Monday, November 21, 2016

Fall Steelhead and Deer Season

Hi All

Fall Steelheading started for me just before and right after my Missouri Deer bow season hunt. It's one of my few vacations. I leave in late October and got back on Nov. 11th..The fishing has been decent. I had a trip on Nov. 13th. for a half day and this weekend ( 19, 20 th.) we did 2 half days with a lunch because of the cold winter like weather. We got about 2 -3" of snow in places..The wind was brutal on Saturday.. but we toughed it out till 1:30 both days. We caught fish 2 to 4 Steelhead each trip out and had pretty good action considering it's low and clear water conditions. I guess that has been the norm this Fall, bad conditions.

The hunting was warm and windy so I didn't have ideal conditions for that either. You want it frosty cold and quiet light winds to kick in the rut and Deer movement is good when it's cold. When it's 75 to 85 deg. they move mostly at night like in the summer. Lots of days it was that warm with a 20 to 35 mph winds also kept them bedded down more than normal...So it was kinda a tough hunt. Several days were good conditions but the rut had been put on hold and behind schedule with all the warm weather. A few Deer were in heat but they were more nocturnal than I have ever experienced.

My Bow hunt was decent. I shot a Doe and had to skin and quarter it out and then ice it in a cooler because the Deer processors in Mo. don't work Sunday's and it was to hot to just leave hanging.. I seen tons of scrub buck's and doe's at bow range. The corn field food plots I had my cousin plant were all ate up before I got down there. So this is the second time we tried corn and both hunts were bad mostly because to grow a real corn field you need to hoe it, fertilize it and weed it..In other words it's not just a plant it and watch it grow kinda crop. You need to give it some attention for it to reach 6ft. tall full of corn ears, also need to fence it off from the Deer if your only going to plant 4 or 5 acres of it..So it will be milo or winter wheat from now on..So the Deer have enjoyed there last corn field on my place for a while. Milo doesn't get ripe till I get down there and winter wheat is tender vittles when it is young sprouts in October thru December. So those both work well to attract Deer to the property.

My little cousin Morgan shot a nice young 8pt during the youth season with a rifle. Reggie shot a nice 145" 8pt. with a crossbow but lost all the meat and hide to coyotes and warm temps when he found it the next day. Joana shot a 120" 9pt. with a crossbow. Dan shot a 110" 8pt. and a coyote with a bow. Dan seen bigger bucks right after he killed the 8pt. and was kicking himself a little..Been there done that. Dave from D&M Heating and Cooling in Baldwin got a buck of a lifetime in Baldwin a 160" with his rifle on the 3 rd. day of the season.... I never laid eyes on a real shooter buck except at night, in pitch dark I seen a few good ones running around. Seemed like they bedded down a hour before light and didn't get up till a hour after dark. Not Playing Fair at all...

Oh well that's hunting !! Sometimes it takes some luck !! Luck I didn't have..Closest I came was on my last a.m. hunt I had a Hot Doe run by at 5 yards, behind her a rutting grunting buck, grunt, grunt, grunt, grunt walked by at 5 yards...Scrub Buck 4 pt...Dam..Bad Luck or No Luck at all for me...It all was coming together PERFECT for a minute I thought..That a.m. I could have shot the doe and 3 other scrub bucks all at 10 yards or less..Big bucks just were laying low around me..They are just afraid of me rightfully so.. Smart Deer I guess..

If you would like to book a fishing trip I have many good days open and enjoy fishing Half or Full day trips all Fall / Winter for Steelhead and Trout....Give us a call 231-745-6667 I love the late season Steelheading...Dosen't feel like Steelhead season unless it's cold, snowy and icy...So it's time to fish!!


Tight Lines
Clint













Monday, September 19, 2016

Fall Salmon Run

Hi All

It has been a better run than last season so far. The Salmon have had decent rains to help cool and stain the water some to help migration. We have been lacking cool air temps. The colder it gets at night and keeping the daytime highs under 70 really helps the bite window last longer than 9 or 10 a.m.. That has been the only issue is 75 to 85-90 deg. days during this past early season... When it warms up those fish go down and lay on the bottom to stay cool or keep up migration till they find a spring pumping out cool water..

So this warmer weather has pushed a bunch of fish up stream to stage mid and upper river closer to the better springs. About a week to 10 days ago a bunch of those early fish jumped gravel and are spawning..Good news for fishermen that like to watch spawning activity. There are still more fish in the holes staging than spawning. Fish are spread out through the whole system with all the extra water we have had. That is good news for future fish.

It is all working... Lures, skein, flies in every section of river.. The numbers are not the good old days but much better than last year...

We have some good guide dates left ...October 6,7,10,11,14, 17-24th..
Please call 231-745-6667 if interested in a room or a guided trip..Trip Rates are $275 Half day and $400 Full day..



Sorry haven't been taking too many pictures or the clients have them on there phones ! Here is Danny with a 20lber..

Thank You
Clint

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Salmon Season Is Here !

Hi All

Like every year we kick off the Salmon season in the lower river...Timing is about the same every year..I started looking around after a big rain August 21 st. with no bites that a.m...On the 23 rd. I invited friends Russ and Jen out and Jen put a whopping on them and Russ and I did a bunch of long distant releases..So it started about a week ago and has been pretty steady down there..No super duper gang buster days but you can catch/ hook... Salmon and Pike down there for sure...they are lurking...

Had a trip down there August 26th. for a a.m. half day and were 2 for 6..2 to net, 2 to log jams, 2 unbuttoned...not bad action from 7 to 10a.m...Casting lures and flies for Kings, Steelhead, and Trout is a favorite for me...Love the fly fishing but nothing wrong with a lure/ fly chasing, striking fish period !! Fish eat fish world...Big fish meet little fish and CHOMP...

Pulling my 251 Baha Cruiser today and taking it to get winterized..Sad day...But river fishing is good enough to put my time in on the river vs the lake...Had a fun season for 13 weeks on the lake and another season of trolling experience...

I have some good days open Sept.18,19,27,28  for the middle of King Salmon season...Give us a call 231-745-6667 or email  info@redmooselodge.com .We have some great dates open and rooms as well.. Full days are $400.00 , Half  $275.00

Have a great Salmon Season...

Tight Lines
Clint





Monday, July 11, 2016

Summer Fun !!

Hi All

Long time no write...I'll go back a while to May..Got my big lake boat ready (washed ,waxed,clean, launched)..Went out on Capt. Sean McDonalds, KatchMe boat and Capt. Jon Kolehouse's, Hattrick boats to do some fun fishing and shake down trips..Had a bunch of fun catching fish in the early season..Big lakers were around some Steelhead, some Kings mixed in..

In the first week of June 3rd.,4 th. we had a PMTU event here for the first fundraiser..We tapped into Detroit's own Atwater Brewery First Brown 1884 Beer...Made in honor of our Pere Marquette River being the first river stocked with German Browns in 1884. The snack food and beer were great along with the campfire meet and greet. Saturday was the BBQ Pig Roast/ Auction at the PM Lodge..Lucky we had a big tent rented for Saturday it rained some ! It was a great event...Thanks to everyone who helped pull it off and Thank You to all that attended or bought a auction item...

Did a few trips in May and a few trips in June for Trout. Then a client Pete and I had a planed trip to Colorado at the end of June. So we were flying out of Detroit so I planned on making a week out of it..Tigers Game we beat the Mariners and it was dog day at the park (we could have brought Rose our Westie)..Meet up with my friend Brett and Lindsey at the game.. Good to see them both..

Then I planed 2 days of Musky fishing with Capt. Eric Grajewski of Musk - E Fly Fishing Adventures on Lake St. Claire.. My friend Tom day 1and my Dad joined me for day 2..We Fished HARD for a full day and another part of a day with flies only, only a couple hits/ grabs nothing landed. So we switched gears ( literally) to casting bait casters with big lures and Bingo they liked lures better than our flies..Eric hit a 44" at 10: 30 a.m. and I hit a 47" at 12:30 p.m. and that was our good bite window..The rest of the day was follows to the boat just like when we were fly fishing...It was a hell of a good time, lots of skill and effort casting a 12 wt. Mystic Rods with a 450 grain SA 25 cold sink tip. We seen lots of Musky..I had only trolled for Musky in the past and you don't see the fish till he's coming to the net..This is more fun and up close...Bring good glasses and you will get a show...Thanks Eric...

Next, was off to Aspen Co. with Pete..A great client who loves to fish..He invited me back in February and we hatched a plan..We fished the Roaring Fork and the Frying Pan rivers..The Frying Pan was low and clear and we caught a few fish each..The Roaring Fork river was ROARING ( run off season still )..A white water rafting trip with some Trout fishing mixed in.. We went with Frying Pan Anglers. We caught a bunch of fish nymphing...more than you can count but we enjoyed wasting some time throwing streamers at 10 mph..We caught some fish on streamers on the move but most Trout couldn't keep up with the boat and would only short strike and just didn't have the time to eat it right...Nothing over 20" but a bunch up to and around 20"..We thought the streamer might have a chance to get a big boy out to hunt...nope...Teener's to Twenty galore..A great fishery on the Roaring Fork..There Colorado Trout fisheries management is first class !! Lots of fish, just like Montana and Wyoming too...The Rockey Mountains were awesome too..Great trip, Thank You Pete!!

I have done a few Pike fishing trips with flies and lures both and some Hex fly fishing trips for Trout lately. Some Big laken too in the last few weeks after getting back from vacation. I have a Trout trip tomorrow and 2 next week. Ludington Offshore Classic is this week starting on Thursday. So got to get oil changed, gassed up, new leaders, check knots, new snaps swivels, and sharpen hooks. Fishing just Big Fish and 333 this year Saturday/ Sunday..Fishing for big #'s has been hard to do ( catch rates are low )..In the A.M division you have to get 10 each day and it's not easy !! So I'm just going to go for a few screamers and screw dinking it up to get a full box of 10 each day. Just 3 or 4 big ones are all we will need in 2 days of fishing vs. trying to catch 20 to put in the box...

Well that's pretty current right down to the 2 Kings Jeff and Heather are holding not even 24 hours ago...If your intrested in booking a trip just call us 231-745-6667... Pike , Smallmouth and Trout are fair game and fun to catch all summer...


Tight Lines
Clint










Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Run Is Still Going


Hi All

The Steelhead run is still going...a.m. and p.m. is best...clouds are better than sun...We could use some warm rain... The rain would get the mushroom hunting better, knock the dust down and give us a little push of fresh chrome fish.. River is clear and clean...You can't count the rocks on the bottom of the holes but it's not far off...Pocket water and holes are fishing well. The streamer bite is picking up as the water is reaching nearly 50 deg some days..

I have been fly fishing here and the Muskegon the last couple weeks...It's really been up to the customers...Here on the P.M. it's been more Trout than Steelhead on the MO. it's been more Steelhead than Trout so it's a coin flip..P.M is way more peaceful...Boat traffic has been about the same...Both have been fishing good...
















I have lots of great dates open to guide Trout or the last of the Steelhead run...The weather is finally nice and I think were in the clear for Spring to show up..Call 231-745-6667 to book your rooms and trip dates...
Thanks for a Great Spring so far to our great customers !! Get some dates in the books for Trout Season...May and June are the best trout fishing !!



Tight Lines
Clint

Monday, April 4, 2016

New Fish Are Here


Hi All

New Spring run fish are showing up. Chromers.. My last trip on Friday while the water was on the rise fishing was slow. When I got home the water had rose about a foot during my guide trip on 4/1. We did get some nice Browns 1 over 21" and 2 others on Friday but the Steelhead were hard to find and had moved from there normal spots to take cover from the debris..Wednesday 3/30 and Thursday 3/31 before the flood were fantastic, great color water, great bite. Wednesday had Larry out and he was catching Steelhead ,19" Browns and Trout 2 at a time one on each fly ( which he had never done before). Mike and his daughter Lea enjoyed the monsoon rains on Thursday because the bite was well worth it. Rich and his son Richy had a great fly bite on 3/27. Richy got to hook and land his first ever Steelhead and we boated a bunch that day along with some nice Trout.

After I got home on Friday from my trip, I had to break the news to my Saturday/ Sunday trips that we would not be fishing in the flood and although disappointed they understood the risk isn't worth the reward...As I type I let my Monday guy bump to Thursday to let the water drop some more and get back in it's banks. Everyone is re-booked and I tied about 10 dozen egg flies and look forward to a very busy 2 weeks ahead. There are new trees down in all sections of rivers and the river isn't great wading at the moment either. So be careful out there.

I have some rooms and great guide dates open April 16th. --30th.. So if you like warmer weather it should be here by then..Book a trip. 231-745-6667.. Fishing should be good to great thur the first week in May...

Tight Lines
Clint