Fichigan

Fall Trout Camp 2023

Natch, Jake, Feral, and I met up at Pickerel Lake for our annual fall trout camp. Natch and I fished the Sturgeon and the Pigeon. Fishing was tough. The streams were low and clear and we didn’t see a drop of rain. I caught a fourteen-inch Brook trout on the Pigeon using a spinner. I didn’t keep it. We see so few of them we always turn them back.

Natch saw a couple decent browns on the Sturgeon. We fished one afternoon stretch and two evening stretches. I lost a nice brown trout under the horse bridge in the valley during the day. That night we dropped in near the Ford property and I fished downstream a bend, just curious to see what was down there. The land is private but the water is public. Natch took off upstream and there was no way to catch him. Later, waiting for him to come back downstream, I watched the sun drop below the treeline. (cover photo) It was late and I was a bit nervous…we had to navigate some thick woods and make a steep climb to get out of there. We did get out before nightfall.

Jake and Feral hunted for pats and woodcock and never did fish. They walked five to seven miles a day in areas where they had seen birds before but managed only a couple shots. They hunt without a bird dog which puts the odds against them in the thick cover bird habitat. They both had new shotguns, vintage units with swap out rifle barrels for deer hunting.

Denny and his wife Lorraine stopped by camp a couple times. They wanted to see the possibles boxes (see last post). Denny brought a guitar, another of his hand-made Martin copies, so we jammed out a couple songs one night around the campfire. Denny has a band, Down Yonder, that played at the Calder Arts Festival the last two years. They also do some entertaining/music at old folks homes. I video taped that for them once – it was so appreciated by the residents! After the show one of the staff tried to check Denny into a room. I wish I’d have gotten that on tape. 🙂

My sister’s youngest son Dan stopped in and camped two nights. That was a nice surprise. He plays guitar but I couldn’t talk him into playing. He was happy to hang loose, take photos (a very good photographer), and add stories to our round table.

All told, we had great camping and fantastic weather. Zero trout for dinner and Zero birds for the spit, but it didn’t matter. We had fun. We have one more trip in October. We’ll hunt and fish then too, enjoy the fall colors, close out another year.

The Possibles Box Challenge

About two months ago I proposed a challenge to my fishing buddies to come up with a hand made box to store camping, fishing, hunting miscellaneous items. I called it a “possibles” box after the possibles bags carried by mountain men into the wilderness. We had our show and tell at our fall trout camp. (I’ll do separate post on that.)

From left to right: Natch made two boxes, the first entirely from a wood crate. It has a custom latch and a smaller box with a matching latch. The rope handles are a nice touch and the workmanship was stellar. He also made the darker box alongside which features a custom trout engraved on the top and a magnetic latch. I like how the front has a lighter scrubbed area with the words possibles box. Each box includes a bottle opener. Nice work Natch!
The next box, in front, was made by Jake. I expected great things from him and he delivered. The box is made from a thick sled runner we found half buried in the Sturgeon River back in 2015. (see photo below) He had to slice the runner up into small usable pieces and assemble from there. Further, he made the custom hinge by hand (he’s a blacksmith and professional jeweler). The knob to open the box is made from a spike in the runner. The finished box assembly is amazing – every joint and seam fits down to a few thousandths inch. Incredible workmanship, design, colors, a really spectacular box.
Feral built the box with the caramel finish. He took design and utility to a new level. The top cover is removed in the photo – it can be used as a tray. On the right side you can see a built in coffee grinder. If you lift that section, below the grinder is an attached mason jar lid so you can screw a jar onto it to catch the grounds. His box is dedicated to cooking and he has various cookware and utensils stored inside. Top marks for creativity go to Feral. His workmanship is stellar too.
My box (Luther) is on the right. I went with 1800’s pioneer theme. My thought was make the box look like something that fell off a covered wagon. The lid has a US map from the late 1700’s with the names and general locations of North American Indian Tribes. I did this and the other illustrations with ink lines and watercolor paint, then a coat of clear matte varnish. The very front has a bison and a grizzly bear measuring each other up for a fight. The right side has a ox-drawn wagon and two rough looking characters, and a lower panel with a 50 caliber Hawken rifle with flame maple stock. The opposite side has two illustrations, a Crow Indian camp, and a Cherokee tomahawk pipe, both drawn from archived Smithsonian photos.
I called it this a challenge, not a competition, because I knew declaring a winner would be impossible and was pointless. These guys are artists. Each box is completely original, hand-made, and unique. I congratulate and applaud their efforts.