For once the weather cooperated this past weekend for the opening of trout season, and we were catching fish on dry flies instead of watching flecks of snow in 35 degree gray skies.
I just hope it was a good omen for the coming tourist season in Michigan. If gas prices stay pretty much where they're at, and the weather cooperates, it’s a good time to start planning weekend trips.
On Friday we floated the North Branch of the Au Sable River in a flotilla of graceful, wooden Au Sable River boats, and didn't get off the river until 9 p.m. Lots of fish were caught, and we were treated to a spinner fall toward evening. Watching the insects is a treat, even for those who don't fish.
The upper river near County Road 612 was fairly low, and we needed to get out of the boats on occasion to push them, and the river got deeper near the middle of the float and it was clear sailing.
The Au Sable River boats are fairly heavy, and are intended for deeper water. I'm looking forward to using a new fishing kayak I won at the Ann Arbor Trout Unlimited Chapter banquet on the night before my 62 birthday. It was just what I needed, since I'm writing a canoe/kayak guide to Michigan this year.
On Saturday, I avoided the crowds on the Au Sable and headed to the Plate River near Honor with my son John. There we saw only one other angler and caught young, splashy rainbow trout on dry flies.
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