King Thing

Did my annual Salmon trip on Friday. Got an invite to join my buddy Dan for a float after hearing the Pere Marquette (and most other NW Michigan tribs) were stacking up with early fish.

Now for the disclaimer; Kings aren't my Thing. For some reason, the Fall salmon run brings out the riff-raff snagging, disrespecting private property, and just generally behaving like obnoxious hillbillies. There are usually big crowds, and once the season gets underway, the fish are pretty beat-up and Zombie like.

Friday was NONE of those things. We saw only one other boat, and only 2-3 walk-ins during the entire day-long float. We found a river stacked up with fresh fish. And, best of all, NO crowds!

This was a lesson learned for the future -- early season Salmon are fun. Between Dan and I we landed 4, but easily hooked over 30 with at least half producing a solid fight. As an added bonus, we got to see lots of aerial acrobatics. Even set my own personal salmon record with a 23# hen. This turned into an epic fight that took me well into the backing TWICE!

I recently re-lined my chuck-n-duck rig; replacing the 30# Climax Zip Line with 20# on the advice of the folks at Baldwin Bait and Tackle. If you're in the area, these guys are the go-to resource for the PM. I've found the Zip Line super durable, but really hard on your hands, especially when cold. BBT recommended downsizing to the 20# and the difference was huge. Plenty strong, but much easier to handle. As always, my early Orvis BLA V and TFO Signature Series 10 weight were perfect for putting the boots to a hard-fighting pig!

Thanks for a great day, Dan! Now I'll let my steelhead dreams run freely. Time to tie flies, check gear, and practice my spey casting.

-Sean-