fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. There is an undercut bank, an overhanging willow, a logjam just ahead...your next stop...hopefully the brook trout zone.

Well, that just did not come to pass this afternoon on the Boardman River near Traverse City, MI. Spent 3 hours pounding the stream with an array of great streamer patterns, and could not scare up as much as a creek chub! It was like the trout rapture had occurred and I was the first fisherman to hit the river in the wake of it.

Kind of reminded me of that Peter, Paul and Mary song..."Where have all the flowers gone"...only substitute Brook trout for the word "flowers"!

It was too windy to kayak (36 mph at times), which is why I went to "plan B". Still ended up being very windy for fly casting but I deserved a day on the river after spending half of yesterday with a chainsaw in hand clearing brush thickets and medium sized trees.

Oh well, the sun was out and standing waist deep in a cold spring fed river had me mesmerised nonetheless for the effort expended.

Concluding with a few scenery snapshots from today as well as fish taken on a different day (sorry to reach back in my archive photos but a fish tale still deserves a photo of the quarry)!

Boardman River at Grasshopper Creek confluence


Swinging a streamer - looking for any kind of action!


This water is too good to be barren!


hello brook trout - unfortunately from a previous wading trip!


Ah..."there you are my pretty"!

deepwater Loc: murrieta ca

nice fish

Randyhartford Loc: Lawrence, Kansas

Beautiful pictures there, Fishyaker. Thank you!

J in Cleveland Loc: Cleveland, Ohio

Now that is a post! Great writing, a good story, and labeled pictures!!!!! That’s why it’s fishing but still a great day to me!!!

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

Beautiful fish and beautiful water. Thank you. Gotta head to the mountains!

Fish Dancer Loc: Guntersville, Alabama

Well if you’re going to get skunked I can’t think of a prettier place. Thanks for sharing.

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

Great story and beautiful pictures Fishyaker, it is too pretty to be void of life. Maybe they didn't get the "Plan B" memo? Thanks for sharing. You'll get'em next time.

E.pa.al Loc: Martin's Creek

Nice pics yaker!! Thanks for sharing

Catfish hunter Loc: Riggins idaho (Paradise)

That’s the perfect looking rookie stream. Thanks for the pictures. Bring back childhood memories in the Big Horn mountains of Wyoming.

Catfish hunter Loc: Riggins idaho (Paradise)

“Brookie” stream🤦‍♂️

plumbob Loc: New Windsor Maryland

Just like reading and seeing pics in the old Field and Stream mags. Thanks fishyaker.

Jack Salman Loc: Crystal Falls, Michigan (UP)

Don't you just love the beautiful colors of a brook trout? If you look closely, you can see a little blue spot with a smaller red spot inside of it on the sides.
Absolutely beautiful environment for trout. The river looks awesome. Thanks for the great photos. Maybe the river got too warm and the trout ran up some deep muddy spring fed feeder stream.

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Glad folks enjoyed the posting! I figured it was the best way to console myself on what I thought was going to be a "catching" day! The section I chose to fish get's a ton of pressure, because it is a pleasant wade and has fairly simple access that only requires about a half mile of walking to reach it by a well worn trail. The Boardman River does not have any catch and release areas, and it relies completely on natural spawning to keep the population up.

It was one of those classic mid sized streams that ended up with a series of 3 rather large power generation dams being put in place about 110 years ago. Over that time it remained "wild" and had also developed a unique eco system that had fish populations flourishing. The dams were recently taken out over a several year period, and in general, it is now re-connected directly to Lake Michigan.

In the process of removing the dams, there were a few unanticipated "foul ups" that pretty much decimated the majority of the insect food chain in the main branch and it is taking some time to heal. There was also one event (a dam burst) that took a heavy toll on the existing fish population.

It is a beautiful river that is simply in the process of a natural restoration now. In a few more years it should be getting back to where it was...hopefully!

The resident brown trout, which tend to be a little shy during broad daylight, also take a toll on their little brook trout cousins, but hey...that is life in the wild!

I like to eat small trout!


So do I!


Count me in as well - more of a meal than bugs!

bknecht Loc: Northeast pa

That looks like some prime water for brookies and difficult to fish which is generally the case. Beautiful photos of your previous trip. Some days are like what you experienced but I’ve got a hunch there’s good times on the horizon.

Jack Salman Loc: Crystal Falls, Michigan (UP)

Thanks for explaining what took place over the years at that beautiful stream. Now I understand a lot more. The browns look beautiful too, but they are not native to the water like the brook trout are. There are very few native Brook Trout streams left in Michigan, that I know of. Sure would hate to see them disappear.
Again...three cheers for fishyaker for the great photos! Thanks