4/22/11 - Muskegon River

Chris and David joined me for a tough yet rewarding day on the MO. Weather was good until after lunch but they were able to capitalize on some nice fish before the winds and rain came. Hats off to a couple of guys that made the most out of a challenging day.

4/21/11 - Muskegon River

The plan for the day was to investigate a few new areas for steelhead.  What we didn't expect was to have a run in with a hefty brown.  Fishing below a steelhead spawning area Trevor was in for a surprise.  He had been fishing a leech pattern tied by his big brother and was met on the swing by a big tug.  A couple jumps later, a few dances around the boat, and an adrenaline shot, we netted this fine fish.  Measured 26" and weighed 4.5 lbs.  Wow!  It took a couple hours for Trevor to come down from that one.  We caught some steelies as well but they were peasants among this king.

4/15/11 - Muskegon River Steelhead

Brian w/ a reel scalding buck!

Not quite what you would call the ideal day to catch your first steelhead, but Brian Pulled it off. With the wind blowing as hard as it was it made it very difficult to detect strikes and we had many that got noticed just a bit too late. After lunch we regrouped and Brian, undaunted by the gale forces, was able to push thru and land two very nice steelies. As we pulled up anchor for the day he still had a bit of an adrenaline buzz. Perfect ending.

look what the wind blew in

4/14/11 - Muskegon River Steelhead

Good times!

Trevor, this guy just makes you smile(nice fish too)

Fishing with friends, both new and old, is one of the best things about fly-fishing.  If not the most.  Spent the day probing some water on the Muskegon that I haven't fished for a while with good friend Trevor and new friend Tom.  We covered a lot of water, caught a few fish, and had a great time.  We did hit a few known good spots and got into some nice fish but didn't find any new secret spots.  Still waiting for a water temperature spike to move in some more fish.

4/12/11 - Day Two: Dorn's Revenge

Dorn biting grip to subdue adrenaline rush

got pictures to prove it

 Today Dorn picked up the pace and put a little pressure on big brother and some big fish as well. This time he has pictures to prove it! By the end of the day he was shoot’n down turtles off the streamside logs with his pinpoint accuracy. Fishing with the Stewart brothers was an experience I’ll never forget. I hope to get the opportunity to do it again.

"hold'n big fish makes me hot, want to take a dip?"

now that's an earned income credit!

4/11/11 - Muskegon River Steelhead

Will with a hard fighting buck

Fished with the Stewart brothers today.  While Will wasn’t the only one to catch fish today he was the only one I managed to get pictures of. Both Dorn and Will fished with a passion and had fish to show for it. Aside from the wind, the river was a great place to be today. Looking forward to tomorrow!

Making it look easy w/ the large arbor

4/3 Joe's got the "crazy eyes"

Second day on the water will go down as one of the roughest weather scenarios I have fished in!  I think we all had the crazy eyes at some point during the day.  I'll have to say that Bob and Joe surprised me by showing the tenacity they did to stay out in tough conditions and get the job done.  I didn't think they had it in them.  Life is much more enjoyable with a good attitude and if I'm gonna freeze my extremities of with somebody it'll be these guys.  It was the kind of day you knew you really did something when it was over.  They managed some more fine fish and some great memories.

4/2/11

Joe in non-crazy-eyed mode

Fishing was good but it does take some navigating to accommodate for the pressure on the river. If you’re considering a guided trip, now is definitely the time.  A lot of real estate is being taken up by fisherman, so it pays off to have multiple spots that you know well and can fish accordingly. I am headed back out with brothers Joe & Bob. I had a fun day with these two characters yesterday & am looking forward to another action packed day.  

Beautiful fish well played by Bob