fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

My definition of camping has always been "a place to sleep in the woods while being closer to your fishing spot on the next day". Just returned from a 3 day spell over in Grayling, MI. primary objective was to troll for rainbow trout in a deep, cold, spring fed lake with a new lure that I learned about on this forum from Character Lures. Set up with a 3 color leadcore rig and within 5 minutes had the first fish on my stringer! Very pleased about that!

Also spent time plying the waters (kayak trolling) on several nearby lakes...all very small in surface areas, but great habitat. Targets were bass and pike, but only managed to scrounge up some bass.

The crowning event of the trip was a solo afternoon float, again via kayak, down the Upper Manistee River...fly casting for wild stream trout. My "go to" searcher fly pattern is a simple brown and white generic mayfly imitation that always produces for me and this day was no different than any in the past. At times a blue winged olive hatch would emerge, but the fish still keyed in on the brown mayfly. I tattered up everything I had brought until I ran out, and even when switching to a Roberts Yellow Brown Drake the trout could not resist! The brown and brook trout were extremely cooperative, and after catching and releasing dozens of beautiful 6" to 13" specimens over several consistent hours of fishing I was ready to head back to camp and enjoy a blazing fire and call it a day.

set up for trolling in a 14' "shorty" sea kayak


rainbow trout taken on the Character Lures mini spoon


average sized largemouth bass - keeps things interesting while searching for the northern pike!


lazy drift downstream while keeping a keen eye on the fly!


brook trout will never bore me with their natural color splendor!


a 13 inch view from Davy Jones locker.....only much shallower!

Shutupandfish Loc: Transplanted roots back to Wyoming

Yup, just like “boating”, had three boats never put one in the water without fishing, almost consider a boat a necessary evil for good fishing.

Sinker Rig Loc: Tampa area

Some great pics there yak

Whitereb Loc: Lake Guntersville Alabama

Now that’s a good trip fun fun

hacksaw Loc: Pasadena, Texas

Thanks for your post fishyaker, and the beautiful pictures of the fish.
Hack 🇺🇸🍺🍺

DCGravity Loc: Fairfax, VA (by way of Cleveland OH)

Wow! And the color pattern on the brook trout is amazing! Thanks for sharing the pix!

Lynnz Loc: Texas panhandle

Looks like fun!!

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

Looks like a great trip Yaker, and some beautiful fish and scenery. Thanks for the pictures.

OJdidit Loc: Oak Creek Wisconsin

Nice trip Yaker, thanks for the pics!

Weekend Hooker Loc: Clyde, Texas

Such a great day

john1470 Loc: Sandy Hook, CT

... congrats... glad u enjoyed urself

Whitey Loc: Southeast ohio

Like you had a great time thanks for sharing the pictures😁👍

40GRIT Loc: San Ramon, CA

Sounds like a great time Yak! Good pics too, how were the skeeters?

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

The stinging/biting bugs were amazingly sparse...except for a few deer flies...and I get a bad reaction from those if they chomp on me for too long! Seems like the deer flies last all Summer long...so that was to be expected!

I sure love the rivers over there (AuSable and Manistee). We used to own property frontage on the main branch of the AuSable, in hopes of someday building a cabin...but finally ended up selling it a few years ago because we figured it was just never going to happen.

Thankfully there is a ton of "free" public access to those river systems...so anybody can enjoy them from good access points...which is just as it should be!

another perspective on the German brown trout...I could stare at them all day long!

40GRIT Loc: San Ramon, CA

I hear you on those deer flies, they bite hard and leave a quarter size welt (on me anyway). I used to canoe both those rivers as a kid and Boy Scout back in the day, you’re making me pine for a trip back home!