Like many others here, I work a lot of hours and have spent decades getting to a point where I can enjoy some time doing things I really enjoy.
Every spring and fall my long time fishing partner (who is also my nephew and 6 years younger than me) get together a couple times a year to chase steelhead in the spring and salmon in the fall with our fly rods. After 44 years of fishing together in places all over Michigan and northern Ontario, we have reached the point where the sitting around a campfire with some bourbon in an old tin cup is just as important as the time spent on the water. Anymore, almost all the fish we catch get released after a quick picture. I thought I'd share a few images from this years trip.

Camp on a bluff overlooking a tributary of the Big Manistee river.

IMG_1533[1] by Brad Benzing, on Flickr


My nephew and a nice hen

IMG_1568 by Brad Benzing, on Flickr

Me with a really colorful male steelhead. That's my Sage Pulse 8 WT on the bank behind me. I kept this one one and we grilled the fillets when I got home. I like fish under 5 pounds for the grill.

IMG_1554 by Brad Benzing, on Flickr

Mint silver steelhead hen on a yarn fly with 6# leader

ETCC3578 by Brad Benzing, on Flickr

My fishing partner with another new dime bright fish

AMWM0851 by Brad Benzing, on Flickr

After 4 days, it's good to be back home to hot showers and inside plumbing but the time away makes the days and nights of long hours all worthwhile

Thanks for sharing. Great photos! Looks like a great get away.

Wow Brad, that looks like loads of fun! Congrats on the beautiful catch!

I got the warm fuzzies looking at your camp, Brad. Looks like you youngsters know what you're doing! Thanks for the story and pics!

Brad your first one is beautiful. Looks like fun.

Nice fish Brad.
You like the Sage better than the Legend Ultra?

THAT LOOKS AWESOME! Beautiful fish you caught there, Brad!

I'm also digging the Nemo tent! Not sure what model you have there, but I have a Losi 3P, which looks kinda' like a UFO once you set it up! I've also got one of their self-inflating sleeping pads and a couple of backpacking pillows...Awesome Gear!

Holy crap those are some nice fish.

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:
THAT LOOKS AWESOME! Beautiful fish you caught there, Brad!

I'm also digging the Nemo tent! Not sure what model you have there, but I have a Losi 3P, which looks kinda' like a UFO once you set it up! I've also got one of their self-inflating sleeping pads and a couple of backpacking pillows...Awesome Gear!

Thank you! We were blessed. That is outside of fishing 2 days of the 4 in pouring rain and rain snow mix.

I love my Nemo. It's a Galaxi 3 person, that I bought to replace a small dome tent I had in the same role for about 20 years. Their gear is very well built. I've been looking at their sleeping pads as an upgrade to the ensolite one I've been using forever.

I have a big tub that I keep the tent, sleeping bag, pad, pillow, butane stove and cookware and percolator in. All i have to do is throw it in the truck and I'm ready to go. Nice light compact camp that is good for a week in a state or national forest campground.

I'm thanking about one of their ultra light 2 person tents to use for backpacking as this one is a bit heavy for that role.

quote:

Originally posted by goose5:
Holy crap those are some nice fish.

Thanks Goose! You thread on flyfishing prompted me to share them as we just got back. This was my first outing with my new Sage rod. It took a bit of learning with it. i hooked about six fish before I landed one as this rod is softer and requires a much more solid hook set than my St. Croix 8 wt.

quote:

Originally posted by lbsid:
Nice fish Brad.
You like the Sage better than the Legend Ultra?

The sensitivity on the Sage is incredible. We were fishing really high water and so where we usually sight fish, it was more of that we both know where the fish lie. I'm sure I was detecting pick ups I never would have felt with the Legend. It loads far differently and I had to modify my technique a bit to keep a tight line and get solid hook sets.

Great fish there! Do you have to pack into this spot very far? I don't see a vehicle anywhere close by. I've done some fishing in AK where they run ya up river and drop ya. They check on ya a few times a day and see if ya need anything. It's nice to get away from the crowds and catch those kinds of fish. Thx for sharing.

quote:

Originally posted by Appliance Brad:

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:
THAT LOOKS AWESOME! Beautiful fish you caught there, Brad!

I'm also digging the Nemo tent! Not sure what model you have there, but I have a Losi 3P, which looks kinda' like a UFO once you set it up! I've also got one of their self-inflating sleeping pads and a couple of backpacking pillows...Awesome Gear!

Thank you! We were blessed. That is outside of fishing 2 days of the 4 in pouring rain and rain snow mix.

I love my Nemo. It's a Galaxi 3 person, that I bought to replace a small dome tent I had in the same role for about 20 years. Their gear is very well built. I've been looking at their sleeping pads as an upgrade to the ensolite one I've been using forever.

I have a big tub that I keep the tent, sleeping bag, pad, pillow, butane stove and cookware and percolator in. All i have to do is throw it in the truck and I'm ready to go. Nice light compact camp that is good for a week in a state or national forest campground.

I'm thanking about one of their ultra light 2 person tents to use for backpacking as this one is a bit heavy for that role.

Looking at their website, it seems the 'newer' Nemo gear leans towards the ultralight designs/materials. My Nemo Equipment is several years old, but built to last for sure. I've got the 'Tuo' Self-Inflating Sleeping Pad and their 'Fillo' Backpacking Pillow. I've never slept better while backpacking...

quote:

Originally posted by coloradohunter44:
Great fish there! Do you have to pack into this spot very far? I don't see a vehicle anywhere close by. I've done some fishing in AK where they run ya up river and drop ya. They check on ya a few times a day and see if ya need anything. It's nice to get away from the crowds and catch those kinds of fish. Thx for sharing.

Thanks! Trucks are behind the camp picture. At this spot it's a very short walk down a steep hill. Up on the Betsie, about 45 minutes north of this spot, we used to have to walk in about 1.5 miles to get to uncongested parts of the river. Like most fishermen, we spend hours in the off season pouring over maps(and gathering local intel) and found a way to drive in on public land to the same spot.

I switch to the Nemo Tensor pad in long wide. Really only wanted the extra width. It’s been a game changer pad for me in comfort. Used it and a Nemo tent to through hike Isle Royale last year. I’ve become a huge fan of some of their gear in the last few years.

quote:

Originally posted by Appliance Brad:

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:
THAT LOOKS AWESOME! Beautiful fish you caught there, Brad!

I'm also digging the Nemo tent! Not sure what model you have there, but I have a Losi 3P, which looks kinda' like a UFO once you set it up! I've also got one of their self-inflating sleeping pads and a couple of backpacking pillows...Awesome Gear!

Thank you! We were blessed. That is outside of fishing 2 days of the 4 in pouring rain and rain snow mix.

I love my Nemo. It's a Galaxi 3 person, that I bought to replace a small dome tent I had in the same role for about 20 years. Their gear is very well built. I've been looking at their sleeping pads as an upgrade to the ensolite one I've been using forever.

I have a big tub that I keep the tent, sleeping bag, pad, pillow, butane stove and cookware and percolator in. All i have to do is throw it in the truck and I'm ready to go. Nice light compact camp that is good for a week in a state or national forest campground.

I'm thanking about one of their ultra light 2 person tents to use for backpacking as this one is a bit heavy for that role.

Very nice fish

The Olympic peninsula also has a wonderful Steelhead fishery.

Heading out to fish Crab Creek on private land next week. Want to get out there before it warms up and the rattlesnakes come out.

Looks like a helluva time, Brad!

What fantastic pictures. Thank you for sharing.

This is great, Brad.
So nice to see photos of what you described to me, last month, when you visited.
And, I'm keeping this as a story idea for the show.

How fantastic is that?

Thank you for sharing the pics.