Michingan Steelie-Pearsonal Best

After a long day of work couldn't wait for the day to end fast enough to head north west to try to figure the secrets  the Manistee has hidden away. Didn't get away as early as we like and getting to cottage very late at night it was a slow start in the morning to get to the river, but that's what nice having the boat never the pressure of rushing to find a place on the bank to fish. We launched the boat and decided to fish downstream of Tippy

 

with a little side bet on, Brian got out with a quick start and produced a small brown then lost a decent steelie or we think never did to get a glance at this bruit as it made a mad dash upstream pulling drag then came unbuttoned. A frustrating start to the day, then I stepped my game up and landed 2 nice Michigan fish.

 

 

the rest of the day was slow with the bet tied and  the sun getting low in the sky thought we head up to the dam and if not too crowded try just off the coffer. Well good call on Brian's part and wasn't more then 20 minutes later I tied into what turned out to be my personal best. The fish hit my roe bag like a locomotive and decided to make 3 leaps just to scare the pants off me. Brian quickly pulled the anchor up and as the fish screamed down the river with a one way ticket back to lake Michigan we finally caught up to it to get control of this fish,  I work it back towards the boat . With the lost of day light Brian took a stab in the dark at the fish just as it decided to take a dive below the boat . Great net job by Brian to help land a personal best. After couple quick pictures we  return her back to river to carry her genetics for future generations.

 

 

 

Well this big brute won me the daily bet.  

 

 

 

The next day I decided to swing flies with my Vision Spey rod and had one good hit but all I got was a couple head shakes,

 

 

 

 before Brian tied into to a nice brown.

 

 

 Well 3 fish later setting me way behind in day two bet and Brian catching one fish on one of my olive jig to rub salt in my wounds,

 

 

 

 

 we decided to move down river where it was hard to cast the big fly rod so I switched back to the float rod and hooked up with a couple more fish.

 

 

 

Sunday forecast of big winds we decided to pack, clean up and head home before the storms came. All in all was another great weekend on the mighty Manistee