Wherin I'm back from Fishing

There have been years at Trout Openers where it has snowed so hard you could not see you friends 100 feet downstream. Years where it was so cold that you shivered in the stream and tried to keep your hands warm while you fished and after you got out of the stream you could barely feel your feet. Then theres years like this one.

You would have thought it was early summer.

Wednesday and Thursday were warm with blue skies and sun all day. We were out and about in short sleeves and shorts. We sat by the camp fire at night in short sleeves til after 10:30pm. Friday was cloudy all day and cooler. Saturday was windy. Not breezy, but gusty take down large trees in the forest windy. In all of our years of fishing opening weekend we have about seen it all and sometimes all in one day!

Wednesday I got my brand spanking new 1973 Jayco camper set up on the property. We had brought it up the weekend before and backed it into position. I was not too keen on having the door face the road so I decided to turn it around. This entailed driving it straight into position...which I did driving the 'ol Jeep in between 2 trees with barely 2 inches to spare on either side and then jockeying it around and backing it out of the woods. The end result was very pleasing though with he door to the camper facing the property and the river:

Home-Sweet-Home

Once camp was set up it was time to tend to matters at hand....FISHING! Now trout fishing is not like Bass fishing of any other types of fishing. Observation of the section of stream you are about to fish is key in gaining intimate knowledge of where the fish are hiding. Besides, fishing on opening weekend is not really about catching fish. It's about relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet:

 
Relaxing by the Stream having a Cigar

Sometimes, while walking through the forest on the way to secluded sections of stream, you see some great wild life which is jst another part of the overall experience. Occasionally you see something wandering through the woods with a really nice rack:

 
Nice rack!

Then there are the fish...The Trout...some of the greatest trout fishing to be had in the world is right here in Michigan.

Unlike the rivers of the West, these are technical streams whose banks are closely guarded by low hanging cedar branches and other scrub brush and grasses. Folks that have only fished large river basins and who are used to wide open waters would do best to steer clear of these waters. They do not possess the necessary casting skill for the close quarters these Michigan streams! Did I mention the trout? Remember what I said about watching the stream? If one is patient and watchful you'll see where the trout hide and even be treated to a show of their prowess as hunters of insects:

 
Brown trout finning in the current

Once you see 'em, as in the photo above, and once you know what type of bug is on the stream that the trout are eating, you can try and catch 'em or, as in my case, catch what ends up being a beautiful, huggable trophy 20 inch brown trout:

 
Yours truly with a caught & released Trophy 20 inch Brown Trout

This opening season, for me, was on of the best on record...all things being relative any-way...after all, I think I said the same thing last year.