Well a little warmer here today. The water in the rivers are still quite high. Some smelt and Steelhead are being taken from the Falls River. The smelt run here over the last 5 or 6 years has been almost non existent. So I am anticipating this run will be short. The cold weather and high water not helping much. I will keep you informed as things develop though out the week.

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It had stormed violently the night before. Thunder, lighting and heavy rain fell for a good hour. I was now kneeling in the long marsh grass along water works creek. The air was fresh, with only the kind off freshness you can get after thunderstorms pass though an area.This creek was very small. It feed into a much larger river that had a good Brook Trout population in it. If you looked at this creek after a dry spell you would think it could hardly support a minnow. But after a heavy rain this little creek was dynamite for Trout fishing. The erosion caused from the very short lived high water would deposit worms and crawlers into the water for the trout to feed on. Then the trout would come up into the small creek from the river to feed. These weren’t small fish either. It was not uncommon to catch Brook Trout in the 14 to 16 inch range.

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Sitting here at my computer. It is April 27^th and snowing again. A little snow for this part of the country -this time of year is not real unusual. But it could at lest be mixed with some rain to show its attempting to warm up. Not a chance at 22 degrees.Last week we had a nice warming trend. I was hoping that would spark things a little bit and the smelt and steelhead would start to run. Their were a few steelhead being caught in the Falls River this past week. This cold trend that has now settled in here makes it a little hard to predict. The water levels are very high making it hard to fish. If we are going to have a smelt run here it should happen shortly. Will keep you posted.The bay is completely free of ice now. If this weather straitens out I should have a report on the salmon fishing for you later in the week.Many of the inlands lakes here still have some ice on them.

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I have been getting some questions on how to fish steelhead using spawn bags. There are a number of artificial spawn products being offered. Bottled spawn, colored yarn and rubber eggs just to mention a few. At times they will work. But fresh is always the best. Most sport shops in the areas where the steelhead run will sell pre tied fresh spawn bags. This will get you started. Once you catch a female steelhead you can tie your own bags. I use a salmon colored netting along with some colored Styrofoam pellets. The pellets add some color and help keep it off the bottom a little bit. Rig your line with a slip sinker and a number 4 or 6 bait holder hook. I also use a small split shot in front of the slip singer and give the spawn bag about a foot of free line to the hook.
You can use either fresh salmon eggs or steelhead spawn. I freeze some of the spawn for later use. You can also treat the spawn by mixing it with borax. The borax gives the eggs a rubbery texture which makes them great for single egg use. The picture above will give you an idea of the type of material I use.

Needed:
Netting
Styrofoam pellets-colors your choice
Thread-to tie the bags
Slip sinkers and split shots
Number 4 or 6 bait holder hooks

There are a lot of books written on how to fish steelhead. But sometimes keeping it simple works the best. If the spawn is not working get out the night crawlers. At times they will hit on the crawlers when nothing else will work. If you have any questions put them in the comments area or feel free to email my at larry@fishhuntexplore.com.

For more imformation see my other article on steelhead fishing.

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Please welcome guest poster Bobby from Free Online Recipes

If you like grilled salmon or even if you don’t like grilled salmon you might appreciate this recipe. But this recipe isn’t about the salmon – it’s all about the sauce. Tonight I prepared a tangy, sweet, and spicy sauce that goes great with grilled salmon or even ribs or chicken. Be careful to not over cook the sauce, as it will thicken as it cools. If the sauce sits for too long and becomes too thick then just add a little bit of water to thin it out. This delicious sauce called ‘honey pepper sauce’ is very similar to the one served at the Applebee’s restaurant. This meal is very easy to prepare and the fish and the sauce should be on the table within just a few minutes. Also, if you don’t have a grill, or prefer not to use one baking the salmon in the oven will work just as good.

Ingredients:
Honey Pepper Sauce-
¾ cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
¼ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Salmon-
4 (8 oz) salmon fillets
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
Vegetable oil

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: To make the sauce combine all of the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stirring occasionally bring the sauce to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Watch the sauce to make sure it doesn’t bubble over while boiling. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
Step 2: Rub each salmon fillet with vegetable oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Step 3: Grill salmon for 4-7 minutes on each side or until fully cooked.
Step 4: Serve Salmon with a cup of honey pepper sauce for dipping or pour sauce over salmon fillets.

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Just a short note:Well another great day here. With the warmer weather the Steelhead fishing is starting to kick into gear. The water is quite high which is making fishing difficult- but some steelhead are being caught . The Huron river is very high. The warmer weather is suppose to last into the week end with a chance of showers tonight. This looks like it could be a set up for a very good fishing weekend.

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It was a beautiful day here in upper Michigan. 62 degrees with a strong wind that took the snow down like crazy. The warmer weather bringing some fisherman out to try their luck at some early steelhead fishing. Nothing happening yet. Due to the runoff from the last two snow storms the rivers are running a little high. With the warmer temperatures and the increased current feeding the bay, we may see some steelhead being caught by the end of the week. The ice on the bay is pretty well broken up. A strong south wind would probably push the ice out into lake Superior and open the bay up. I have not heard anything on the smelt run yet- but it is a little early. With the kind of winter most of us have had in the North Country- it just seems good to be dealing with open water.

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Well it looks like we are finally getting close to the steelhead run here in upper Michigan. After two late snowstorms and temps way below normal we are finally warming up. Water levels may get a little high do to the run off. But in my mind better to start high -then too low. Steelhead fishing here usually peaks around the end of April. Thier is still a lot of ice on the bay keeping the water temperatures down. So I am looking for a late run. The salmon fishing is at a stand still do to the ice still in the bay. The inland lakes pretty much the same. As the week develops and warmer teperatures come in to the area I hope to have a steelhead fishing report for you. Be sure to subscribe to my feed.

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Here in Northern Michigan when you are hunting for Morel mushroom, one of the first mushrooms to appear is the False Moral. I wouldn’t really call it a look alike but this is what they call it. Here it is called a beefsteak mushroom. I have also head it called a brain mushroom. I guess that is what it really resembles. It is found though out the country. But is most common in the North, and in the Mountains. It is very popular here in upper Michigan. The color is brownish becoming darker with age going to almost black. This is a fairly good size mushroom. The cap averaging two to four inches wide with a short stalk ¾ to 2 inches long. The cap sometimes will take on a saddle shape but mostly they look like a brain. The flesh is very brittle and the cap is chambered.For Habitat they are found in conifers and deciduous woods singly or in groups.This mushroom is classified as deadly.It has been found that this mushroom creates a chemical similar to what is used to make rocket fuel. It has been fatal in a number of cases. The toxins can be removed by the process of boiling. The problem is sometimes they are not completely removed. The poison appears to be cumulative. You could eat a meal of these and not have a problem. But the next meal could make you very, very sick. If you’re not sure don’t eat. In my opinion this is a good mushroom to stay away from.

Tags: Moral mushroom, wild mushrooms, mushroom hunting, false moral

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With the price of bait today it can really pay to catch your own minnows. Especially if you have a place you can store them. Catching minnows is not real hard. Be sure to check the laws for your state before you start. You can make your own trap or purchase one from a sporting goods store. Most of them are made from wire mesh. The most popular ones are round and have a funnel at each end. When the minnows go in for the bait, because of the funnels they cant find their way out. Dried bread works real well for bait in these traps. Find a creek you can legally trap in and walk the shore till you see some minnows. Try to pick out kind of a deep hole to lay the trap in. Let it go for a couple of hours or overnight before you check it. With any kind of luck you will be rewarded with a nice catch of minnows.If you plan on catching shiners you have to use a glass trap. Wire mesh traps are to rough. It will injure the shiners, they are more delicate.You can also purchase a square net. They are held to form with wire rods that form kind of an upside down umbrella. Also sometimes called an umbrella net. To use this you attach it to a long pole. Submerge the net into the water a couple feet below the surface. Sprinkle some wet oatmeal on top of the water over the net. It will sink and as it does the minnows will come in to feed on it. Then pull the net up. I have done this though the ice in the winter. It works great. Last but not least. If you don’t want to wait on a trap or stand over a net. Buy a seine. This is fast and effective. Make sure the one you buy is weighted on the bottom. Grab a buddy and go. Run the seine though shallow weed beds or deep holes in the creeks. Some times in the middle of the summer minnows even get hard to catch. Like most other fish -in the evening and at night they will come into shallow water. So if you’re not having any luck in the day. Try it in the evening or after dark.

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