# Trout streams?



## Velgang (Jan 17, 2004)

Last year my son and I went up to vanderbuilt to do some trout fishing a week after the opener. I wanted to wait for the crowds to thin out. We fished th Pigion river and the Black river with no success. Are there any other streams up that way that have a catchable amout of trout? Size is not an issue since my son is only eight. He had fun catching chubs but we were after trout. We will make another trip up there this spring and was hoping someone could give us a few more locations to try out. Thanks, Joe


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

You won't be getting too much information in the forums about specific streams. The site discourages the naming of streams, for good reason.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

You can buy Delorme maps or go to Meijer and find maps of all the Counties in MI, published by MUCC. These maps will show you all the rivers and streams in every County in the State, and you will find access points as well. 

Anyone serious about Trout fishing should have more maps than they will every really need.


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

> _Originally posted by Fishndude _
> *Anyone serious about Trout fishing should have more maps than they will every really need. *


FD,
You've got that right. I go through, as in wear out, one of those large books of county maps about every 5 years of using it.


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## SALMONATOR (Jan 7, 2003)

Velgang,

I fished those rivers a few years back with much the same result. Don't feel too bad. 

Something you may want to look into: The Challenge Chapter of Trout Unlimited offers a series of guide books for the Pigion, the Black, the Sturgeon, as well as most other major trout stream in Michigan. 

These will provide maps, written directions to public access, river/fishing conditions you can expect, hatch charts as well as a bit of history, etc. They've proven invalueble to me over the years. I'm sure you'll be able to find a solid starting point.

You can find them at most fly-shops and they run about $12-15 each. I don't have any website info, but the mailing address is:

Trout Unlimited
P.O. Box 63
Bloomfield Hills, Mi 48303

Good Luck.

Al


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## CCC-Fisher (Aug 10, 2003)

I would suggest you fish farther north on the Pigeon...its a great river that will regenerate . Try south around afton...4 get about the Black River as all it has is BROOKIES....heheheheh...an I luv 'em when I'm knot @ the CCC bridge on the Manistee


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## otown (Jul 11, 2003)

Actually the Black, while a native brookie stream, has a small breeding population of browns that spilled in over a club dam back in the 40's.
Catch one often enough to make life interesting. Was playing about a 10" brookie many years ago on a 1 weight I built on an Orvis blank. He was jumping like crazy and moving water too much. Didn't understand why until an absolute monster of a river brown snagged him in midair.
Scared the living starch out of me imagining what it would be like playing out this scenario on that little rod. Leader broke and I was left standing there with about as much liquid inside my waders as outside of them.
Fly fishing is basically a pretty solitary exercize and I sometimes wonder if some of us nuts actually imagine more than we see. This wasn't made up but to imagine the pastoral quiet evening on the river becoming a war zone and then pastoral again in seconds is tough. I wasn't prepared, I hadn't expected it and I got nailed.
Maybe that's why we fish. The unexpected lies just below the surface.

o town


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## live2fishdjs (Sep 9, 2003)

That's why I fish.


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## otown (Jul 11, 2003)

I was working on a story here and just came up with the linethat I threw out for all of you.
After having been a fisherman for almost 60 years, I almost lost sight of why we do what we do and tried to define it. So many other great writers have tried and no one can pin it down, exactly.
Maybe that's for the best. No one will ever actually define it. If they do, don't let your wives and sweethearts read it unless they fish with you like my Ms Lynn does


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

> _Originally posted by otown _
> *The unexpected lies just below the surface.*


OT,
That's a great line. I also do some writing, much of it fishing and hunting talk, you know, the where to, how to, when to, kind. However I enjoy writing about those other aspects of outdoor pursuits, especially trout fishing.

"What mysteries lie beneath the swirling eddy of Grampa's Hole?"


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## otown (Jul 11, 2003)

Whit 1,

I never have come up with the definitive line. I hope I never will. Where do you go from there?
I hope we all keep guessing and coming up with stuff that doesn't really define what we do and why we do it but just why we're there.
To jump on John Dillinger who was asked why he robbed banks and he replied 'Hell, that's where the money is.', I would add that I fish rivers because that's where the hell the trout are.

o town


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## YPSIFLY (Feb 13, 2001)

You might want to pick up a copy of Jim Bedford's book "Fly Fisher's Guide to Michigan".


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

OT,
I see that you are in Orlando, FL. As far as trout fishing goes, I take it you don't do any in those waters, but rather, head north with the spring. Do you fish in MI?


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## otown (Jul 11, 2003)

Whit 1

It's tough to live here. I'm about 1 1/2 hours from each coast (E/W) and don't get out enough to either. I like the east coast because it has so many shallow flats and some absolutely big boy redfish. 
A real hoot to latch onto a 25-30 pounder in 1'-2' of water. They can tear you up in a heartbeat.
We also have sea trout up to about 10# that are loners and sometimes a bear to catch.

I used to come up in the spring for morels and trout but have been passing on that the last few years. I do come up the last of sept and stay into oct for birds, bows and brookies.
Great state you guys have.

o town


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

> _Originally posted by otown _
> *Great state you guys have.
> *


OT,
Sometimes those of us who live here and experience what Michigan offers for the angler and hunter, and other outdoor enthusiasts, don't appreciate what we have.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

Stick around til the end of October and try your hand at some HOT fresh Fall Steel. You might decide to hang until Thanksgiving.
They fight a lot better than Spring fish, who are only thinking about spawning.


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## otown (Jul 11, 2003)

Whit 1 and FnD,

I hear so much carping among you all about certain things that are wrong with MI that it gives me pause sometimes to reflect on my almost 60 years up there. 
Granted, most all posts are positive and everyone is having a good time, sharing tips and hand-shaking and wishing all our families well. It's cool.
Consider the following without telling me to move if I don't like it; You have one of the largest deer herds in the US, we have one of the smallest. You have a huge population of semi-dumb turkeys (i've hunted them), we have a good pop. of Osceola turkeys. You want a lesson in humility, I'll put you into some gobblers who will have you speaking gibberish after a few days. You have huge amounts of public land, we have less than 200K acres scattered all over the state. Granted, we have some great fishing, but so do you. Ok, I will have you crying for Mama after you tangle with a 140# tarpon. I did the first few times, but I still did it after losing
an 18" brookie on a pristine MI stream.
Point is, you guys sometimes amaze me with your bitching. It's small, but you really need to understand that you have one of the greatest states in the Union to enjoy the out of doors. 
We are all coming under constraints these days and you have so fewer than we do. Fight for your rights, but enjoy what you have.

o town


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

Otown,
I'm really confused as to why, after reading through the posts above, you choose to name me as a complainer, or at least suggest it.


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

> _Originally posted by otown _
> *Whit 1 and FnD,
> 
> I hear so much carping among you all about certain things that are wrong with MI that it gives me pause sometimes to reflect on my almost 60 years up there.
> ...


I'm really confused!

You name me and suggest that I have ever told you or anyone else to "move".

How much "bitching" do you see attached to my name.

You've really got me wondering where the heck you're coming from with your post.

Please help me out on this!!!!


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## otown (Jul 11, 2003)

Whit 1,
I was just responding to your observation that we all sometimes don't appeciate what's in our backyards, myself included. 
Meant absolutely nothing aimed at you personally, just an observation about most of us in general. Like tomorrow we are going to be on the Indian River at dawn looking for 30# redfish that will eat a fly. I do it about once a month but I wish sometimes I were up there, tying a few and pacing around impatiently, waiting for the trout opener. Yes, I sure as heck would like to try for the fall steelies too.
The diversity of MI is a real jewel and it needs to be appreciated.
Back in the 70's when I came up to fish, friends of mine from MI were going to Canada to fish. Funny as hell. Things have changed and MI has developed a ton of good fisheries, but the grass is always greener.
I can't access any public hunting down here without filling out lots of forms, have few places to work my dogs on live birds and, if I want to hunt one of the few preserves down here, I shell out $250 for 10 quail and a half day. 
Big and diverse fish, yep, we have them and I probably ho-hum it sometimes with them. When someone from up north comes down and flips when he or she sees tarpon and redfish and sharks and all the other diversity we have, I enjoy it a lot more just showing it to them. It's interesting fishing for dinner when the target might make dinner out of you.
I apologize if you thought my post was aimed at you. 

o town


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

> _Originally posted by otown _
> *Whit 1,
> I wish sometimes I were up there, tying a few and pacing around impatiently, waiting for the trout opener. *


OT,
No you don't!! That's what I'm doing right now and it ain't fun........LOL!

Thanks for clearing up the misunderstanding. Those things happen all too often in online communication such as this.

We'll be down in the Orlando area for a week at the end of the month. I won't be doing any fishing though, but rather soaking up some sun poolside.

The Last Saturday in April is on the 24th. That is 35 days or 840 hours (approx.) from now. Maybe I should stop watching the clock, ay!!.........LOL!


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## otown (Jul 11, 2003)

If you are going to soak up sun for a week down here right now, they'll have to air ambulance you home.
I'll pm you my phone number and maybe we can do lunch and talk about trout streams, as I guess this is where it started.

o town


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

OT,
I'll be very careful in the sun and only soak up a little at a time and that with plenty of protection. I just had a mole removed from my back, it was benign and am aware of sunburn and the resulting problems. I was a life guard for several years in my youth.

Do PM me your phone number and I'll get in touch with you. Where do you live now?


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