Everyone who gets into guiding does so for his or her own
reasons. For me, it was a desire to meet new people, enjoy seeing their faces
as they caught fish or looked around at the beauty of the Upper Peninsula, and do
a bit of teaching if they felt they needed improvement in a certain area. This
week I got a chance to do all three as I guided Norm and Tory.
Norm openly admitted they were “low-maintenance” folks and
indeed they were. Both worked hard for the entire trip even as the day neared
its end and we were all clearly tired from our day on the water. Both caught
fish (I won’t say who caught more) and, I hope, everyone learned something (including
me). All-in-all, it was a fine day on the
water with some wonderful clients.
As for this week’s fishing report, I can finally report that
water levels have dropped to the point where all streams are now ready to wade.
The fish are more active on smaller streams, taking crystal buggers, soft hackles,
and stimulators. Sculpzillas have moved the largest fish as have girdle bugs.
Cooler weather this week (we had two nights with a low at or just below 40
degrees) has stream temperatures holding at or below 60 degrees. There's no time like the present to plan a trip to the U.P.
We never hired a fishing guide before so we weren't too sure what to expect. I choose Randy based on a presentation he gave to our TU Chapter, it sounded like a beautiful, untamed, area to check out. We had never been to the Upper Peninsula, but we were going to be in the Boulder Junction area and thought we’d go to the U.P. after that. I’m so glad we did. Randy suggested we camp at Sparrow Rapids, a wilderness campground four miles down a dirt road, and a short hike to the East Branch of the Ontonagon River. There were no amenities except for clean pit toilets, but the campsites were very nice. Randy stopped in at our campsite a couple days before our guide trip with him to make sure we were all set and had no questions.
ReplyDeleteOur guide trip started at 8 am with Randy picking us up and making sure we had everything we’d need, although he provided most everything. We went to three different rivers and caught fish at all of them. My wife is a spin angler and had only been in her new waders once before, she may have caught more than I did, but who’s counting. We hiked through the forest from spot to spot focusing only on places where trout should be, and they were. An excellent lunch was provided and prepared by Randy in the field and served at a table and chairs from his truck, it was like being on a safari. Prior to our arrival Randy made sure we had no food allergies or any food restrictions.
Randy also made sure that we always felt safe and were comfortable with the hiking and wading he was directing us through. This is only my second year of fly fishing and Randy was very helpful in providing instruction which improved my casting and my ability to read the water. Our time with Randy was the highlight of our two weeks up north. The rivers were spectacular. Randy was friendly and professional and was always right there if we needed anything. We would highly recommend Randy if you’re looking for a fishing adventure in the Ottawa National Forest.
If you've never been there you need to go... with Randy.