Fear No Rock ... Or Repair!

I love my Clackacraft 16LP MegaBox drift boat. The layout has tons of storage and is easy to access. The boat rows like a dream. And, despite having had a hard life as a working guide boat, she's in solid shape.

I also love companies who stand behind their products. Had it a year back with my Remington Versamax shotgun when not only did they replace a problem part I identified, but also checked and found a few others and sent those - despite being over a year out of warranty. Nice!

Recently I've notice that the rower's bench in my Clacka won't stay put. It rides on rails so you can adjust for different leg lengths, gear loads, etc. Even when thoroughly tightened, as soon as you get your feet on the brace and pull a good oarstroke, you slide back. Gets old fast.

So, I give Clacka a call this morning, figuring I'll need to order some new screws or something. As soon as I get the guy on the phone it's evident that he knows this problem well. "Do you have the plastic clip or the metal one...". Of course, I don't know as I've yet to take it apart. "No problem," he says "I'll send you out a set and some new screws. Just give me your address." Wow - impressive. No warranty questions, no hassles, and no charge.

And that, my friends, is why I'll likely never row another brand of drift boat. I truly value companies who stand behind their products. When I hit the Lottery ($152 mil drawing tonight, just sayin'), I'm ordering up a Clackacraft 16' Eddy in Central Michigan Chippewas maroon and gold.

Looking for a new drift boat? I can't say enough good about the Clackacraft brand. Well-built, and well-backed! Kudos!

-Sean-

Dry Fly Adventure

Had the pleasure of a dry fly adventure float with Capt. Jon Ray over the weekend. I've done a little dry fly fishing, but only once before out of a boat. I know enough to understand how technical this style of fishing can be. Being in the right place, at the right time, with the right cast and presentation can mean the difference between a successful outing and a skunking.

Found a dumb one (the fish)!

Fortunately, Saturday was a successful outing. We were floating a section of the Manistee river known for its big fish - but not for quantity. Jon knows I'm always up for a research project, so this stretch was chosen to give him some more knowledge on it. Plus, it's linking up some sections I've floated before. A definite dry fly adventure.

One big challenge for this adventure - angler skills. My dry fly casting skills are among my weaknesses. Blame chasing smallmouth bass and steelhead. Throwing a sink-tip, spey rod, or popper on a heavy line has a tendency to make you lazy. Plus, I haven't put in the casting practice I need this season.

A few lessons learned:

1. Slow down. Slow down your cast. Slow down your hookset. Slow down and watch the water ahead for rises. Just slow the eff down overall.  
2. There are no second chances. Trout are smart. prick 'em and miss a hookset and they vanish like a ghost.
3. Sometimes, there are second chances. But they're few and far between. I got lucky and missed a fish on a jet set. This was a dumb one, as she started rising a few moments later. On the second try, I got her!
4. This is a lifelong skill. We fished with one of Jon's long-time frequent clients. This guy had a story of a lost fish around every bend. He's done this a LOT. He had skills I didn't even know I lacked. 
5. Missed fish will haunt you. I missed what looked like a nice fish on a too-fast hookset. This one wasn't dumb enough to come back. Was it my mythical two-footer? Maybe, but we'll never know.
6. Rowing for dry fly anglers is harder than it looks. To give Jon a break, and because I'm always happy for some constructive criticism, I took the sticks for a while. In the two years I've owned my boat, I've gotten fairly competent with the basics of maneuvering the boat, river position, etc. But in dry fly adventures, I learn that now you have to watch the front fly and try to match boat speed to presentation.
7. I need to do this more. A lot more. It's fun and relaxing. But it's also demanding and you need the skills to keep up. The more I do this, the better angler I'll become.
8. I love my Abel clicker reels. My AC2 was ideal for my 6 weight Scott A4, and my Classic is perfect beneath the G2. There's nothing quite like the purr of those clickers.

An excellent day/evening on a beautiful river. And, as a bonus, I learned something. If you're looking to up your dry fly game, I highly recommend Jon, or any of the guys at Hawkins Outfitters.

-Sean-

Initial Impressions: Kast Steelhead Gloves

These past few years I've been finding that keeping warm hands has become a challenge. Cold hands while skiing are no issue other than discomfort. Cold hands while Winter steelhead fishing are a problem. Can't tie knots properly. You drop stuff. And God forbid you actually hook something...

As a result, I've been paying more attention to gloves. In the past year or so, I've heard a lot of buzz about Kast's Steelhead Gloves. Most give them very high marks. I'd been looking at them, but they were pretty spendy for an experiment. Plus, I've been pretty happy with my Simms Windstoppers (I have both the fingerless and full-finger models). But when I stumbled upon a good deal on a pair of Kasts, I picked them up.

One quick caution - many reviewers I read made comments that they ran large and to size down. I have to vehemently disagree. I wear an XL in nearly every glove I've ever bought (except, curiously the aforementioned Simms Windstoppers...). And the Kast Steelhead was a perfect fit in size XL. So, try 'em before you buy 'em.

Last weekend I spent both days floating the Pere Marquette river chasing chrome. Not very successful, but saw some new water, and got to try out my new gloves.

My conclusions were a bit surprising to me. Almost immediately, I noticed that my Simms gloves felt warmer. Maybe it's just the fleecy interior, or some other factor, but they feel a good bit warmer. I've got three days in NY on the Cattaraugus Creek swinging flies so I'll have some more solid experiences coming. But my first impression is that they're not as warm.

But...

They're waterproof. Like as in submersible. That's really never been an issue for me previously as I've not found much need for this quality. Until the drift boat. So - where does the anchor go? That's right - in the water. And what attaches the anchor to the boat? Correct again - the anchor rope. So the anchor rope gets - anyone? Anyone? Bueller? That's right - soaking friggin' wet. When you're hauling the anchor up after every stop, your hands end up soaked. This is where the Kast's shine. Of course, it took me until the second day to figure that out (after I soaked my Simms on the first).

First impression? Great glove -- extremely well made. Excellent fit. Roomy but not bulky. Surprisingly good tactile qualities. But not quite as warm.

More to come as I get in some additional time on the water with these. But for now, I think these will be my rowing gloves and my fingerless Simms Windstoppers will be my fishing glove. Perfect combo!

-Sean-

Solo Outing

Fun little float on Sunday afternoon. Perfect day for it - 80 degrees and sunny. No humidity. All systems GO!

As I was going solo, this presented the perfect opportunity to run the kicker motor. I've only done one outing with that and while it went OK, I wouldn't describe it as outstanding. But no one drowned and I didn't lose any key gear.

I've got a nice stretch of the Huron River near home that's good for the float down-motor up strategy. Looks like some decent spots, plus the water's pretty big so flow levels aren't an issue. There are launches at both ends that I can get my Clacka into, so it's a good option. I chose to launch at the upper spot so I could float downstream and motor back.

This proved to be a mistake. The launch point is a prime spot for canoes and one of the major livery services. Holy crowd scene. And canoe renters seem to be among the dumbest animals on the face of the planet. Within five minutes of hitting the launch, I've been reminded of that fact at least three times. No, I did not move that kayak to put it in your path to the water. I moved it so I could clear my truck and trailer off the ramp. Doing so will afford you access to the water. Dumbass. And the launch here is a bit sketchy. For some reason, the canoe folks put in a sort of dock/launch that's fairly difficult to put a trailer and driftboat onto. But I manage, and soon I'm off.

My view from the rower's seat - very nice!

My plan is to row between likely looking spots and then fish off anchor. Having covered this stretch before, I figure on a nice 3-4 hour outing. Perfect.

But then there's the wind. 10-15mph, coming straight upriver. On a stretch with minimal gradient and therefore current. Surprisingly little impact on my casting, but it sure slows my rowing!

I've got both my Scott Radian 907/4 and Scott A4 904/4 with the former rigged with Rio Outbound Short for streamers and the latter with Scientific Anglers Titan Taper for topwater. Did I mention how much I love owning a drift boat? Walking in, I'd have never been able to run two rigs like this. In the boat - no problemo!

My trusty river ride

First couple of spots don't yield anything on topwater, so I throw the streamer a bit. No deal. But after a while I switch back to the always productive Boogle Bug on the floating line. Not long after, I stick two rock bass in quick succession. OK - I'm on the board!!!!  Early in my fishing evolution, UP fishing guide Brad Petzke taught me the progression on a trout run - dry fly, then nymph, and then if that's not working dredge that streamer through there. If you run through first with a streamer, you run little chance of getting anything with subsequent techniques. Solid advice and my guiding mantra for this day.

And it works. After drifting the Boogle with no success, I run Mike Schultz's S4 Sculpin pattern through. MONEY! Stuck a rather angry mid-teens smallmouth. This one's bulldoggin' for the bottom, but eventually gives it up. Definitely a nice fight from a mid-sized fish.

By now, it's getting a little later, so I decide to continue on my float. I want to run the full stretch to look at terrain and get some time on the tiller on the way back up. Damn pretty day. And I made an interesting discovery. While the river has plenty of canoes and kayaks, this year there are a ton of Stand Up Paddleboards (SUPs). And SUPs bring out the Bikini Hatch like you wouldn't believe. Oh, the stuff you see on the river.

At the bottom, drop the Nissan 3.5Hp kicker in. Fires right up and away I go to the top. I'm really happy with this little motor. Easy starting, quiet, and very straightforward operation. Plus at only 41 pounds, it's easy to handle. Buzz back up to the top, grab the truck and load up the trailer. Five minute ride home. Not a bad day way to pass an afternoon.

Opening Day!

I've grown to love Opening Day of Detroit Tigers baseball in the past few years - probably Detroit's best party! Now I've got another opener to embrace; the smallmouth bass season in Michigan! The last Saturday in April will now be one for the calendar.

With a drift boat, a lot of potential water opens up for me. Weeks ago buddy Andrew and I hatched a plan to fish the opener, and his friend Brad joined us. Andrew's rowed for me before and Brand was game to give it a shot. All the work I put into the boat last year really paid off with minimal prep required to roll out to the Huron River. Hitch up the trailer, tie down the boat and GO!

Mike Schultz' S4 Sculpin fly pattern has become a proven performer for early season smallies (and trout all year), so I'd tied up a half dozen just for this trip in a few color combinations. This was one of the flies I made a real effort to master this off-season, and I think mine look pretty nice.

Our only real challenge of the day was access. We had to drag the boat about 50 yards across grass to a launch point. Drift boats are heavy. And they don't slide all that well! With a little huffing and puffing, we managed to splash down. A quick truck shuttle and we're ready to rock.

The upper portion of the float consisted mostly of me trying to remember how to row while Andrew and Brad worked on their rusty casting skills. Brad stuck one pretty early, but it popped off about as fast as it struck.

A bit later Andrew gets a hard hit. At first we're all thinking it's a dink - even the angler connected to the fish. But as it gets closer, we quickly realize this is a solid fish. Some quick net work and we're on the board with a nice fish that taped out at a shade over 16"! And with that, Andrew proves my S4's are getting  it done.

Now it's my turn to fish while Andrew rows. It takes a little while, casting into some nasty wind, but eventually my fly gets mugged. This is one of the things I've come to love about streamer fishing - especially for smallmouth - is the visual component. Seeing the chase, the strike, and the fight unfold is SO cool! And smallmouth hit flies like a truck; with little or no hesitation. Mine turns out to be about 14". Respectable, but nothing that scores me bragging rights.

This is my first day casting the Scott Radian 907/4. It's hard to judge a rod when you haven't thrown an overhead cast in 6 months and the winds blowing upriver at 15mph. But early impressions were very good. It's got good speed, and is incredibly light (especially with a Ross Evolution LT 4 reel mounted). It's not the rocket ship that the S4s's I've cast are, but it's plenty fast. And it's definitely got better rod feel. Since this is one of my main rods for April - September, I'm very happy with it. A more detailed review will be coming when I've got some more time in with it.

All in all, a might fine day on the water with excellent company! What a great way to welcome in the smallmouth bass season.

-Sean-

Goal Setting

I love the idea of a New Year. An opportunity to capitalize on opportunities missed in the old year, to try new things, and to set goals that remind you that you're alive. I don't think outdoor pursuits require "resolutions" (though some of my personal resolutions overlap with these goals). Here are a solid dozen I'm shooting for in 2014:

1. Land a musky on the fly. I had three on last Fall, but nothing in the net.
2. Swing more for steelhead. I learned a lot more on the December trip to NY on how to actually fish a swing rig. My tying skills are solid, so now I just need to put in the hours.
3. Complete a full Century ride. I met last year's Metric Century goal quite easily (in fact, I did 3 of them). I'm pretty certain that with an earlier start this season, I can do hit this one. Overcoming my dislike of riding while cold has certainly helped me in this regard.
4. Shoot more sporting clays. Last year, I'd made exactly zero outings prior to duck season. And my results showed it on my first hunt. I've already made two outings since that hunt (including yesterday) and my performance is already up. So much of shotgunning is muscle memory.
5. Learn to shoot a shotgun with both eyes open. Crack shots that I know swear by this. In my mind it makes sense. And yesterday when I did it, the results were solid. Now just to work this into #4 above.
6. Ride my bike over 2,500 miles. Last year, even with a weak start, I hit 1,738.5. With an earlier, stronger start, I know I can crack 2,500 and maybe even get over 3,000.
7. Ski more days in Michigan. Last year's total? One. Yup, you read that right. And that's only due to getting some lucky late season snow. My love of Winter steelheading, my day job, and having a household to maintain don't help. Having my first day on snow be in Colorado last year was NOT a solid plan. By day three, I was pretty solid again, but getting there was painful. Hoping to hit Utah, or head back to Colorado this season. This time I'll be ready.
8. Touch my toes. Yeah, OK, this one sounds stupid. But I've always lacked flexibility. One nice surprise from last year was that cycling actually improved this considerably. I think with some more miles, I can do this. I literally halved the distance last year.
9. Build my rowing skills. I learned to row a drift boat last year at age 47. And I friggin' love it. It's forced me to learn about currents and their effects. I got very comfortable on bigger water, especially when it was slow. Now I want to learn to be comfortable in tighter spaces and faster water.
10. Use my gear more. I have a gear addiction. I've always loved gear-intensive outdoor pursuits. In recent years, I've been fortunate enough to acquire PLENTY of gear to cover nearly anything. Now I need to stop buying it and start USING it more.
11. Improve my fly casting skills. My overhand cast, especially with a floating line, SUUUUUCCCCKKKKSSS. But I took a lesson last year and learned some good base skills. Now I'm committed to doing the one and only thing that will improve my skills - practice.
12. Try something completely new. I've added a lot of activities in recent years. I've tried some things that really weren't for me, and others I loved. The key to finding things you love is trying new ones. Last year it was turkey hunting (pretty fun - but not sure it will become a core passion). Who knows what it might be? Is this finally the year of deer hunting? Or, maybe it's golf. No, it's probably not golf...

Hope the Holiday Season found you playing outside a little bit and that you're looking forward to the coming year as much as I am!

-Sean-

Milestone

I love milestones. They make me feel growth and accomplishment. Whether it's my first solo steelhead on the fly, or riding my bike over 50 miles. They mark progress and become waypoints on a journey toward proficiency.

Finally got a nice pic of my boat on the river!

Recently, I had a big one on the fly fishing front - my first "unsupervised" float on the Pere Marquette river. While I've had the Clack out a number of times, I've always been with an exerienced rower who could offer guidance and assistance when needed. This time, it was just my Dad and I.

On the recommendation of a guide buddy, we picked a target stretch (sorry, not revealing it -- find your own damn water, I'll be working this stretch for a while). As we were arriving and departing separately, we had two vehicles, so no need for a car spot.

Parking lot prep feels a bit frenzied. I don't really have my program down as to what goes where. Patience, Grasshopper. It will all come with time. So, I put the cooler on the wrong side (cupholder on the boat gets in the way) and then have to swap it and the boat bag. But I'm starting to get things figured out. Dad gets a new permanent assignment - his job is to remind me to put the drain plugs in.

Eventually we get rods strung up, gear loaded and the boat headed down the launch. My trailer backing skills are much-improved, so I nail it on the first try. Launch goes smoothly and we load up for a day on the water. After an initial bad call (oops, that log was shallower than I thought and we can't get over it), my rowing's going well. I'm able to control speed, and boat positioning is no longer a complete mystery. And, best of all, it's happening naturally -- which frees my head up to concentrate on good water to find steelhead.

We find some nice water, and even both get one on (mine on the swing, Dad's on the float) but neither lands a fish. I even rowed through a couple of tricky spots with confidence and poise, which feels pretty damn good. One did hang me up and force me to walk the boat through, but this isn't bad for a first run.

At the bottom of the float, we run into one of the top guides on the river - nice proof that I'm on the right piece of water. And, it validates our decision to run it again the next day.

Takeout goes smoothly with one exception. While my trailer backing skills have improved a great deal, I still lack in one area - trailer sans boat. Getting down a pretty broad, simple ramp has me zig-zagging all over the place. Eventually I get it down to the boat and get the boat on the trailer.

The next day goes similarly - only no fish on. But this was a great accomplishment for me. I've found a stretch of water I'm confident I can float successfully. I even feel like I could solo it readily. This was a proud couple of days for me. Plenty of room for improvement - like catching fish - but I've reached the next level. Feels pretty good.

-Sean-

Planning Ahead

Summer is quickly winding down. The days are shorter. The nights chillier. Soon the woods will be ablaze with color and we'll be into the thick of college football season. Of course, in typical Michigan fashion, it will be 95 degrees here tomorrow. Seriously, you can't make this shit up.

All of this change hasn't led me to abandon warm-weather pursuits -- I'm going to try to stretch my cycling season well into October, and I figure there's at least one more smallmouth fly fishing float in my September. But my favorite cold weather activities are coming. As is my bent, this has my head spinning so I'm ready when the time comes. With that in mind, here are a few of the current projects:

1. I've been looking to upgrade my base layer bottoms for skiing. It's time to leverage technology and get into the new millenium. So I have a pair of CW-X Stabilyx Insulator 3/4 tights on order. I'm hoping these will enable me to ski without an additional knee brace, and will provide some solid muscle support.
2. Scored a deal (I love the off-season; $57 shipped free!) on some SWEET lime green Marmot Motion ski pants to match the new coat I picked up last year. I've been looking to get out of dullsville and step up my look a bit. Rather than shredding them with my crappy, toothy $7 clip-on hunting suspenders I'm putting in some Duluth Trading suspenders using real buttons. We're finally doing it up right.
3. Considering a boat net for steelheading. The Fisknat Grande Ronde is the current leading candidate. I have a Fisknat trout net and it's sweet. No more beaching. It's just not nice.
4. Looking at an oar upgrade for the Clacka. Sawyer Dynelite Square Tops are the current leading contender. Everyone I talk to says the difference from the Cataracts that came with my boat will be "life changing". I want to row the flywater of the Pere Marquette, so I think this will definitely help my manueverability and make a long day in the rower's seat shorter.
5. The boat bag is on the workbench, ready for the Summer-Winter switchover. Goodbye smallmout and trout gear, hello STEELHEAD!!!!!
6. I'm thinking about guns. I think this year, my Kimber 1911 is going to get a few upgrades. I've started a discussion with a gunsmith about the best bang for my buck in upgrades (bad pun intended).

Beyond this, some important issues have already been handled:

1. After breaking the winch strap on my trailer, a new heavy-duty repacement has been installed. And at the sage advice of Jon Ray, a back-up is in my tow box.
2. Winter boat storage has been secured. Parking in the garage is driveway is swell and all -- until you have to scrape.
3. Cycling season has given me a solid level of both cardio fitness and leg strength. Western ski slopes, be prepared...
4. I've started to transition from cycling to gym. Painful, but don't want to lose the fitness (and weight loss) base I've built.
5. Starting to tie up some cool swing flies. Greg Senyo's Artificial Intelligence and Slim Shady will be key this year.

So, yeah, I'm kind of fired up for the cold. Bring it!!!!

Tweaking

I'd forgotten how much I like owning a boat. While I did a fair bit of tweaking to make the raft better to float, there wasn't really that much you could do with it. Now, with the Clackacraft 16LP, there's definitely been a few things to do. Some are purely cosmetic, some are personal preferences, and others are necessities. Thus far, here's what's happened:

• New bottom - courtesy of the crew at Stealthcraft. While "Fear No Rock" is a truth about a Clacka, as mine was a guide's boat, it needed some love.
• Trailer re-wired, converted to LED lights for brighter operation and greater reliability and pivoting tongue jack installed by SLM Trailers. If you need repair or upgrade work done on your trailer, these guys rock the house. Great work at a fair price.
• Tracked down new seals for the Dexter EZ-Lube hubs. One seal had torn, blowing grease all over the wheel, so I just started fresh on both.
• Replaced broken latches on two cargo boxes.
• Built a boat tool kit. Can't tell you the number of times I've been on someone else's boat when something broke and I found myself with a Leatherman as the only tool available. The Boy Scout in me can't stand not to be prepared.
• Upgraded the strap. Critical component, I don't need something janky failing as I'm bouncing down some UP back road.
• Moved the boat forward on the trailer to get it in the garage. Then back after I figured out that made the balance SUCK. By simply removing the anchor bracket, I gained the much-needed foot of clearance to get it in the garage, and have it properly balanced.
• Cleaned off all the decals. Guides love deeks, and from the look of my truck, I do, too. But I wanted to start fresh and make this MY boat. Once I got the deeks cleaned off, I discovered I liked it better. Shows off the boat's lines and cool color scheme.

Am I done? Of course not. I still have trim to install. And my bunks are shot, so I've come up with a high-tech system that will be durable, and make it slide like butter off the trailer. I had planned to upgrade the oars, but now I'm feeling like that won't be necessary. Cool - a few hundred bucks staying in my pocket.

Today I'm off in search of my 20" smallmouth on an undisclosed river. This will be my second float in it and I'm looking forward to every moment!

-Sean-

It's Row Time!

Well, OK, not quite yet. But the bottom should be re-glassed by the end of the month. I'm making arrangements to get the raft and it's trailer back downstate and listed for sale. I've just decided that for a recreational fisherman with a day job and a ton of other competing hobbies, owning two boats is pretty ridiculous.



This would be the "before" picture...

For those new to the blog, it's a 2009 Clackacraft 16LP. It's got some fishing mojo, as it's last owner was Mike Schultz of Schultz Outfitters (and a bunch of other places before that). If you can fly fish for it in the Midwest, it's been caught from this boat. Mike's a good friend and I'm proud to be the next owner of his boat.

The new boat came with some great advice from guides and drift-boat owning buddies. Some highlights include:

• "Dude - now you'll never fish. But your Dad will love this!"
• Buy some good oars - later. Learn to row on the beaters first. But after that a good set of sticks will make your life SO much easier.
• A drift boat is like a sheet of plywood. It'll never plane and a higher horsepower motor will only cost you a bunch more, burn more gas, and be heavier to lift on and off. 3-4hp will do you just fine.
• If you can't row, you can't go. I'm even applying this one to Dad. The wife might get a free pass. I suppose the dog will, too.
• Point at danger and backrow.

All seems solid. I've got lots to learn. But I'm already plotting floats to take and places I'll explore. Thus opens a new chapter as a fisherman. I can't wait.

-Sean-