‘Twas the night before the Michigan Inland Trout Opener, when all through the house….
Weather conditions on the last Saturday in April are always a gamble when you live in the Upper Peninsula. I’ve only been trout fishing for a few years now and weather has varied from 60s and sunny to 30s and rain/snow. Almost as variable as the weather is the water – most streams are usually flooded beyond their banks and many lakes are often still ice-locked, as was the case for the 2020 opener (in which I fished a small tributary and caught a few nice eaters). 2021 was different because all of the snow had melted by the last week in March and lakes were ice-free by the first week in April. April was a very dry month and there wasn’t any more snowmelt so even larger rivers were running at normal to low levels.
The 2021 trout opener was my fifth one fishing but my first fishing with a group (also, this is three years running where I’ve had success). There were four of us who ventured into Alger and Delta counties to hit some of the smaller brook trout lakes in the region. The forecast was looking unsettled but fair enough to at least get some fishing in on Saturday. I had spent many hours poring over maps and stocking records to try and get our group the best chance at a successful opening day, so we drove a good hour and 45 minutes – the last 30 across some questionable roads – to reach Birch Lake (for that is not its name), one the spots I had tried last fall. Birch Lake is not an easy lake to access and there is little information available online other than DNR stocking records. I foolishly figured we’d have the lake to ourselves, at least in the early morning.
Nope. I spotted a truck parked at the campsite, then a canoe on the water. As we got closer I saw another, then another, then another. Then 4 or 5 other trucks parked at the canoe launch. One of the paradoxes of trout fishing is the camaraderie with your fellow fishermen weighed against the desire to have the water to yourself (as I have on every other visit to this lake). Well, those other visits weren’t the opener. Clearly this lake has a reputation that has spread by word-of-mouth.
As I launched my kayak I watched a guy sitting in a rowboat just out from the launch net a fish. Our group of four finally hit the water, DC and Chris in my 14 foot boat and Kyle and I each in kayaks. I started off with my favorite trolling trick (Lake Clear Wabbler) to no luck. After seeing several more guys net fish I tried bobber fishing for a while but that didn’t work out either (this was only a matter of about 40 minutes but it felt like an eternity). I switched back to the trolling thing when Kyle came paddling across the lake like mad. About that same time my rod went off and I reeled up a little brook trout, maybe 9 inches, that fell off before I landed it. Oh well, that was probably better anyway as 10 inches is the legal size here. Back to Kyle – I figured either something was wrong or he had caught a fish for him to come rushing across the lake so soon, and thankfully it was the latter. He held up a dark-bodied, brightly-spotted 14.5 inch brook trout on his stringer. The first fish of the day, and a nice size! He said he took it on a spinner casting around the shoreline.
I kept doing my thing for a few more minutes, making my way near the lake’s main inlet. Just as I was getting ready to turn around (I was getting close to some other guys bobber fishing near the inlet) my rod went off, hard. It must have been the change in speed as I got ready to turn around. It was on! I’ve lost as many large brook trout as I’ve caught trying to horse them in too quickly so I took my time playing the fish. Like most big brookies it did not want to surface and made several runs under my kayak. I finally netted it and got a quick measurement – over 15 inches! The hunt for 15 was officially over after the end of one open water season, an ice season, and the very start of a new one.
This all went down within about the first hour and a half of fishing so the next couple hours were pretty uneventful. I tried a few more tricks to no avail but learned that DC had caught a 16 incher bobber fishing. That bastard did it again! Not long after Chris reeled in our last fish from Birch Lake, a solid 13.5 incher, meaning everyone caught a fish. Not bad considering the dozen other boats that were on the water between us arriving and leaving. At this point making up a fake name for the lake seemed downright silly, so let’s just say I made a creative choice and stuck with it.
A few other notes: most of the guys I talked to or overheard sounded like locals who come here every year. The four fish we caught were all big but definitely recent stockers as evidenced by the mangled fins and shredded tails. The one I caught here last fall was in much better condition which makes me wonder about its origin. Maybe stocked as a yearling? I also counted five or six small springs trickling in around the lake. All this groundwater pouring in meant lots of mosquitoes which was surprising to see given the recent cold weather. As we left the parking area it was about 57 degrees, sort of sunny, and there were hordes of mosquitoes swarming us.
Stop number 2 for the day was Kentucky Lake (for that is not its name) a lake that probably takes the cake for the sheer number of fish it holds. After a quick brat fry (ever cook them in Busch Latte?) in the parking area we hit the water. Thankfully there was only one other boat here and a couple guys fishing from shore. Nothing like the circus parade of boats and canoes (and old men sitting in lawn chairs in the water) at Birch Lake. Unfortunately the downside of large numbers is small size and almost every fish we caught out of several dozen was smaller than the 10 inch minimum. But it still was a ton of fun!
The weather also began to take a turn, although the silver lining was we didn’t really encounter any mosquitoes. Chris caught one keeper and I caught my only legal fish shortly before leaving, on a bobber under a log, as the northwest wind began gusting and the rain began in earnest. The fish in this lake are some of the prettiest brookies I’ve ever seen, causing me to reconsider whether size is the best measure of a memorable fish (the answer is found in the meme shown below).
We got a couple more hours on Kentucky the next morning after a lovely snow-filled evening the night before. Sunday morning was cold, sunny, and windy. We still caught a lot of fish but again, all small. Several hard-fighting 9.5 inchers, an ideal eater size from most streams! DC caught the single legal fish of the morning at 11 inches.
I’d say that this year’s opener was the best yet. It’s always a good day when everyone catches a fish, and even better when those fish are big. There’s also something to be said for catching a bunch of small, semi-wild brookies on bobbers.
And thus concludes the hunt for 15. Next up? No particular size goal but I’m ready to check out some new lakes and streams and revisit some old favorites. Maybe try fly fishing again. Who knows?
Saturday Nauna Night 