Gray Drake Newsletter Volume V
Summer 2009
THEY'RE BACK! SUMMER STEELHEADING IS HERE!
If you've never hooked a summer steelhead on the
fly, you are missing out on an unforgettable experience! From June thru early
September, these massive 3-salt steelhead ascend the St. Joe, Northern Indiana and Big
Manistee. The Muskegon got quite a few strays last year. They can be very
aggressive to the fly and put you into your backing instantaneously.
Without doubt, the Skamania Steelhead are the tarpon of the Great Lakes!
We still have some prime dates left. Come and join us! You will find that
there is something unique about steelheading in a T-shirt!
- The St. Joseph river is stocked with close to 300,000 summer Steelhead a year
- These fish grow to very large sizes
- They are "bulls in a china shop" when hooked
We still have reservations available at the Gray Drake Lodge. Reserve a summer or fall date for a getaway and enjoy some fly-fishing.
These fish are unbelievable on a fly rod! - they "are" the Tarpon of the Great Lakes. With tremendous leaping ability and shear brute strength and muscle, these fish will test your 8-weight to its limits! Using floating lines and dead drifting, stripping or swinging nymphs, speys and bunny leaches, these aggressive fish will hammer your fly offerings with a vengeance.
**NOTE: Click on the link or the map to check out Matt's new article in the July/August issue of Eastern Fly Fishing Magazine.
Click here or on the map to view the magazine at www.matchthehatch.com
After a phenomenal spring of Trout fishing the Mighty Muskegon with perfect water conditions (somewhat high and a perfect stain tannic color ideal for dry fly fishing), we were amazed by the insect hatches - actually quite baffled to be honest!
In the fourteenth year of business at the Gray Drake Lodge we have never seen hatches as thick as this spring. Cool and wet weather in the 60's was the norm for May and June and the bugs loved it! The Gray Drake (Siphlonorous) created blanket spinner falls for 4 weeks - often making the fishing impossible at times turning the water's surface into a sawdust coating of spinners. One of my clients from Germany, who fishes all over the world, said he never saw anything like it one late May evening. As I write this (June 21), there are still heavy mating flights of drakes as of last night.
Along with the success of the drakes, sulphurs, cahills, caddis (including massive micros at dark) isonychias and blue winged olives were in tremendous abundance. What this did was make the holdover Browns and Rainbows into huge feeding machines with many Trout topping 20 inches on a consistent basis.
With the cold water bubbler installed and ready to go at Croton Dam, this summer's Trout fishing in the river could be spectacular! Due to the heavy food base, the stocked Trout have already grown several inches and are fat and sassy on a 5 weight.
DOWNLOAD OUR PDF ~ PROPOSED IDEAS
TROPHY BROWN TROUT FISHERY
In 2010, the Michigan DNR is proposing new Trout regulations. Please click on cover of the PDF Slide Show below to read more on our proposed ideas for creating an "Experimental Trophy Brown Trout Fishery" for two tail waters in the State that have demonstrated excellent trophy growth rates and holdover for 20 inch Brown Trout (The Muskegon and Big Manistee)
If you are interested in promoting these regulations, go to the Michigan DNR web site and voice your opinion by September 1st Here is a link to a downloadable pdf of the DNR Proposal to Modify Inland Trout Regulations
With air travel and long distance driving costs going through the roof, the Gray Drake is an excellent choice and closer to home. Families, relatives and friends can enjoy a day in the river catching Trout, Salmon, Steelhead, Small Mouth Bass -- you name it!
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Located on some of the most picturesque waters of the River with Trout filled riffles and pools
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Luxury Lodging and Gourmet Dining
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Small corporate gatherings and retreats with a plethora of outdoor activities other than fishing
Deep through the fall, and the heart of a snowy winter, are great times to get a group of people together for a friends, family or a small business group getaway. Our river will be teaming with Salmon, Steelhead, Trout and large Lake-Run Browns. Couple this with abundant upland bird hunting for grouse and deer bow hunting and you'll have a sportsmen's heaven!
Excellent golf courses, restaurants, kayaking and canoeing, antique shopping, and nature trails will take up your non-fishing time. The nearby museums of Grand Rapids and Muskegon along with the pristine beaches of the Lake Michigan Shoreline, your whole family and group will get the most out of the outdoor experience.
Visit the new Gray Drake Lodge web site today!
Don't forget the excellent grouse and turkey hunting opportunities in addition spring kayaking and canoeing. Visit the Newaygo County Convention and Visitors Bureau online: www.newaygocountytourism.com
Visit Pure Michigan at www.michigan.org for more information. Visit Michigan Outdoors at www.michigansgreatoutdoors.org for info on the five counties near us in central West Michigan.
PURPLE HAZE (Tied by Matt Supinski)
This is an excellent pattern for summer Steelhead
and Small Mouth Bass - Big Trout at dark also love it!
RECIPE
HOOK: DAIICHI 2051, Size 1.5
THREAD: Black 3/0 UNI-THREAD
TAIL: PURPLE RABBIT STRIP AND HARELINE PURPLE HAZE FLASHABOU
BODY: BLACK/BLUE HARELINE UV POLAR ICE CHENILLE
OVER-BODY: PURPLE RABBIT STRIP
LEGS: WHITE/BLACK HARELINE CENTIPEDE LEGS
COLLAR: DYED PURPLE SILVER PHEASANT HARELINE
EYES: CHARTRUESE DUMBELL EYES - HARELINE
A little Purple Haze Fly Tying Music
| Launch in external player |
According to the guys at Consumers Power/Croton Dam, the new cold water bubbler is ready to go. Located above Croton in a very deep trough which holds the coldest water sent down from Hardy Dam's 3 million dollar new turbine, which will enhance bottom-draw output and dissolved oxygen, it should be interesting to see what happens.
Also, did you notice the deep tannic stain the river has this year? This is an excellent sign that the zebra mussels are not doing as well as they did in the past. Consumers has spent next to nothing in power washing hot blast water to clean their turbines from exotic pests in the last few years. Back in the early 2000's period, they were spending a fortune. The tremendous caddis hatches are an immediate tell-tale sign the "damm clams", as the late Fly Fishing Genius, Carl Richards described them, are slowly becoming less of an impact. Very cold winters and cool spring/summer temperatures (global warming!) are the culprit for these poor little critters demise. Oh Yeah! - high water flows also are not to their liking.
JUST AROUND THE CORNER!
- Western Michigan's
Lake Michigan Tributaries provide in excess of 7 million Wild Salmon and Steelhead Smolts through natural reproduction.
- Catching a 20 lb plus Pacific Salmon on a fly rod is a reality - with double-digit Hook-ups
Just when everyone thought Lake Michigan Salmon Fishery was belly up (DNR Reports of smaller Salmon and heavy reduction in smaller pelagic bait fish alewives), this spring 2009 took everybody by surprise. Record catches of fat Coho and Chinook Salmon, not to mention piles and miles of bait fish in the lake baffled everyone. 20 lb Chinooks and 8-15 pound Coho with a dozen alewives in their bellies was the norm out of Southwest Michigan charter fleets. This bodes well for this fall's Salmon run.
STREAMSIDE CUISINE GRAY DRAKE RECIPE
SMOKED SALMON
Perfect for hors d'oeuvres on a summer's day with a nice cold, oak chardonnay or a canape or bagel, cold smoked, Scottish style Salmon with all the accoutrements is the way to go.
Browne Trading Company has an excellent farm-raised Maine Atlantic Salmon that is cold-smoked over Maine Fruitwoods, and cured with Scotch Whiskey. (www.browntradingcompany.com) It is very affordable when compared with imported Scottish Salmon. Either on Pumpernickel points or bagels, and garnish with the following:
*Finely chopped cooked egg yolks and whites
*Finely chopped red onion
*Fresh Dill
*Capers
*Philly Cream Cheese is optional
Summer Pesto Potato Salad
Approximate Measurements
Small Red Potatoes - 1 small bag/quartered skin on
Green Onion - 1 bunch/sliced
Red Bell Pepper - 1 sliced
Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon
Cook potatoes until soft - not over done
Pesto
Fresh Basil Leaves
Garlic Cloves - 5 large
Lemon Juice - 3 to 4 tablespoons
Grated Parmesan Cheese - 1 cup
Olive Oil - 1/2 cup
Puree Ingredients
Toss with potatoes and all other ingredients.
NEWS RELEASE
Matt and Laurie Supinski
Email Us
Gray Drake Lodge
7522 S. Gray Drake Bluff
Newaygo, MI 49337
231-652-2868
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NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES
Volume VI Special Edition Trout & Eagle Lodge
Volume V Summer 2009
Volume IV Spring 2009
Volume III Fall/Winter 2008
Volume II Summer 2008
Volume I Spring 2008
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