October 09 - PICS
Host: Scott
Attendees: Doug Buckbee, Bob Harms, Matt, Michael, & Mark Hash, Harris, Kelly & Matt Kline

A quick update for everyone headed up for High Banks Festival 2010 October this weekend.  There are four requirements for a stellar High Banks Fest…
1)  Good friends in waders
2)  Plenty of fish in the river
3)  Bright October Michigan weather
4)  A good football game on Saturday afternoon

A great crew is planning on heading up over the weekend.  Some arrive on Thursday night, others early on Friday, most, including me arrive later on Friday night.  I heard last Friday that Jim and Abby McAllister won’t be joining us this year…

The Whistling Trout Society fished the past weekend on our favorite river and I have great news for you.  The guy at Winston’s fish cleaning station in Brethren said that the big run has not started yet.  Our guys fished from Wed through Saturday… and the fish did not show up in large numbers until late Friday and Saturday.  I fished early on Saturday and had plenty of fish in the water to keep my busy all morning.  I think they will continue to come up in a big run all week so when we arrive the river should be full of fresh lake run salmon!   I am working on updating the website now from last weekend and will have pics for you later tonight!

The weather forecast for this weekend looks like the best of the past many weekends.  http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/fitness/weekend/USMI0443  See for yourself!  Oh, and last weekend the leaves were bright and colorful but not peaking.  I think this weekend will be the beginning of the peaking and should last another week if we don’t have too much rain and wind.

One of the best football games of the year for the Big 10 is on this weekend – Michigan vs Michigan State – and State is ranked above Michigan by 1!  There will be couches on fire for sure at E Lansing.

Let me know if this is enough to lure anyone else up for a great weekend of hanging out in beautiful countryside, with good friends, good fishing, and good football!

Scott the Fisherman

September 25 - PICS
Host: Scott & Natalie
Attendees: Kevin Rochester

Hello Fishermen!  
Here is the latest from our favorite mileage on the Great Bear Creek.  Fished for a short time on Saturday evening.  Trucks were everywhere - around 15 on the west side of the culverts with another 6 over and east.  But everyone was dragging out fat salmon.  NSB and I walked over to the wall - found a bunch of people already there - but I got the last redd before the long gravel run.  Fish weren't thick, but they seemed plentiful.  I hooked into a hen on my first cast.  I didn't want to disturb her and scatter all the males so I cut my line and kept fishing - and as the night approached, the fish began to freight train together and you could see one after another moving up stream.  The water was very low and slightly stained from rain sometime in the last few days.

Kevin Rochester showed up on his motorbike Satruday afternoon and making a special guest appearnce, Vaughn.  We headed to the KT for dinner and beers and NSB schooled us all on the shuffleboard table.  Sunday turned out the best weather of the two - calm and sunny.  We enjoyed a full round of farmer's omeletts and dispersed home in opposite directions.  I'll post a few pics tonight.

Good news for the Whistling Trouters who are hitting the Bear on Wed-Sat this week.  The trees will be perfect in the park for High Banks Festival Oct in two weeks.

Catch ya all later.
Scott.


PS.  I found a great new campsite while heading north out of Luther.  Its on a thin water stretch of the Pine River.  It may become our Nov water if I can't get any info on the Black before we head north.

Overview
This is Camp, Canoe & Brew's annual salmon fishing, autumn camping, leaf peeping, end of summer outing. We are fishing 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 to the Kaleva Tavern for football and lunch.

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 a bonfire and early night.

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. 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 a mile or so of river in search of our prey. 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
• All species fishing license or 1-2 day 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

Past High Banks: 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005wk1 wk2 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |