October 10, 2009

This fishing report is slow in coming. That’s for sure. I was hoping to have a more interesting report, but that will not be the case. This year continues to be one of the slowest on record for this ol’ boy. Looking back over the last couple years, the fishing log typically shows almost two dozen fish over 20 inches by the end of September. This year’s tally is only ten. But, it hasn’t been for lack of trying, that’s for sure.

Mousing in August was painfully slow. To give you an idea, 2008 shows 13 browns over twenty inches during July, August and September. The year before, it was 6. In 2009 is was a dismal 3. That’s discouraging.

Early September steelheading was a real hoot! Rains came. The rivers were swollen and stained. And, the chromers were fresh from Burt Lake and anxious to whallop flashy streamers in dark water. Most of the steelies were pushing the two-foot mark, which is big by Sturgeon River standards. But that died quickly, as well. At the time when steelhead action ought to be on the rampage (late September to mid October), it has declined drastically, instead.

For a change of pace, I grabbed a few friends and we headed up the theFall Salmon on the 2H2H Salmon: Small but feisty Two Hearted River in Luce County. I’d never been there before, so I thought I’d pack a tent and stay a few days to check it out. It’s supposed to have a superior steelhead run in November. I thought it wise to scope out the river before making a “blind” run in late fall.

Not being big on salmon, I can’t tell you with any assurance exactly what it is that we caught. Locals were saying the Kings and Coho were at hand, but I wasn’t all that concerned either way. My primary interest was checking access and wade-ability of the 2H. My spin fishing buddies out fished me 3 to 1. But we all had fun nevertheless. It didn’t seem to matter what you tossed, as long as it had some sparkle and flash to it. If there was a fish in the dark water, it seemed to get their interest.

I’ll probably end up make at least one trip to the Two Hearted to see if I can hook up with the Superior Chrome. But, for the most part, I’ll be sticking close to home this winter.