From the ice to the streams
Another week goes by and the big April snowstorm still hasn’t arrived. I wrote a while back about how it seems we get one or two big storms every year before all of the snow is gone. This year, it looks like we could be left out. (Caution: There’s still time…) Earlier this week it did snow and was pretty dang cold for being April. The ice in Munising Bay and out in AuTrain still exists and people are still ice fishing, although it’s pretty dangerous. It’ll be fun to see how long it takes for the ice in the bay to be completely gone. (I will guess mid-May.) There also still quite a bit of snow on the ground and it doesn’t look we have any real warm-ups in the forecast.
For myself, I’ve decided to hang-up the ice fishing gear for the year. After going out almost every weekend since mid-December, it’s time to move on to the next season of fishing. That would be hitting the rivers for some steelhead fishing. A steelhead is actually a rainbow trout that lives in the Great Lakes (or ocean) and travels back to the river it was hatched from to spawn (reproduce). It’s amazing to think these fish can travel miles and find the exact river they born in! I can’t even remember what I did yesterday! Catching these fish is a challenge because they’re pretty big (20″+) and they have a tendency of blending with their underwater surroundings. The river depth is usually pretty shallow so the fish can see you before you see them. If you do manage to hook a big one, be ready to jump in the river for chase. Like every other steelhead/trout fisherman, I can’t tell you where to go. I’ve been sworn to secrecy. Just get outdoors and explore, you’ll find them eventually.
Happy Easter!
Also, thanks to everyone who left comments on last week’s posting. Really nice to read about your favorite waterfall. Please comment anytime!
April 20th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
So we have you to blame for forecasting this April snowstorm?
I was enjoying the spring flowers picture, and now those pretty flowers will be covered with snow! Sad. But typical spring in the good ol’ U.P. so I shouldn’t be too surprised.