2025 Fall Trout Camp
Best laid plans are often amiss. Six people were invited, but it was just Natch and I up at Pickerel Lake. A shout out to Brandon, an avid fichigan reader for 8 years, who stopped by and had some kind words to say about the blog. Thanks, Brandon!
Natch and I fished the main rivers, the Sturgeon and Pigeon. Water was low and clear. The sun was out. Natch caught a brookie on the Pidgeon, and I took a nice brown on the Sturgeon off Fontinalis Road. I had some spinning reel trouble that cut that outing short. Closed-face trigger spin reels are getting scarce, due I guess, to the better reliability of standard spinning reels. That is bad news for those of us who grew up with Shakespeare 1810 reels, looking for a good substitute.
Bottom line: Not much to show for 3 serious days of fishing! But that is just part of trout camp.
One evening, we decided to try an elk viewing area, something we hadn’t done before. There is one located north off Sturgeon Valley Road near where the Pigeon River crosses. We pulled in, parked, and sat on a grassy knoll at the south end of a huge field. We weren’t really convinced we’d see something but it was great sitting there. It reminded me of bow hunting in my younger days. Suddenly, four bull elk walked out at the far end of the field. We both worked our phone cameras trying to get a good shot. Natch finally moved close using two trees in the field as cover. He took the video.
One afternoon, sitting on a bench at the boat landing/beach at Pickerel Lake, some horseback riders stopped to give their mounts a drink in the lake. A family with kids gathered to see the horses. That was fun to see too.
Even though the fishing was tough, the weather was perfect for camping, hanging out, and keeping busy. I lost 3 pounds. That was a good surprise. Natch and I hit our favorite streams and stretches, had a good laugh here and there, and left on a good note. October Camp… hoping that works out a little better.
Fichigan 