Why I Do It

When I tell a lot of people I fish steelhead all Winter, many look at me like I'm nuts. Especially after I explain that, no, I don't mean ice fishing in a heated shanty on a frozen lake. IN the river.

Take a look at these photoe. This is what I see all day in the river in Winter. I love the solitude. And, honestly only on the most brutal days do I even notice the cold. Sure, you have to dress right, but you'd be surprised by how little that really requires. For me, it's base layer, insulating layer, outer layer. A hat is a must and gloves if it's below 20 or so.


On Monday, I didn't see a single person all day. I was on the river from 10am - 2:30pm. Nice! Oh, and literally about 5 minutes from downtown Baldwin. That's what I love about the PM over many other lower peninsula rivers. I'm under 3 hours from home, there's a real town with food, lodging, and a good fly shop. Sure, I can get this solace in the UP, but I have to drive 6+ hours.


This solitude, plus the chance to hook into a steelhead is why I do it.


-Sean-