And so it began. This outing, or a similar one around the same time, marked my first conscious and deliberate steps down the road to revolution. In the fall of 2000 I finally abandoned the idea that Trout (or even Salmon and Steelhead) are anything more than just another option on the fly rod.
The next year turned into the most exciting year of my life from a fishing perspective. It couldn't have happened in a better place. The options in Michigan are endless. I caught carp, LMB, SMB, silver bass, pike, musky, striper, perch, bluegill, and steelhead. I also bought a 17' Carolina Skiff, took my first saltwater trip and built a 13' spey rod by hand.
I found the idea that I could set out to intentionally target and catch so many species of fish intoxicating. I will probably never fish that often or that hard again.
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Although carp slowly asserted themselves as my favorite I continued to target many different species on the fly until I moved my family to Colorado in 2007. Michigan has too much quality and variety to ever focus completely on one species. As I read through that old journal though, I noticed that my current state of obsession was written in the cards. Those believe in the carp spirits and read prophesy will know I was doomed from the start:
Monday 5/7/2001: Bay south of Clinton. Caught one 30+" carp. He hit in dirty water on a size 8 olive mmf. Fought like a mad-man. Love this. Took me 100 feet into the backing. What do people dislike about carp? Short 2-6" strips the key again.
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| Doomed |
Dang dude, the carp spirits had you pegged from the very beginning.
ReplyDeleteI've spent a lot of time in Michigan these past few years since my wife is from there. Unbelievable fishing like you say. Give me a cabin in Newaygo any day, fishing for steelhead in the Muskegon and carp in Lake Michigan.
The Muskegon is a sweet river. Somehow I never made it to Lake MI for the carp there. Big regret, the carpin was pretty sweet in SE MI, I had no idea at the time how much better it probably is in NW MI.
ReplyDeleteha! Fun to see the beginning of the end. ;)
ReplyDeleteSo it began...
ReplyDeleteGonna chase some chrome on the Mighty Mo this Monday McT...I wish you could join me
ReplyDeleteMiles - Yer killin me. Good luck, let me know how it goes.
ReplyDeleteIt went well...I've got 'nid fever again bad...check your e-mail...
ReplyDeleteMiles, dont you know that sending pictures of huge steelhead to a recovering 'nid-head who moved a thousand miles from the nearest steel in the middle of winter is cruel?
ReplyDelete