Nothing like a Dark Night in Northern, Mi.

 I will say this with conviction.There is no feeling like fishing alone on a river in Michigan on a pitch black night.You are at the mercy of the   river and what it brings after the sun sets. My friend advised me  that I need to be at a certain place on this night in June .In fact he ordered me under the strictest confidentiality with extreme penalties for breaking the sacred oath of trout angling. Alone I was on a perfect moonless night with tons of bugs and no people for 2 hours until a noisy raft showed up and then I promptly left. I pretended not to speak English as well.It was a perfect night with the best fish coming at the end.I never actually measure anything but it was  20 inches in my book!!

Smallmouth Heaven

 Well the first post of the year is going to focus on a more Urban environment.After years of Isolating in Bear country I was happy to be in Grand Rapids for some spring fishing and great Thai food. With a 4 weight and 1 black wooly bugger I managed to land almost a dozen small mouth and my first Pike on a fly. Luckily some local fisherman obliged with photos for yours truly!!!!

 

Baldwin Steelhead and Blues

Jared , Frank and Chris

Griff and Keith

breakfast at green

Jim Bos

Steelhead Sunday

Riverside Blues

A great way to end a year fishing was to spend three great nights @ Green Cottage in Baldwin , MI. I was heading up a night early to play @ the Pm lodge and was offered an opportunity to stay at the famous rental courtesy of my friend and fishing partner Griff.I made it to Hausmans on Friday the 13th (my lucky day) to pick up supplies before heading over to the cottage. It is an incredible place set on the banks of the Pere Marquette right next to the boat launch.I found the heat and sat down to my favorite fried chicken dinner.After a great sleep I was up early making breakfast and coffee when Frank from the lodge banged on the window and said hello.He was launching his stealthcraft for his day float with clients.I sat on the deck and was witness to a steelhead being landed by guide Jeff Cole and his client across from the cottage.Well I had a good feeling about the day and Griff soon picked me up to take me on a float downriver.We launched at Soolak and Griff hooked a fish on the second cast.We took a break and I pulled out the guitar for some riverside blues.It was then on to the rest of the float and I hooked up on a beautiful fish.Griff landed the beautiful steelhead for me and we were greeted by my three friends Jarod , Chris and Frank.They were on an afternoon float and offered us a cold beer and a few tastes of bourbon. They had watched the whole battle.We continued on to the launch and I Headed back to the cottage for a hot shower . Well I Headed over to the lodge to jam a bit and then back to the cottage for a great peaceful night looking at the reflection of the river through my living room window .The next morning it was pouring rain and again I watched someone land a fish outside the cottage.The gentleman turned out to be a great fisherman named Jim Bos who happened to know a lot of my friends in Terrace, Bc. He offered me some orange yarn flies he was using and I rigged up and started fishing.I ended up hooking six fish and landing one beauty only because Griff showed up and helped me snake the rod through a downed tree.Another great night at the cottage and a quick wade in the Am before heading home wrapping up an incredible weekend on the PM.

More Montana Fishing Stories' More great scenery and more Music 2020,

With my Annual Terrace, B.C trip being cancelled ,I was now  heading out to the last best place for the second time this year for some great last minute performances and new fishing adventures to be had. What I really found were some great new rivers , great new people and some incredible food.  I arrived early in Bozeman on Oct 8th and headed over to Music Villa for my rental gear and then onto Bozone Brewery to have a few brews with owner Todd Scott. This Covid has everyone on edge in the state and cases were on the rise. I headed to Wolf Creek to stay at my friend Pat Hunter's and then it was up early on the way to Big Fork. I wanted to try the Flathead river so I took the Northern route through Browning and the Blackfoot reservation.The Flathead comes into view after East Glacier and there is plenty of access along Highway 2. It was a beautiful day and I thought for sure a fish would crash my stimulator but it became apparent that this was not going to happen after numerous casts in the most beautiful water imaginable. I settled for an incredible outdoor lunch in West Glacier instead. After my show at Flathead Brewery in Big Fork I headed towards Ennis the next day and found some beautiful water on the Blackfoot near Mineral Hill. The fish were everywhere and after landing a number of Rainbows and Cutthroat I headed to play at the World famous Gravel Bar and see my friend and owner Scott Kelley .This is the headquarters for all the Madison River anglers ..Great food and a great new Brewery as well on the property. After a great windy performance it was on to the famous Philipsburg Brewery and fishing on Georgetown Lake. It was below freezing but instead of Rainbows I found lots of Kokanee. They are a small landlocked Sockeye and are great fighters. On to the brewery and then the next day I met my friend Will from Flint Creek outfitters.Instead of Rock Creek we decided to try another lake and landed a beautiful Cutthroat and lost a Bull Trout.Next it was on to the Bitterroot around Hamilton to meet my friend Ken Jacobsen from Seattle.Ken is a retired Veterinarian from Seattle and now has a home in the Valley. We had met there in Hamilton in 2011 .It was an awful day with pouring rain and 38 degrees but we managed some beautiful fish on small blue winged olives. I was heading back to Whitefish the next day to get ready for a performance at the Tupelo Grill on Thursday in Whitefish. The highlight of this day was some incredible Thai food in Kalispell .Then some evening fishing on the South Fork of the Flathead for some Cutthroat fishing. I had the whole day Thursday before my show and was able to find some Cutthroat and great scenery..Friday I was heading back to Wolf Creek to Pat Hunter's and Fishing on the Missouri. The wind basically blew us off of all our favorite spots and we settled for drinks and dinner on his back deck with his Border Collie"Pickles".. I woke up Saturday to a heavy snow and an awful drive through the canyon and Highway 287 to Bozeman. I decided to stay local and fish the Gallatin and found a few nice fish at the top of the Canyon. My last gig was cancelled because of the health scare so I was happy to have fished in the snow and picked up a great dinner at the Coop in Bozeman!! Till next time Montana !!

Blues and fly fishing: two intertwined pursuits

Blues and fly fishing: two intertwined pursuits

Touring,Flying and Trout fishing in a Pandemic

This could be It , The last great trip , Who knows anymore! I was scheduled for my Montana tour and I was praying I would make this trip. A lot of West Coast and Canadian trips had been cancelled.I actually couldn't believe it when I arrived at O'hare in Chicago. The flight was on time and the line at TSA was non existent.I was on a direct flight to Bozeman and I was lucky to be all alone in Economy Plus.Arriving in Montana the National Guard greeted me with a temperature check and a smile. I picked my car up and was on the way to get my guitar rental and license.Withing an hour I was at my first gig location in Livingston meeting my friend Josh for an evening on the Yellowstone. Then it was west to Ennis and a couple of great days fishing with my friend Jim Walker , a Neuroscience professor from Purdue University.Talk about an inferiority complex!! Before heading to  the world famous Trout Hunter lodge on the Henry's Fork and my friends Jonathon Stiehl , Griz,Joe, Darby,TJ and everyone else I stopped and met my girl fishing friend Tamela for a hike down to a new stretch on the Madison.It was then down 287 to Island Park. This time instead of killing myself trying to get a perfect drift I read a book in the beautiful lodge. It was then on to the beautiful Philip

sburg area and some great nighttime stimulator action.I landed 2 beautiful Brook Trout and 2 beautiful Rainbows.The next day the brewery was fantastic and I spent time with my friend Josh McGowan.Then It was on to Yellowstone Park to Meet my friend Griz and Josh for some cutthroat fishing. After a very beary hike down a canyon I found them.We worked hard and finally a massive Cutthroat took my dropper on 4.5 x and I was fast to the fish of a lifetime.Josh put it in the net and it was a done deal at 22 inches!This turned out to be a fantastic day. I left my friends and headed to the other side of the park. I was on the famous Soda Butte and took 6 cutthroat in 10 casts.Afterwards I spotted a real Grizzly and a Black Bear to wrap up the day. The next day was Red Lodge and a lost rainbow and more great music. After dropping my gear off in Bozeman I headed back to Ennis to meet my friend Jim but the fishing was slow and we settled for a grea

t dinner.The highlight on the way to the Airport was a stop at Schnee's sporting goods for a new pair of Merril's. Tight Lines and Stay safe!!, Keith

Waiting for Night

It had been almost eight agonizing years of waiting. Being a Michigan trout fisherman and to have never experienced the Hex hatch was becoming my Achilles heel of my trout career. Oh I have tried and tried following various tips from many friends and guides.Its too cold, your too late, last week was happening . But every year I would go and wait at various locations only to be rejected time and time again. Last year I did hear a fish but then a downpour came and It was over. With my touring schedule really being slow due to covid I took a couple of days last week to head up to Northern, Mi.The weather seemed right ,warm and muggy and no moon.I ran into a new fisherman named Neil at the river and he offered me some bugs, bug spray and company. He knew this hatch well and felt it could happen. We walked in a long way and settled on a bend and waited. Neil took a few small fish before dark and the bugs came but few fish. He did have me wade in the dark to a dimple in the water .We think the fish made a move but that was all. The next night I would arrive in the same area early and wait again. I could anticipate a more productive night. After a two hour wait it became pitch black and I started to see the elusive Hexagenia Mayfly . All of a sudden

There were

                      lucky rat!!

hundreds if not thousands of aimlessly flying bugs  over the river. Next I noticed silver flashes in front of me which I assumed were fish.I spent 20 minutes drifting my Hex spinner  downstream and could not get a take.It was then I noticed a soft circle rise upstream about ten feet away close to the bank. I made three casts and on the fourth I felt a pull and connected with a strong fish .The power of this fish was amplified by the surrounding darkness
 It made several strong runs and I was able to put my hands on a beautiful 20 inch plus brown.After a quick photo he swam off. I was in shock but decided to keep fishing. Just that quick the water was still and as if  the bugs or fish never existed. That must be the allure of this famous hatch I will be back!!! Tight Lines, Keith