- Vacation location in Michigan:   Grand Haven, Michigan, an idyllic fishing and recreational and camping town on the shores of Lake Michigan--the stroll along the boardwalk to the historic lighthouse is breathtaking. The evening sunset is spectacular! And there's nothing better than the soft, soothing sands along the beach!

- Appetizer:  the barbeque meatballs at Win Schulers in Marshall, Michigan--melt in your mouth. Four generations of family members have been operating this historic restaurant since 1909. First class service and exceptional food are just some of the reasons this epicurean delight has withstood the strains of a changing economy.

- Hotel:  The Ritz-Carlton (Dearborn) ambience and personal attention are the hallmarks. The Ladies and Gentlemen of the hotel as they are called provide some of the best guest service on the planet! And having won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award twice separates this prestigious hotel from the other wanna-bes.

- White bean chili soup: Kirby Grill in Grand Haven--soup so good your knees will buckle when you taste it.

- Summer vacation:  Mackinac Island with lunch at The Grand Hotel. The Hotel boasts the world's longest porch. No cars allowed on the Island just horse drawn carriages. The aroma of fudge and equine droppings fill the air but travel there in June for the lilac festival for a nostril treat!

- Pizza: Buddy's in Detroit

- Amusement Park:  the Michigan Adventure Park in Muskegon takes high honors and a ride on the roller coaster Shivering Timbers is spectacular. Over 60 rides and attractions and a spectacular water park with 20 wild water rides.

- Michigan restaurant:  The 1913 Room at the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids. This is the only AAA Five Diamond restaurant in our state and the service and the menu selections are first class. In 2008 it won that distinction for the seventh time.

- Canoe trip:   the White River in Montague, Michigan. The site of blue heron taking flight, ducks swimming frantically away and startled deer racing through the grass and the occasional muskrat swimming in the river provide memories that will last a lifetime.

- Golf course:  Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville, Michigan. Panoramic views of northern Michigan foliage and firs and well manicured fairways.

- Romantic getaway:  the Betsie Bay Inn in Frankfort, Michigan. Rooms are outfitted with hot tubs, saunas, canopy beds, and wood burning stoves. Perfect getaway for married couples and if you weren't married when you arrived, you will be when you leave!

- Snack:  the Pronto Pup Stand in Grand Haven has been delighting hot dog aficionados for over 60 years. Grab a couple of doggies and then stroll along the boardwalk. And then settle in for the Musical Fountain at dusk along the Grand River.

Written by Dan Donarski, a noted professional outdoor and travel journalist

You may be itching to break out the shotgun right now, but don’t put those rods away just yet. No matter your preferred method, there are big fish just waiting to be caught.

Salmon anglers and steelheaders have two seasons, open water on the big lakes and the river season. Fall brings these big brutes into the rivers for the spawn and there’s no better time to get in on the action across Michigan’s Great Lakes than September through November.

From the west end of Lake Superior New Buffalo on Lake Michigan’s southeast coasts, salmon and steelhead are invading the near shore waters– big salmon and steelhead. Cooling temperatures and shortening days have signaled them that it’s time to head for their birth place, the tributaries, and prepare for the spawn.

Small and large boat anglers get into the action by concentrating their efforts off the mouths of the tributaries. The fish aren’t that interested in eating right now so anglers troll erratic baits that tease the fish into biting. Any style of body bait or large spoon that has either a tightly defined wobble or a very erratic wobble seem to work best across the region.

If you don’t have a boat you won’t be left out. Pier anglers working casting spoons off any of the long piers at the mouth of the major tributaries take plenty of fish. Generally this is an early morning or late afternoon bite. Just make sure your reel has a good drag and plenty of line if you want to bring one of these big boys to the net.

Then there are the rivers themselves. It’s the river anglers, both wading and in drift boats, that get up close and personal. Once in the rivers the fish are concentrated. Early in the fall they’ll be hanging out in the slower runs and deep pools of their natal rivers. Now’s the time to back-bounce wobbling baits through these deeper sections. These wobbling, big-lipped baits sit in front of the fish’s mouth and tease it to the point of the fish lashing out in simple frustration.

Another great method is to tease them with jigging spoons. Anchoring at the head of a deep pool and simply working a flashy jig throughout will get those salmon riled up to the point of serious anger. No matter the technique you use, it’s time to hang on as chinooks may well be pushing the 20-pound mark and steelhead pushing into the mid-teens.

One of the very best methods is to use spawn bags for these big fish. Theories differ as to why these fish chomp on the eggs of their own kind. Whatever the reason it doesn’t matter, they just do. Using just enough weight to get the spawn sac to the bottom while still allowing it to drift naturally with the current is the trick. Don’t expect a slam for a strike. Rather, a subtle tick or pull signals the strike and you better strike back hard to get that hook into a good hold in the fish’s mouth.

As September wanes the chinooks will start looking for shallower water, riffles and shallow runs with gravel. They are searching for a spawning bed, called a redd, and they’ll hang out there until their biological duty is done. Fly anglers have a hay day now. Using a two-fly system, an egg fly high and a nymph set on a dropper, they work the redds and runs just below. 8-weight rods are the rule now, and that fly reel better have a drag on it that works.

In-line spinners tossed above the fish and worked so that the swing brings the spinner about a foot above the salmon is another time-honored successful method. Spinners also work well in the deeper pools. The trick here is to toss the spinner upstream and work it so the blades are turning and the spinner hugs the deeper sections or along any obstructions like a downed tree.

Once the salmon are through, or nearly so, the steelhead, along with coho salmon start with their annual fall run. The techniques and patterns are the same, the rivers are the same.

A word of caution on regulations is needed here. Some of Michigan’s rivers have sections designated as "flies only." Make sure you are following the method rules. Also, all foul-hooked fish must be immediately released.

Hot Spots

Southern Lower Michigan

Grand River, Grand Haven

Muskegon River, Muskegon

St. Joe River, St. Joseph

Northern Lower Michigan 

Pere Marquette Rive, Ludington

Manistee River, Manistee  

Betsy and Platte Rivers, Frankfort   

Upper Peninsula

St. Marys River, Sault Ste. Marie 

Carp and Chocolay Rivers, Marquette County

Manistique River, Manistique 

Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Erie, four of the five inland seas comprising the Great Lakes have Michigan shoreline. And ports. Superior, Michigan and Huron ports are the gateway to big fish. Fish like chinook and coho salmon, steelhead, rainbow, brown and lake trout. Fish that surpass the 20-pound mark regularly. Fish that make your reels scream and your arms ache.

Size matters folks. It’s that simple.

To get into this big lake, big fish game you could go out and buy a boat in the 20-foot or above size. Add a 100-horse or better motor. Then come the downriggers, electronics, rods, reels, lines, lures, nets, gas and insurance. Add in a decade or better of education on how and where to fish these behemoths and you’re all set. Besides the time you’ll only be looking at a $25,000 or better investment, if you go for used and cheap equipment.

Been there, done that. After a sharp slap up beside the head by the CEO of the house, my wife Kris, I found religion, or at least a better way to do it.

Now when the big lake beacons I hire a charter boat with a group of three or four buddies and leave the buying and the education to the professionals. Me, heck, I just want to catch some fish and have a little fun.

Imagine how many charter trips I could go out on at around $350 a pop – that’s for the whole boat folks. Adding in a generous tip, and assuming four of us are on that trip, each chartered trip comes to roughly $100 a person. Even on the cheap side, and forgetting about gas, that’s 200 fishing trips for the same low-ball price of a boat rigged for the lake.

Jim Swanezy, of JJ Sportfishing, fishes out of the Yacht Basin Marina in Holland. Swanezy runs a tidy operation and is well known as one of the top charter skippers in the area. In fact, when it comes to the numerous tournaments on Lake Michigan, Swanczy’s name is normally at, or near the top of the leader board.

Early June through early July is a mixed bag fishery. Chinook are cruising north along the lakes following the alewive spawn. Steelhead and lake trout, along with browns, will be found in more in pockets, or pods, than scattered across any one area. As they are very temperature and prey oriented, you may find the fish hugging the bottom, or at the mid depths and sometimes even on the surface.

In late June through July and early August steelhead take center stage. You’ll make the run farther off shore to the deep water where the steelhead play.

"Steelies like the deep water when the weather is hot. The lake forms a thermocline, a temperature barrier, and we can see it by finding something called a scum line. This line is formed by the meeting of two different water temperatures, water of two different densities. The scum line is filled with bugs and small debris blown into the lake. The bugs and debris draw baitfish up to the surface which, in turn draws the steelies. These open lake steelhead can really put on a show. It’s common for a fish to jump a half dozen or more times."

"August is the major transition time for kings, and the best big fish fishing" says Swanezy. " They are getting ready for the spawn. In most places on the Great Lakes, and definitely from here in Holland and north, that means that the adult kings will be moving into the near shore shallow water in the evenings and then move back out to deeper water, say 120 to 140 feet, when the sun comes back up. The kings don’t like making that long swim any more than the anglers like running the boats that far so if you can find these two styles of water in close proximity to one another then you’ve got a leg up on the salmon."

Now, before you start counting your chickens before the eggs hatch, there are no guarantees. Fishing is fishing, even in a trout pond. But, Swanezy, along with his fellow captains, do their best each and every time they go. Think about it. It’s their job.

There is one other thing I like about going out on a charter fishing boat. The folks that run the boat also clean your fish. Michigan charter boat captains are licensed via a rigorous instruction period and testing through the U.S. Coast Guard.

To find a list of charter boat captains, and the ports they work out of, go to:
www.michigancharterboats.com

Travel Michigan has received permission to reproduce this article.

From the expansive flats of Lake St. Clair in the southeastern section of the state to the interconnected lakes of the Cisco Chain in the Upper Peninsula’s western end, muskies rule the water. In the words of Don Miller of Motor City Muskies, "There’s the muskie, then there’s everything else." Whether you like to live bait these water wolves, toss huge baits of plastic, metal or wood, or troll at seemingly ridiculous fast speeds, if you’re after the supreme predator Michigan waters are where you want to fish.

During the summer the best times to fish for muskies are early and late in the day, or after dark. If a good storm is brewing, particularly one bringing in cooler weather, so much the better.

During the fall there is a switch or sorts.

Early and late in the day are still good bets but don’t discount the midday periods when frost is on the pumpkin. Remember that these fish are in a heavy feeding cycle and aren’t at all afraid of the light. If there is a bit of masochist in you, the fall night bite can be down right spectacular.

Trolling is the preferred method for Miller on St. Clair. Swim Whizz and Believer baits, huge wooden and plastic stick-baits are the dominant lures used by anglers here. Perch patterns are the favored finish. Troll at 5- to 6-mph, (yes, that fast), and work the 4- to 12-foot depths. Be sure one lure is placed back only 20 feet or so and is running right in the prop wash.

On the inland lakes and rivers, casting takes over with a variety of glide baits, spinner and hard baits. Magnum Shad Raps, Muskie Killers and the like will all work. In off-colored water the mantra of color, though debatable, seems to be "if it’s not hot, it’s not." In other words, work finishes like fire tiger and chartreuse. In clear water natural finishes like sucker, whitefish and perch stand out.

Muskie pro Lance Christensen has two rules when casting. "First, always watch behind the bait, don’t watch the bait. That’s where you’ll see the fish or the swirl. Second, always finish smoothly, no stopping, with a large figure eight or a very exaggerated L-shaped finish. Nearly 75 percent of my fish strike while ending the retrieve with these."

Muskies are tough, toothy fish. Setting up a proper rod, reel and line combination is absolutely critical to you successfully bringing in a fish. Rods should be heavy action sticks with very a lot of spine. When you reef back to set the hook you don’t want the rod to give the fish any mercy.

The same goes with the line. Mono is a definite no-no. Old timers still swear by braided Dacron, but you can do much better. The "super lines," such as my personal favorite, Power Pro, don’t have any stretch and when you set the hook you really cross their eyes. These newer super lines are also much thinner than the old standard Dacron, and they cast like a dream. You do need to be careful as these thinner super lines will cut you if you try to release a snagged lure by hand. At the end of the line you’ll want a good quality barrel-swiveled leader at least 12 inches long to prevent the fish from biting through the line.

Your reel should have a good quality drag, something reliably smooth and steady. Bait casting reels are preferred over spinning reels. In most every case your reel need not be spooled with any more than 150 yards or so of line.

So, where is the absolute best place to catch these freshwater wolves? Without any doubt Lake St. Clair gives up more muskies each year than any two bodies of water put together. The habitat and abundance of prey is second to none. Couple that with a good number of very skilled charter captains pursuing nothing but muskies and you have an ideal situation for catching these fish. Take Captain Mike Pittiglio of Muskie Mania Sportfishing for instance. Over the past five years he’s boated just shy of 3,000 from Lake St. Clair. On one 8-hour trip the net brought in 28 of these!

Hot Spots

Southern Lower Peninsula

Lake St. Clair, Wayne, Macomb and St. Clair Counties
Muskie Mania Sportfishing Charters
Miller’s Sportfishing Charters

Thornapple Lake, Barry County
Barry County – County Parks and Recreation

Bankson Lake, Van Buren County
South Haven Visitors Bureau

Northern Lower

Lake Skegemog/Elk Lake, Kalkaska and Antrim Counties
Elk Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce

Manistee Lake, Manistee County
Manistee County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Ross Lake, Gladwin County
Gladwin County Chamber of Commerce

Upper Peninsula

Lac Vieux Desert, Gogebic County
MichiganLakes.com – Gogebic County

Craig Lake, Baraga County
Craig Lake State Park

Lake Michigamme, Marquette County
Marquette Country Convention & Visitors Bureau
Michigamme Shores Campground
Van Riper State Park

Additional Information:
Department of Natural Resources: Large Lakes Program
Michigan Recreational Boating Information System: Find an Access Site

Travel Michigan has received permission to reproduce this article.

There are hundreds of bodies of water in Michigan that hold huge numbers of bass. There’s a mighty river in the Upper Peninsula, however, that has hands down, the finest river fishing I’ve ever seen for smallies. Fishing here is next to a sure thing. Here is the Menominee River, the wide and beautiful river that borders the U.P. and northeastern Wisconsin. Wading the river or by boat really makes no difference, the smallies are there. They are everywhere.

Mike Mladenik guides the river over 100 days a year, mostly for smallmouth bass. Big smallmouth bass. He has nearly 20 years of experience on the river and has an easy-to-get-along-with personality. "The river is full of bass, and a lot of really big bass. We’re talking fish over five pounds, and a good number in the six-pound plus range. The structure is everywhere, there’s a great forage base, and the best ways to catch them are often the easiest ways to fish."

Mladenik started the day with my partner on this trip, Dusty Routh, from Seattle, Washington, throwing white with silver flecks Senko four-inch worms. He had us hook them "wacky-style" and without any weight except for the hook itself. The hooks he had us use were No. 2 Kahle-style but any wide gap hook would work well.

Hooking them wacky simply means hooking them in the middle so that the worm is balanced. Basically the rig looks silly, or wacky, and looks like it would never catch a fish. It does.

The retrieve is twitch and sit. You simply throw the thing out, let it sink and drift in the slow current or around the structure, and slowly twitch it. That’s it. When the rig is tossed to any shoreline cover or mid-stream boulder field the strikes can come hard but more often you’ll feel a slight grab or the line will start moving in the wrong direction. When this happens count to two and set the hook. That’s it– it’s that easy.

We were fishing the river around the Dickinson/Menominee County line. The river is slow moving in this section, and there are a number of islands. The banks are lined with a mix of maple and beeches along the higher ground, and cedars and hemlocks in the lowlands. The river bottom is a mix of cobble rock and boulders. There are some weeds in this section but they are limited. The water itself is stained with tannins from the cedars and hemlock lowlands giving it a copper or root beer hue.

As for the fish expect some seriously marked smallies. They don’t make them any prettier than they are on the Menominee. Almost all of then will sport that distinctive blue chin. Their stripes will be vivid, almost tiger-like. Their backs a dark green and their fins almost bronze.

The day started at 7 a.m. under brilliant skies, calm winds and temperatures in the low 70s. Routh was quickly into the first fish. It did everything a smallmouth is supposed to do. It bulldogged the bottom– thrusting its head down and the tail beating strong and furiously, digging for the cover of the boulders. When that didn’t work it attempted to leap over the sun, but "only" cleared a couple of feet. It cleared that height at least a half dozen times before the three-pound fish tired and joined us for a spell on board. I followed suit soon after. For the next hour it was near constant action.

Then the winds came. So did grey clouds and a rumble or two of far off thunder. Those grey clouds opened up with the rain coming in buckets. Luckily the thunderstorms skirted us, never coming close. Being rather obstinate, we continued to fish. For an hour and a half, nothing. The barometer and fallen through the cellar and winds and rain and plummeting temperature had the fish in the hide mode.

Not for long. One of the beautiful things about rivers, specifically bigger rivers like the Menominee is that a front only affects the fish for a short while. Once the barometer settles it only takes a short while for the fish to get active again, or at least active enough to get a few of them to bite.

In our case that "few’ turned into about a 40-fish day.

If you are looking for a great place to stay in the Iron Mountain area, the Edgewater Resort,  right on the Menominee, is a perfect place to stay. The cabins are superb and come completely equipped. They also have small rental boats for the do-it-yourself crowd. The afternoon before our trip with Mladenik an hour of flyfishing from right in front of the resort yielded a half-dozen smallies.

Visit Edgewater Resort Lob Cabins on the web at www.edgewaterresort.com.

Visit Mike Mladenik on the web at www.mikemladenik.com.

Hot Spots

Southern Lower

Lake Erie/Lake St. Clair (smallmouth bass), Monroe County
Click here for Monroe County fishing info

Patterson Lake/Strawberry Lake (largemouth bass), Livingston County
Click here for Livingston County info

Gun Lake(largemouth and smallmouth bass), Barry County
Click here for Barry County parks and recreation info

Northern Lower

Lake Charlevoix (smallmouth), Charlevoix County
Click here for Charlevoix area fishing info

White Lake (largemouth and smallmouth), Muskegon County
Click here for White Lake area info

Peach Lake/Sage Lake, Ogemaw County
Click here for Ogemaw County fishing info

Upper Peninsula

Lake Gogebic (smallmouth), Gogebic County
Click here for Lake Gogebic area info

Bays de Noc (smallmouth), Delta County
Click here for Bays de Noc area fishing info

Potagannissing Bay (smallmouth), Drummond Island - Chippewa County
Click here for Drummond Island fishing info

Travel Michigan has received permission to reproduce this article.

Oftentimes it seems we adults get wrapped around the axle when it comes to fishing. We "need" the newest graph, the best rods and reels, the wonder baits, the biggest fish and, of course, to accomplish all this, a boat. I received a lesson from my kids a while back. And it’s a lesson that can be re-taught to each of us within a 30 minute drive from anywhere in Michigan. All you need is a lake, river or pond.

The boat wouldn’t start when we got to the bay. Karen didn’t seem to mind. "That’s OK dad, we don’t need the boat. We’ll just fish off the dock. The dock will be fine."

Eric agreed. "Yeah dad, we’ll catch fish off the dock."

Fishing off this dock in years past has been worthwhile. Karen and the neighbor’s little girl caught a mess of nice yellow perch last summer in late August. Earlier in the summer she caught bullheads, white perch and more than one sheephead gave her quite a struggle.

On the way to the cottage we bought bait, candy, hooks, candy, bobbers, candy, sinkers and no, not more candy, but those Cheetos fried to a crackly-crunch. Oh yeah, and some soda pop. (Mom, the Supreme Ruler of the Free World, was out of sight.)

We arrived at the cottage late in the day, full of promise. Karen ran down to the water.

When she returned her expectant expression was softened to resignation if not dejection. "Dad, come look at the water. It’s green."

It was certainly green. That pea soup algae didn’t look inviting.

OK, dad, I thought, gotta come up with something quick or it will be an awful long week. "Karen, remember when I’ve told you that bright light sometimes makes the fishing real bad and cloudy days and early mornings are often better than at noon because it is not so bright? Well, kiddo, this pea soup will help keep the water dark so we might even have better fishing."

"Really?"

"Sure, kiddo. You bet." (I hoped.)

It was my job to mind the rods while the kids went for candy or pop or Cheetos or all three. It was also my job to keep Eric from performing crude, rock-tossed autopsies on a few dead carp that he found along the beach.

We even caught fish. Sheephead were numerous, as were perch. Eric did come up with the best catches. One evening he brought in a channel catfish. One morning he found himself attached to his ScobbyDoo rod while a 4½-pound smallmouth found itself attached to it, too.

On the drive back home to the Soo I told Karen that she was right, that we did catch fish off the dock.

"I like the dock. You never know what is out there. It’s simple, dad," she said. "You don’t have to worry about rocking the boat or anything. It’s simply fishing."

Right again kiddo.

Pan fishing, fishing off the dock, or off the bank, or even from a boat is simple. You need a rod and reel. Nothing fancy mind you, a simple outfit will do. Six pound line is just fine, four would be even better. Hooks in the No. 8 or 10 sizes. A few split shot and a bobber. For bait a dozen worms or crawlers, maybe some wax worms. That’s all.

Well, not quite. When fishing with kids it is absolutely vital that you fish somewhere where the kids are going to catch fish. I know that sounds like a no-brainer, but it isn’t. This fishing excursion isn’t about you catching fish; it’s about the kids catching fish. Size doesn’t really matter. They just want something tugging on their line and feel the fish while they reel it in.

The best banks or docks will be those that allow you, or them, to cast the line into four feet of water or more. Set the bobber three feet above the bait so the bait goes to a foot or two off the bottom. There is no need to be in water more than six feet deep. There will be fish there if there are any weeds at all.

If you do have access to a boat, look for water in the eight to ten foot range. The edge of a weed bed is a great place to anchor. Bobbers here are optional. Simply have the kids let the weight go down to the bottom and then reel in a foot or two of line.

Bluegills, pumpkin seeds, crappies, perch, bullhead and a host of other species are just waiting for your kids to send them down some food.

One more thing, bring a bit of patience and snacks.

Hot Spots
(These areas may not have the biggest fish in the water, but they will produce panfish for you and the kids.)

Southern Lower

Big Portage Lake, Jackson County
Click here for Jackson County fishing info

Kent Lake, Oakland County
Click here for Kensington Metropark info

Mona Lake/Muskegon Lake, Muskegon County
Click here for Muskegon State Park info

Northern Lower

Spider Lake, Grand Traverse County

Cooke Dam Pond, Iosco County

Lake Cadillac/Lake Mitchell, Wexford County
Click here for Lake Cadillac/Lake Mitchell fishing info

Upper Peninsula

Fortune Chain of Lakes, Iron County
Click here for Iron County fishing info

South Lake/Big Manistique Lake, Mackinac County
Click here for Manistique Lakes area fishing info

Prickett Dam Backwater, Baraga County

Travel Michigan has received permission to reproduce this article.

I ran into a guy at the gas station that a good old boy and saw that I didn't know anything about the place and was freezing. He loaned me his coat and explained to me that the diesel fuel up there was treated for cold weather and not to worry about it, and then he showed me where to go for my initial nights reservation in town and where the hosp. was located. I showed up for work the next morning bright and early. I met a large number of people that first morning that were more than nice to me and took me out to eat at a place that would become one of my regulars called Spikes Keg of Nails on the Au Sable River.

After eating, they took me to a sporting goods store out past the old Bear Plant and showed me what to buy to stay warm and what I needed to keep in my truck for an emergency. Then they showed me where my apartment was located in the North Country Lodge owned by Jim and Judy Craft, who were expecting me through my company.

Long story short, my first weekend I was off with nothing to do and the old boy from the gas station showed up along with some others that I worked with at the hosp. and brought me a black and tan hunting dog, which I still have. We all went to the Grayling Cafe' for breakfast and then went ice fishing on Houghton Lake. So we all hit it off great and started hunting and fishing together and I sent home for some of my guns, rods and tackle to be shipped to me. In the end, I stayed for four years in the area and spent another one year pulling assignments in the UP. I worked, fished and hunted all over that state.

People from down home warned me that northern people would not like me, but the only hatred that I ever encountered was out in New Mexico in the west. All of the people in MI took me in like I was family and I love that place. Yeah, they made a little fun of me because I'm from the country in the deep south, but they are just like me with a different accent and way of talking.

I love MI so much that I brought my children and parents up there several times to visit fish, hunt, etc. Not to mention just to eat at Big Buck Brewery in Gaylord, it's awesome!!!!!

I am getting married in May and my wife and I are planning our honeymoon for guess where? We're coming up to fish for two weeks and visit with all of my old friends. They are the best friends in the world and we have have always stayed in contact. Going from the low landers to the upers, the people of MI are the best that I've ever seen in my life and the state how so much to offer that one could not take it all in within twenty years.

My current goal is to one day have a home in MI, even if it's just a vacation spot around Higgins Lake. My next dream will come true in short time if it's warm enough in July. My wife and I are going to take the plunge off of the bridge behind Spikes in Grayling into the waters of the Au Sable River at the deep hole. Hold onto to the moment, cherish and preserve it and the great state of MI for future generations, it's wonderful.

By Jeff Smith with permission of MyNorth.com.

When 16 men gathered in the Au Sable River cottage of George Griffith in 1959 to form Trout Unlimited, now an internationally respected river conservation group, they chose a location worthy of the event. The Au Sable River  is an American treasure, with unmatched stable water-flow and steady, cool temperatures that make it some of the premier trout water in the nation.

Get a dose of that legendary H2O by stepping into the current, fly rod in hand, in the same stretch where Trout Unlimited began, a run called the Holy Waters. Start your fishing day with a from-scratch breakfast at Gates Au Sable Lodge  (at Stephan Bridge, 989-348-8462). After breakfast, take some time to read the old fisherman's logbook then duck into the on-site fly shop.

The Holy Waters runs about eight miles from Burton's Landing, just east of Grayling,  to Wakeley Bridge.  Longtime fishing guide Bob Andrus suggests the three access points that follow:

Keystone: Broad water here makes it easy to keep flies out of the brush and not spook fish. Wade easily downstream on the solid bottom a half-mile or more then walk back on the public land along the south shore. Take M-72 to Keystone, north to the river.

Guide's Rest: Owned by Trout Unlimited, this stretch of publicly accessible shore runs a mile on both sides of the river. Start at the north parking area and work the river down to the south parking area. Walk back on the road that connects the two. Andrus suggests a compass because the trail in gets a little confusing as it commingles with deer trails. North Down River Road to a half-mile west of Stephan Bridge.

Knight Tract: Make a few attempts at the giant but wily trout said to populate Gould's Hole here, but then move on to wade the four-hour trip down to Wakeley Bridge; walk back on the road. M-72 to Wakeley Bridge Road, north over the river. Look for the subtle sign to the west.

MyNorth.com, the vacation site of the North, is refreshed daily by the staff of Traverse, Northern Michigan's Magazine. Deborah Wyatt Fellows is editor-in-chief.

Photo Credit:

MyNorth Media/Todd Zawistowski

There's a small creek not far from my home. Just a quick two and half hour drive to the west and south and I'm there, on top of a small ridge overlooking the water below.

No more than 15 feet across at its widest, in most places it is much smaller. The kind of creek that with a quick, two-step start you can easily hop across and never get your feet wet. Even if you do it's not much more than two feet deep, except for that one hole where a fella could drink standing up. That one hole where a century old cedar fell over in the big blow a few years back.

Of all the miles of rivers, streams and creeks I've traipsed over and in, of all the secret spots that I've been led blindfolded to, this one small unremarkable piece of flowing water holds my heart.

Why?

Because I have held its heart, too. Crimson spots, hallowed by neon blue, all on a background of forest green waved in black. Pumpkin-orange fins, fringed with a band of white and then black- I have held its jeweled heart, its trout.

Its heart is as big and as full as the entire expanse of the Upper Peninsula. I know that if I take my time, if I do not abuse the water with aimless thrashing, that I will catch an 18-inch brook trout. Everytime.

Does the size of the fish measure the heart of this small creek? Is it the size that holds mine?

Hardly. What does measure and hold is that these are brook trout, wild brook trout to be exact, brook trout that have no single strand of DNA tainted by cement hatchery engineering- trout that have never had to choke down some brown pellet for food.

Am I going to tell you where this special place is? Nope.

There are a number of reasons for this. One reason is that small creeks like this can easily be over-fished. Another is that the size of the fish found here is unusual and that alone would certainly increase the numbers of anglers.

While both these reasons are valid, the main reason is much different. The main reason is that while this particular stretch of water is, in fact, a single real place, there are countless other places in the Upper Peninsula, and a good number in the lower, where flowing water holds similar fish, maybe bigger fish. And, when it comes to brook trout, it's the simple joy of discovering your own Church Of The Fallen Cedar that makes these places so special.

Early in the season, due to spring rains and run-off from winter’s snows, the rivers may be high and a bit dirty. When they are like this you'll need to use larger flies and spinners than you normally would. Big sculpin patterns, large nymphs, Number 2 spinners rule when the water is high and stained.

As the waters subside the more normal offerings come into play. Spinners in size 0 or 1 are perfect when worked along an undercut bank or log jam. Early flies like blue-winged olives and Hendrickson's shine. As the water warms grey drake nymphs come into play as do any number of caddis larvae as well as the adults.

Spin anglers need nothing more than a short rod, say a five-foot UglyStik with a light reel matched with no more than four-pound test line. You casts will be mainly short and precise ones. While casting down and across is the easiest method, you will vastly improve your catch rate by casting up stream and retrieving the lure back to you. Most food the trout sees will be coming down stream, your lure should do the same.

Fly rodders, if they are working the smaller streams, should leave the nine-footers at home and bring the seven or eight foot rods. While not able to cast quite as far they more than make up for it by being able to cast easier in a tangle of alders alongside the bank. A 4- to 6-weight will suit any purpose on these trout rivers. In most all cases a floating line is the only line you'll need. Tippets in 3X or 4X will be plenty stout enough if you don't try and horse the trout in. In gin clear shallow water it would also be a good idea to bring along a spool of 5X.

The Au Sable, Manistee, Pere Marquette and Sturgeon; The Escanaba, Fox, Ontonagon and Paint; all these large rivers hold amazing fish. But don't discount the little rivers, the rivers that you discover and explore. It is in these that you'll hear the organ and the choir while you're inside the Church of the Fallen Cedar.

Hot Spots

Southern Lower Peninsula

Kalamazoo River cool water tributaries; Calhoun County; Brown Trout very good to excellent; Click here for more Battle Creek info

Galien River; Berrien County; Brown Trout good to excellent; Click here for more Harbor Country Info .

Rogue River; Kent County; Brown and rainbow Trout good to excellent; Click here for More Info

Northern Lower Peninsula

Au Sable and Manistee Rivers; Crawford County; Brown and Rainbow Trout very good to excellent/Brook Trout good to very good;

Pigeon and Sturgeon Rivers; Otsego County; Brook, Brown and Rainbow Trout good to excellent; Click here for more info .

Jordan River; Antrim County; Brown and Brook Trout good to excellent; Click here for more info .

Upper Peninsula

Paint and Brule Rivers; Iron County; Brook and Brown Trout good to excellent; Click here for Iron County Lodging.

Ontonagon River branches; Ontonagon County; Brook, Brown and Rainbow Trout good to excellent; 

Indian River; Schoolcraft County; Brown Trout excellent, Brook Trout fair to very good; Click for more info on Manistique.

Michigan may be known as "The Wolverine State" but in the fishing world, come spring, "The Walleye State" may be more appropriate. Big rivers like the Detroit, Saginaw, and St. Marys have monster eyes. Big waters like Lake Erie, Saginaw Bay and the Bays de Noc are known throughout the angling world for their huge fish.

Now add hundreds of other lakes, big and small, as well as dozens of rivers and you have a state full of walleyes and walleye anglers. The tactics for catching them changes with the seasons, but the two methods described below will give you an good idea on what to expect both in spring and early summer, no matter what body of water you find yourself on.

Beginning in April and lasting until early May when spawning is complete, the Detroit and Saginaw rivers in the east, and the St. Joseph and Muskegon in the west are a haven for big fish.

That's what brought me to the Detroit River a year ago at the invite of walleye pro Mark Martin, the chance to fish with the best, and fish at arguably the best big walleye hole in North America.

"The key to this fishery, actually any spring fishery, is the water," Martin told me. "You have to find water that is slightly warmer. Once you find the warmer water you will find the fish."

We found warmer water behind a small wing dam. There the current eddied and held fairly still, and where the sun had time to work its magic and push the temperature a full three degrees higher than the main river. We concentrated on the river bottom where the walleyes congregate in the river. Both jigging and trolling Rapalas was the game plan.

"Got one," cried Martin as he heaved back on the rod. His rod bucked and shook telegraphing the walleye’s head shakes as the fish struggled for freedom. Bending the medium action rod into a perfect U, it was evident that this fish was no light weight.

Walleyes aren't known for their vigorous fight but this fish was giving him all that he could handle. A number of short speed bursts later the net slipped underneath the 10-pound class fish, a big Rapala hanging from its mouth. The big female was released back into the river to complete her task.

Then it was my turn as another fish hammered on the end of the line. But, fishing being fishing, this one soon struggled free.

That's how it continued for the rest of the day. Find warm water, find fish, hook a fish, and just over 50% of the time net a fish and then release it.

In May I booked a charter trip to check out Lake Erie out of Monroe.

The sun hadn’t risen yet as I pulled into the parking lot, but you could tell it was coming- already the temperature was 65 and climbing. Mid 80s were expected along with the same amount of humidity.

We motored out of the marina and into Lake Erie. Once past the final buoy the Captain pushed the throttle forward and headed out.

A light wind had the water in a one foot chop. Over the noise of the engine Captain Tom said that the wind would help. I agreed that it would help beat the heat.

"Heat nothing. The wind is putting a chop on the water and the chop will put extra action on the baits as well as help diffusing the light which will, or should keep the fish active. If it was calm we wouldn't have a chance."

The Captain's program for Erie walleyes is simple- put your baits off of planer boards and as long as it's a Wiggle Wart, it's the right bait.

By placing the Warts 60 to 80 feet behind the boards the baits work themselves down to a depth of 12 to 15 feet. Active fish aren't found on the bottom out here, rather they are suspended in the mid depth range.

Two other boats were already at the Captain's spot when we got there. Both were waving a net, ready to net a struggling walleye. "Looks like this could be the place today," he said.

And it was. Over the course of the next few hours Erie showed what she is capable of, that all the stories I've read and been told were not merely fish tales. Four guys, 20 fish. In four hours.

Yup, The Walleye State. From the skyline of Detroit to the little hamlets of the U.P., walleyes rule this state in spring.

Hot Spots

Southern Lower Peninsula

Detroit River/Northwestern Lake Erie; Wayne/Monroe Counties; Click here for more Monroe Info..

Saginaw Bay and River; Saginaw County; Click here for more Saginaw info.

Grand River; Kent County; Click here for Grand Rapids info.

Northern Lower Peninsula

Houghton Lake; Roscommon County; Click here for Houghton Lake info.

Mullet Lake; Cheboygan County; Click here for Cheboygan info.

Lake Cadillac; Wexford County; Click here for Cadillac info.

Upper Peninsula

Portage/Torch Lakes; Houghton County; Click here for Keweenaw info.

Big/Little Bay de Noc; Delta County; Click here for Bay de Noc info.

St. Marys River/Munuscong Bay; Chippewa County; Click here for more Sault info.

Quick man on the street quiz: when I say fly fishing what is the first thing that comes to mind?   The majority of answers surely include some variation of trout fishing in a river or stream, right? That perception does define some fly fishing and it is a big part of our Northern Michigan tradition, Trout Unlimited was founded in Grayling 50 years ago, the brook trout is our state fish, the Adams fly was created for the Boardman River, and we have over a dozen blue ribbon trout streams in northern Michigan. However, with regard to flyfishing it's time to; think outside the trout.

Am I saying to forget trout fishing? Absolutely not, to do so would be missing out on one of life's great pleasures, but by restricting your fly fishing to trout, you are only eating a small piece of the pie. I often tell people that are unfamiliar with the fishing in our area that we may not have the very best of anything but we have very good everything! Whatever you'd like to fish for, it's here: trout, bass, pike, salmon, steelhead, carp (yes, carp), bluegill, and more. They are all fair game for a fly rodder, the only real limitation to fly fishing is depth, if it swims in less than 20 feet of water, it can be caught on a fly. Not only are there lots of fish but you can fish any type of water: lakes, rivers, ponds, the bay, tiny creeks, Lake Michigan, try to drive 10 minutes in any direction up here without running into some body of water. Apparently I am not the only one that holds this opinion, Field and Stream Magazine in February named Traverse City #3 on their list of best fishing towns in America! They used the term A Freshwater Wonderland; and their choice was based on the diverse fishing opportunities that the area has.

Fly fishing for other species will extend your season and never leave you wondering where to fish because the river isn't today. Open up to fly fishing for bass and carp then all of the sudden those dreaded trips downstate can become fly fishing destination trips. Seriously, have you every fished the hex hatch on the Huron River for smallmouth bass (it can be awesome), smallies on the Grand, muskies in Lake St. Clair, good fun!

Many people have wanted to try fly fishing for years but are intimidated by what they see as a very difficult sport. It can get a little complicated but lake fishing is the perfect place to start and fun too. How about getting the kids or grandkids into fly fishing? Trying to fool a selectively feeding trout in a river with a small fly and a perfect presentation probably won't stick as well as bluegill in a lake with fish caught on every other cast during the middle of the day and the occasional 14 inch bass surprise. Many of us started that way and have forgotten the joy of that type of fishing.

Alright, so you've decided to eat the whole pie, good news, you do not need to go out and buy all sorts of species specific fly rods and reels (I could help if you want to). With a 5 weight rod and an 8 weight rod you can effectively cover everything that swims in Michigan. Again, I don't want to come across negatively on trout fishing, I love it as most fly fishers do but you are cheating yourself if you don't sample all that our area has to offer!

Article written by Kirk Novak, dedicated fly-fisherman and owner of The Northern Angler.

Pike are great sport, as anyone fishing for walleyes with a Jack's spoon will tell you when a big toothy critter takes a swipe at the spoon and minnow-head combo. For the died-in-the-wool pike angler the fun is even better. It becomes a hunt.

You hunt the places where pike are found. You look for weedbeds, now mostly dead. Specifically you hunt for the weedbeds that are still standing up in the water. These provide cover for the baitfish ands the pike.

Not all weeds are created equal. Look for the coontail, the pickerel weed, the cabbage. For big fish, fish you'd be proud to put on your wall, look for 12-18 feet of water. Even when you find these pike magnets you should go one better.

Look for the outside edge of the weedbeds, or a hole inside a big bed. Even better is to find that weedbed adjacent to deeper water or some other structure. All these things add to the Welcome! sign for the pike.

If northern pike are truly your quarry use both of your ice fishing rigs for them.

Of course, use a tip-up. Tip-ups are easy. Not much more than a set-it-and-wait-for-the-bite rig, which will be tell-taled by the flag. Then it's a simple matter of hoofing it over to the hole and seeing if a fish is taking line from the spool. A nice thing about this rig is that you can fish dead bait off it very well using a Swedish-style hook.

In fact, dead smelt, sometimes called floater smelt in the bait shops, is more than likely the finest bait of all to use for huge pike. Smelt are oily fish, oily fish put off a lot of scent, pike like that. You will, too.

On the second rig I do like live bait. Bait in the form of big chubs, suckers if you can find them. Fished below a float that is tuned to just keep the bait from swimming away, these can be quite deadly. So you don’t loose the rig down the hole use rubber bands to secure the line to the rod handle, keeping the bail open. When the fish takes the bait it pulls the line from underneath the rubber bands and the line leaves the bail without any friction or resistance. Set the table with both rigs and chances are quite good that any self-respecting pike will come by for a quick bite.

That quick bite is something you need to watch. Generally speaking a pike comes in on a bait, dead or alive, and T-Bones the thing, taking it at the middle of the body.

When the pike T-Bones the bait the toothy critter will swim off with it. Sometimes they swim a good long way. Then they stop. While they are stopped they turn the bait around and swallow it, head first. After they have swallowed it they again slowly swim off.

It is not until they start to swim off again that it is a good idea to set the hook. Do it any time beforehand and chances are good they will be able to spit the bait out. So, flag goes up or bobber disappears, you watch line leave the reel. The line stops moving after a time and then starts to move again. Now set the hook. Oh yeah, and hang on.

When it comes to big walleyes the bottom structure is equally important. Instead of weeds look for rock humps along the bottom. Ledges where there is a significant drop-off is another good area. Walleyes work the humps for their meals, and they cruise the ledges looking for baitfish as well. A good graph comes in real handy when chasing big eyes.

Assuming you are using two rigs use the first as a dead stick rig. Rig it up with a sensitive float that keeps the minnow from just barely pulling the float under. A lively emerald shiner is a perfect bait to use here. Just brace the rod along the hole and let it sit. When the bobber starts to go under, hammer it home.

On the second rig use a jigging spoon like a Swedish Pimple. While you can use live bait why not save the live ones and use one of the dead ones? Since you are going to be jigging the spoon you are making that minnow look like it is alive. Six to 12-inch jigs, a couple of shivers, and you’ve got the method down pat.

With either species, finding trophy-sized fish isn't all that easy. The following hot spots will put you on the right track to your wall-hanger.

Hot Spots

Southern Lower Peninsula

Gillets Lake; Central Jackson County; Click here for area info.

Pike; Hemlock Lake; West-central Hillsdale County; Pike;  Click here for more area info.

Muskegon Lake; Southwestern Muskegon County; Walleye and Pike; Click here for more Muskegon info.

Northern Lower Peninsula

Saginaw Bay; Eastern Bay County; Walleye; Click here for more local info.

Portage Lake; Western Manistee County; Pike;  See Manistee CVB Web site.

Mullet Lake; North-central Cheboygan County; Pike and walleye;  See Cheboygan Web site.

Upper Peninsula

Big Manistique Lake; Northwestern Mackinac County; Pike and walleye; Click here for more local info.

Portage Lake; Northeastern Houghton County; Pike and walleye Click here for more local info.

Green Bay/Little Bay de Noc; eastern Menominee and West-central Delta Counties; Walleye and Pike; Click here for more local info.

Once Michigan's lakes and rivers ice over it is everybody's game. Fishing that is. The ice makes all anglers equal across both peninsulas. All you need is a simple rod and reel set-up, something to chop a hole, or drill a hole in the ice with, an ice skimmer to keep that hole open and a bucket to sit on. Oh yes, and you'll need some bait. Don't forget the license.

Bait for ice fishing for panfish comes in a variety of forms. You could use minnows, which means some sort of minnow bucket or can will be needed. Then there are mousies, wigglers and maggies. These last three are strange looking little morsels that panfish seem to relish. And the container you buy them in will fit in a pants pocket.

All across the state panfish provide anglers hours of simple enjoyment. The hundreds of lakes and small sloughs off our rivers make a perfect habitat for the perch, crappies, bluegills and pumpkinseeds that call those waters home.

One more neat thing about targeting panfish is this, where you find one, you'll generally find a bucketful. Panfish are schooling fish, they like to hang out in groups numbering from a dozen to over 50 in size. And, if you catch a good-sized one, you can be reasonably be certain that the others in the area are of the same size as the schools are more often than not in the same age class.

Your rod and reel should be loaded with thin diameter line, nothing more than four-pound test. Some of the more successful anglers go so far as to use monofilament sewing thread, which tests out at one-half to three-quarters of a pound.

The rod itself doesn't need to be any longer than two to three feet and be very limber. Die-hards of the sport use spring bobbers, attached to the end of the rod, as well to detect the notoriously light-biting fish.

When using such light lines and limber rods, the reel's drag should be smooth and delicate. Thought the fish may be small, they can and do make runs. You'll need a reel that will let them run and not break the line when they do.

Time of day plays a part with one species in particular. Crappies tend to bite best as the sun is rising or in the late afternoon as it is setting. They just don't like the bright light of mid-day. Perch and bluegills don't seem to be so picky but if there is no snow cover on the ice then it's likely that you'll find early morning and late afternoon your best catching times, too.

The lake or river bottom plays a big part on where you'll find these fish. While i's true that all species seem to like hanging out in or near weed beds, not all weed beds are created equal. The deeper the weed bed the better the fishing will generally be. And, weed beds that rise up like trees, rather than simply covering the bottom, are the best types of weed beds to try fishing around.

Keep in mind that panfish do move about a great deal. Be prepared to move about the lake or river and drill more holes as needed. A good rule of thumb is if you haven't caught anything in a half-hour or so it's time to move. If at all possible move deeper rather than shallower, say moving from eight of water to 12 or 15 if you are fishing mid day. As the light starts to fade the opposite is the rule.

Sure, you get all fancy with flashers and underwater cameras, portable ice shanties that look like the Taj Mahal but you don't need to. Panfish in Michigan's lakes and rivers are a sport everyone can enjoy.

Hot Spots:

Southern Lower Peninsula

Lake Orion; Northeastern Oakland County; Blue gills, pumpkinseeds and crappies rated excellent, perch good; See Visit Detroit .

Randal lLake; North-central Branch County; Bluegills, black crappies rated excellent, perch fair to good;  Learn more at Discover Michigan.

Muskegon Lake; Southeastern Muskegon County; Yellow perch rated outstanding, bluegills and pumpkinseeds rated good to excellent;  See Visit Muskegon.

Northern Lower Peninsula

Fletcher Pond; West-central Alpena County; Cappies rated excellent, perch and bluegills rated good;  Read more at Alpena CVB .

Upper Herring Lake; Southwestern Benzie County; Bluegills, crappie and perch rated good to excellent; Cooke Dam Pond;  More info at Visit Benzie.

North-central Iosco County; Perch, bluegill, crappie all rated as excellent;  More info at Tawas Bay.

Upper Peninsula

Lake Ste. Kathryn; Northwestern Iron County; Perch and bluegills rated good to excellent, crappies rated good; See also Iron County Lodging. Greenwood Reservoir; Central Marquette County; Crappies rated excellent, perch good to excellent; Marquette Country.

Pomeroy Lake; South-central Gogebic County; Perch, bluegills and crappies all rated excellent; See more info at Western UP site. 

Legendary rivers such as the Pere Marquette, Au Sable, Manistee and Muskegon are prized by fly anglers from coast to coast and around the globe. One of the country's premier coldwater conservation organizations, Trout Unlimited (TU), was founded on the banks of the Au Sable River near Grayling by sixteen fishermen who championed healthy fisheries for future generations. Now almost fifty years later TU's membership numbers more than 150,000 spread out in 400 or so chapters all across the country.

You might take in some world-class fishing for smallmouth bass, walleye and musky in Lake St. Clair, within miles of downtown Detroit. Or spend the day in nature's wilderness, hiking to remote beaver ponds in the Upper Peninsula, fishing for fat brookies that haven't seen an angler all year. A ferry waits to carry you through magnificent scenery to Beaver Island, where you can sight-cast to smallmouth bass and carp from a flats skiff in the crystal clear waters of Northern Lake Michigan. Or maybe you want to chase trout, steelhead and salmon as they make the run up Michigan's many trout streams. And don't forget the thousands of warm water inland lakes. Almost anywhere in Michigan, you need to travel only a few miles to find a peaceful lake brimming with feisty panfish, bass and pike.

Whatever your personal tastes or your appetite for adventure, Michigan has a fly fishing experience for you. Once you've gotten your feet wet, so to speak, you're sure to come back for more.

Kevin Morlock owns and operates Indigo Guide Service, West Michigan with his wife Joan. He is a frequent contributor for In-Fisherman magazine and television and is a veteran of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

This past spring, in between releasing steelhead during a great day on the river, my good friend and well-known Michigan fly fishing guide Kevin Morlock, of Indigo Guide Service, asked me if I was interested in trying something new. From the smile on his face, I knew it would be good. When Kevin invited me to join him on a carp fishing expedition I began to think all those days on the water had finally caught up with him.   

Always a sucker for adventure, I pulled into Charlevoix, Michigan at about noon in plenty of time to catch the 2:30 ferry. Situated approximately 30 miles off lower-Michigan's mainland (about a 2 hour and 15 minute ferry ride), Beaver Island awaits those looking to get away from it all. When I first stepped off the ferry, I was pleasantly surprised. Having traveled to Mackinac Island numerous times before, I supposed I expected Beaver to be similar. There were no fudge shops, no horse drawn carriages, and most importantly, no lodges requiring a suit jacket at dinner! Beaver Island is rustic and remote, yet completely satisfying. There is one grocery store, a few restaurants and bars, two marinas, a golf course, and 42 miles of beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline.

Kevin Morlock has come up with an innovative idea for fishing the crystal clear, aqua colored waters surrounding the Island. The innovation simply comes from applying ocean flats fishing to the northern waters of Michigan. Kevin has mounted a platform on the rear of his 17' boat and uses a 20' push pole to quietly maneuver around the flats in search of cruising carp. When carp are located in a pod, Kevin anchors the boat so a stealthy approach can be made on foot. The sand and gravel flats are at times only ankle deep a quarter-mile of the shore. I swear, if there had been a tiki-hut, with a bartender offering me a Red Stripe, 'mon, I would have thought I'd finally realized my dream of Jamaica.

The fishing was much tougher than I thought it would be. In two days on the water, I boated 3 and Kevin 7. The wind was ferocious, so Kevin said we did well considering the conditions. He was a little upset that we didn't get into them the way he is used to; when twenty fish days are common. We used 8 wt. and 10 wt. rods, with weight forward floating line, and 7 foot leaders tapered to 12 lbs. The carp took a variety of flies imitating crayfish, gobies, and leaches. Go ahead and hold the dough ball and corn jokes. We got plenty of them our first day on the island!

If you are interested in a true Midwestern adventure, head to the wilderness of Beaver Island. Be careful though, the locals warn, "You'll get sand in your shoes!"

Brandon Butler is a professional outdoor communicator living in Bloomington, Indiana with his wife and two daughters. He is a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers, and the Hoosier Outdoors Writers. Brandon writes a weekly outdoor column for almost a dozen newspapers and has been featured in many outdoor publications. You can contact Brandon from his Web site at www.driftwoodoutdoors.org.

I haven't kissed-and-told since writing a story 20 years ago for the most famous newspaper in the world, in which I praised a place some friends had intended for me to keep secret. 

I've paid dearly for that offense. If I understand my penance correctly, the children of my grandchildren will still be making up for it.

I now usually just play coy or lie. But Lisa Jensen, editor of the fine Michigan BLUE magazine, is now a fishing buddy of mine, which has put me in a bind. Not that I wouldn't lie to a buddy -- it's just that she asked so sweetly, and I'm a sucker for that.

So here they are, my Top Five All-Time Favorite Fly-Fishing Rivers in Michigan.

Of course, they're not my favorite secret rivers. And I'm not giving away any favorite riffles, pools, logjams or campsites. For details of that sort, I'll pass on the advice I received from kindly old-timers when I was a pup: The fun part is finding your own places, son. Now run along.

Au Sable River. This is the quintessential Northern Michigan trout river, with steady flow, clean water, gravel bottom and leaning cedars. The mainstream and the south and north branches produce prolific insect hatches, making them dry-fly nirvana.

Manistee River. Almost as lovely as the Au Sable, the Manistee has browns, brookies and rainbows from its headwaters to Tippy Dam, and steelhead and salmon below it. Much of it flows through public land, making it a terrific canoeing, camping and fishing combination.

Boardman River. My personal favorite, not because the fishing is great (it's fair to middlin'), but because the river itself is so beautiful and spirited, and because it gives birth to the toughest-to-catch and most beautifully marked trout in Michigan.

Escanaba River. Flowing north to south across the middle of the Upper Peninsula, it still has sections wild enough to recall the U.P. as it was before the Mighty Mac and quad-runners. The deep, tannin-colored pools and ledge rapids are home to browns, including some giants.

Grand River. After trout, smallmouths are my favorite game fish, and there are few better places to find them than the Grand between Grand Ledge and Portland. Flowing through farmlands and woods and shaded by giant aspens, the riffles hold smallish bass, and the slow, dark pools larger ones. A canoe can get you to water that is rarely fished.

Award-winning writer Jerry Dennis resides in Traverse City and is a frequent contributor of essays, articles and short fiction to many leading outdoor and nature publications in the United States including Michigan BLUE magazine.

Michigan BLUE magazine, Michigan's Lakestyle Magazine, is published bi-monthly by Gemini Publications. Lisa Jensen is the editor.

Travel Michigan has received permission to reproduce this article.

Written by Matt Supinski, Gray Drake Lodge & Outfitters, Newaygo, Michigan

The freshwater bounty of the thousand of miles of crystal pure streams, rivers and lakes that Michigan is blessed with is an endless opportunity for the sport angler. Coupled with bordering on four of the five Great Lakes--with more shoreline than the entire Atlantic seaboard--it is a haven to pursue fishing for trout, salmon and steelhead year-round. 

Michigan's fly fishing heritage goes back to the past logging days at the time of the 1900s. Brook trout (the state's fish) and grayling inhabited the entire state's rivers and streams. In 1876, rainbow trout and steelhead were brought to Michigan from California and some naturally populated the rivers and streams that flowed into Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior. In 1883, the German brown trout were brought to the Pere Marquette River, being the first stocking of the European transplants in North America. Wealthy business tycoons and lumber barons soon drifted wooden boats with river guides on the hallowed waters of the AuSable and Pere Marquette to catch large lake-run rainbows, brook trout and the cunning and hefty German browns.   

June through September sees a plethora of fly fishing opportunities. You can experience some of the best dry fly fishing, matching the insect hatches that large trout will feed on the surface. This is the true art of fly fishing - matching the natural fly with an artificial tied by the angler of animal fur and feathers. 

Great dry fly action can be found on the Muskegon, Pere Marquette, Boardman, Betsie, Manistee and AuSable systems. Their tremendous diversity and heavy populations of aquatic mayflies, caddis and stoneflies make them ideal choices. 

If summer steelhead sounds appealing, the St. Joseph and Big Manistee receive excellent runs of these "bull-in-a-China-shop" beasts that surpass the 20 pound mark - imagine catching these on a fly rod!

Chinook and Coho salmon from the Great Lakes begin to ascend its tributaries as early as July on the Little Manistee. Through September, the Big Manistee, Platte, Betsie, Pere Marquette, Muskegon, White and St. Joseph will review massive runs of these fish, producing close to 6 million wild smolt salmon through natural reproduction. 

Whichever way you look at it, Michigan is at the top of world-class destinations for the trout, salmon and steelhead fisheries. It's time you come and explore this tremendous resource and find that true "Pure Michigan fly fishing experience" of a lifetime!

Matt Supinski is owner of Gray Drake Outfitters & Lodge in Newaygo. For twelve years, this outfitter has provided the very best in fly fishing guiding, lodging and hospitality. Here, the guides take great pleasure in instructing and teaching beginners, novices, children and families-as well as advanced anglers. Conducting guided tours 12 months a year. Their goal is to exceed your expectations.

Standing on the front deck of his tournament-rigged walleye boat, Ken Clark set the hook on his jigging spoon, felt a little bit of heft on the end of his line, and spoke up as he cranked his reel.

"I hope this isn't a walleye," he said. Then he broke into a laugh. "You don't hear that very often, do you?

No, you don't, especially from someone like Clark, a 51-year-old fishing guide and sometimes walleye tournament pro, who willingly calls himself  "a walleye snob."

But the truth is, Clark and his buddies hadn't come to Burt Lake on this cold November weekend to catch walleyes. The walleyes were actually becoming a pain in the patootie.

Clark, who hails from Whitehall and offers a traveling guide service for just about any fish that swims just about anywhere they can be caught, had made the trip -- one that is fast becoming an annual event -- for some deep-water perch jerkin. And while he was getting that mission accomplished, the crew wasn't sacking up the tasty finsters the way they had hoped. That's because the walleyes -- largely undersized specimens, running from just under the 15-inch length minimum to barely larger than the baits we were using -- wouldn't leave us alone.

Clark was fishing a deep hole, 50 to 60 feet (though there was some 70-foot water in near proximity, too) on one of Michigan's larger inland lakes for one of the state's most popular species. Although anglers invest thousands in boats and tackle to chase the state's more glamorous species -- bass, salmon, walleye, muskie -- perch continue to hold an allure over most anglers. That was as obvious as the gorgeous fall scenery as boats ranging from cartoppers to fully-rigged charter-fishing machines bobbed along or anchored in the deep water to pick away at the perch.

That's why Clark was there, though he'll admit that finding the perch in the first place was a fortunate accident. Several years back, he was fishing for walleyes, trolling with planer boards over the deep water, when one of his buddies flipped a jigging spoon over the side, hooked into a bragging-sized perch, and rearranged the day's angling agenda immediately.

Clark, who works in manufacturing when he isn't on his boat, grew up in Grand Rapids and started fishing for bluegills on Gun Lake with his grandfather as a youngster. And though he's turned his hobby into a business, he's never lost his love for angling. He calls his business Fishmas Charters because it rhymes with Christmas .

"Any day on the water's a holiday," he said. "Last night was Fishmas Eve. I had a hard time sleeping."

On a day when the weather changed about four times, from a calm and sunny sunbathing day to blowing and overcast, the kind of day when you wished you had on every stitch of clothing you owned, we sat in a $40,000 boat participating in what is perhaps the lowest tech style of fishing of all. It often doesn't take a lot of style to catch fish -- bait a hook and drop it to the bottom, but I was intrigued by fishing for them with a jigging spoon. Although I have caught a pretty fair number of perch over the years on artificial baits, I always did so by accident, fishing for something else then getting into them, just as Clark did.  But the spoons were too much for the walleyes to ignore and I was having a tough time catching perch. At one point, and I started counting, just for the record, I caught nine undersized walleyes in a row. Finally, I switched to a live-bait rig, put a couple of minnows on a couple of hooks with a sinker below them, lowered it to the bottom and caught . . . another walleye.

But among the four of us, we sifted through enough eyes to get a pretty nice bunch of fish. By the time we called it a day at 1 p.m., we put 52 perch (and four keepers walleyes) in the live well and threw back, I don't know -- 100? 200? walleyes. We caught more walleyes than perch, no doubt about it. When I mentioned that walleye fishing should be terrific next fall when all those fish we'd been throwing back move into the next year-class, Clark just shrugged. "It's been the same way every fall for the last three or four years," he said.

Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist Tim Cwalinski said that of the large inland lakes in the northeastern Lower Peninsula, Burt seems to be in the best shape of them all fish-wise.

"What you have in Burt is a good swing of wild fish that we've seen over the last three or four years," Cwalinski said. "It receives a lot of fish from Crooked and Pickerel Lake, where there's a lot of natural reproduction of walleyes. Burt's just down the Crooked River and it's a bigger body of water and walleye have a tendency to move a lot and I think a lot of those fish from Crooked and Pickerel wind up in there."

Burt is on a swing right now that's really high," Cwalinski continued. "It's had good natural reproduction in the last few years and anglers are catching a lot of small and medium-sized fish. If you really want to catch perch and walleye, do it during deer season and after deer season."

"Ice fishing for both species can be awesome," Cwalinski said, though the lake sometimes doesn't support good ice until late in the winter and a lot of times anglers don't get out on the ice until the winter doldrums have already begun to set in.

"This will tell you how good the fishing was last fall," Cwalinski said. "People were worried when they were struggling with the perch though the ice that they thought they'd caught them all in the fall. You'd see 30 or 40 boats bobbing around out there in the hole. Burt's supporting a lot of angler hours compared to Mullet and Black."

Cwalinksi said growth rates are about the state average, though they're a little better in Burt than in the upstream lakes. (This is the aquarium affect; fish tend to grow larger in larger bodies of water.) As for where they go, why Clark and his bodies are catching an inordinate percentage of throwbacks year after year, Cwalinski said he's not sure. There could be some mortality between the time the 2-year-olds reach year three, but otherwise, they're elsewhere in the lake or perhaps they've dispersed down the Indian River.

"I think Mullet inherits fish from Burt," he said. "Who knows what the bottle neck is there?"

At 17,394 acres Burt Lake is easily one of the 10 largest inland lakes in the state. It's a two-story lake (containing both warm-water species and trout. "If you were to compare it to the Great Lakes, it'd be more like Erie than Superior," Cwalinski said.

"What's nice about Burt is it's not this deep gorge of a lake," he explained. "A lot of Burt Lake is less than 30 feet deep. It's more of a nutrient-rich, productive lake. Like a little Great Lake. We have a burgeoning brown trout population in there right now. Those fish move up the Maple and Sturgeon to spawn. We also have steelhead in Burt Lake. Catch reports have been very good for the last year. And there are lots of incidental catches of trout, often by folks fishing for walleyes and by perch anglers."

"These are not stocked trout," he continued. "Burt Lake gets no fish. These are all wild fish." The Sturgeon and Pigeon (which flows in Mullet Lake) and Maple are such productive rivers that some of the trout produced in those rivers that just make it out into the lakes where they live and they can grow big living on fish rather than mayflies.

There's more, too. Burt's has a small lake sturgeon population, though not a lot is known abut them.

"We're not sure where they spawn," Cwalinski said. "We're trying to figure that out over the next 10-15 years."

There's also a handful of Great Lake strain muskellunge in Burt Lake and a pike population that consists of small numbers but large individuals.

And it's no secret that Burt holds a phenomenal population of smallmouth bass. Although the Burt/Mullet complex is a favorite stop for the state bass tournament crowd, Cwalinski said the smallmouths are underappreciated by the general public. "There's a lot of quality smallmouths," he said.

As for an angling destination, Burt Lake's pretty much got it all. There's a state park on the south shore, there's plenty of access from both road endings and developed ramps and there's everything from the Holiday Inn to mom-and-pop resorts for overnight accommodations.

As we pulled lines in the early afternoon, Clark summed up Burt Lake's perch fishing.

"Well, we caught some good fish, but it's not as impressive as it should be," said Clark, who said the perch fishing generally continues to get better through the firearms deer season. "These are good ones, like the ones that guys say they used to get back in the old days. We get 12-, 13-, 14-inchers and an occasional 15. We've never been able to break that 16-inch mark, but we know they're out here."

And that's part of what keeps him coming back; although he's made fishing a big part of his professional life with his charter business and tournament angling, Clark's back to fishing at Burt Lake for the same reason he did when he was a youngster.

"This," Clark pronounced as we battened down the hatches for the run back to the launch ramp,"is fun."

Reprinted with permission of Bob Gwizdz and Michigan United Conservation Club's Michigan Out-of-Doors Magazine Tony Hanson, editor.

Thornapple

Looking to tangle with a really, really big fish?

As the days grow longer and the nights grow cooler, the fish grow hungry.

Big, toothy fish.

Thornapple Lake, located in Barry County, is the home of the current state record muskie, weighing in at 49 pounds and 12 ounces. That giant fish was taken in 2002. It’s not unrealistic, however, to think that a new state record is swimming in Thornapple’s murky depths today.

And this is a prime month to catch one. Angling pressure wanes greatly as fall approaches and the fish feed voraciously as the weather starts to turn.

Big fish mean big baits and anglers routinely employ oversized spinners, body baits and plugs when targeting Thornapple muskies.

The lake isn’t big at just over 400 acres and you won’t find any clear water there. It’s a eutrophic piece of water with plenty of stain. There is a DNR ramp located off Thornapple Lake Road with a good ramp and parking for about 15 vehicles.

This article was reprinted with the permission of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs and Michigan Out-of-Doors magazine, Tony Hansen is the editor.