Gone Fishing

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Appliance Brad,

That is awesome! I was up on the P.M. a few weeks ago and caught my first steelhead. The guide was telling us how good the salmon run was in the Fall up there.

I am really going to try to make the salmon run this year. I have a brand new 8 wt fly rod I cannot wait to use.

I normally fish the upper Manistee, north of 72 and different parts of the Au Sable for trout during the summer and early Fall. I love it up there.

Thank you for sharing your pictures!

Man, nice steelhead. But -

Please, please, do not put fish on a stringer to 'revive' them, nor handle the gills with your hands. There's a very good chance the first fish didn't survive that release.

To revive for release, hold trout/steelhead/whatever by the tail with your strong hand, support the belly with your off hand, and hold its head into the flow to move water over the gills. You'll know it's working by watching its gills move. This may take several minutes until the fish is strong enough to swim off, especially after a long fight, and it may require a little fore/aft movement on your part to get them going.

I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I can't stand to see fish being released in a way that will almost inevitably kill them. For the record, I see nothing wrong with keeping and eating fish in waters/populations that can support it - I love eating high lake rainbows and cutthroats. Also, even with the best handling practices, some fish simply will not survive, it's just part of the game.

Hope you don't take my comments personally - just trying to spread some awareness from one sportsman to another. Tight lines.