Not Just Excited, Fishing Trip Excited

At left, copyright-free image from Helsinki. Bear Fishing.

Actually, this bear is in Kaivopuisto which is the difference between saying "it's in New York" and "it's on the corner of 49th and Park Avenue." [ think Waldorf Astoria neighborhood].

If you're a Cold War spook, Kaivopuisto is where you went to sip coffee on a bench when you were in town. It cut down on walking distance for all the household staff of the various diplomats' residences.

I lived with a Finn for three years, once upon a time. Now I have a side bag from a firm called Finn. Coincidence? I fenced with the Swede. The Finn would only drink (at the Jazzhaus in Lawrence, Kansas).

There's excited - little kid Christmas excited. Then, there's fishing trip where no one else will be on the river excited.

I've got the latter. Makes the little kid business look like a waiting room at a dentist's office.

I might have to get on my local stream tonight. I stopped by my fly shop yesterday to fondle gear. I'm even tying - gasp - streamers. I tie really ugly streamers.

"Put the  Pearsall's down and step away from the vise."

I need to do the day job. It'll make the day pass - sort of like making a kidney stone pass.

Prost.

South Branch Au Sable Fall Camp - Mason Tract

 At left are a pair of pictures from a wonderful piece of wilderness: the Mason Tract on the South Branch of the Au Sable.

These are older pictures from a trout-dash a year ago. The Mason Tract Pathway runs along the entire west side of the twelve (fourteen ?) mile stretch of uninhabited public land (exception - six cottages on east bank about halfway through ... legacy places). The top picture shows the posted waypost and map.

The bottom picture shows the South Branch nearer the south end headwaters  in their typical spring condition. Water will be lower now.

Banks are intermittently weedy/marshy rushes, timber and sweepers,  and Michigan fly-eating brush. The bottom is firm and alternates between cobble, gravel and a little sand/muck (especially near the swampy southern end).

The Amber Liquid guys are all ready for a great fall outing. We'll have a little rain before we set-up camp then a little cooling and some nice fall weather. We've got Old Del as a base (24 foot Airstream trailer) and a Vizsla pup for entertainment.

The early fall has a nice BWO hatch, a strong ant/beetle bite, and good micro-streamer action.

I'm anxious to get the guys on this section. They enjoyed the Deward Tract earlier this year though there was some brook trout grumbling about "little fish."

My answer? Buy a three weight! [ the Senator did and he got a nice one].

Anyway, the Mason Tract is the same sort of remarkably undeveloped protected wilderness with ... brown trout. Large browns, actually.  If I can put the Amber Liquid guys on just one, I'll have them hooked on trout camping this great stretch. Time ont he water is what they need. The fish are here. The bite is here. Time, gentlemen. Time.

Below - official breakfast of Amber Liquid Anglers. Yes, thin mints. They're made with real girl scouts.



I need to post the photo recon of the Jordan River yet. Might be a winter project. I know I'll be fishing the Jordan in July and August next year.

This weekend, an early fall Au Sable trout camp. I'm barely able to sleep I'm so excited. I love this water.

Oh, refilled both flasks just in case of rain. Yes - drank one of Bushmills and one of Glenfiddich while waiting out the Jordan downpour. That's a lot of whiskey; but, it was a lot of rain.

Prost.

I'm Only Going Over Jordan

At left, copyright-free image of a brook trout from:

Brook trout fishing : an account of a trip of the Oquossoc Angling Association to northern Maine in June, 1869 / by R. G. Allerton.

This work is in the collection of the Ernst Mayr Library of the MCZ, Harvard. Image hosted on wikicommons.

I'm going to the Jordan for a trip to hunt brookies. The Jordan River Valley is a nearly pristine piece of Michigan managed by the state almost from the time it was first clear-cut. The second-growth forest is mature, protected, and isolated from the hordes who usually descent on rivers like the Au Sable on weekends. I'm in the upper part of the river valley - the rough part. The trees lie in the braided stream as so many matchsticks blown from a giant's makings box.

It can be treacherous. It can be a dangerous wade. There are a lot of pinch points from the timber. I'll be careful. Rain on Saturday and so subsurface.

The upper has a few browns and many brookies. Most of the brookies are small though I'm hoping to cover enough water to find the exceptional specimens. We'll see.

I've an old-style fly wallet in brown leather done up for me by Chris Lantzy over in the sidebar. I've loaded the felt pages with my arsenal for this weekend: wets. There are a handful of drys and attractors and a good dozen nice caddis which I'll use as indicator flies on some dry-dropper rigs.

I'm going with "the coug", the black magic, the partridge-and-orange ( and olive, and primrose yellow), a couple of nice dun-hackled scarlet spiders of which I have great hopes, and some #20 and #22 soft-hackled tricos just in case.

I'm loaded for ... brookies. I'm hoping not to encounter bear. I'll sling my food just to be sure.

Hemingway traveled all over Michigan fishing, usually alone. I'm doing the same with this trip. I've got some things to work over and the fly rod helps with that. I've got that flat metal taste of brass and scotch on the back of my tongue. There's a murder in the ink I need to work out.

I'll have pictures. I'll post a report.

I'm too close to being a character of E.H.'s these days to enjoy his writing though I will read some on this trip. I've demonstrated a considerable ability to piss away an endless stream of opportunities in life. I'm sounding like "Three Day Blow" now.

I've quite a grand collection of "didn't work out" mostly because I cannot let the good efforts of others stand for me in any way. I'm compelled to cast the line myself.

I'm beginning to think there's a story in that.

There's certainly a trout in it.

Prost.

Where Are They: Fish Porn

At left, copyright-free image for visual impairment.




I don't have a great deal of faith in video instruction. The lessons don't stick as well as does on-stream experience.

For the Amber Liquid guys who might have let their waders dry a little too long this summer, I offer this series from Orvis on the Sunday Fish Porn videos.

You could do worse than review these lesson segments.

Finding Trout.

Just about as instructive fo the "calm approach" technique, a lovely bit of brook trout hunting here:
Native Brook Trout from Derek Philippon on Vimeo.