My 2014 Boating Season has finally begun. This is certainly the latest I’ve ever
started my boating season here in Michigan.
But a mostly-free weekend coincided with some pretty nice weather; and
so by Saturday evening, the boat was pulled from the garage, electronics
installed, trailer inspected, tires inflated, and Numenon was fully geared up for Brown Trout!
Trolling the beaches for the first Great Lakes trout and
salmon of the year, but especially for brown trout, is one of my favorite ways
to mark my official end of winter and start of spring. The fish are generally not too big or
plentiful; but each encounter is all the more meaningful. Plus, the better the weather, generally the
better the fishing; I like that synergy.
Finally, the fishing pressure is usually very light, and Lake Michigan
presents itself in its most wild state.
This annual weather window provides a major migration opportunity
for many waterfowl and other migratory birds; you never know what might fly or
swim by.
K was excited to join me, and I hoped to use the big,
tethered planer boards to pull our assortment of stick baits and small
spoons. While K and I have been fishing
together for about 15 years, this would be a new experience for him, and I
enjoy the lighter tackle we can use while still presenting a full Great Lakes
spread of baits. The distinct “flick” of
a clean release from the line clipped to the tether is music to my ears and
soothing to my soul. I was looking
forward to sharing this with K.
I picked him up in the dark on Sunday morning and we
proceeded to the Port Sheldon launch. As
we crossed the Grand River in downtown GR, the trailer started to vibrate; and
by the time I could pull over, the left trailer tire had disintegrated with a
smoky flourish. Fortunately we had ample
shoulder room and enough light for a safe tire change; and we took care of the
flat like Shake ‘n Bake from Talladega Nights.
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| There was not much doubt when this tire went. The tire store was flooded with blow-outs; you gotta love the condition of Michigan Roads! |
As we finally approached the pierheads, I was surprised to
see a fair amount of scattered floating ice.
There wasn’t enough to represent any real danger, but there was enough
that I had to abandon the idea of using the big boards, and we spent the first
part of our trip picking a path through the flows, as opposed to raking the
troughs where I expected success. The
remnant ice also meant the water was still cold! After Saturday’s prolonged easterly wind,
water here along the beach was 34-35 degrees F!
I’ve successfully trolled up a few fish in water that cold, but I knew
the fishing would be more difficult than I had hoped.
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| This picture was chosen for the colors and lighting, not for the density of ice. |
But as we passed one of my favorite creek mouths, an outer
in-line board started sliding back, and soon the First Great Lakes/Boat Fish of 2014 was aboard! A 1-1/2 pound salmon had eaten my orange and
gold Scatter Rap Minnow! That fish kept
us along the beach for another hour, but I could tell that I was starting to rely
on luck instead of manufacturing my success; and so we pulled lines and ran
back to Pt. Sheldon’s “Bubbler”, one of the submerged hot-water outfalls from
the local power plant. It’s a fish
magnet, and I’ve caught many early season fish here. Between pressure and the general quality of
the experience here, however, I usually choose to fish elsewhere. But I thought that this might represent the
only available, local warm-water haven for any available bait and predators;
and this overcame my predilection for the beach.
When we encountered water a few degrees warmer than ambient
and the same bait was inhaled by a nice chunky brown trout on our first pass, I
felt pretty well vindicated in the choice to switch locations! I was a little concerned about the immediacy
of our apparent success (it’s generally considered a sign of bad luck if you
catch a fish on your first cast of the day; a virtual truism that I’ve
experienced too often), and maybe that was reinforced when this fish got
tangled in another line and flipped off.
But at least we knew some biting fish were present, and there were only
a couple of other boats working the discharge, so we simply enjoyed our remaining
time on the lake and each other’s silliness and company. The high lines and stick baits went
mysteriously silent, but riggers with Stinger spoons 15 to 20 feet down over 23
to 30 feet of water jumped a couple of times, and I was more than pleased to
land a couple of beautiful brown trout before we pulled lines at about Noon.
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| K is smiling about the prospect of some good eats! |
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| I'm happy to have begun the season in such a pleasant manner! |
K’s family enjoyed a fresh fish Easter Dinner, and I got out
in the boat and used my stuff! What a
partnership!
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