Scott's Pictures | ...

Trip Leader : Scott Borchelt
Attending: Matt Kline, Kelly Kline, Nick Kline, Nick Chilcote, Mark Shinaberry.

Overview
This is Camp, Canoe & Brew's annual salmon fishing, autumn camping, leaf peeping, end of summer outing. We always follow the Whistling Trout Society weekend which is on the first weekend of October. This puts High Banks Festival square in the heart of the salmon season. Being prepared is your best bet for a comfortable and fun weekend.

Agenda - this is a suggested agenda. You can participate in all or none, or make up yours as you go!
Everyone arrives on Friday night - no one really knows when they are leaving yet to head north yet. We will hang out around a bonfire on Friday night and play euchre, tell lies as all good fishermen do.

On Saturday morning, we will wake up at 630, head over to breakfast at Lenzs country kitchen - a walk away from camp - and hit the river as soon as we can afterwards. We will fish until the sun comes over the trees and starts to reflect off the water. We'll head out about 1130 am. We'll drag our fish to the cleaning station where Winston Churchill will clean our fish! Then its to the Dam Site Inn for lunch, cold beers, and football games.

After the bar, we will screw around for a while, take a short nap, or go four-wheeling. Then we will hit the river around 300 and fish until it gets dark. After fishing, we'll drag our fish back to Winston's for him to clean, then finally back to camp. We'll gather there and head to dinner at the Kaleva Tavern for good food, cold beer, and some pool and shuffle board. Then its back to camp for bonfires and euchre.

On Sunday morning, whoever wants to fish will hit the river EARLY, and afterwards, meet up with the others who sleep in for breakfast. - Then everyone is off to their own adventures for the rest of the day. Anyone interested in four-wheeling through the mud can follow me south down the power lines.

Camping
We will camp in town at the Kaleva park where there is a large shelter and picnic tables. We will probably be the only ones in town. If you find 9 Mile & High Bridge Road in Kaleva, Michigan, then you will have found the park. It has big trees and the entrance is off of 9 Mile. Look for the group on the backside of the shelter in the center of the park.

Fishing
This is small river salmon fishing as the fish migrate to spawn. Generally this is sight fishing for large fish while they do their thing over gravel redds. We use light gear and walk many miles of river in search of our pray. Read the 2005 Michigan Trout & Salmon Guide (6MB PDF). The following is an equipment reminder for those new this year.

• 6' 5" to 11' Medium action rod with 10 pound line
• Largest net you can find with a 12" handle
• All species fishing license
• Waders with belt
• Rain jacket
• Rope Stringer
• POLARIZED sunglasses
• Towel - because you may be wet after falling in the river - most rookies do.
• I will supply the flies n spoons and weights for a small charge

If you need any gear, from fishing to camping, let us know. We have a large supply of loaner gear.

Past High Banks: 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |

Last Modified: February 11, 2003 10:29 PM