TR: I love the sound of a Hardy in the Morning - a little wordy

Pulled into Grayling MI about 2 in the am on Saturday thanks to the
Indianapolis rush hour and some dude who blew by me deciding to take out the
lanes a few miles up the road.

Got the wakeup call at a Gawdawful hour and found myself on the banks of the
Au Sable near Smith Bridge with a large cup of coffee in one hand a Mauer
4wt cane in the other as the sun was rising. The air temp was in the low
30's I did not have great expectations other than to enjoy my coffee
streamside. But then again it is Northern Michigan and the fish endure 6-7
months of winter every year and the Au Sable is a Spring Creek While
there were no signs of rising fish there were some spinners on the water. I
tied on a size soft hackle emerger pattern and began casting into the foam
lines and riffles against the far bank. After the fourth drift, the fly
hung up on a log or some such. I pulled it free and proceeded on down
stream. A few drifts later a fish flashed at the fly as it finished the
drift, I went to set the hook and it pulled free, I drifted the fly again,
again a fish struck and again the fly pulled free. Two Drifts, two strikes,
two misses. I figure I'm a little rusty so I cast again in the same area
nothing. I move down a few steps and cast again, again a strike and again a
miss. I might be a little slow but I catch on sooner or later and checked
the hook. The Tiemco had broken halfway up the bend, guess I should have
used Mustads. It just meant I didn't have to wash the fish smell off of my
hands when I went to get the wife from the motel for breakfast.

The sun had come up full by now and it was a bright sunny day with very
little cloud cover. After breakfast my wife dropped me off at the Fly
Factory where I met up with a friend and off we went to the Manistee. Under
those conditions we did not think we would be doing a whole lot of catching
but the canoe traffic would be minimal and there were parts of this river I
wanted to see in the daytime and mark for exploration during next year's hex
hatch.

We put the boat in at the "Hole in the Wall" and proceeded on down stream.
The Manistee is a gin clear slow flowing river with lots of deep holes and
dead falls but very little riffle water which on a bright day like Saturday
makes the fishing tough. I tied a little Robert's yellow drake to the tippet
and proceeded to toss the fly into shady spots using a little 3wt glass rod.
In the next five hours we had a blast catching little Michigan Brookies and
one little brown trout. In between the brookies, beer, and malt, I made sure
I marked the interesting holes into the GPS unit for further exploration.
I'd like to say I caught a bunch of big fish but the brown was barely 7" and
the brookies were in the four - six inch range. But I was on the river and
not back in Indy mowing the yard. After about 5 hours we came to the take
out point and made our way back to Grayling.

After a decent prime rib and shrimp dinner at the Holiday Inn I spent the
next few hours killing a bottle of 21yo Balvenie on porch of the Fly
Factory with some friends and making plans for next years trout bum bbq.
After the malt was disposed of, I headed back for the night.

Sunday came early and I was more intent on walking the state lands near the
Manistee for Grouse and Woodcock habitat than I was interested in fishing
but I strung up a rod anyway and tossed a fly box in the shirt pocket. Again
it was too early and even colder than Saturday. The thermometer in the car
read 31 when I got out of the car.
I walked a ways, marked some birdie spots for future reference and found the
river to rest as I keep putting off my hip replacement and I was reminded
just how much out of shape I have become. I tied on a parachute hopper and
then tied a parachute Borchers Drake off the hopper. Before I cast, I
trimmed the hackle and the post so the fly would sink. I walked out to a
bend and cast against a big sweeper laying out in the stream. The first
couple of casts were just embarrasing and any fish that hit those drifts
would had to have been suicidal. I rested a few minutes, reminded myself
that i was not casting cane and glass anymore and went back at it. I cast
off the same sweeper and got a great drift, as the hopper floated just past
the end of the sweeper, it hessitated and I lifted the rod. All hell then
proceeded to break loose. The fish took off downstream, but I was not
wearing waders and I was not going to wet wade at that air and water temp so
I had to depend upon rod and the reel to do the work. The Hardy Perfect was
singing its song but since I had a five weight and 3X tippet I figured I
could apply some pressure and began trying to force the fish back in. I
would get the fish close and it would take off again. It even decided to
make like a Rainbow and try a jump but for once I was controlling the line
and the barbless hook stayed in place. This went on for a few minutes when I
finally got the fish close enough for a good look. As i suspected it was a
brown, and it might have exceeded 20" but as luck would have it I was not
going to find out for sure. As I got it close to the bank, it decided to
make one more run, and i was not quick enough to palm the reel and it made
for the bottom of hole behind the deadfall. I saw it swim in circles at the
of the pool wrapping my tippet around the limbs. I gave it a tug but it
wasn't going anywere. So I tugged harder and broke off the tippet, cussed a
little made a mental note to revisit when I come back in September.

All in all it was a fun weekend and it helped lessen the sting of going from
45 to 46. I will be back

On Wed, 25 Aug 2004, Wayne Knight wrote:

Pulled into Grayling MI about 2 in the am on Saturday thanks to the
Indianapolis rush hour and some dude who blew by me deciding to take out the
lanes a few miles up the road.

snip

I tied a little Robert's yellow drake to the tippet
and proceeded to toss the fly into shady spots using a little 3wt glass rod.

snip

then tied a parachute Borchers Drake off the hopper.

I've forgotten what it's like to tie on big flies since moving out west.
Last trout I hooked on top was with a size 24 midge on California's Hot
Creek. I need to sneak in a trip back to Michigan one of these days.

Mu
__________________________________________________ _____________________
\ Mu Young Lee
remove all dashes and underscores in reply address

On Wed, 25 Aug 2004, Wayne Knight wrote:

Pulled into Grayling MI about 2 in the am on Saturday thanks to the
Indianapolis rush hour and some dude who blew by me deciding to take out the
lanes a few miles up the road.

snip

I tied a little Robert's yellow drake to the tippet
and proceeded to toss the fly into shady spots using a little 3wt glass rod.

snip

then tied a parachute Borchers Drake off the hopper.

I've forgotten what it's like to tie on big flies since moving out west.
Last trout I hooked on top was with a size 24 midge on California's Hot
Creek. I need to sneak in a trip back to Michigan one of these days.

Mu
__________________________________________________ _____________________
\ Mu Young Lee
remove all dashes and underscores in reply address

There's *nothing* in flyfishing like the sweet purr of a Hardy. I have an
LRH; a JLH; and my newest...a Bougle. The Bougle was purring on big Missouri
River Bows...gotta love those reels. The Abels stayed in the van most of
that trip.

Dave M
"Wayne Knight" wrote in message
...
Pulled into Grayling MI about 2 in the am on Saturday thanks to the
Indianapolis rush hour and some dude who blew by me deciding to take out
the
lanes a few miles up the road.

Got the wakeup call at a Gawdawful hour and found myself on the banks of
the
Au Sable near Smith Bridge with a large cup of coffee in one hand a Mauer
4wt cane in the other as the sun was rising. The air temp was in the low
30's I did not have great expectations other than to enjoy my coffee
streamside. But then again it is Northern Michigan and the fish endure 6-7
months of winter every year and the Au Sable is a Spring Creek While
there were no signs of rising fish there were some spinners on the water.
I
tied on a size soft hackle emerger pattern and began casting into the foam
lines and riffles against the far bank. After the fourth drift, the fly
hung up on a log or some such. I pulled it free and proceeded on down
stream. A few drifts later a fish flashed at the fly as it finished the
drift, I went to set the hook and it pulled free, I drifted the fly again,
again a fish struck and again the fly pulled free. Two Drifts, two
strikes,
two misses. I figure I'm a little rusty so I cast again in the same area
nothing. I move down a few steps and cast again, again a strike and again
a
miss. I might be a little slow but I catch on sooner or later and checked
the hook. The Tiemco had broken halfway up the bend, guess I should have
used Mustads. It just meant I didn't have to wash the fish smell off of my
hands when I went to get the wife from the motel for breakfast.

The sun had come up full by now and it was a bright sunny day with very
little cloud cover. After breakfast my wife dropped me off at the Fly
Factory where I met up with a friend and off we went to the Manistee.
Under
those conditions we did not think we would be doing a whole lot of
catching
but the canoe traffic would be minimal and there were parts of this river
I
wanted to see in the daytime and mark for exploration during next year's
hex
hatch.

We put the boat in at the "Hole in the Wall" and proceeded on down stream.
The Manistee is a gin clear slow flowing river with lots of deep holes and
dead falls but very little riffle water which on a bright day like
Saturday
makes the fishing tough. I tied a little Robert's yellow drake to the
tippet
and proceeded to toss the fly into shady spots using a little 3wt glass
rod.
In the next five hours we had a blast catching little Michigan Brookies
and
one little brown trout. In between the brookies, beer, and malt, I made
sure
I marked the interesting holes into the GPS unit for further exploration.
I'd like to say I caught a bunch of big fish but the brown was barely 7"
and
the brookies were in the four - six inch range. But I was on the river and
not back in Indy mowing the yard. After about 5 hours we came to the take
out point and made our way back to Grayling.

After a decent prime rib and shrimp dinner at the Holiday Inn I spent the
next few hours killing a bottle of 21yo Balvenie on porch of the Fly
Factory with some friends and making plans for next years trout bum bbq.
After the malt was disposed of, I headed back for the night.

Sunday came early and I was more intent on walking the state lands near
the
Manistee for Grouse and Woodcock habitat than I was interested in fishing
but I strung up a rod anyway and tossed a fly box in the shirt pocket.
Again
it was too early and even colder than Saturday. The thermometer in the car
read 31 when I got out of the car.
I walked a ways, marked some birdie spots for future reference and found
the
river to rest as I keep putting off my hip replacement and I was reminded
just how much out of shape I have become. I tied on a parachute hopper and
then tied a parachute Borchers Drake off the hopper. Before I cast, I
trimmed the hackle and the post so the fly would sink. I walked out to a
bend and cast against a big sweeper laying out in the stream. The first
couple of casts were just embarrasing and any fish that hit those drifts
would had to have been suicidal. I rested a few minutes, reminded myself
that i was not casting cane and glass anymore and went back at it. I cast
off the same sweeper and got a great drift, as the hopper floated just
past
the end of the sweeper, it hessitated and I lifted the rod. All hell then
proceeded to break loose. The fish took off downstream, but I was not
wearing waders and I was not going to wet wade at that air and water temp
so
I had to depend upon rod and the reel to do the work. The Hardy Perfect
was
singing its song but since I had a five weight and 3X tippet I figured I
could apply some pressure and began trying to force the fish back in. I
would get the fish close and it would take off again. It even decided to
make like a Rainbow and try a jump but for once I was controlling the line
and the barbless hook stayed in place. This went on for a few minutes when
I
finally got the fish close enough for a good look. As i suspected it was a
brown, and it might have exceeded 20" but as luck would have it I was not
going to find out for sure. As I got it close to the bank, it decided to
make one more run, and i was not quick enough to palm the reel and it made
for the bottom of hole behind the deadfall. I saw it swim in circles at
the
of the pool wrapping my tippet around the limbs. I gave it a tug but it
wasn't going anywere. So I tugged harder and broke off the tippet, cussed
a
little made a mental note to revisit when I come back in September.

All in all it was a fun weekend and it helped lessen the sting of going
from
45 to 46. I will be back

On 8/24/04 11:24 PM, in article
, "Wayne Knight"
wrote:

Pulled into Grayling MI about 2 in the am on Saturday thanks to the
Indianapolis rush hour and some dude who blew by me deciding to take out the
lanes a few miles up the road.
snip

Great report, Wayne. I'm headed up that direction at dark-thirty tomorrow
and your write up has me itching all the more to get on the road!

Oh, and many happy returns!

Bill

On 8/24/04 11:24 PM, in article
, "Wayne Knight"
wrote:

Pulled into Grayling MI about 2 in the am on Saturday thanks to the
Indianapolis rush hour and some dude who blew by me deciding to take out the
lanes a few miles up the road.
snip

Great report, Wayne. I'm headed up that direction at dark-thirty tomorrow
and your write up has me itching all the more to get on the road!

Oh, and many happy returns!

Bill

Wayne Knight wrote:
Pulled into Grayling MI ...
nice TR snipped
All in all it was a fun weekend and it helped lessen the sting of going from
45 to 46. I will be back

Happy Birthday, youngun'. ;-)

--
Ken Fortenberry

Wayne Knight wrote:
Pulled into Grayling MI ...
nice TR snipped
All in all it was a fun weekend and it helped lessen the sting of going from
45 to 46. I will be back

Happy Birthday, youngun'. ;-)

--
Ken Fortenberry

"Wayne Knight" wrote in message
...
All in all it was a fun weekend and it helped lessen the sting of going
from
45 to 46. I will be back



45 to 46 stings? And you need a new hip? I'm ****ed, then. Thursdays my big
45-to-46 day.

--riverman

"Wayne Knight" wrote in message
...
All in all it was a fun weekend and it helped lessen the sting of going
from
45 to 46. I will be back



45 to 46 stings? And you need a new hip? I'm ****ed, then. Thursdays my big
45-to-46 day.

--riverman