Man of Steel

Awesome trip on the Big Manistee the past two days! A friend and business associate put together a trip with ten guys from as far away as Tulsa. Rented a GIGANTIC house at the Barothy Lodge (on PM, outside Walhalla). Five guides from Hawkins Outfitters handled everyone from experienced fisherman to complete newbies over two days. Couldn't have asked for better guiding. Tough fishing after a week of cool, rainy weather. Fish were scattered all over, but as always, Jonny Ray had a plan. We had boats all up and down the river from Tippy Dam almost to Manistee Lake searching for fish.

Got the pleasure of fishing with Jon on Tuesday. If you're looking for a great experience, this guy's just a blast to fish with. He's especially good at reading clients and delivering what they need. I want to learn when I fish guided and Jon's great at offering a good-natured barb that pushes me to be better. And this guys knows every inch of that river (and many others, too). Hook up with him at http://www.hawkinsflyfishing.com/.

After a nice vapor lock on my first fish (note to self -- let 'em run when they want to; don't touch the handle yet...) I hooked up on a couple of little skipper. Fun fights, but certainly not photo worthy. Not long after, I boated a nice 6# fish. Lost a fairly large one in the afternoon, but had it in close enough to get a good look. Oh, well. That's why steelies are some of North America's top game fish.

Partner (and trip organizer) Jim got a couple of solid monsters. One over 10#! A great day.

On our return to the lodge, my buddy Troy sees me in the parking lot unloading my road into the truck. Troy's an AVID and excellent fisherman (monster muskies), but this was his first time fly fishing for steelies. And, he'd gotten skunked. So three of us sat with beers and cheered Troy on as he threw casts for another hour on the Pere! That guy's got heart a mile wide.

More to follow - back to work!

-Sean-