A hot September afternoon on the Huron

I've lived in Ann Arbor for just over three years. In that time I have made numerous trips to the closest section of the Huron River to to try my hand at catching whatever would bite. I was never impressed with the mutants that I was pulling out; rock bass with white eyes, all-black bluegills, and other varying offerings that I refer to only as "panfish." Due to the many dams on the Huron I regarded it as a few long, slow-moving, oligotrophic lakes strung together that could only support halfbreeds and muttfish.

But this summer I found out that people catch some sizable carp on the Huron. The sub/ counterculture of carp fishermen deserves a post of its own. Pictures of people landing 10 lbs + carp not far from where I live got me super stoked. I picked up appropriate tackle, but the season's best time coincided with my last set of law school finals. Needless to say, my dreams of horsing in copper-colored softmouths yielded to the necessity of my school duties.

Fast forward a few weeks: I'm done with law school for good (graduation in a week and a half). Now, barring preparation for the Bar Exam (honestly, not a pun) my free time is truly free time. Today I put some of my free time to good use: I gave the Huron another shot.

I'm very glad that I made a serious effort to find a fishable portion of the Huron. It will give me one more resource to call on when I need a reprieve. We caught many Bluegill, a few smallmouths and quite a few decent-size rock bass. There were no trophy fish willing to suck up our flies but they were out there, in the water... and that will keep me coming back.

You get that Chernobyl Hopper little man!

Carp carp everywhere and me with my little 6 wt. Next time.

Hunter with his prize of the day.

J.

Morning at Gallup Park

Sunday morning we took a stroll through Gallup Park on the East side of Ann Arbor. Though the Huron River is not much more than a slow-moving oligotrophic lake, the critters and the landscape offered a welcomed reprieve from being in town.

New Snow and The Huron

-J

Soggy walk leads to beautiful discovery

After our fish last night we took a little stroll in the rain to the nearby Parker Mill Park.

It was nice to get out of the house and just take in spring with all of its musty smelling, slippery surfaced green glory!

We saw some Jack-in-the-Pulpits, Michigan Orchids and many other little bits of nature that one would not expect to see in the city.

Take a look!

I like this angle, it makes me feel like these little plants are much bigger than they really are.

Needless to say it was a welcomed escape.

Hope you enjoyed.

-J

Barton Damn/ Pond

Last week Chels and I took a short trip over to the Barton Damn area.

The area has a trail system and a few spots that look to be pretty decent to fish from, in warmer weather, as this river does not have a real run of any sort, due to its poor management.

I snapped a few shots while we were there. Take a look. We plan on a longer walk when we are more prepared for the weather!

Enjoy, let me know what you think.
(pssst click on the photos, they get bigger to show detail!)

Have a great day,

-J