Fishing trips 2018

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Steve C

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I know we had a fishing thread last year Sorce (hey bud look first time I ever left the "U" out of your name! LOL) posted last year but figured I'd start a new 2018 one for those of us that like to fish. So feel free to add your fishing pics over this year to this thread.

I couldn't take it any longer, this has been the longest winter I can remember in my 45+ yrs here in Michigan so we finally had a nice day with temps in the 70's and I was caught up "enough" on rod work where I can take a few hour break so I got out for about 4 hours on the Clinton yesterday. Was searching for steelhead but after 6 months of cold & snow I was just fine with anything that wanted to put a bend in the fly rod. Ended up landing a walleye and about a half dozen white suckers that were built like sherman tanks. Real enjoyable day after such a long winter and a good primer for the real steelhead trip to the Au Sable that is coming up before long.

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Well not a fish, but fishing related though :) Finally caught up on customer rods enough where I was able to sneak in a few minutes here & there to work on a new rod for myself. This is a 10' 4wt that I built to add to my own collection and use on the big waters of the Au Sable. Blank is Xi H&H 10' 4wt 4pc, grip has seven coats of urethane, classic twist brown & black wraps with metallic copper trim and a custom matching sock.
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Steve C

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Spent 4 hours searching for steelhead today. The only thing that came out to play was the ever elusive great Northern Ghetto Trout! ;) Can't complain though, fish or not there's no better way to spend a 70 degree spring day than on the river fly rod in hand.
 
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Nice Steve. I'm hoping to get out to the mountains this weekend to pester the brookies. Hopefully I'll have some pics to add to your thread.

Nice work on that rod.
 
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Wow I'm so envious. Water is such a rare commodity here. If you can believe it, there is no such thing as a natural lake in all of Orange County. Granted, we have the ocean, but it's not the same thing.
 
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Bonsai Nut said:
Wow I'm so envious. Water is such a rare commodity here. If you can believe it, there is no such thing as a natural lake in all of Orange County. Granted, we have the ocean, but it's not the same thing.
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As a born Michigan guy I have a hard to fathoming that concept lol. Here in Michigan I think the saying (which is true) is that you are never more than 6 miles from a fishable body of water (lake, river or stream). Then again you guys out in Cali probably didn't have to deal with snow in mid April like we did...... so there's that! :D
 
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VAFisher said:
Nice Steve. I'm hoping to get out to the mountains this weekend to pester the brookies. Hopefully I'll have some pics to add to your thread.

Nice work on that rod.
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Cool I love brookies, such a beautiful fish. I'm looking fwd to this weekend as well. My fishing buddy and I are leaving Sunday morning for 3 days (gone till Wed) up on the Au Sable for steelhead. To make the trip even more exciting they started stocking Atlantic salmon in lake Huron about 3 years ago and there's been some guys starting to get the Atlantics here & there in the river while they are chasing steelies. They are about 3-5lb class right now. Would love to tie into an Atlantic on the fly :):)
 
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Steve C said:
As a born Michigan guy I have a hard to fathoming that concept lol. Here in Michigan I think the saying (which is true) is that you are never more than 6 miles from a fishable body of water (lake, river or stream). Then again you guys out in Cali probably didn't have to deal with snow in mid April like we did...... so there's that! :D
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I grew up in Illinois, and most of my early family vacations involved piling into a car and driving up into Wisconsin to a body of water somewhere. Two summers I actually canoed the Wisconsin River. I try to describe to my kids how remote Northern Wisconsin feels and they can't relate :) The only trout fishing in Wisconsin that I am aware of was in the SW closer to the Mississippi. I went to a fly-fishing camp there one spring to learn creative ways to tangle myself up :)
 
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Steve C said:
Cool I love brookies, such a beautiful fish. I'm looking fwd to this weekend as well. My fishing buddy and I are leaving Sunday morning for 3 days (gone till Wed) up on the Au Sable for steelhead. To make the trip even more exciting they started stocking Atlantic salmon in lake Huron about 3 years ago and there's been some guys starting to get the Atlantics here & there in the river while they are chasing steelies. They are about 3-5lb class right now. Would love to tie into an Atlantic on the fly :):)
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An Atlantic on the fly would be special. I've been up to Rochester, NY a few times to go after Lake Ontario fish in the fall/winter. Lake run fish will spoil a guy.

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Cool, we did that trip about 6-7 years ago to Rochester. Did you fish Oak Orchard & Sandy Creek? thats the two we spent time on for LRB's and steelies. I got a really nice 14lb brown on that trip, I'll have to see if I can find the pic of that fish. I have it hanging on my wall in a 11x14 but I dunno if I have it on my computer still.
 
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Found it. But...looking at that picture makes me laugh, I don't know who was bigger the brown or me! that was back about 7 years ago when I was 398lbs. Since then I have lost about 175lbs and am literally half the man I use to be lol
 
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Steve C said:
Cool, we did that trip about 6-7 years ago to Rochester. Did you fish Oak Orchard & Sandy Creek? thats the two we spent time on for LRB's and steelies. I got a really nice 14lb brown on that trip, I'll have to see if I can find the pic of that fish. I have it hanging on my wall in a 11x14 but I dunno if I have it on my computer still.
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I have fished both Oak Orchard and Sandy. Oak Orchard was way too crowded for my taste. Sandy was a little better. The good thing about having a fishing buddy that grew up there is that he knows the less crowded places. My favorite was a little creek called Allen's Creek where we were normally alone. The fish above came from Irondequoit Creek which was another favorite and a little less crowded than some of the others.
 
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Steve C said:
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Found it. But...looking at that picture makes me laugh, I don't know who was bigger the brown or me! that was back about 7 years ago when I was 398lbs. Since then I have lost about 175lbs and am literally half the man I use to be lol
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That's a hell of a brown. Congrats on the fish and the weight loss.
 
Bonsai Nut

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Steve C said:
Found it. But...looking at that picture makes me laugh, I don't know who was bigger the brown or me! that was back about 7 years ago when I was 398lbs. Since then I have lost about 175lbs and am literally half the man I use to be lol
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Dang! What a fish! And congrats on the weight loss!!
 
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VAFisher said:
I have fished both Oak Orchard and Sandy. Oak Orchard was way too crowded for my taste. Sandy was a little better. The good thing about having a fishing buddy that grew up there is that he knows the less crowded places. My favorite was a little creek called Allen's Creek where we were normally alone. The fish above came from Irondequoit Creek which was another favorite and a little less crowded than some of the others.
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I'm the same way as you. Oak was not something I cared much for with all the people. Sandy was a little bit better but still had a lot of people for my taste.
 
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Couldn't let a beautiful 80 degree day go by without fishing. Spent the day on Paint Creek for most the morning & afternoon. Fished the new rod I built for streamer fishing Paint Creek and it worked just as I hope, throws the sinking line with ease and is short enough to make it easy fishing in the tight confines of the creek. Landed about 8 or so trout today and had at least that many slash and grab as the fly. Also spooked three deer while going through the brush, dunno who jumped higher the deer or me. real enjoyable day on the creek today.


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Wicked Awesome!

Suckers on Flies? Damn!

Sorce
 
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Ended up not getting out last weekend after all. Rains had the creeks too high for good fishing. My schedule this weekend doesn't look good and next weekend is mothers day. I'm going to end up having to t ake some weekdays off to rectify this shit...
 
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