A happy Mothers Day wish to all the wonderful Moms of the world, many thanks for your understanding of us fisher people & putting up with us being late for dinner on a frequent basis!  Some quite warm weather has transcended the U.P. lately which has left us on the dry side, extreme wildfire danger is present in many areas.  Some rain would be much appreciated at this point.  Resident Trout are being taken on many different patterns at this point.  Caddis, BWO’s & some March Browns are present for the fish looking up for their meals.

Rain-this is something i seemingly forgot that existed here in the Upper Peninsula! This wet stuff falling from the sky has greeted us a bit as of lately which has been pleasant & well accepted.  Fishing in the rain I have always found to be rather peaceful, it makes the forest green & surrounding environs calming.  Rivers have risen some and taken on a bit of color with the precipitation-temps are in the 50’s.  Resident Brook and Brown Trout are available and being taken on a variety of patterns.  Some sporadic dry fly activity is available, mainly Caddis & some BWO’s.  Some Steelhead are available for those that so feel inclined.

Originality-the spice of life……

Another Trout opener has come & gone here in the Upper Peninsula-it’s always wonderful to see families out on the streams enjoy each others company on this fine weekend.  Fishing is about making memories with important people in your life, hopefully everyone was able to get out for some lighthearted fun& maybe catch a Trout in the process :)  We just received a shot of rain which should help water levels out some, a nice storm came through this early morning.  Some Trout are rising to Caddis, BWO’s, & some Hendricksons. I would rate the rise as not very consistent at this point.  Sunny days have been producing the best Caddis activity for brief periods.  A small amount of Steelhead are available for those interested.

Keep the Faith & Keep Casting!

Well, back home here in the Upper Peninsula after a very fulfilling trip to Washington Dc with the Save Bristol Bay coalition.  During our 4 day trip we met with key White House environmental staff, the administrator of the EPA, and many state legislators.  Our task was to inform these people of the adverse impact the proposed Pebble Mine site would have on this world class fishery.  It was a unique coalition that was formed; it consisted of people from 40 states.  It was absolutely wonderful to have individuals from the sport & commercial fishing industry as well as the native tribes all join forces to fight to preserve a wild place.  I met some great people on this trip, people who genuinely care about the cause that they are fighting for.  Very soon the EPA will release the watershed assessment of the region the proposed mine is located, this science will tell if this project can be situated in such a environmentally sensitive area.  Last season over 5,500 Michigan residents purchased fishing licenses in Alaska & many Michiganders seasonally work in the Alaska fishing industries, so it’s safe to say our fine state has some interest in this situation.  Please tell your legislator that you oppose the Pebble Mine project in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region & visit Save Bristol Bay for more info.  Pictured below are some images i captured during the Sportsman’s Summit in Dc-one of which is the space shuttle discovery flying over the Capitol on her way to retirement, this way a very special sight to see.

Now for the actual fishing report :)

Finally some much needed rainfall blessed us & rivers received a new shot of water.  Water levels are much better now than they have been, more like normal with a bit of color.  Water temps are in the low 40’s most places as cold nights & seasonable daytime temps have helped.  Steelhead are still available in varying numbers as well as some nice resident Trout.  Some aquatic insects can be seen, primarily BWO’s at this time-some sporadic rising of Trout has been seen.  The annual “Opening Day” is upon us this coming weekend here in Michigan, best of luck to everyone venturing out!

Still in a state of low water & lack of rainfall here in the U.P., starting to wonder if it will ever rain again?  Still some Steelhead available, at this point most fish are drop backs as very little silver ones remain.  Water temps are still in the low 40’s and the water doesn’t get any more clear than it currently is.  Some sporadic activity of insects can be seen from day to day- BWO’s & a couple Caddis.

I’m off on a mission for a few days once again to Washington DC to meet with the Obama Administration/EPA at the White House as well as several key legislators.  This trip to our nations capitol is to help Save Bristol Bay, AK from invasive mining-something us U.P. residents are quite familiar with.  Bristol Bay is home to some of the worlds finest Rainbow Trout fishing & provides 50% of the commercial Salmon we enjoy as consumers.  The proposed “Pebble Mine” in located at the headwaters of this pristine wild Salmon & Trout fishery, the devestative results of this mine could be unparalleled.  Hoping “The Sportsman’s Summit” can convince our government that this mine is a bad decision.

Cool weather this past week has kept water temps in check, but most rivers are getting quite low at this time.  We desperately need some good rains to get our rivers in more seasonable shape at this point.  Some brief rain came down last night that helped the high wildfire danger we are currently under, but the small amount did not raise stream levels at all.  Steelhead are present, ranging from dropbacks to new arrivals right now and number vary widely on river to river. A few Blue Winged Olives are around and I have seen a few Salmon fry which was a unique sight up here.  Congrats to our guests this week on some high quality fish!

Save a Brook Trout-Please fill out the DNR online survey & write in that you OPPOSE the Brook Trout Increase-
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BrookTroutRegulations

More seasonable weather has been present lately which has been keeping water temps cool, although stream levels are getting quite low at this time.  Steelhead are still present, but fish numbers vary quite a bit from stream to stream.  Some rainfall would be very nice & could bring streams back up to a better level.  Offshore fishing opportunities are also available at this time. This Spring is officially the earliest I have ever seen here, pretty much a full month ahead of schedule.  Please see last weeks fishing report for info on DNR Public Comment Meetings for the Brook Trout Proposal, they are now taking place across the U.P..

Finally some relief to this heat wave with today’s high temps around 32 degrees here in the Upper Peninsula.  Run off is virtually over with as all of the snow is essentially gone, some rain will be needed to keep streams flowing at a reasonable rate.  Steelhead are present & fish numbers vary widely from stream to stream.  The forecast seems to look a bit more normal, which is a relief to see-this early warm weather is rather disturbing & strange.  Seems to be Spring now :)

On another note-the U.P. Brook Trout proposition is gaining speed & DNR public comment meetings are upcoming very soon here across the area.  Please attend one of these meetings & voice your opinion.  Below I have the dates for the meetings as well as a link to an online survey from MI DNR on the Brook Trout proposition.  Please click on the link & take the survey form the DNR, they use the feedback from these surveys to make decisions on topics like this.  Your opinion matters & if they hear form you it is one more step forward towards defeating this Brook Trout limit increase!  Also I have created an online petition to oppose the limit increase, please click on the link & sign the petition-let your voice be heard!!

Brook Trout Survey Link-
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BrookTroutRegulations

Brook Trout Limit Increase Proposition Petition-

http://www.change.org/petitions/state-of-michigan-department-of-natural-resources-oppose-upper-peninsula-brook-trout-limit-increase

DNR Brook Trout Prop. Public Comment Meetings-

• Tuesday, March 27 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. (eastern time) at the Bay College Heirman Center Room 952, 2001 N. Lincoln Road in Escanaba
• Wednesday, March 28 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. (central time) at Bay College West, 2810 North U.S. 2 in Iron Mountain

Other meetings will be held throughout the U.P. in April, including

• April 3, 2012 from 7 to 9 p.m. (eastern time) at the Ishpeming Township Hall, Highway M-28 in west Ishpeming
• April 4, 2012 from 7 to 9 p.m. (eastern time)/6 to 8 p.m. (central time) at Gogebic Community College, Lindquist Center in Ironwood
• April 5, 2012 from 7 to 9 p.m. (eastern time) at Michigan Technological University, Isle Royale Ballroom A-2 in Houghton
• Thursday, April 5, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Cisler Center on the campus of Lake Superior State University, 621 West Easterday Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie
• April 12 from 7:00 p.m. at the library in the Tahquamenon Area School in Newberry.
• April 25 from 7:00 p.m. at the Snyders Restaurant, 400 Cedar St., Munising.

Unseasonably warm temps have the earliest Spring possibly ever recorded upon us currently, the majority of all our snow pack is gone.  Rivers are quite high at this time from all the runoff with the multiple 80 degree days.  Truthfully, it feels more like August than March and reports of peepers (frogs) in the swamps are already common-this normally doesn’t happen till April or even May some years.  Some new Steelhead have been migrating upstream and some nice Trout were being taken prior to the high water.

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Well, with the recent onset of heavy snows we decided it was a excellent time to visit some tropical weather. So off to FL we went, daytime highs of 80 degrees plus replaced the frozen tundra of the Upper Peninsula.  A nice change of pace and a reminder that warmer days are not to far off in the near future.  Snook, Redfish & Sea Trout kept the rods bent as we discovered some new outstanding flats.  These fish are a ton of fun and it is always great to cast to new species in unique locales.  Warmer weather is now present in the Upper Peninsula as much of the recent snows are gone and some fresh water is flowing through the rivers.  Pictured below are some of the saltwater species that provided some good times on the recent outing.