But just to “put it all out there”. Here is our letter to the editor.

Dear AK,
We will spend the next few days reading every post you have ever written in all of your many blogs. If after that time we wish we had your life, we will drive our sorry asses to MI and personally kiss your ass. If we don’t wish we were you after reading your dribble? Well, we get to decide that outcome as well. Maybe we all get in a boat and just go fishing. As for now, focus on the fishing, we hear shit is real tight up there right now and isn’t that what all this is about anyway?

If entertainment is what you’re after, maybe you’re barking up the wrong tree. Try internet porn. We hear there is some really good stuff out there these days. Surely you can find a site that’ll suit YOUR needs.

Hatchless Disclaimer – we don’t expect anyone to read our blog because we already know it sucks. We just like to hear ourselves talk. Tight lines and shit.

Yeah, he’s a scientologolist or whatever but fuck it…

The greatest thing about turning 40 for me is that in just a few weeks I’ll be fishing the Little Red in AR with Jamie Rouse (not sure what’s up with his main site but check here if the first link is a dud) who was recently featured in the latest of Southern Culture on the Fly. I found Jamie via the lodge that we are staying at and it would seem that my instincts led me in the right direction. After a short talk with Jamie I was sold on the fact that he is afflicted.  I’m heading that way with my best friend who lives in Dallas now. Another guy that refuses to indi fish even if he is being outfished by the nympher next door. He turns 40 this year too so we have to at least hit double 20″ browns or the trip has to be done over. Part of me hopes that the do over happens so the rest of the Hatchless dudes can join us next time.

We have one day with with Jamie and one with one of his other guides that is also a streamer junkie. Should be a killer trip. It was nice to get an endorsement on Jamie from a fellow Au Sable streamer guy, Kelly Neuman, and then yet another endorsement a week after we booked with Jamie via SCOTF.

Kelly is guiding on the White for the first few weeks in Feb and is well worth looking up because he has a killer deal going down there. Also on the White this time of year from MI are the guys from OAS in Grayling, MI doing time down there chasing hogs. Find them at Daily’s Ozark Fly Fisher. The Michigan guys know the deal when it comes to tuggin’ streamers!

This year I was the proud recipient of a few new sticks that are worth writing about. The first one I purchased I believe I mentioned earlier this year with the promise of a review. Naturally, since that one was purchased first, I will go chronologically and start there.

Early this spring I decided I needed a 7wt. for throwing the bigger streamers. I have been fishing a TFO TiCR 6wt. for a few years and the bigger stuff was getting a bit cumbersome to throw with it. The 6 is a custom built stick that a friend put together for me and I think I mentioned in an earlier post how I feel about it. It still love it and I will still use it but I think it has to be re-purposed based on the performance of the new rod I picked up this spring. Being that I’m not a millionaire I decided that my highest price point was going to be around $250-300. After doing the shopping/research thing I settled on a new company, Rise, based on the simple fact that they seemed to have their sights set on the big picture (conservation) rather than their bottom line. That, coupled with the extra tip the rod came with, and some good pre-purchase communication (Amanda, one of the owners, is a VERY patient person… I can get a bit long in the tooth…) was the ultimate selling factor.

As for the rod, I love the damn thing. I started the season throwing a 200g SA Streamer Express which it loved but begged for a bit more. Its not that this rod is too stiff (like most of the others in this price point) and wouldn’t load at short distances because it does that very well but it just felt like I could easily plus up in line weight by 50-100 grains and still have no issue throwing the big stuff. Quite frankly, I have been wanting to bump up to a 250 grain sink tip and with the new rod I was able to do that with no problem. I switched to a Rio Streamer Tip 250 at the end of the season and the rod performs even better with that line. I did however fish the rod for the better part of the season with the 200 and was very happy with it but I will say the 250 is better. My first trip out with it scored me the biggest wild brown I have caught to date. While I realize that the rod probably didn’t make the fish happen, the fact that I was able to throw big flies all day without effort most likely did play a part in the catching of said fish. With the new rod I was able to spend a day chucking 6″+ streamers with ease at considerable distances with accuracy. For that it scores high in my book.

As I mentioned before (or maybe I didn’t), the Rise Level Series 7 wt. that I purchased came with an extra tip. This fall I broke a tip on this rod. Don’t stop reading here and shit can the rod thinking that its weak or something. The breakage was no fault of the rod. The tip broke because I either slammed it with some big honkin’ lead eyed streamer on a shitty cast, AND/OR… it was mishandled in a fly rescue mission from some low hanging, big trout harboring, fly eating tree, or it was a combination of both. Anyway, after the tip broke, I made a quick switch to the extra tip and kept fishing as if nothing had happened AND finished out the week throwing the same heavy ass flies with the spare tip on what has become my new favorite streamer stick.  From what I hear, Rise has been getting some push back from anglers on the strength of their tips based on the fact that they are giving you a spare. Seriously? There are so many things that I could say about that to those that are making that claim. None of those things are pointed in the direction of the rod maker. I will respectfully restrain myself and say quite simply this; I LOVED the fact that all I had to do is reach behind me in the boat and grab that extra tip and make the exchange. I did not and could not blame the rod for the fact that I was changing the tip. All I could think to do was praise the fact that I had the tip to change to. If not, I would have been pretty bummed for 4 more days of intense streamer chucking. Again, the tip replacement will be a breeze when I send it back and I can still fish out the year without having to wait for the new tip. When I contacted Rise about the broken tip I was told that they would happily replace it when I was ready to put the rod down for the year.

Bottom line, I will totally back this rod. Buy one. You won’t be let down.

I’m not going to pretend to know anything about this river. I do enjoy watching this sort of destruction. Awesome.

Best of all. I’m glad to see that the smoke monster from LOST found a new gig. One that really makes a difference. Pause the video at about the 25 second mark and see Smokey in action!

by: Will Rice

October 18, 2011

He is guilty.

He did it.

He confesses.

He comes clean.

He is a streamer punk.

Simple ideas turn to thoughts: Streamers in the fall—there are few things he enjoys more. 5X? No. 4X? Nope. 3X? Maybe… if the water is clear. 2X? These fish aren’t leader shy and matching the hatch is not exactly scientific.

READ ON>>>

Might fish in the morning if the river has potential. We’ll see.

I will apologize in advance for the lack of video footage. Just enjoy the music (if you’re punk enough), if not, go here instead.

Prize Country

I just discovered this band last weekend. Its all my favorite late 80′s and early 90′s hardcore bands rolled in to one. Good stuff.They just broke up but check more out HERE. These guys re-kindled a lot of old music flames in me.

Drive Like Jehu

Underfuckinrated! These guys killed it in the early to mid 90′s. It would probably go well with that bluefish slaughter video you’ve been hiding from the purists.

Kerosene 454

All time favorite. Well worth a few songs.

7″s of goodness.

Metroschifter

Ummmmmm… J. Cash!

Texas is the Reason

Anyway, being the whiny bitch that I am, I also don’t like to have the anchor “kerplunked” in the water when approaching a pool that may hold fish. I suspect that from the fishes perspective you may as well just do a cannonball off the boat. It would probably end in the same result. So here’s the basics:

Anchor: Kersploosh!

Me (to Mike): Hey plunky. Splash that anchor again and I’m gonna hop over this brace and punch you in the face!

Mike (to me): I was trying to get you wet.

Me (to Mike, head shaking): Yeah? Well next time try rubbing the inside of my thigh.

We got skunked that day as we have every other day we have fished that river for steel.

Check back. This post could be added to in the future.

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Found this over at Midcurrent today. Sorta similar to Derek DeYoung’s work but I have to say Becca’s stuff would go on my wall before Dereks. Sorry. Just being honest.

Check it out! Well worth a click.  Becca Schlaff

Props to MI from Field and Stream Magazine!

Why isn’t Ohio on the list?

Oh well. Toledo was given to OH by MI as a trade for something at sometime anyway right?

A lot of us Toledoans sort of feel like were from MI. I mean at this point I only have a MI fishing license. I will buy an OH license but obviously, now published, the fishing is better in MI anyway.

Here’s a the first two fish of the season. The MI season that is.