On Mon, 19 Sep 2005 11:25:45 -0400, William Claspy
wrote:

It's been several years since I've had the chance to fish Michigan's upper
peninsula, and at least several (four? five?) since Wolfgang and I first
spoke about sharing the waters of that finger of land sandwiched between
Lakes Gitchee-Gumee and Michigan. It seemed like this was the year for a
clave. Late last year there was the suggestion by Wayne Knight that we
experience Voelker's pond. Further discussion added other participants-
Jeff Miller, George Cleveland. Then Asadi. Would we even see Joel, the
raffle-master himself? As the date approached, plans adjusted and
participants were added and subtracted. My own goofy schedule became solid
and I was able to commit to specific dates. It would be short, partial
attendance for me, but what else is new for a family man? We were ON!

With feverish anticipation, I spent the early part of last week pouring over
the DeLorme Michigan gazetteer, combing the Web for further maps and
information about various U.P. fishing locales, assembling packing lists.
Also early in the week, a call from Wolfgang brought the cold slap of
reality that distances being what they are, and schedules also being what
they are, our planned rendezvous on the banks of the Fox River just wasn't
going to happen. Disappointment all around. Options zipped through my
addled brain- cancel altogether? commit to driving clear to Bruce Crossing?
shorten the trip and go solo? I decided on the latter.

I'd already made plans to stop on the Au Sable on my trip north, so the
simplest thing to do was to just make that nano-clave central. It worked
just fine. When he heard I was going solo, a buddy here in town was able to
make some last minute adjustments to his schedule and join me. It was good
to have company! In order to maximize fishing time, I booked into Gates'
Lodge on the banks of the main branch of that famed water, where Mark and I
arrived late afternoon on Thursday.

We fished until 7 or so in the Stephan bridge area. The water was low and
fishing was tough, but working downstream, I was able to get a couple of
small brookies to take a wet Coachman.

Friday we spent the whole day fishing the south branch through the Mason
Tract. The weather was cool and a fine rain fell until 1 pm. Again, low
water, not much in the way of rising fish, and but a few small brookies
brought to hand. I didn't use my camera during the rain, and later in the
day only got one fish picture, of this miniature jewel:

http://hrothgar.cwru.edu/ausablebrookie.jpg

In the evening we returned to the main branch and fished the Burton's
Landing stretch- again, few rises and not much in the way of catching.

Under gorgeous blue skies on Saturday morning we headed to the upper
Manistee. Wayne had given me directions to a favorite hole, which I was
unable to find. Each pull off down that road, Wayne, looked like someone's
driveway. You'll have to lead me there when we fish that water together
sometime. Based on Linsenman's suggestions, we headed further upstream and
put in just south of Deward and fished until early afternoon on a gorgeous
piece of water that, like the Au Sable, we had a hard time getting fish to
rise. Beautiful country, active bird life, and the flask of bourbon made up
for the lack of catching.

We returned home Saturday night, as Mark had to be at work on Sunday.

Not the trip I had dreamed of nor planned, but not a bad way to spend three
days either!

Cheers!
Bill

It doesn't sound as if the fish were jumping on flies anywhere in MI
last week.

Fine TR.

g.c.