I expected the river to be crowded but was amazed to only find 3 guys fishing… And none of them were in my spot. I fished hard for 2 hours only landing a couple trout to keep me going. Then an hour before dark as the sun set everyone else went home and left me alone on the river. I was relishing the serenity and time alone on the river and was happy to just have the water rushing past my knees when it happened.

The fish turned on and for the next hour I could hardly keep them off my line. To me there is nothing quite as amazing as an evening on the stream alone; but when the fishing is good too it is simply awe inspiring.

I ended up landing two fish after fighting great battles with 6 others in addition to the 3 nice trout I landed. With the sky aglow in a spring sunset and a steelhead slipping out of my hand to return to the river I had to sit down on the bank and soak it all in for a moment and humbly realize just how blessed I am.

Opie

My first Steelie of the year was a beautiful male that put up one heck of a fight.

Started the day with this nice 14 inch Brown Trout. Gotta love fishing in Michigan.

Well here we go. It’s the 2012 predator challenge here in southwest Michigan and Team FLG is ready to rock and roll!

We are all checked in and are now just waiting for the quick talk from the local conservation officer about keepin it legal.

Stay tuned….it should be a good time.

Opie