I saw your review on LL Bean's website. Looks like they have altered their description some due to your "testing", EVEN added a tippet dispenser to the "mix". So being someone who has enough sense to come out of the rain, meaning me, I take it you okay the product for "non-submersible" use in the rain?????

Thanks for that info. There are so many options in that area it really is difficult to know where to start. This helps a lot. Will do my "homework" and get things narrowed down here in the near future, I hope. I would like to fish a "little history" before the "grim reaper" comes calling ;-)

Gate's Lodge is a great place to stay on the Holy Water, or stay at Penrod's in town. Old Ausable Fly Shop or Gates should be able to hook you up with a good guide. I'd recommend Sam Surre, Jeff McGowan, Al Bullock, or Steve Southard....but their are lots of good guides up there. For eats...Spike's Keg o Nails for bloody's & burgers, Grayling Inn for Blueberry Pancakes. Some good fishing down by MIO as well...contact Bob Linesmann's Fly Shop if your headed down that way. Cheers.

I would imagine they could point you in the right direction. Email Kevin and he should be able to give you a recommendation: kevin at indigoguidesevice.com

I did receive "A Trout Angler's Guide To THE AU SABLE RIVER" just this afternoon. A VERY comprehensive guide put out by the Challenge Chapter of TU out of Bloomfield Hills, MI.  

Thanks for any suggestions.

Congrats on the upcoming addition! Yeah, our buddies that guide up in Michigan spend the summer in Beaver Island guiding carp with an occasional monster smallmouth. All sight fishing.

Check em' out: http://thirdcoastfly.com/ they have some killer pics and a video that just got posted. Here is their main site: http://www.indigoguideservice.com/

We are probably going to rent a beach house on the island- not sure on dates or how long (probably July and probably 4-7 days). I may go up for a week and bring in two groups of 4. I will keep you posted.

Traverse has some top notch carping to from what I hear- Ted went for a day with Steve, one of the guides and Indigo and had a great time. Beaver has less pressure and holds fish a bit longer from what I have been told.

Matt,

Horseshoe Lake huh? I just got it up on Google maps and it looks good. Lots of shallow water flats? May have to twist Ted's arm to drag his boat over there...

Other than that, don't fish nearly as much as I did when I was kidless and living in St Louis. We have a second one on the way, another boy. In a few years I'll be dragging those guys all over the place. Glad to see you and a few others still post here. I still enjoy checking out what's going on from time to time.

looks like I have to add the sum of 3 + 10 to post....Matt must be needing some numbers added together for some reason.........

John,

Sounds like a good place to take a two-hander if you are talking about limited back casting room. I have heard similar stories on that spillway being thick with fish. What kinds of stuff were you throwing at them? I haven't cast to Asian carp yet.

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I was going to Rend lake spillway to use fly rod a few yrs ago but Carlyle is much closer for me. Problems galore with fly rod at Carlyle....numerous people are there to feed themselves, not just to catch a big fish. they keep anything caught or given, which is ok with me, I just don't keep fish. the water is Really fast and you would have to cast quite a distance and then deal with the numerous currents.The locals there the keep fish would be causing problems for a fly line I would think with their numberous lines in the water.

 

as it is, i am using a heavy spinning reel my wife found at a yard sale, currently with 17 lb test, casting 2 handed as far as I can with a 1 oz wt. vith various squirly tail jigs on a stainless big hook above it. I went to a stainless to stop the hooks from bending.  reeling fast as soon as it hits the water.   I have some monster rod I  2 hand cast, some heavy duty ugly stick. all of this is above the cable that marks the upper limit to what the boats can approach the dam.

 

even down river, there are a few places that you could fly fish, but not near the number of fish nearer the dam.below the suspension walking bridge is a spot you could walk on some rockw well out into the river.

 

the warmer the water the more the fish bite. of course, more smell/flies then from dead fish.........

 

sometimes the bigheads swim near the bank, but those never seem to bite anything, they are filtering mostly. the ones in the fast water do hit as I catch them in the mouth.

 

--generous members on this board showed me how to fly fish for them at Rend, using large clouser minnows.--

 

I took some members of our Boy Scout troop to the spillway just to let them know what it is like to catch a 20 lb fish.

 

OH< the rip rap near the dam is kind of hard navigate with a fly rod I would think.

Leader to Tippet = Double Surgeons

Fly to Tippet = Palomar

I will occasionally throw in the "Davy Knot", when i remember how to tie it.

--Matt Tucker

http://www.netknots.com/html/s....._knot.html

Here is a good video on the double sturgeons knot:

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Surgeons Knot - Fishing Knots - Fly Fishing Knots

Sounds like a good place to take a two-hander if you are talking about limited back casting room. I have heard similar stories on that spillway being thick with fish. What kinds of stuff were you throwing at them? I haven't cast to Asian carp yet.

Mike,

Good to hear from ya! Whats new? I have heard good things about Creve Coeur as well, but have not checked it out. Ted went over about a month ago and fished that canal and got into some gar. I think it was a bit high to spot carp. It is on the list.

They are tough. I have had a few hook ups, but nothing to hand. The little bluegill make it tough too. Make a sweet cast, strip, strip and a little bluegill grabs it. The most takes I have gotten was by pretty much casting right over their tail by 5-6 feet. Letting it sink and stripping back to them. I know I need to strip set, but I always raise the rod tip by habit, they shake their head and their gone.

Still learning. Either way, it's a fun challenge.

I am going to be putting together a group to head up to Beaver Island, Michigan for next summer. They get into some serious carp on the flats up there throwing big flies on 9-10wts. Backing everytime and wet wading crystal clear water with great weather. I will get in touch when we get a date to see if you can make it up!

Evan