Well, with a flooded, soupy yard, finally got motivated yesterday to get out and hit the Pere Marquette River after tying a couple flies. The yard is still too soft to do anything productive, but had to get out. Dodged a couple alligators going out the drive. Hit Baldwin Bait and Tackle for some leader material and other odds and ends and went west. Checked a couple bridges and finally found a spot with a few old timers bank fishing. Had Kaley with me, so I let her check out the woods while I got the waders and gear on. Pretty warm day. Water was high and dark, but not quite coffee. Wasn't a lot of good wading water along this stretch, I usually fish it upstream more, but haven't got the federal access sticker yet. Found a fishy looking area and worked it awhile. Was kind of listening for the CSX train that runs on the old Pere Marquette tracks through that area. When I see those tracks, I picture logging trains and passenger excursions to the fishing resorts. Fished a couple hours and still no train horns. Wasn't getting any fish either so after my donation of bird parts to the fish gods I decided to wrap it up. Heading back into town on 52nd crossing the tracks again, low and behold, still no train. Took another little browse at the old passenger depot that is now a CSX maintenance office and the old coal tower down the tracks. Then there are the snowmobile trails along a couple of the old lines that had been taken up. I have a real nice picture of the depot with a passenger train unloading from the 30's. I see that Jones's is scheduled to reopen on the 8th. Owner goes to Florida for the winter. Great homemade icecream with waffle cones. Also huge hotdogs with really good buns. On back to the cabin dodging gators up the drive. Made a batch of goulosh and a salad for dinner, and fired up the wood burner then tapped into the cheesecake. Not the best day for either hobby, but still much better than work.....

 

Sounds like life is good

 

Don, Get your glasses changed, those gators in Michigan are dogs

Hang in there buddy, warmer weather is heading our way soon I did 6 laps around the boat myself today, getting itchy about wanting to drop it back in the water for another season.

 

Large teeth, big tail.......those are beavers!

 

boy you need ANOTHER trip to DA UP EH!!!

 

Well, brought Kaley down to work yesterday and stayed at my sisters last night. Gonna stay tonight too. Wasn't so worried about her tangling with the gators OR the beavers, she can hold her own, just didn't want a muddy mess in the house. Raining again today. Hope it dries out before SUnday, got a Redneck that may be visiting and I don't want a gator to get him. Of course, I could get the smoker out...

 

HEY! I resemble that remark!

chaikwa.