The River is my Refuge

It has been a long, long while since I have been motivated to write...

My health has been the major reason I have not returned to my page. Since my last post, I have constantly struggled to get better. My emotional state declined as well as my physical health. I had finally found a good team of doctors who were helping me turn the corner...

I have had six surgeries to improve my quality of life and to try to enjoy some of the things that brought peace to my suffering. Through it all, I have come to realize one common truth
                                           
                                                    "Live for the moment!"

My fishing time has been severely limited and more often than not I am left to my own thoughts. I struggled through pain and control over my body. I find myself grateful that I still am able to do what I can.

As luck would have it I have some people in my life who will give me a swift kick in the ass when I want to give up. My wife has forced me to wake up and get ready as she drove me several hours to a fishing spot of sacrificed sleep which she is not prone to do. My son also grew into a baby man child with a driver's license and the desire to kick my ass into the river as well.

Quality over quantity has become another mantra of mine. Anything is often better than nothing as I have caught less fish but cherished each battle with more appreciation than ever.

                                                   "Pay it forward! Always!!!"

I am legally physically disabled. Some may look at me and think what the heck is wrong with him? Well, each persons medical history is their own and many choose to keep theirs private. But, know this....before you judge someone tries to understand them first. Many people struggle with unseen illnesses and the attitude that not being sick is often more hurtful than the illness themselves.

One of the greatest qualities of man is compassion. Never forget to use it! I have heard way to many times that it doesn't pay to be nice! Get yours while you can! I do not and will not understand that way of thinking.

Illness has a way of telling you what is really important in life! People! It is the relationships you make and how you treat those who are a part of your life. Over the last year, it seems I have been in touch with more of my older friends, meaning old friendships that have taken bigger importance. For me, that seems to be my old fishing buddies. Along the way, you make new ones as well that hopefully will turn into old ones too. Some of my fondest memories are often my most unexpected when a complete stranger can strike up a conversation simply due to your common love of the river and her bounty.

Even though I cannot fish as much as I would like my love for fishing is no less than before if anything the passion is even more fierce! I have tried to use the time spent not fishing for other en-devours somewhat related. One of which was rebuilding several old rods and just having fun with the whole process. Much of what I learned was trial and error and I even rebuilt a rebuilt rod to improve on it again.

There is something about catching a fish on a fly you tied and the same goes for catching one on a rod you built or rebuilt as well. There is something magical about it that is hard to explain. Anybody can buy the best rod, but to catch one on one of your own creation gives you a special feeling. It also helps that I have never been quite satisfied with the length of any fighting butts I have come across. Picking the colors and the style of the wrap to your very own liking as well as the placement of something as simple as a hook keeper with the finished product knowing everything is just the way you wanted it and you don't have to settle for something store-bought.

Then there is the feeling of letting the mighty fish swim away. Homemade fly....homemade rod....the appreciation of the fight and then the release. I can't think of a better way to spend a sunny fall morning with friends.

Most of the rods I rebuilt were close to 20 yrs old! Now, to me, they are like brand new again and the cost is very minimal compared to a brand new rod.

My favorite so far was a 9-foot St.Croix rod I used for many years and caught countless Steelhead on. The handle had gotten chewed up and the tip was busted off. I  rebuilt it on the idea of another old favorite rod I had, a Berkley Lightning Rod. I think I came close with the color scheme on the wrap but opted to paint the rod fluorescent orange to make it stand out so I went with a little bit more wrapping then I planned as well. Just a little secret, the black on the butt section was colored by a clack Sharpie!

I took another idea with using Czech beads for nymphs and with my sister's guidance even made some jewelry!

                   eventually evolving into semi-precious stones, copper and silver........

Life is a journey and one path leads you onto a path you never expected to take. I made some necklaces as well and the inspiration for creating things led into drawings and computer artwork and the idea to challenge myself to learn new ideas and create bigger and better things than I had ever imagined...
                                                

Although I have seen my share of curveballs thrown by life, I have made the conscious decision to just learn how to hit the curve, because I am sure as hell ain't about to give up.

Fishing is still a huge part of my life. I just have to listen to my body and take what I'm given and make the most of it and appreciate every chance I do get. When I get out I try to make the most of it and I still have the luck of the fishing gods on my side and with help from others, I still will be able to get into the heavy of it all.

I've found you can meet the nicest people along her banks, but the rudest as well. The choice is yours which you choose to be. My refuge is the river! we have a history....me and her! her waters flow as through the earth as mine own blood through my veins. In all of her splendor as the sun sparkles across the surface reflecting warmth onto my face and the coolness of her touch as it caresses my skin! Her roar and laughter at life as she tumbles over the rocks and logs always moving ever downstream. The smell of the rushing waters in her deep pools and eddies so dark and often menacing with untold mysteries. So many memories she holds for me......but, I am eager for the new ones yet to come!

Crossroads and waterways

I prefer to not fish alone, but I will if necessary. My favorite and most common fishing partner is my son, Jared. Unfortunately I do not see him as often or as long as I would like.

My wife often works 12 hr. days from 7a-7p which can be a boon when I wish to get out and fish and not have to worry about what time I need to be home by. My last fishing experience was on one such occasion and I decided to just fish until I was ready to go home.

I stopped at a nice stretch of river known for some good steelhead bobber fishing with wax worms. I fished for a few hours and saw only a few very beat up Kings. Instead of just going home I headed the other way. It was December 1st and the first day that Swan Creek was once again open to fishing. I decided to at least take a ride and see if anything was happening. I had no plans and for the day any how. I left my gear in the car and took a small hike.

I arrived at the bubbler to find 5 cars in the parking lot. I was hoping they were small game hunters as a couple of the trucks had Mossy Oak stickers on them. I decided to walk down to the river to see how many people were actually fishing and as my luck would have it there were 5 fisherman. One upstream and 4 at the bubbler where I had hoped to fish.

I walked down to the river and politely asked if they were having any luck. Of course some guys had left earlier with some steelhead on a stringer, but nobody has has so much as a bite sine 10 am which was a good 3-4 hours earlier.

I decided to walk a short ways downstream amid the muddy banks and leave-less tress to see if I could spot any active fish. With my polarized glasses I am an excellent fish spotter. I attribute much of my luck at catching fish in my ability to find fish. You chances are always much better when your drifting a hole or run with something in it. The water was still low and clear from the lack of rain most of the summer. I stood on a high bank watching a deep hole strewn with several fallen tree branches. There were several carcasses of dead Salmon along the banks and the stench was becoming unbearable. It seems that the racoons will be very fat for the winter. Just as I was about to leave I spotted a white mouth open and close just under a log. It was actually just a few feet from the back and clearly a steelhead. I watched for several minutes watching the steelhead move back and forth along the fallen tree slowly then it came up and slurped something off of the surface. The weather was unseasonably warm like it had been all year and was a very comfortable 50 degrees.

At that moment I decided to head back to my car and try to stir up some action. As I moved away I noticed another dark shape dart from underneath another log heading upstream, most likely another steelhead.

Arriving back at the bubbler I noticed one of the fisherman had left and asked the other three if they would mind if I fished the hole with them. Two said they were ready to leave anyways and the last guy told me there would be plenty of room now. I quickly headed to my car and gathered my gear. I had to remember to take anything out of my backpack that was considered illegal. There was a strict no weighted single hook rule on this river. I took my wax worm jigs and small box of spinners and tossed them into the trunk. The other two fisherman were arriving at the parking lot just as I started towards the river. I wished them a good day and was off.

I arrived at the bubbler to find the lone fisherman waiting there and as I walked up he held out his hand and said "Hi, my name is Jason".

I returned the handshake and said "Hi Jason, my name is Mike, nice to meet you". For the next several hours we fished and enjoyed at warm December day, having several great conversations about fishing. Where talked about many things and seemed to have a great deal in common. He told me he fished many of the same places I like to go and we talked about our adventures.

I never ended up hooking a fish and had one take, while he hooked a nice steelhead that ended up breaking his line. He switched to a fly rod and started swinging streamers. To me it had always been a bobber hole. The air was getting cold and the sky was getting dark.

I decided to start packing up my gear for my long drive home and he did as well.

Then he said something that stuck with me "Even though I didn't land that fish it was still a great day, sometimes you meet someone truly enjoyable while fishing".

I was stunned into silence by his compliment. I continued to gather my gear and when I was done I held my hand out to him once again, this time in farewell. I told him "It has been a good day, thanks for the good conversations. Tight Lines and may we meet again".

As I started to drive home I thought maybe I should have asked his last name and if I could Facebook him. I am a fishing blogger after all and never even mentioned my blog to him. Sometimes I turn my radio off when I drive and this when one of those times. I took my long ride home to think about some of the people I have crossed paths with or became friends with simply due to fishing.

When my wife arrived home from work she asked me "how was your day?"

I replied "Great, I met this really nice guy on the river"

She started to laugh at me, then asked "do I have anything to worry about?"

Sometimes! I tell you, she says the darnedest things. I jokingly replied "he was cute, but I think he said he has a girlfriend. That was too bad he had some good fishing gear". We both chuckled at that. I can say the darnedest things as well.

The good day and my reminiscent drive home gave me the idea for this post. I wanted to thank the people who I have me in person or on the internet through fishing, or other friends whom I have fished with as a youth and others who have moved on. Some I may never fish with or even see again.

First I would like to thank my father, Frank Nedza, who first put a pole in my hands and then took me on many excursions to small ponds and lakes near where I grew up. Most recently when I went to California and fished with his girlfriend Sheryl Mayhew and her son Doug.

My step father, Herb Frohlich, knew little about fishing. He took me out with my uncle Chuck to a pay trout lake often.There are no trout streams in northern Illinois! He even took me on a fishing birthday party.

Some of my longest fishing friends have been Doug Trolian and Chuck Miller. We seemed to find any pond or creek. I still pass by small ponds and say "I wonder if there are any fish in there". In the fall of 2011 I had the pleasure of bringing chuck and his son Nathan to the Pere Marquette to fish with me and my son. It was a fun time had by all. We need to do that again and get Doug to come as well.

As I entered high school, the call of the water was still strong in me. I would gaze out the window of my class room thinking of where I was going to fish after school. Some times with Chuck and/or Doug. My summers I started to spend with a nephew of my mom's best friend. Me and Mark Sheptock fished everywhere we could in lakes and pond and it was with Mark that I caught my first Skamania, not just one, but two 14 pound beautiful fish I had fallen in love with at first sight. His mother and step-father were avid anglers as well. My grandparents had moved to Michigan and I met another good friend Doug Duther who I had shared many, many fishing experiences with.

One summer while visiting my grandparents I had the honor of being first mate on a charter boat in Grand Haven called the Shut-R-Bug owned by Paul Strobel. I didn't do it for the money because I earned nothing except the experience.

Mark Schwandt and Craig Herron were close friends I fished with many times before I moved to Michigan. We would blast heavy metal on my boom box and fish for carp or bullheads.

Compared to living in the south suburbs of Chicago, Michigan was a fisherman's paradise. So many fish and so little time!

Having spent many summers at my grandparents have given me some good places to start and I met many others who showed me new spots to try as well. I ended up buying a fishing boat with my high school buddy Jeff Leffew and spent many on the water.

In college I had less time to fish, but still made a few trips for steelhead with Mark Williams or made a few casts in the ponds behind the Charles Holman's apartment. Another high school friend became hooked on fishing as well some time after college and we spent many trips on the Pere Marquette River with Bart Shumaker.

I am a river fisherman at heart, she is my mistress after all. It took me a few years to learn about some excellent spots to go I took others to new places as well. It feels to me like a pay it forward sort of thing, hoping that the person I showed a kindness too would return one on the river to another angler or friend, plus the companionship of spending time on the river is always extremely rewarding.

Friends I have made at my workplace have provided me with many great memories and conversations. Phil Maguire, Kevin Chambers, Scott Johnson, Dustin Peck, Dean Heyboyer, Ryan Figger, Jeff Miller, Pete Alfaro, Todd Snyder, Kevin Alpers, John Bronkema, Dean VanderBok are some of the many fisherman I have crossed lines with or may in the future.

The internet and Facebook has brought me back into contact with many of my old fiends or introduced me to new ones. Herb Theodore is one such example and through him I have met Matt Larkin . The three of us initially chose to stand up for the Grand River which is now a group called Grand River Future Vision. The Grand Rapids Steelheaders, too many to list, and Josh Smith have stood up as well to join the fight.

There are others I have had some great conversation or communication with through Facebook whom I may or may not cast a line with at some time, but I hope to if the opportunity ever presents itself. Some are local others much farther away: Ashley Rae, Al James, Jason Tucker, April Vokey, Derek DeYoung, AD Maddox, Becca Schlafff, Rebekka Redd, TC Burgess, Corey Vansparrentak, Brian Kozminski, Carrie Cartwright, Kristin Dunn & Kimber Roberts. The list may grow as well.

I would like to sincerely thank everyone listed for spending time on the water with me at some time or even just to talk about and share adventures, techniques, or places to fish. Thank You So Very Much! Especially my best bud and fishing partner, my son, Jared Nedza.

Remember the next person you might see on the water could become a life long friend or maybe just as I mentioned above, a stranger who you share a similar passion with to share the day with

Tight Lines and a Merry Christmas to you all!

Salmon and steelhead fishing etiquette

Fishing is meant to be an enjoyable experience. No body wants to go fishing to become irritated by another persons action possibly ruining an otherwise awesome day.

In my many experiences fishing the times I felt I have had the river all to myself are few and far between. Sometimes the preferred placed to fish can become so crowded that fisherman can call it "combat fishing."

The first general rule is one I try to apply to all facets of life, not just fishing. It is treat others with respect.

1. Always respect and follow the rules and regulations for the area you are fishing. If you are unsure I would consider checking the fishing guide or looking the area up online. The Internet is a valuable tool!

2. Remember that we do not own the river, or even a fishing spot. So don't act like it by being rude to other fisherman in the area and please clean up after yourself.

There have been many times where I have left with empty plastic pop bottles filling my net and a bag of garbage. If you see others garbage try to clean up and leave the place better looking than when you arrived.

3. When entering an area where other people are fishing and you intend to fish there as well, fish compatibly with the existing fisherman. When fishing close to other fisherman try not to crowd them as much as possible.

4. There is an order when fishing a drift or current. The person farthest downstream casts first. The next person upstream, after waiting a few seconds will then cast until everyone fish has taken his turn then repeat. In holes that can be fished by both sides it works basically the same but each side completes a turn while the others wait or they can alternate casts. It may sound relatively simple until someone hooks a fish or gets snagged on the bottom.

5. When a fish is hooked, the person doing the hooking :) should alert the other fisherman he has one on. The most common way is by yelling "FISH ON".

6.  If someone close to use has a fish on you should get your line out of the water until he has landed it or chased the fish elsewhere.If your line becomes tangled while a fish is on give the line slack and try to communicate with the other fisherman so you are not the cause of a lost fish, sometimes this requires cutting your line.

7. If the fisherman does leave the area because of a fish he should get the same spot back.

8. If you offer to net a fish, always ask them before you do. Sometimes fish are lost by bad net jobs!

Although there are no written rules I am offering some simple guidelines. A little courtesy goes a long way. Everyone is there to have a good time and to catch fish, there is no reason for anyone to get upset or angry.

Unfortunately there are many fishing jerks out there. Try to kill them with kindness, but if they are breaking the law or preventing you from fishing, call a CO!

 
                                                                          Report ALL Poaching 1-800-292-7800

They call it fishing, not catching

There are so many things that can go wrong when fighting a large steelhead or salmon. One may be an awesome fisherman and be blessed with amazing luck, but still lose as many fish as they catch.
Do not be discouraged it happens to the best of us!
Today I took my son out again today to try and catch him a steelhead. I did less fishing and more spotting to increase his odds. He is only fourteen and does not have a great sense of urgency when it comes to fishing. He loves it, but he doesn't always get it. I was even handing him my rod when he needed to tie up. He did hook into a few fish, but none made it to the shore.
I fared a little better landing 2, the first being a small male steelie. I mean it was small by steelie standards, maybe 18 inches. He put on one heck of a show and if he had some size I would have never won that battle. He wrapped himself around my son who was fishing downstream of me and I got closer I realized that I was lucky to not have broken my rod when my son grabbed it with the fish on it and it started wrapping around him.
The other fish I did land was a smaller sized hen who took my fly on the swing after it passed a bed in a deep run. The strike and the battle was great considering her size.
I had several other hook-ups. My intention was to hand my rod off to my son, but every attempt was foiled before I could even hand him the rod.
Each time I stood there confused staring at the river trying to assess what went awry.
The first worthy encounter to mention was while drifting a nice gravel bed with several fish on it I had a visual on my egg through most of the drift and when I didn't it was because I noticed one of the fish open its mouth and suck my nuke egg in. In textbook fashion I set the hook downstream as the fish continued to shake its head as it drifted off of the back of the gravel. The head shaking was constant and I was sure that this fish was as good as landed. I yelled to my son to take the rod and the fish must have thought I told it to run for it's life instead. After several jumps well over three feet high, this chrome beauty made my drag sing as it headed back towards Lake Michigan. With one more jump after it's run the fish spit the hook back at me. I could do nothing but say sorry to the boy, because that was the kind of fish you just don't hand off to someone. Oh well, at least I didn't loose any tackle I told myself trying to make the butt whooping I just had not seem quite so bad.

While using the same exact nuke egg in the same exact area on the third cast before I lost the last fish I had another take. This one wasn't text book and I was not ready for it. I was trying to spot my fly in the drift as I noticed a torpedo shaped shadow rocket ahead. I felt a tug on my line and it started moving upstream. I pulled back hard and it made this beast go freaking nuts! It took it's first jump going forward as much as upward with a heavy head shake. I could see that my line was towards it's mouth. The fish took several more jumps each seeming more powerful and vicious than the last. The fish never realized that during one of the jumps it had broken my 6lb leader. It continued to make several more jumps and flips as I stood there with a slack line just watching. I could do nothing but smile and start to chuckle as I heard my buddy yell from across the river "What the Heck!" Although the whole ordeal lasted but maybe a few seconds at best it still excited me for more.
When I pulled my line in my leader was frayed. It could have been before I even made the cast, but I check my leader for frays and knots regularly.
Catching fish isn't always where the most excitement is. Most of my most memorable fights are one I had lost and I have lost tons. Just keep fishing and be grateful to be out on the water. If everything was easy to catch it wouldn't be as much fun.