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Call 231-585-7131 With Questions or SubmissionsJanuary 3, 2012The first trout I ever caught in Michigan was on a bright, sunny day in March. The temperature was a balmy 40-something, and there was snow on the ground. But the sunshine prompted a hatch of small black stoneflies and a 13-inch brown swam out from wherever it was hiding to suck down a nymph I was drifting.Thought about that as I pondered the snow outside. Since all of the state’'s fly-only stretches are open year-round, a bit of sunshine might be all it takes to pop a few baetis or stones. Lord knows, a bit of sunshine is all it takes to make just about any fly angler turn away from the tying vise and look longingly at the rod rack!Speaking of rod racks, my good friend Jack Helder got a wonderful Christmas present from his fiancé. She built a beautiful wooden rack for him that holds rod tubes as well as strung-up rods. And it’'s on rollers, to make life easy on his surgically-enhanced shoulders.Now, all he has to do is muster the energy to rouse himself from his fireside recliner and toss a few rods into his truck. Well, once the weather gets above zero!Seriously, small black or gray stone nymphs are a great wintertime pattern. Small streamers, of course, are the go-to pattern. Muddlers in a size 10 or 12 probably would work best. Just remember to add a bit of lead to the hook shank before you wrap the Mylar body, and work the fly slowly.And DO NOT FORGET that only those stretches of Michigan’'s 12,000-plus miles of river that are designated as “Fly Only” are open throughout the year!Steelhead rivers throughout the state are open, though. Dress warmly, wrap yourself in neoprene waders, and make sure to take along plenty of dry duds. A spare rod and reel is a good idea, too. Winter fishing can be as hard on equipment as it is on humans!
Call 231-585-7131 With Questions or SubmissionsJanuary 3, 2012Be careful. Be very, very careful before venturing out on ANY ice right now! I know, I know, you’'ve got an itch to be in a ditch. But from everything I'’ve heard there isn’'t safe ice anywhere you'’d want to fish.Higgins? Not even close.Houghton? Covered in slush that’s far from being solid.Burt? Wide open water.Mullet, Clam, Clear, Crystal...all more of the same.Oil the rods. Check the little propane heater. Tie a few more flies in anticipation of the April 28 trout opener. But do everybody a favor and stay off the ice for at least another week!
Call 231-585-7131 With Questions or SubmissionsJanuary 3, 2012Upland Birds[Please be on the lookout for my new book: Ghost!Adventures With An Incredible Bird DogThat’s being published in April by Arbutus Press, of Traverse City.]Well, the grouse are all firmly nestled in their snow-bound beds, safe from flying lead for another eight months. How wonderful it is to think of them blowing through the snow on a bright, chilly morning to tug on cedar buds. In almost no time at all the males will be strutting their stuff and the hens will coyly gather to clap and cheer.From all reports, the 2011 grouse season was another good one in Michigan. We saw a very nice number of birds at all of the usual places--—and in some spots that were new. The berry crop, of course, was phenomenal!Blueberries were like ground cover. Blackberry thickets were LOADED, and the chokecherries and viburnum were awesome. Heck, we even had apples this fall in the northern inland counties, and that’'s a rare thing!Woodcock numbers also were climbing up. We saw far more of them last fall than 2010, which was the poorest I’'d ever seen. The population had crashed more than 50 percent in just two seasons, so the increase was extremely welcome.Let’'s all keep praying for a mild, dry nesting season.DucksSpeaking of books, the 75th Anniversary of Ducks Unlimited is being celebrated with a handsome tome that is filled with wonderful old photographs and reminiscences from Old Duck Hunters like you! Don’'t miss out on buying one.Reports were mixed relative to hunting success this season. One gunner’'s success was another’s' misery. It'’s no secret that drought effected the prairie pothole region that’'s so critical for duck nesting. Let'’s just hope 2012 brings back “The Good Ole Days.”Whitetail DeerJack Milliken, owner of Skip’'s Sport Shop in Grayling, said that animals hanging on the Buck Pole, as well as queries about taxidermists, were way up this season. Of course, guys camped over bait piles (which was allowed again this year) instead of actually hunting still complained about not seeing any bucks.I dunnow. Seems that if you aren'’t willing to pay the price in terms of wearing out shoe leather by scouting, then you really don'’t have the right to complain that a big buck didn'’t stumble across your pile of sugar beets when you finally roused from a hangover at 11 o'’clock!My two cents is that if you’'re not a serious hunter you should just stay out of the woods and not screw up everybody else’'s hunting!Spring TurkeyLicenses are on sale now through Feb. 1. It’'s still a lottery for dates and locations, with a $4 application fee. Limit one per customer.Pure Michigan HuntYou can buy as many “tickets” as you want at $4 per application. The winner gets a crack at an elk, a bear, a spring turkey, and one antlerless deer. Plus first-pick on a managed waterfowl area. Non-residents can apply, but aren'’t eligible for the elk hunt. On the other hand, anyone who previously drew an elk permit is still eligible for a Pure Michigan Hunt. This is in addition to all regular hunting licenses or applications.Mentor ProgramChildren under the age of 10 now can participate in this program by hunting deer, turkey, small game, trap fur-bearers, and fish for all species with an experienced adult. The program’'s still “under review,” though. Final details supposedly will be announced very soon.PheasantHaven’'t heard yet whether or not the new Initiative has had any positive results in the Genesee Triangle or Thumb areas. This partnership between Pheasants Forever, the state, and private landowners has a lot of promise, though, and I’'m looking forward to hearing more. Hard to believe that not so long ago Michigan had pheasant numbers that guys now need to drive to the Dakotas or Kansas to experience. Unfortunately, the introduction (and incredible proliferation) of turkey, absolutely devastated our pheasant population. It's a case of too much of a good thing!
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