August 13, 2009

17-Inch Brownie: Ate a Houghton Lake BlasterYou do what you have to do to catch trout during the summer. For many that means hopper fishing by day and mousing by night. Canoe traffic being what it is on many rivers, I usually pass on the hopper fishing. It just doesn’t seem like a lot of fun trying to time your casts between the sterns and bows of the aluminum regatta. I’d much rather wait for drizzly, overcast, chilly days then pull out the streamer rod, trying to persuade the Germans to leave the safety of their log jams or undercut banks. Fish were caught, of course, but not the pigs I was hoping to see.

With the much cooler than normal summer we had early on, even the night time mousing has been slow. In my neck of the woods, the bigger browns live in nearby Burt Lake, and then make their “temperature” runs up feeder streams in search of cooler water and prey. Extraordinary fish can be hooked during the nighttime hours of summer, that’s for sure. But, with the cooler temperatures, less fish seem to be moving into the feeder streams. If you haven’t read the “Madison Brown” account, in the WFFJ “Journal Entry”, by all means check that out. http://wolverineflyfishingjournal.com/content/madison-brown

Night time fishing leads to many unexpected adventures. This year was a first for me as I unknowingly walked up to within an arm’s reach from a FAWN that was belly deep in the water. When I turned on my headlamp to see what I was standing next to, I couldn’t believe my eyes! Have you ever had a deer in the headlights at only 2 ½ feet away?
I only wish I was faster on the draw with my camera. Sorry.

Silver Lamprey Attached2009 also marks the first time I ever witnessed an exploding shooting star or fireball (called a “bolide” by astronomers). My first reaction was to think that the space station was falling from orbit.

Finally, here’s a 23-inch brown (caught July 29) with a juvenile silver lamprey in tow. I’ve seen lampreys and scars on many steelhead, but never on an inland lake brown trout.

Night time fishing from 10pm to 2am takes a big toll on one’s body. But, it’s addicting. Come September, I’ll switch back over to daytime streamers, a normal night’s sleep and less caffeine in my diet.