Its Over Ladies and Gentleman....
The past few years winter sure has snuck up on me...
My last post had me all jacked up about the river. The Bayfield was fishing beautifully and I was turning the corner on a whole whack of time off from work.
Boom.
In comes winter and shuts...in fact slams the door.
HARD.
After a few failed attempts at the home water I am forced to face the hard and Cold fact...
Turn out the lights.
El nino, closed highways and frigid temps have in two weeks turned an opitmum fishery into a borderline impossible one..
Time to reassess..
I am taking it better then I would normally expect.
I think the fact that I got in there early and had some really outstanding days helps.
What also helps are the new options for us maniacs...mostly courtesy of my Buddy Bri!!
The Michigan fishery is pretty exciting and now that Brian owns property over there the finny future is very bright.
Yesterday I just returned from a trip over there. This was my first trip to see Brian and Heathers Cabin and it is really sweet.
It is nice to see people being rewarded for their hard work and even though Brian is a POS he is a hard working dude.....way harder than me.
Fuck Work.
This is a dream that Brian has realized and it is cool to see good things happen to good people.
....Because lets face it...that is a rare occurrence....
We fished this weekend but drove into a Lake effect storm front against all warnings....
I ended up being trapped over there an extra day....which was less than horrible.
The fishing was slow.
We fished with a new guide on the Muskegon the first day over, braving what had to be the worst winter river conditions I have ever faced.
The wind was so bad at times that the boat wouldn't stay anchored.
It was newer water we fished and I think that with more optimal cons we would've drilled them.
As it turned out Brian nailed two beautiful fish and I found the only runt in the whole river system. The guide was a character....like most Michigan people are from the west side. It is a miracle we lived but a good day on the water to laugh about in the years to come. That has almost as much value for reverie as a day full of fish..
Almost.
I think I would prefer to fish with Jeff Stuhan. He has a bigger boat and inspires a little more confidence in me anyway.
The west side MI storm was moderate but on the second day of our trip Kim called to warn me that Sarnia was just getting drilled.
I stayed an extra day just to be safe but couldn't believe my eyes when I eventually arrived home.
Coming across the bridge I read signs notifying motorists that "ALL ROADS OUT OF SARNIA ARE CLOSED"...and "STATE OF EMERGENCY" declared.
NICE.
:o)
I made it home and shovelled us out but found story after story on the NET about 300 + drivers stranded on the 402 highway and how the military had been called in to assist with evacuations.
I think that I can put the gear away for a while.
LOL
At least until we can get out on the Muskegon again...hopefully this time with less than hurricane winds.
The kids are back in school today and I am off until Friday.
I am starting to unwind and it feels good.
2010 was a good fall season for me and I am thankful for it.
