A Long Walk on the Beach

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After a morning spent adding the Kirkland’s Warbler off my “Life List”, I continued north to Wilderness State Park, which is about as far north and west that you can go in lower Michigan. I’ve heard tales of smallmouth and carp on the flats of this park for years with and just never had the time to check it out.

I had a bit of local knowledge from friends who spend a lot of time there but this is a vast area. Spring in northern Michigan had been weird enough that things hadn’t warmed up that much yet and carp were no where to be found. Smallmouth appeared to be in pockets on the flats here and there.

Though somewhat elusive, I did find a few smallmouth in the late
afternoon, including a brute that I missed on the first pass through a
deep rocky gully of milky green water with a white baitfish pattern. I saw enough of the fish to know it was a good one. I laid a long second cast to the other side of the channel, let the fly sink for a few
seconds, and then slow swam it back with short strips. I felt a heavy tug and head shake. A few moments later, a full-sized smallmouth lay in the shallow water at my feet.

That fish is what I’d come for and it was a nice welcome to northern Michigan.

I ended up walking over seven miles around the park through the afternoon and saw some incredible water. This is a special place and I can only imagine the possibilities once the flats warm up.

Just a few gear notes to cover on this long afternoon trip to Wilderness State Park…

I’ve mentioned it before around here that I like a well organized fly box. OCD much? Yes. I’ve been using the Atollas 2GO Fly Box for the past several trips and the fly box size and slit foam layout are great. One or two fly boxes might be all you need, even for a big trip. There is a silicone-molded docking station on the lid of the fly box that you can slide a foam Fly Caddy to store and dry flies.

I also like supporting a small shop (husband and wife) company from Charleston, South Carolina.

EPIC REFERENCE SERIES 888 FASTGLASS FLY ROD
I have a short list of favorite 8-weight’s and the Epic 888 on high on that list. It takes on all sorts of fly lines without issues, capable, fun to cast, and handles a ton of angling situations with ease.

The Reference Series is a great choice in a heavy line weight fly rod since if there is an issue with a broken tip, it’s an easy fix.

SCIENTIFIC ANGLERS MAGNITUDE TEXTURED INFINITY CLEAR TIP FLOAT

I arrived at my folks house in Michigan to find a little box from Scientific Anglers with a short stack of new Magnitude Infinity Clear Tip and Clear Head fly lines in 6-weight and 8-weight to demo and review on the trip. After this trip and then a long week on Beaver Island, I like these clear tip and head fly lines a lot. And, the more that I fish the Infinity taper, in it’s many forms and on various fiberglass fly rods, the more that I like it. It’s a half-size heavy and matches well from trout weight to warmwater to saltwater fiberglass fly rod tapers.

SKWALA CARBON WADING BOOTS
I’ve been wearing these new wading boots for the past couple of months and this was the first opportunity that I’ve had to put some actual miles on them. Over the day, I walked more than seven miles and these boots felt great. These are overbuilt, cushioned, and protective for your feet in all the right ways.

I will say that the “burrito-wrap” tongue takes a little getting used to but breaking these wading boots in with a few days on the water will make for a great fit.

VEDAVOO VOODOO CONVERTIBLE SLING PACK

The VooDoo Sling Pack has been part of my kit for a few years now and it’s perfect for situations where you just need a few essentials. On this day this included a fly box, spools of tippet and extra leader, and my iPhone. That was it.

On trips the VooDoo stays tucked in my boat bag, where it takes up near zero space, and is always at the ready for a walk away from the guide boat.

As with much of Vedavoo’s gear, Scott Hunter gives customizable options with three fabric choices of Cordura, Ballistic Nylon, or Legacy Waxed Twill. And, you can add a Comrade or Retro Fly patch for $5 to $10 depending on the patch size requested.

And, after hiking back to the car, I drove around Mackinaw City just
long enough to realize that it had serious tourist trap vibes. I opted
to continue down to Petoskey, checked into my room, took a quick shower,
and then headed downtown for dinner. I ended up at TAP30 with a street seat since the large roll-up door was open. Great meal to cap off a great day.

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