Are we okay?

Days and nights on the river in a drift boat or raft are some of the best times I remember. The anticipation even the planning of a long trip or just day trip feed the soul with the optimism and a sense that anything could happen. "Therapy by nature" is how I've often described fly fishing and the sometimes needed breaks from everyday and the heart felt and needed conversational bond between friends allows us to dispose of any unwanted baggage our minds always seem to collect thanks to life and its never ending barrage of craziness.

But lately we've stumbled upon something else that happens in the middle of a float, something we cant quite put our finger on or wrap our heads around. Something that may only be able to be diagnosed by the brightest minds in the psychological world. MANIA!!

Mania, as described in the Tina, Eat dictionary as "A loss of known reality and sensibilities whereas the affected will break into song and dance with no provocation, sometimes followed by made up facts in regards to the affected individuals surroundings. Also crude nonsensical humor may be present when the fishing is slow"

This is definitely a laughing matter. Where our minds go in those down times is sure sign that sanity has went bye bye hours ago and we are at the mercy of our partner in the boat to bring us back to reality..In my case my partner normally slips into his mania around or before my symptoms start to reveal themselves. LOL

In addition to Mania..We also see a hunger that few could tame.. Candy bars and drinks and chips and sandwiches, donuts and cookies seem to be part of the diet and the feeding of the beast.

So please next time you're on the river and you feel one of these episodes coming on...Go with it..Its such a nice break from reality..LOL...

Or this is only in our boat and in that case if you hear "The Humpty Dance" or in my case 1970's AM radio hits, please stop us and check on us.. We are'nt well....

If these things hit close to home and you know these symptoms all too well...I implore you to share with me your tales...LOL  I actually beg you.

Jeff

USGS graph

USGS graph

USGS graph

USGS graph

What in the Hell?

This weather pattern is is really throwing a kink into the Spring norms. Water has been high and dirty, cold then colder and now in a warming trend that doesn't seem to be sparking any real hatches that we normally expect in early May. So of course with all of that being said we still act like and feel like we have lost our ability to figure out these fish and question everything from fly selection to the use of a streamer loop or not! LOL. 

I awoke this morning to my coffee and Facebook ritual and I read posts from the fly shops and other fishermen who are experiencing the same struggles and questions that I am.."What in the Hell?" I think and I can only speak for myself in that we take our fly fishing quite seriously and when we have to stop and ponder the whats and why's, our first reaction is to question ourselves and our abilities. That being said is it a bad thing to dissect our process? No... I think re tracing and re evaluating our tactics is a great tool.. it allows us to take that mental break and look to see what, if anything has been missed.

We take this shit pretty serious. It keeps us up at night and is a distraction when our minds should be somewhere else. We knew getting into this that it wasn't easy and that's why we did it, so when these monkey wrenches get thrown in as they always do we need to remember to relax regroup and re think but trust that your experience and dedication will generally prevail and not to forget we have a treasure chest of knowledge and answers all around us. Don't be afraid to ask, don't let your ego get in the way of your goal. Despite our current level of experience, none of us got here without asking and watching others that we respected and admired.. that still is a very useful resource. 

So get out there and fish and get out there and test yourself against Mother Nature and the other guy in your boat and trust that you'll never miss or catch a fish from the couch.

Jeff

18" Streamer eater

Little Ausable Brookie takes a streamer

Perfection

To quote, Author Norman Maclean,

 "My father believed that man by nature was a mess and had fallen from an original state of grace."

This is an excerpt of an excerpt, but the body is here and I agree with Mr Maclean. In a world where pace is set by the next best and the need to be seen and validated on social media. A world where friends are virtual and not literal, I look at myself.

I'm a husband, a father a friend and a fisherman and not particularly astounding in any of the aforementioned areas. I stumble, I fall and I will continue to do this because I am a man who is flawed and that's okay. I believe that perfection in a human is a laughable notion and there is little to no perfection in the world, but who of us haven't sat in the drift boat or on the bank or while wading in our favorite stretch of water and honestly breathed in our surroundings and said to ourselves "This is perfect".

It is in these moments that I believe we have true clarity, we see things in the light of what they are and who we are and it is our "Perfection". No clicks, no shares, no comments needed....it is also in these moments where our souls are refueled and minds refreshed and that give us that energy to move on in our daily life and face all of the daily imperfections that surrounds us.

If this resonates with you, I hope you'll stop now again and re-evaluate your "Perfection" and you'll define it by your meter and not by what Facebook or Instagram or the various other social platforms that have seemingly re-defined what and why we are. I am gonna sit in a drift boat this weekend with a forecast that is certainly not "Perfect" to say the least and I;m going to recount fish landed, fish missed and continue to ponder why we have never caught a fish in that spot.."It just looks so, Trouty" with my best friend and I am going to exist in my "Perfection".

Jeff

Tom's Top 7 Early-Season Streamers - Orvis News

Tom's Top 7 Early-Season Streamers - Orvis News: This springtime rainbow was holding in deep water below a highway bridge in western Massachusetts.
Photo by Joe Phillips
In Tuesday's post, 'How to Fish Streamers in the Early Season,' I explained that I prefer flies that have some movement of their own, like ones with marabou and rabbit fur, because they work . . .Read More  »

2018 8-Weight Fly Reel Shootout and Review: What's the best saltwater fly reel? | Trident Fly Fishing

2018 8-Weight Fly Reel Shootout and Review: What's the best saltwater fly reel? | Trident Fly Fishing

Ben and the guys over at tridentflyfishing.com sent me over the 2018 8 WT shootout results, take a look.

What is it worth?

Public land refers to the public domain, unappropriated land belonging to the federal government that is subject to sale or other disposal under general laws and is not reserved for any particular governmental or public purpose.

Fair enough, That is indeed the definition of Public Land.

Now describe to me your definition of Public Land. I'm quite sure it doesn't resemble this one in the slightest. The fact is that as far back as I remember, I as a sportsmen have used, treasured and been thankful for the use of these lands. Not all of us were raised with the gift of private hunting grounds or private access to our rivers and streams. So ask yourself, without the use of these lands would you still be a sportsman? Without the use of these lands would your children have access to these resources?

Now ask yourself another question...Are you willing to take a stand and fight for the continued use of said lands?

www.protectourpubliclands.org

I could go on and on regarding how much this angers me that the state take over of these lands will undoubtedly  result in sales to organizations and corporations who will not steward them as we have and use them until the resource and the money dries up and then sell them off to the next group. I can further rant about the fact that our children and our children's children will not know the joy and the feel of a brisk morning in the woods or on the water. Will not see nor feel the therapeutic effects that time in the outdoors brings us.

Please take the time and research, study and educate yourself on the importance that these lands play in our lives and the lives of future generations. 

Sign The Petition.www.sportsmensaccess.org

So I ask you.. What is it worth to you?

Jeff

The Marsh Mouse

Marsh Mouse by Jeff Marsh

Hey, this is Jeff from High on the fly. Oscoda MI is where I call home and I fish the waters all over this state. The Marsh Mouse was created while fishing with mice that didn’t seem to push the amount of water I wanted. So I created this mouse and it’s been a killer.
I’ve been fly fishing most of my life and love to create new patterns that I normally just save for myself. But this one I will share.

The Marsh Mouse is a simple articulated tie and concept. I use a partridge 2/0 on the front and a partridge 1/0 for the rear. I use 2mm foam and cut it in strips the width of the hook gap and then taper one end to tie in to the hook and cut the rest into a “comb” if you will. I Palmer the foam towards the rear of the hook and back wrap through the foam body to strengthen the connection to the hook shank and to help the foam spikes stand up. I then attach zonker strip and Palmer it through the foam to create the hair body. The only difference between front and rear is the zonker strip tail on the rear.
Color and size can obviously vary to your taste. This fly swims like a dream and holds great body contour while wet. Hope you enjoy.

Simplicity

To take the road less traveled does indeed make the world of difference. On a recent trout chasing trip with a good friend, we spent the day back roading to spots that were a bit out of the way and remote. To spots that aren't a secret to anyone who fly fishes but were not places that we frequent.

We stopped at fly shops we stopped to eat we headed to do business, we headed for fun. But never once was the expectation to land the biggest fish, never to land the most fish but simply, in the way we grew to love the sport, to fish and enjoy the day.

When was the last time you were able to drop all the things you "need" to do and to just be in the moment and be un tethered? to drive down a trail that you're not exactly sure where it leads and have no expectation of success or even catching a fish?

Well I can tell you it was a great way to spend a day and as it turned out a late night.

Mousing became the next order of business. To be honest, I've never been a fan. Not because it doesn't work or its not fun, it is. I've just never had great success, but after 3 swipes at my mouse in the moonlight....OK I'm in...LOL.

There is nothing profound in this post, no life changing moments not even a great fish story.. Did we land fish?  sure.. But at the end of the day, we took more away from this trip than a Trout.. We got back to our roots and we found something that I know I have been missing.. Simplicity...

<((><
Jeff

Jerry Springer to host fly fishing forum.

If you're like me and you have subscribed to any number of the fishing forums that fill the void on Facebook then maybe the title of this post will make sense. I am shocked daily by the "armchair guides" out there who know everything about every subject and in the face of defeat on topics that are clearly over their heads.. revert to nothing more than playground tactics.."@#%$ YOU" and "Kiss my $@#" and the cleanest yet my favorite, "Ill kick your Ass"! Really? You wanna fight me? Now? or after we book a flight and go through TSA and meet each other at the airport? But by this time I'm gonna be hungry, so lets eat first but then... There is some "ASS KICKIN TAKIN PLACE!!"
Get over yourself...If we were face to face you probably wouldn't have said a thing about me not crimping the barb on my hook, but from 878 miles away, ITS ON!!

It's the wrong gear, the wrong river, the wrong line, the wrong may to mend and the list goes on. I have to tell you that I dont give a damn what your rod costs or who made it and I surely could care less about your politics. Are your methods legal? sure I'll chime in on that one all day, but to actually spend anymore than a moment debating "Jimmy Creekchub" on his methods of fishing or the value of his equipment, Ill take the high road.

I have a better idea, a subtle approach to these obviously stressful days...Chill Out!! You do you and I'll do me... Keep your tactics within the perimeters set by law and go have a ball.. Why are we all so competitive? I promise you, at your funeral nobody is gonna care if a barb was crimped, if you used fluorocarbon or mono, glass or graphite... We aren't promised tomorrow, friends. Just our last breath.

Let me end by saying, if you do end up at my funeral, smile, laugh talk about something funny I did or said.. But please whatever you do,don't tell my Mom you're a Baitchucker, "Cuz those assholes have no place on my river, and ill tell you another thi..................."

Jeff
<((><

Don't call it a comeback....

 Hello, from the snowy Hell of April in Michigan... We just got hit with 8" of snow and expecting maybe another 8" tomorrow... As a fisherman this is not what I want to hear, before the snow we had rain that swelled the rivers to their banks and beyond in some cases. Now we are in that transition period where we are dreaming of Spring, yet oddly missing the winter fishing on the hard water, Im about to go all Jack Nicholson in "The Shining" on people because we just want it all to be over.... But I digress.....

So if you keep up with me on https://www.facebook.com/HighOnTheFly you already know that I am taking on a new adventure in my fishing life and that is to chase the toothiest of all freshwater predators...the Pike and Musky that roam our Michigan lakes and rivers ... I am so incredibly excited to start this. With a Upper Peninsula trip already booked for the opener in May, I have began the process of tying new flies..BIGGER flies and oh how fun it it has been.

The freedom that I feel tying these large flies is amazing.. After tying things like a #14 Adams or a BWO... these things are like wrapping thread around the dog... My old eyes haven't  needed my vice magnifier. I have really embraced this new style of tying and have found Some amazing pike fly tiers from across the pond that have really opened my eyes to new materials and the less is more theory of materials. One in particular is here 700teeth.wordpress.com.. Ulf Hagstrom is the operator of this blog and the corresponding YouTube channel.. Great stuff, check it out.

Well thats all for now... Please check back and see my progress and please by all means show me some of your pattern and favorite flies...

Jeff <((><

70 degree pledge

Visit 70degreepledge.org for more info on what you can do. Taking this pledge and practicing C&R is a huge step forward in keeping Trout safe and allowing them to be caught another day.

Jeff

April, Baseball and Steelhead.

Two of my favorite things , baseball and steelhead, both fall in the same glorious month. With the snow gone the rivers start filling with Steelhead and that's where I kinda lose myself. I love steelhead fishing, wether it's with a fly or floating spawn in my home river, those metal heads shake me to the core. April also brings my other passion, Baseball and the Detroit Tigers! So to all you spring river rats and to all of you who love baseball in the "D" , have a great spring!!

Jeff

Spin rods and a guilty fly fisherman...

Hello, I'm Jeff and I am a "Fishing Addict".

It isn't easy to utter those words.. In the past decade or more I've become almost exclusively a fly fisherman. With a Blog dedicated to fly fishing a vehicle and kayak that read like an add out of drakemag.com and a rod collection that is measured in weights, I have realized something.....I just love to fish.

So where does this guilt of picking up a 7 1/2 foot spin rod with 10 lb test line and tossing spoons for Pike or a plow jockey for Bass come from?

I grew up with a fully stocked pond filled with Large mouth bass and Bluegill and LOVED those days out there throwing lures and worms for the pure satisfaction of a tug on the end of my line. Granted. that as fisherman I believe some of us evolve and change and look for a different challenge on the water, but I actually have guilt that I'm not throwing a tight loop or using flies that I tied. Now lets not get confused that my addiction and my passion is behind a fly rod but that passion all started with a spin rod in my hand and a need to be outside chasing something bigger than me. The love of the outdoors is what started this for all of us and the fly culture is an amazing environment and some damn good reading in social media and our favorite magazines.

Maybe I'm alone in this guilt or maybe not, but i do know that this spring and summer some of my pictures may have a different look than the environments that I normally post and some of the rods may have a different set up, but know for sure its about the experience and the time spent with family and friends that matters and not the hardware in our hands.

I'm Jeff and I'm proud to be a fisherman.... Are you?

Following a Legend

Of all my Black Friday memories, none of them ever involved standing asshole to elbow with a bunch of strangers searching for a deal on stuff they don't need! So I took the road less traveled and set out on an "Adventcha" with my best friend in the world.. (aka my girlfriend). We decided to follow the AuSable River from Grayling, MI to Mio, MI....

This legendary river has a storied past and has made hero's and fools out of the best of fisherman. We started our journey up M-72 at Burton's Landing. The absolute breathtaking scenery and solitude on this section are enough to fill the mind with thoughts of summer days and throwing drys to eager Trout or tossing streamers looking for a Brown Trout the size of an otter.

We then slipped up to Stephan Bridge and visited Josh Greenburg at gateslodge.com . I cant begin to explain how comforting it is to walk into gateslodge.com and be greeted by a guy like Josh. Whether you're a novice or an experienced angler, Josh greets you with a smile and an eagerness to help or just simply talk fishing. gateslodge.com is a fully stocked fly shop as well as lodging right on the river, Literally!

 After pulling myself out of Gates AuSable lodge, we made our way to Canoe Harbor and the Mason tract.... I love the South Branch, and Canoe harbor holds a special place in my heart. A few years back on an evening fishing dries I landed a 23" Brown on a #14 Parachute Adams...Love the South Branch!

What a day, chasing this legendary river around and sharing stories with my bestie and talking to guys along the river, I'm not sure if there is a heaven but if there is I'm quite sure it has a flies only section and its named what else but "The Holy Water".

I am blessed to live in this wonderful state and all it has to offer outdoors and other. I'm equally blessed to love a woman (who loves me back BTW) who allows me to chase my dreams and run the roads and waters without question or care. As I sit behind these keys and this screen, know today is a good day... I got to follow a legend today and meet some great people and I get to share it all with you from my little soapbox in the fly fishing world. I love this more than you know,whether its behind the lens, behind a rod or behind the wheel, if I'm talking, thinking or dreaming about fishing its always a great day..and another reason why I'm High on the Fly.

<((><
Jeff

Behind a lens...

 Photography.... who knew how addictive it can be. I finally bought myself a camera that i love and that's easy enough for me to use...(getting old ya know) Been out behind the lens of my Nikon P600 and loving it. Have a few ideas for the river with it but thought id post a few to show ya what I've been up to.


<((<><
Jeff

Finding me.

Recently I have had to come to the realization that happiness is what you make it. My life has been through a series of ups and downs in the last few years and the only constant that I have found has been family and fly fishing. My father passed a away in early June and although we weren't close and he wasn't "ward cleaver" his passing stirred emotions that I hadn't  previously known existed. Support from family and friends was very helpful but it was my mistress, my religion and my love that really carried me through. Fly fishing. On the darkest days and those moments where you feel like you're gonna snap, that 9' rod in my hand hoisted into the air is my staff and with it I feel alive and awake and clear. The sound of the line moving through the guides and seeing that line unfold into a ballet on the water is satisfying and peacefull. 

I cherish my time in the water, and the serenity it gives me. Although I miss my father and am still working through that,my aquatic church and my finned congregation are keeping me upright and helping me stand tall.

Sorry for the lapse. But please stay stay with me... Lots of new projects coming very very soon!

<((><
Jeff

Finding your way..

To say the last year or so has been a trying one is a certain understatement. My personal life has undergone a total makeover and the realization of whats important in life has finally taken center stage. I can look back on the trials in my life and feel sorry for me or move on and be a better me than I was before, I choose the latter.

And so it goes in my "fishing life" as well, I can always look at a day spent on the water and consider only those days that I have caught more than my share of fish as a successful trip or I can look back at the days God has given me on the water too reflect and find myself regardless of the number of fish that were brought to hand and consider that a stellar day! Again I choose the latter..

My everyday life is not always in my control, nor is it for any of us, but it makes me question is this why we fish? I can choose the what, the where and the how when I'm on the water. I can choose how long ill fish and  what ill be using on that day.. But now the biggest question is,what do we choose to take from this day?

On a recent trip with a friend and first time fly fisher,(yeah my recruitment rate is on the rise!..lol) I found myself not caring how many fish we landed. I laughed and enjoyed every moment of that day and considered it a very successful trip.We landed a few fish and lost a lot more, but it was the sun and the water and the laughter that we find only when we learn to let go of the "Catch" and engulf ourselves in the experience instead.

A beautiful Spring Brown..

My life trials certainly are not over and I'm very sure that Ill slip from this clarity again and fall backwards into the abyss of the "Catch", but just like in life, I'm taking it one day at a time and trying to make the best of even the worst situations. Life isn't always fair but its always a learning experience. And so we move on and look for those moments that lift us up....Thank God mine are on the stream...

<((><
Jeff