The river boils with big fish, the moon sheds light on the water, and there is peace. That peace is only interrupted by the sound of a fish feeding and the struggle to catch it. The river was empty of boats and anglers last night a disheartening occurrence. It seemed like the 2012 HEX season was over on the Au Sable, but the bugs showed up again and again I tried to catch the big one.
I consider them small when you only need one hand to hold them.
beer
The South Branch of the Au Sable River is where you could have found me lurking about the past few nights, somewhere on some sand two tracker in the Mason Tract. It’s a place where you slow your pace and get in the art of living well. And living well for me is catching brook trout on dry flies, the bigger the trout the better. What a story book place to catch my largest wild brook trout, the birthplace of Trout Unlimited. Countless anglers from all over the globe have waded this water, water that seems to be mingle with that of the Ganges.
beer
The way I see it there are two ways of waiting, good and bad. Bad waiting is at the doctors before a hernias exam or in line at the grocery store. Good waiting is for a roller coaster or in my case, waiting for bugs to hatch. When your entire day consists of waiting for bugs to hatch (or technically to die) things can get boring. I find ways to kill the waiting by exploring ponds, tying bugs, thinking, reading, writing, and maybe a touch of beer drinking. It’s hard not to stop and think why wait, why suffer? You can always try and turn the bad waiting into something worthwhile.
beer
I was way down river, alone, in the dark. It was hot and if the bugs showed up it could be my chance at a 20+ inch brown trout.
The evening rise started with small planted rainbows rising to whatever was on the water, bow’s, iso’s, stones. Then the small browns started to go.
At the end of a nice riffle was a lone riser, a solid rainbow that went to 15.
As the evening rise faded into night it was time to start praying that the big bugs would show up.
Yes the big bugs showed up. Everything got really quiet as the excitement grew in both the trout and I. My attention was focused on listening for a rise that sounded like a toilet flushing. Then somethings else showed up, my light quickly caught the glowing eyes of some animal, I started making noise and charging it. He took off with more force than I have ever witnessed, it had to be a bear. I took off almost as quick as him and did the mile hike in ten minutes, not bad in waders. At the store this morning I asked the owner if there are bear in that area. He said it was one of most highly populated bear areas in the region. I think that I will head up to the more populated section of river tonight.
beer
BC, Bruce, and I hit the river hard for a few nights. We stayed out late, rowed through the pond, shared stories, drank beer, and caught a few fish. It was great fun but we did not get that big 20+ incher. We had a few chances but it just wasn’t in the cards. Bruce had a good point about HEX fishing, it’s like a cult and it consumes your life.
beer
The bugs hatched in great force last night, too many to compete with, and only a few fish were caught. A few nights previous it was cold, the bugs were sluggish and so were the trout. We look forward to the warm spell that will keep the hatch on the river for the next week. A lot of long nights still to come, but I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.
beer
Ah yes, finally unemployed and on the road, just fishing. Four nights on the river and things are starting to look up. I’m still in complete awe of the beauty that Michigan holds, and the Au Sable River is a prime example. Time has been spent well, hanging out with BC’s grandparents, tying flies, and being on the river. No big fish yet, just a few small brooke trout that curb the addiction. The big flies, Hexagenia Limbata, are on! Last night I floated a small section of river in the dark. There was one moment of panic when I had no idea where the river was going. It was after midnight and I loved it. “Fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all, we just went for it.” My thoughts are totally consumed with trout and the pursuit of them. No longer is my mind clouded with purchase orders and leaky faucets, I’m free somehow.
beer
I was working in the garage the other night, getting the truck ready for a long summer, when a big insect flew towards the lonely lightbulb. It had to be a moth or big mosquito, but it sure looked like a Hexagenia Limbata mayfly to me. They do hatch out of the Allegheny River and the house is only a few miles by air. He hit the lightbulb and dive-bombed onto the top shelf. An instant later I found myself balancing atop a cooler looking around for the mysterious insect. I was correct, it was a Hex.
Now I find this to be good luck because tomorrow I am driving out of the garage and eight hours north to Michigan’s Au Sable River to look for these same mayflies. A few years back BC found on at a gas station in Pittsburgh and we had a killer year.
This will be the eighth annual Hex trip to the Au Sable and the start of a great adventure to me. While reading the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette, I had to wonder if I really need to go far to find mayflies?
beer