The past couple of weeks have brought some changes to the
fishing outlook here in the western Upper Peninsula. Most of our snow has
melted, although some patches still remain in the woods and along ditch lines. The
resultant melt, however, has creeks and rivers still flowing heavily with most
showing two to three times normal flow for this time of the year. Some have
even approached the record levels set last year. (Somewhere in the picture above, there really is a channel.) Water temperatures also remain low,
hovering at 40 degrees. Lakes are still
frozen with just the edges beginning to open up.
I have been able to make my way back to some smaller streams
that are no longer treacherous to wade (just scary) and spent some time tossing
streamers in search of fish. These
willow-lined stretches do not afford much casting room, meaning I have been
roll-casting bead-head buggers, certainly not my favorite type of fishing. The
trips back to these areas have been just as frightful as the wading and I have found
myself driving through snowdrifts as paths make the transformation from
snowmobile trails back to roads. Whether the result of good luck or good
choices, I have yet to get stuck. The fish, to my chagrin, have shown little
interest in my efforts.
What we really need are some warm, dry days to get things
started. I have seen a handful of crane flies in the air this week, but other
than that, midges remain the only insect out and about. Barring some type of
warm up, it will be a bit before things really take off. That being said, we
are setting up for another epic summer of fishing.
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