused because I had no idea where I was. There was some sort of a trail heading on an upward incline. Just in front of me was a large clearing. There was an indistinguishable sound of rushing water, a river was somewhere ahead. I closed my eyes and could hear only the water and the occasional clacking of leafless branches hitting each other from the rush of air on a bitter winter breeze. I love that moment when you feel you might be the only person left alive on the planet, it's just you and nature and the feeling is unlike anything else. Words cannot explain the sensation, but all I can tell you if you have never experienced it is a sense of serenity and oneness with the earth. Each footstep makes you feel connected to her as if she is alive and keeping you safe somehow. With my eyes still closed a smile crept along my face while taking beep breaths of cold air into my lungs. Although my eyes were closed I was looking at myself as if  I were staring into a mirror. I was wearing my waders and my grey gloves with the fingers cut off. My son calls them my hobo gloves. Atop my head was my signature Under Armor hat and black earmuffs. My spey rod was broken down into two pieces leaning against a tree next to me.

As my eyes opened my hand drifted towards my spey rod. It was the deep metallic green Sage that was given to me as a gift by a dear friend. I could never justify spending that kind of cash on fish gear while I struggled with bills and had kids to take care of. It was a grand gift indeed! I was looking for my net and couldn't seem to find it. Shit! I always seem to forget something. I hope I could find a nice place to beach a fish if I was lucky enough to get into them. I looked through my pockets and found a fly box loaded with articulated bunny leech patterns with tons of tinsels and lead eyes. I had my nippers, hemos and a camera. I was missing something else...I checked my left top pocket and found my leader wallet with my weighted tips and a small spool of 15lb maxima. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I had the bare essentials, but that was going to be good enough.

The crunch of snow-filled my ears while walking to the ridgeline of the hill and immediately noticed the downslope was much steeper. The short walk in the cold air made my chest tighten and breathing became difficult. If precautions are not taken the cold air triggers my asthma. Instinctively my hand drifted towards the pocket where my inhaler normally. It wasn't there! Neither were my keys or iPhone! How did I get here and where the hell was it that I was. I wondered what time it was, damn I didn't have my iPhone either. I'm never this forgetful...

Forcing myself to breathe slower and deeper helped me relax. There was a roaring in my ears as the river called to me again.  There she was in all her majesty, I saw a large sparkling clear river strewn with large boulders and gravelly banks. Pine trees white with snow were mixed with leafless trees along her winding shores. Standing above a large bend in the river. I stood for several minutes staring into the deep clear water directly below me as I noticed several torpedo shapes holding behind a partially submerged pine tree. Smart bastards!!! Any cast in there would be sure to foul up in the branches. Best to move on!

Anything Can Happen

When I turned to look downstream it was then I noticed I wasn't alone. The sun was brightly shining on the river and it was hard to make out any great detail from this distance. I could see a  lone figure with a wild mane of black hair in a deep blue jacket and waders standing almost waist-deep in the rushing currents casting a spey rod. The soft breeze was in my face and I could hear a distinctly female voice singing. The song sounded familiar and I realized it was a song I had downloaded for my daughter recently. The song was 'Anything Could Happen' by Ellie Goulding. Funny song to be in a dream where I realized I was dreaming from the moment I saw myself.

The dark-haired maiden...

I decided to watch the singing woman because I am a little embarrassed by my lack of fly fishing ability, especially when handling a spey rod. Maybe by watching her, I could learn something. I could see the water spray up as she loaded the rod then slung her rod forward. The tight loop made it almost to the opposite bank. I watcher her make several T snap casts with ease and precision moving slightly farther away with each cast. She held her rod almost parallel to the water following the path of the fly. She stripped the line in took another step forward and cast again, just as wondrous as the first I watched. I felt a small degree of jealousy as I watched her. She surely knew what she was doing and I really wished I could do that well someday. Then I heard a loud "WOOHOO" and I watched her lift her rod as it bent into a large C. I could see a large steelhead jumping several times while heading downstream. She put the butt of the rod into her hip and worked the fish back towards the bank several times.  I could hear a dog barking and I saw a large brown beast running towards her along the shoreline. She kept walking backwards towards the gravel bank behind her as the fish lost more and more ground. As she reeled the thrashing steelhead in closer to the shore the dog became more excited, wagging his tail furiously and barking several times as she finally beached the fish. The dog walked up and sniffed the fish as she was trying to dislodge the hook from its jaw. She patted the dog on the head several times and he seemed to relax as he gave him some attention. The fish was resting in the shallow water after a valiant fight. She took off her gloves then gently handled the steelhead as she maneuvered it into deeper water holding it in the current until it had recovered from the fight. It slowly swam away back into the darker water. This was someone who was in complete command of her abilities with little care for the elements. The wind or cold never seemed to faze her and she almost seemed in control of her surroundings, using them to her advantage.

She walked back to the bank where her canine companion patiently waited for her. She pet him for a few minutes and turned to sit down on the ground along the bank of the river on a fallen tree trunk. I couldn't make out any features except her long black tresses. She wore sunglasses and a buff covered her face to protect it from the cold. She grabbed a thermos that may have had some hot liquid in it or something to warm the belly. It was then that she looked in my direction. I felt that uncomfortable feeling you get when someone notices you watching them. I could not gauge her reaction because her face was covered and it was too far away anyhow. With her free hand, she waved to me in greeting. I decided to walk downhill and cross to ask her where I was.

I walked about fifty yards downstream until I reached the bank of the river. The water was gin clear and it was shallow here. Easy crossing! I looked to the far bank searching for the mysterious woman. She was standing now with her dog at her side still wagging his tail. 

I yelled across the river "Mind if I cross here?"

She yelled back "Not at all!" waving me across.

The river here was shallow and the gravel was easy to see all the way across. The water was freezing cold, but still warmer than the air as the hazy steam made the surroundings seem surreal As I neared her I took off the glove on my right hand and offered it to her. There are many things you can tell about a person by a handshake. She pulled her hand from being stuffed into the top of her waders then took my hand. I immediately noticed and it was still cold from having it in the water when she released her catch. Her grip was firm yet delicate and I noticed her nails were long and polished the same color as her blue Patagonia jacket. 

I offered my name as we shook hands briefly "Hi, my name is Mike. You seem familiar, do we know each other?"

Her reply was "Nice to meet you, Mike, mine is April! you might have before, but you sure do know now. I'm the happiest girl in the world!"

I thought that seemed to make sense when I felt a nudge on my thigh and noticed her furry companion had nudged me. I let him sniff the back of my hand before petting him behind the ears. He seemed to really like that so I took a knee and gave him some more attention by rubbing the sides of his face in a sort of doggy facial. He responded by a big wet slurp on my cheek which caused me to laugh.

She said " He likes you! He is a good judge of character."

I asked, "What's his name?"

"Colby" was her response.

I said back "This may seem odd, but do you know where I am? I seem to be lost and without my phone."

Her glasses were gone and she looked back at me with dark brown eyes and long lashes. I like to make eye contact when I talk to people. Honest folk are not afraid to look you in the eye when they speak. So, I took off my own glasses and put them on my hat.

She replied to my question "You are wherever you want to be, this is my home! How long were you watching me?"

Her question made me feel like I was spying on her. I answered "just for a few minutes. I was watching you cast and then you landed that nice steelhead. I am not very good with this" as I held up my rod "I was just hoping to learn something from you by watching, sorry I didn't mean to intrude."

She had pulled her buff down around her neck and she had a familiar face, I couldn't place it though. She was smiling and it was one of those smiles that light up a person's whole face. In my own opinion, She had a pleasant face, a great smile with straight teeth and beautiful dark eyes. The rest of her face was proportionate. I also noticed some freckles on her nose, barely noticeable. Her smile was comforting so I smiled back as we looked at each other in a few moments of silence as I tried to place where I may know her from. Still nothing. Maybe it was her singing? She held a tune and had a good sound to her voice, cheerful and happy. Her voice still sounded melodic when she wasn't singing as well, there was a nice tone to it that seemed familiar as well.

She broke the silence by asking me "How about you let me see you cast and maybe I can help you out, I have done this for a long while now."

I laughed at the futility of it, I was going to be embarrassed no matter what it seemed. I assembled my rod to it's full 13'6" pulled my line through the guides then reached into my pocket for my fly box and tied a black and red articulated bunny leech. I started to walk out into the current up to my thighs stripping out my line until my running line was just a few inches past the tip of my rod. I stripped some line back in trying to remember the process of the snap T cast. Lift, Snap, Sweep, Deliver. It sounds easier said than done and to me it is. I went over the cast in my mind several times the lifted the line off the water then threw if forward upstream. once the line was down I started to lift the rod again ripping the line off the water, loading the rod. When the rip stopped I applied the power on the forward delivery. Everything seemed to go well until the end and my cast when about halfway out. I let my fly drift anyways then stripped it back in. It was frustrating, but an expected start. I had hoped to practice more and more, but being sick can cut into fishing time.

I tried to cast a second time with the results nearly the same as the first cast if not worse. By the time I stripped the line back in I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder and turned to see April. 

She smiled at me and said "You're trying to muscle it. Let the rod do the work for you. Your mechanics aren't horrible, but you just need practice." The way she said it reminded me of the scene in the Matrix when Morpheus and Neo fought in the imaginary dojo. She held out her hand and asked " May I?" I handed over my rod to her and she told me to just watch as she makes a few casts. She didn't say anything while she made a cast with my rod that put mine to shame. She then said, "I will go slower try to watch closely." Each cast was executed beautifully. Maybe if I spent years on the river I could do this. After the third cast she turned around and smiled at me again, she really did have a genuinely nice smile.

I smiled back and said "I see I need quite a bit of practice. I have all day to work on it though."

"Would you like to go on an adventure?" She asked me, with that smile still on her face. I really wasn't quite sure what to say when she added: "My boat is up around the corner, we could ride down and I can show you a few things."

I really did need a LOT of work on my casting and I had never even been in a drift boat. Fishing alone was better than not fishing at all, but when you have someone else with you it is often better in a way because the experience is shared. I responded, "Yeah, it would really be nice of you."

Somehow my answer seemed to energize her as she moved quickly towards the shore than started to run upriver to get her boat. Her dog shared her excitement and bound after her as well. I walked to the bank and sat on the moss-covered log she was sitting at a few minutes before and patiently waited while taking my surroundings just listening to the sound of the river. Then I heard the songbird singing the 'Just around the Riverbend' from the movie Pocahontas. I gave her a quizzical look as she sang the chorus as the hull of her boat ground along the gravel shore. 

"Great song," I said as she jumped from the boat to gather her gear, "but I like 'Colors of the Wind' better."

She spun around with her rod in hand and said: "Oh!, I know that one too!" As she started to sing loudly spinning around as if she were Pocahontas herself. When she abruptly finished, she bowed as if she was a stage performer. 

 

 Not only did I clap for her, but I also said in a deep voice "Bravo!, Bravo!"

We both laughed out loud as she got behind the oars and I sat in the fore seat so I could overlook the water and watch her at the same time.

Note: I would like to interject here by stating that I was quite aware that I was having a lucid dream, which the dreamer can change details which up until this point I have not changed anything except to add detail to the story.

As she rowed us downstream for awhile we sat in silence and observed the beauty of this natural river around us. The day was perfect and the fine company made the chill in the air seem not quite so cold. I could still feel a dull ache in my ear as we came around a horseshoe bend with a hole, deep and black. She rowed us left towards a sandy beach and ran the boat aground. Dropping the anchor for good measure.

"We will leave the boat here and walk upstream a bit, this is an excellent spot to land a fish if you get a big one," she said as we were exiting the boat. She stared at the water vigilantly scanning the surface for any rises or ripples.

ZZZZzzzzZZZZzzzz

We fished for almost a half-hour and she gave me tips from time to time. She showed me when to stop the rip at the best spot which is where I seemed to have the most difficulty and my casts did slowly improve. She told me a spot to cast because she saw a swirl in the current and swore there was a fish down there somewhere. I cast in the exact spot she pointed to, my best cast by far of the day. I could see the bend in the river where her boat was parked and we left Colby sleeping to keep guard although we never saw another soul when I felt a gentle tug as my fly swung just out of the edge of the current. I relaxed my finger ever so slightly on the rod that held the loop of the line before my reel and then my drag started to go out. I waited for just another second or two before gently lifting my rod skyward as it bent and bobbed as the steelhead was hood and it thrashed its head from side to side. I felt my adrenaline rush through me as my drag started to scream bloody murder. April was yelling to me to work it towards the hole as the large steelhead made three consecutive acrobatic cartwheels through the air as it swam farther away. The cold I had felt working into me from the frigid water was washed away from the excitement of the ensuing battle. 

By the time I reached the bend with the sandy beach, I had started to gain some line on the beast as I was no longer into my backing. April and Colby were ready with me onshore to help me land the fish. April did not have a net neither and I almost hoped she had one as this was surely my biggest steelhead. I started to gain the upper hand. Each run was just a bit short, there were fewer jumps and each one took a significant amount of energy out of this amazing fish. Finally, I was able to keep the fish in the slower and clear water of the pool. This steelhead was an amazing specimen of its species. I turned the fish towards the beach and it almost swam itself onto the shallow water where it sat still it's mouth opening and closing, gasping for breath in the shallow water. This fish had been in the water for a few months, it's gill plate and flank were vibrant pink. It was a male with the obvious kipe on the bottom jaw.

April and I stood and stared at this monster steelhead. I asked, "how much do you think it weighs?"

April replied "25 pounds easily, probably more?" then she walked towards the fish with hemostats in her hand to dislodge the hook from its upper jaw. She knelt down next to the fish and gently removed the hook. She then told me "Get you camera out."

I asked her to hold it up I wanted a picture of her with the fish as well, I took 4 or 5 quick photos with my little Sony cybershot. We switched places and she took maybe a half dozen pictures of the fish. I was sure to handle the fish gently and held it in a slow current between photos. I could fish the fish starting to revive as I let go of it. It swam just a few feet ahead of me and held there in the water as it rested.

I turned to the bank exhausted, my right arm and shoulder burning from the long fight. 

April asked me "getting hungry yet?

I just nodded in response. I looked back to where the fish had held in the water and noticed it was gone. It must have drifted into the deep pool to regain its strength.

The battleground for the future starts here!

We ate some sandwiches and fresh fruit on the bank and talked like we were old friends. We talked about past adventures and the great fish we had caught. She had some amazing stories as she had traveled to distant locations to catch fish all over the world. We talked about our passions for fisheries and wildlife. We both hated the corporate greed of companies willing to destroy precious waterways just to make their pockets fatter. We talked about the Bristol Bay issue and how it was something that should never happen. Then we discussed Enbridge and how they had polluted waters in my state and their continued neglect is unforgivable. We talked about her company and her success, she was a blog writer and wrote for several magazines as well. She did charity work and all the while she was able to do what she loved, to fish!

The Kalamazoo River in Michigan where Enbridge spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil

I was jealous of her, but I felt a great deal of respect for her as well. She was personable and kind, one of those people that are easy to like...

She looked to the darkening sky and said: "We should get going if we want to make the launch by dark."

I grabbed my gear and put it in the boat. Colby was fast asleep. I took my seat again and she pushed to boat into the slow current before taking the oars. with her rowing and the current, we reached the launch in no time. I saw a couple Shelties running around by the launch before I realized they were mine. Cody and Kirrah started wagging their tails and barking as soon as they saw me. They were always so excited to see me. Colby woke up and barked back a few times.

Amy with Kirrah(left) and Cody(right)

I saw my wife waiting on the shore and was worried I would have to explain myself. She was walking to the shore as April oared us in by the launch that was just out of the current. 

Amy, my wife, said "you really had me worried this time. I took a nap and when I woke up you were gone. Don't scare me like that again you big dummy!" (That's a term of endearment she uses for me)

I introduced Amy to April. then April responded by introducing herself to Amy and all was well. Cody and Kirrah were running around with Colby who was much larger all were in a happy mood barking and playing in the snow. Amy hugged April and thanked her for returning me safely and then I hugged April and thanked her for a wonderful adventure.

April with her warm smile wishing us safe travels as we were about to leave

I woke to hear Cody barking at me to wake up, it was time for his dinner. The dream was fading fast so I grabbed my pen and wrote as fast as I could any little detail and had a good 6 pages of notes causing me to think about writing this piece. Of course, I couldn't remember everything so I added details to fill in the holes and a touch of my own personal observations. I very rarely dream of people I know or recognize and when I do they are usually the really odd ones. April along with Jason Tucker of Fontinalis Rising (will be doing an interview with him next) are greatly responsible for my blog and resurgence in fishing. I am an avid reader of both of their well-written blogs as well as some YouTube videos and Podcasts by April. The communications I have had with both of them have been a good experience hence my fondness for them both. 

Links to both Flygal and Flies4Fins are in the right border as well as a link to Fontinalis Rising.

Gear Tech: Slinkys

Today I had to make some more slinkys, the one's I made were too heavy for the low water on the PM and I hate re-applying split shots!!! I get home from work to find my slinky cord is nowhere to be found. I tore this place up for an hour before finding it right in front of my face!!!

I have had a few people ask me how to make them. I'm self taught or maybe YouTube taught at one point, but I'm glad to share what knowledge I have found with you.

Some may ask...What the heck is a slinky? Well, basically it is a weight that are super snag free. I have lost just a few and it saves times re-tying rigs and applying new weights as well as being cheaper. It replaces the dropper tag you add to your rig while using any drift or chuck & duck method.

The materials you will need are a sharp pair of scissors, Slinky Drifter Cord, #5 split shot, a lighter, and needle nose pliers.

 I have found the slinky drifter cord (parachute cord) hard to find in my area so I ordered it from eBay

 
 The split shot should be of the appropriate size for the cord you are using. I use #5 split shot.

You want to start with the end of the slinky cord and burn its edge with a lighter until it starts to melt, then pinch down with your needle nose pliers. It may take a few tries to get it right, as long as the end is sealed tight then it's good to go!

Cut the slinky cord with your scissors making about a 3-4 inch piece depending on how many split shot you want to add inside. Put the tip of the needle nose into the open end of the slinky cord to make sliding the split shots easier.

 This is how open the hole should be, if you do not do this part the slinky cord will unravel and make a mess.

 Add the desired amount of split shots. I make 3,4,5&6 shot slinkys. The one shown is a 5 shot slinky.

 I tend to make them in groups and then finish them off all at once. Shown is a bunch of 6 shot slinkys, I'm working on my 5 shot slinkys

 Use the needle nose pliers to hold the slinky cord down tight and cut along the edge of the pliers.

 Hold the slinky with the pliers and grab your lighter.

Burn the edge of the slinky cord that is sticking out of the side of the pliers. Notice in the background the glass of iced tea. It makes any project go better :)

The edge will look like this when melted sealing the end with a nice black seam. Careful to not touch it!!!

Here is the finished product with a barrel swivel and snap on it. this way you can swap out different weights and have no need to mess around with removing shot if its too heavy.

These are really easy and inexpensive to make. The bag of slinky cord is around 6 bucks and a container of shot another 4 bucks. Slinkys sell at tackle shops for around .89 a piece.

Salmon season is starting so good luck to everyone! Remember to be safe out there!

Tight Lines!!!!

The River

An upstream view of one of my happy places in the world.

The river is my fishing destination of choice. If at all possible, somewhere far enough away from a road where you cannot hear the cars driving by. I know it may be a lot to ask, but we can always dream. I prefer my rivers clear and with a gravel and sand bottom. Clear skies and the sound of the rushing waters will drown out your stress and worries quicker than a bottle of anything to muddle the mind. When all these elements are perfectly in place catching fish can become almost secondary. But lets not fool ourselves, the fish is why we are here.

My prey of choice is the King (Chinook) Salmon. They are large and aggressive. They fight amongst themselves for the opportunity to spawn. The larger and more aggressive males will chase away anything that may interrupt the spawning ritual, including a well presented fly! And if the buck is in a particularly foul mood a poorly presented fly will do just as nicely. I have seen males move 5-6 feet to strike a fly with reckless abandon almost ripping the rod from my hands simply because he is in a pissed off mood. Those strikes are few and far between, but ALWAYS memorable! In Michigan the Salmon move upstream on my favorite river in August in large pods and some may even move upstream much earlier. The skies can be very clear with few clouds and the water low and crystal clear. Do not let this ruse convince you that a light leader will get you more strikes. It will just leave you with an open mouth and a snapped line as the fish makes your feeble reel scream as they jump like a derailed freight train. Oh these early days of fall is what I long for. When the birds are singing freely and the river is whispering to my soul often drawing me into a blissful state of peace before there is a bone jarring strike and it feels like my arm was nearly ripped out of socket.

Me feeling a little juiced after catching this small but spunky male King.

Early in the season the adrenaline rush you experience when you tangle with one of these brutes is an awesome natural high. When the fight is done you can feel your heart thumping in your chest and you can't help but smile after the fight is done, win or lose (although the smile is usually bigger for the victor). often times you can hear another fisherman holler in excitement somewhere else upon the river and you know the fight is on elsewhere.

A female King on it's way back to her redd upon being released.

Where I fish on the Pere Marquette it is a catch & release only fishery. The Salmon and Steelhead are all natural reproduction or strays.As the season goes on you can see much evidence of the ending of the cycle of life for these amazing fish.

The end of the line for this great warrior.

Their bodies can be seen half eaten by scavengers or floating downstream dead or dying, the leave pay homage as they are falling readily upon the ground and in the river. It is always a somewhat sad moment for me that I really cannot explain. I have a great deal of respect for these fish and a sense of gratitude, but as the Salmon fill the river with nutrients the river will belong to the chrome warriors soon enough...


This is a re-write of one of my first blogs. I thought it could stand for a little improvement.

The KINGS are COMING!!!

It's that time of year again when the air starts to cool just enough to cause your mind to wander to cool streams and rivers filled to the brim with spawning fall salmon and steelhead practically on their heels looking for an easy meal of eggs and fry. I look forward to sleeping with the windows open and listening to the pitter patter of cool rain drops landing on the leaves as I'm smiling just as slumber embraces me. Even my dreams become consumed by fishing possibilities as I know that the days are slowly getting slower. But, the true telling sign is when my allergies start to bother me. Humidity is lower as the Ragweed blooms in full, but it bothers me less because I know the leaves will slowly change in color when the Kings are coming home!!!

This King is looking forward to continuing its life journey.

The story of the King Salmon's spawning cycle is well documented. It is common knowledge that they return to their birth river to spawn and eventually die. It is the grand example of the circle of life when you are born, grow, reproduce, die to replenish the earth with your nutrients. The circle for the Salmon is much smaller than ours, but it is a grand event.

In 2011 the salmon runs almost all over the state have been the best in almost 30 years. The rivers were teeming with eager Coho and Chinook Salmon traversing the hazards of dams, predators and most of all fisherman!

The toothy grin of the fisherman and the sharper teeth of the Salmon.

There was much worry about the several invasive species that were thought to threaten our amazing fishery. The Zebra mussels actually made the waters cleaner. The gobys have caused a surge in size in other Great Lakes fish like the Smallmouth Bass who eat them like candy. Lampreys have been an issue for a long while and the MDNR has worked diligently to stop them, but their population has been on the rise the last few years. The greatest threat and what everyone fear will be the knock out punch to our 7 billion dollar a year fishery is the dreadful Asian carp. What many people do not know is that they have been a nuisance since the 1990's and have been kept at bay since so far.

The deadly lamprey, vampires of Lake Michigan.

Dead alewives washed ashore on some beaches last summer.

With the changing ecosystem in the big lake we still have a fishery where the fish are large and in abundance, so much so that the MDNR will be reducing stockings in many rivers to avoid the disaster that happened in Lake Huron where there became more predators than prey due to overstocking to the point the fishery is almost non-existant compared to former years.

The alewife populations have been so high that they have been spotted dead along the beaches like the days of old. They alwives have been of a decent size which coincides with the size of their predators as well.

A nice bunch of Coho's from Hamilton Dam

An early thaw this year accompanied by a warm winter attributes to the large size of the fish being caught in all predatory species of the alewives. While cleaning steelhead at the the fish cleaning station in Holland as early as June I had seen several 20# class Kings with many boats getting their limits.

As a fisherman the King Salmon has become my favorite target species. They fight like steelhead on steroids when you consider their power. They will test every aspect of your gear from your drag to your leader, if something isn't quite right they will put a beat down on you ! They are good jumpers as well, but are not as acrobatic.

A happy fisherman with an August King on the PM.

I was first introduced to Salmon fishing as a 14 year old boy on the Rogue River, just a 5 minute walk from my grandparents back door. It left an impression on me that has made an impact of every aspect of my life. My grand parents no longer live there, but I still go back and visit. They have been planting Salmon in the Rogue again and the next couple years should be excellent. The crowds are something I wish to avoid so I drive north to my favorite river, the Pere Marquette in Baldwin.

A nice male King being revived before release on the PM

The Pere Marquette is simply called the PM by those who love it and fish it. The Salmon return earlier to the PM than many other river because it stays cool in the summer due to the many feeder springs that flow into it. Fish can be found in significant numbers as early as mid August if you know where to search. Thundersticks are an early season favorite below the restricted fishing area and the kings will sometimes tear them apart. The strikes are bone jarring and not to be soon forgotten by your shoulder and arm. Hold on tight and if luck shines upon you then you can land a silver beast in the log infested waters. The kings come in pods that push up the river to their spawning grounds which lie mostly within the catch and release flies only area. Catching a big King on a fly rod on a fly you created on your own can be a feeling that you can't explain until you experience it yourself. Not everyone out there is a catch & release advocate, but the PM demands it and it is always fulfilling experience. Just bring a camera to capture the fish.

A Map of the Flies Only section of the PM.

Another river many people watch closely is the Grand River. As soon as the Charter boats and pier fisherman in Grand haven start nailing them the excitement travels upstream with the fish. There are a few areas that anglers catch fish, but once they hit the 6th street dam in Grand rapids it becomes a circus. Fisherman from all walks of life show up in numbers as the fish start showing up. Spinners, spoons and Cranks can be used in any run that could hold fish. The east wall  produce large numbers from drifters and casters alike, fly fishing is impossible in this area, but it's prime for people with disabilities. The boat ramp area is notorious for the ultimate combat fishing experience if your up for it. Its shoulder to shoulder drifters here. The dam itself causes the water to boil and travel in swirling patters while the water flows out the center and west runs. This is a free for all as far as what fishing style works best. Many tourists come to downtown GR to see the Salmon jump the fish ladder and to watch the fisherman. The Grand also has a few tributaries that can have hot fishing.

Some guys fishing from the boat launch during high waters.

The Kalamazoo has the best fishing at Allegan dam, but it is only for experienced combat fisherman. The dam is the upstream limit on the Kalamazoo and the fish stack up. If you wish to avoid the crowds this is not the place to go. The hottest area to fish is usually on the stairs where there is usually a fisherman per stair and the tempers often flare. Some decent fishing has been had in recent years on the Rabbit river in Hamilton, There is a dam there as well which draws a good sized crowd when the fish are in.

A nice Coho at the Hamilton Dam

The Muskegon is a great river and really awesome if you have a boat. The Kings come up maybe a month after the PM gets started and can only go as far as Croton Dam. People fishing from shore are gathered closer to the dam, but boaters can drift down looking for large groups of fish or fish actively spawning.

Croton Dam in Newaygo, MI

So as the nights get colder and the leaves start to fall my dreams become reality as I will fight epic battles against some of the hardest fighting  freshwater game fish  in the US. Any day now I will sit here less and be on the river more.....any day now......