Steelhead fishing - 31st year and a rant
It’s true. It only recently hit me, that I’ve been going to the same river, same place to “fish for steelhead” for over 30 years. Why the quotes; “fish for steelhead”? I do fish for them when I go there, do catch them, it is important, but catching steelhead is not the focus.
30 years is a big chunk of life. Close to half. For those that have never fished for them, you don’t just go and catch steelhead. I guess there are some hot shot anglers, and some hot shot rivers where you can slam their limit in an hour…that’s fine.
Fishing for hours on end without fish, you have a tremendous amount of time to think things through. 30 years of thinking about great things, bad things, and hard things. Tough decisions that needed to be made. Big events that happened along the road of life, and figuring out how to do them right: high school crap, you know girl friends, competitive sports, graduation..road trip! You know where. Then college, friends, money, cars, marriage, children, divorce, career changes, houses, and dreaming about retiring, moving, and fishing my favorite steelhead river until I die….see what I mean?
Anyway, this is the stuff steelheading became to me. Then there’s the things you see, people you meet, places you stay, and other things you do while you are “fishing”.
For me, it was Oscoda and the Au Sable river. It was Footsite Villiage, Sport Haven Resort, and cabin #10. A cabin purposefully left by the wonderful owners as “pet friendly” so Drake could come with me. A cabin I frequently did repairs on without the owners knowing. One that I stayed at for 10 days straight by myself. It was Desi’s Mexican restaurant, Wiltse’s Brewpub, Hiltop Bar, the Dam Store, the coffee shops, etc. It was deer, turkeys, eagles, osprey, colors, moods, cold, hot, snow, rain, wind, wet, quiet, and sitting in the tall grass drinking gin at each sunset on the river from a pewter flask my Dad gave me. As the gin warmed me, the cool late evening air flowed down the hill from the woods and covered me.
Well, at the 31st year, things have changed. Cabin #10 is no longer available, and this hurts beyond expression. Thanks to whoever made this State of Michigan so poor, and burdened it’s businesses so much that they can’t even provide their owners with a meager living. Thanks. You ruined whole chunks of hundreds of thousands of people’s lives in ways you couldn’t possibly imagine…like ruining a 30 year tradition.
Then there’s the fish. After fishing 2 days this last trip, I gave up. I didn’t touch a fish, or even see but 2 or 3 in the river. Although as I’ve said catching fish is not the entire focus, there has to at least be the possibility you’re going to catch a few. The DNR planted them alright, just like they always have, but the locals say the river is low and Lake Huron is “sick”. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Invasive species like Zebra Mussels? Quagga Mussels? Gobies? Pollution? Global warming? Come to think of it, why was the river bottom clean gravel before, and now I can’t drift a pencil sinker without snagging because it’s carpeted with weeds from fertilizer runoff? What’s wrong with you people? Do you have to screw everything up with your stupidity? It is so heartbreaking and discouraging.
So far, the DNR is very responsive to my questions, and I think there’s hope to figure out what’s up with the fish. The new folks at Barefoot Beach Resort in Oscoda are super people, and the “new” cabin is fantastic, close to the river, and everything.
Maybe I just went to early this year. Doesn’t matter that I’ve caught them in October before. Cryin’ out loud, caught them in September. Maybe I need to try harder. Maybe I’m not the fisherman I used to be. Friends have told me to find another river. “Go to the Lake Michigan side of the state, there’s more fish”. Thanks. And what, start another tradition from scratch?
Not without a fight. Sounds like this is a big problem and I need to think this one through…maybe I’ll go to Oscoda and do a little Steelhead fishing. Oh yea, I forgot….
