New to Michigan and always looking for new fishing buddies.
Hello everyone;
My name is Kelly and my wife and I moved to Michigan in Jan 2016. Found a nice house on 2.8 acres of wooded property. We have turkeys that eat the corn I put down to feed the other birds and wildlife. We have had 20 whitetail in the back yard one morning. We live in Grayling and the wildlife around the place is wonderful.
Ok lets talk about me. I am an older disabled veteran ( if 59 is older) that bought another boat because everyone thinks I am helpless because I use a wheelchair to move around outside. I love to garden and have a lot of raised beds all over the place. I am going to start a bee hive next year. I will have to put an electric fence around it if I cant get DNR to remove the bear we have around us. The first year we lived here I came face to face with him on my back porch. Luckily I had my 45 with me. He huffed at me a couple of times then left. He forages on the berries we have on the back side of the property.
I have a 1990 ranger 393V comanche boat that has been some what redone for me. I made a space I can put my manual wheelchair in it and strap it down if I need to. I spent 3 years in therapy getting to where I can stand and move around but I have no stamina and tire very fast when I have to stand and move around. My boat is set up that I remove three strips and the boats free. I have a latter that I use to get in if needed but normally I clip a rope to the front and use it to bring it to dock after launching. My wife was going to be my partner but she is not doing well so I am looking for someone I can fish with on a regular bases.
I fish mostly for bass. My favorite is the smallmouth but I am ready for both. I make me own lures for fun. I have almost 30 models and used to love going to club meetings and sitting around making lures for the club members. I have not found any clubs close to me and if I want the folks at bass nation say I could start one locally. Being new to the area I don't know anyone except the people close around me. Like the guy across the street. Yes I am a member of B.A.S.S. and would like to start tournament fishing but again I need a club around me to do that. Stop before you think I am just a bass fisherman. I am trying to learn about walleye for eating and salmon. We are building a smokehouse and love smoked salmon. So don't think all I want to do is chase bass. Everyone needs a break from the main fishing they do. Also learning about how to catch other species gives you new ideas on how to catch the main fish species you are after.
I am always looking to go fishing for anything. Love just being outdoors and enjoying some of the things I used to do. Everyone thank you for taking the time to ride all this rambling I have done.
Have a great day and better tomorrow. Kelly
Hi Kelly and welcome to Michigan. You're not too far from me as I live in Elk Rapids/ We have a power dam in town that has GREAT smallmouth bas ( 14" legal BUT we get up to 20+ in this area, We also have three fishing docks wheelchair accessible along with two new port-a-potties right by the docks. Springtime we get, again 25-32" steelhead and in the fall, now, in this same area by the dam the king, coho, atlantic salmon, steelhead ( fall strain ) brown and lake trout also are in the dam area. BIG fish for a small area.
I also host a yearly free fishing expo at our harbor pavilion running a panel of 6-8 "experts" ( we catch fish when others don't ) along with 2-3 DNR members. Our shows pull upwards of 100-150 a show. We try to get the expo in the 3rd Wednesday of June. I have a buddy that is a tournament bass expert from Florida that, now, lives in Elk Rapids. I'm sure that he would welcome your expertise in this idea as we don't have a lot of tournaments but it is catching on for the three lakes ( Elk, Torch and Skegmog ) in our immediate area have great bass ( both large/smallmouth ) fishing. I'm retired ( 30 years Detroit Police ) and also a vet ( "class of "69 ) Give me a shout out for any other info you might need.
Hi Kelly,
You live near MI's holy trout water and Lake Margarethe is just out side of Grayling. But that's not the issue, finding fishing buddies. In my youth 70 yrs ago growing just north of NY City it was always a problem to find a place to hunt and fish. My Dad had a solution that worked for us and can work for you also. He would go to the local church parishes and talk to the pastors explaining our situation and asking for their help in gaining access. Most parish pastors know who hunt and fish in their congregation and usually are happy to help finding someone that fits your situation. You have the equipment and lots of time people who like to fish are always looking for people that have the resources. This approach was so effective that we always had places to hunt and fish near to home and far away. Good Luck!
Walt
Wow Kelly. You're telling my story. I moved up here July 15,2016 from Ohio. (Don't hold that against me guys.) Have a house in Interlochen on an in-land lake. I'm also a disabled Vet. Little older (71) and not yet using a chair. Mainly because I'm to stubborn to get one. I too have a Ranger boat also a little older (1980) but in good shape. Can't walk a long way but can hook up the boat and launch it. I love fishing for Salmon, Steelhead, Pike and Bass. Would always be glad to have a fishing partner. I see this as being the start of a great friendship, maybe. Let me know what you think. By the way name's John.
Wow, thank you for such a warm welcome. I will be contacting each of you so please watch for a PM. It may take me a little while to answer each of you as my hands hurt sometimes and it is hard to type. That's why I put rod holders in my boat. If my hands start hurting I can put my rod in its holder and work the lure back that way. Works best with something you crank in or troll with. I am working on a brace I can put on and keep fishing when my hands hurt. I used to hunt and spend most my time outdoors until I got tired of falling down and started using this chair. I have spent 2 1/2 years in therapy to be able to go fishing and to stand for a short period. I will start back in therapy this fall to try and build on what I have now. One thing I did was avoid surgery doing therapy. Ok talk at you all later. Thank you for your time. Kelly
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