I spent the majority of my life in Michigan and find the state a great place to live. There are things to do every season of the year. Spring time is great because everything comes to life as the snow dissapears and Michigans state bird, the Robin, as fat as they are, returns to raise their hatchlings.
The spring mornings are crisp and cold and the days warm up quick, sometimes starting 30*f warming up to 60*f. This brings in the Season of great Fishing when the Stealhead Trout come up-river to spawn. The Brown Trout follow the Stealhead to feed on their eggs.
I remember my best fishing experience that my brother Bill and I went to Platte Bay with our friend and boss of Mac's Landing Resort. We went March 31, the last day of our prior years fishing licience.
We launch the boat in the Channel of Platte Bay and the waters were so shallow we had to wade the boat out to the mouth and get in the boat and head on out to get into the bay. If we went early enough, it would be a calm launch. It was very hard on the windy days, and I had to oar and keep the boat straight as Kirk would pull the motor to get it started. One time the wind was coming from the south-west and I was paddling trying to keep the boat into the wind and this big wave broke the bow of the boat and drenched him. He hollars out, "Hey, what you doing up there."
I'd apologize, and feel bad for getting him wet, but give a little snicker cause I thought it was a bit funny. He would be a bit soaked. He eventually got the motor started and out into the depths of the water we ran the boat. He would open the motor up and cruize about 7 minutes to get lined up to our lucky spot.
We pick our lucky color of Rapala and send them out to troll behind the little boat. Kirk taught us to set the rapala into the water making sure the lure would swim correctly. He made sure we did not cast the lure because of a chance of a bad cast. We would line up between the two land-marks on the shore line. He would ask if we were ready and then he would say, "ok, let em out."
We would open our bail and he would throttle a bit for about 25 yards then he would slowly run the boat as we then close our bail and troll our rapalas in the back behind the boat. Bill would let his line way out about 75 yards or so. I would let mine about 50 yards or so. Kirk would keep his on the right side about 35 yards. We do not use plainer boards like most people do.
We break the rocks and come into the nice calm spot in the bay and not long after that, Bill gets one on. As he sets the hook, I look at his rod and it bends down pretty good and looks like a nice one. Kirk, the boat operator, maintains the motor in the rear. Then, All of a sudden, I get one on and grab my rod out of the rod holder, I pull straight up and then point my tip down, real up the slack. I proceed to set the hook, and yes, it feels good, I got one on too. My brother and myself have one on and Bill hollars out, "keep your fish on your own side." So I reply back, "I cant, he has crossed your line". So as we fight our own fish, Kirk slows down the motor and keeps it straight and reaches for the net to get ready. I suggested to Bill, "I think I snagged your fish." Bill replies back, "oh no, I got my own". The lines are still back behind the boat maybe 75 yards and all of a suddon, two fish jumped out of the water and they both were airborne and twisting and turning. Both fish were about 10 yards apart. Kirk yells out, "keep the lines tight, dont let them roll." That picture that we all seen was a picture in our memories that would last forever. Both fish, side by side in mid-air was so amazing. I am so excited and really taking concentration on keeping my fish under control. As all of a sudden, Kirk yells out, "heres mine". As he grabs his rod and this big man jerks and wobbles the boat, he set the hook and he put the boat in neutral. I grab my balance, not to fall over. All three of us has a fish on and we all are laughing and just having a high of our life. We got a "tripple-header". This must have lasted about 20 minutes with all three of us fighting our fish. Here I am thinking, what are we gonna do now.
Bill finally gets his fish next to the boat and Kirk hollars out, "oh, yaah, a football brown". Kirk tells me, "keep your fish on your side, and dont bring it next to the boat." My line was still out probally 15 yards or so. As I look at Kirk, managing to keep his line tight, and trying to lean over to scoop up Bills fish. He some how manages a clean scoop with the net and brings Bills fish in the boat. It is probally a 6 pounder. Bill is fighting with the fish trying not to get hooked by the fish flopping in the boat and the 2 trouble hooks from the gold-black rapala stuck in the net. The fish fell right off the hook. I am now getting my fish next to the boat. This was a quite bigger fish and Bill waits for the right time to net him. Kirk has finally got his fish under control and kinda keeping it pre-occupied while we work on mine. Bill reaches out to scoop the fish and he was a little bit off on his netting the fish is 3/4 of the way in the net; however, the rapala catches the net and the fish is off the lure and now flopping on the net and Bill fails to land it. I shouted out, "Bill, you scooped too early." Kirk replys, "dont worry about that, help me with mine." I am very disapointed about him loosing my fish. It must have been a 7 pounder im guessing. Bill hands me the net and I shift my body and legs around and wait for the right time to scoop Kirks fish up. I am now really nervous about netting the fish because I did not want to do the same as Bill. Kirk talks me through it and as we work together, I scoop and he glides the fish right into the net. I bring the 5 pound fish in the boat.
We laughed and talked a bit as we geared up again and Kirk would zoom up to the rock line and turn around and line the boat up over the rocks. We then drop our rapala's in the water and make sure they are swimming good. We repeat the launching of our lures once again. We troll down over the hotspot. We had it pretty well figured out where they were at. The spot was just passed the rock lined base on the south side and and about 75-200 yards off shore. A pretty big size drop off. It was a nice sandy bottom and about 22 feet deep. We had our fish finder spotting fish all the time that day. Other people would swing down through the hot spot and catch one and just keep going and we would zoom up and troll down. Then we would continueously repeat that tactic. We had a couple more double headers and some were 4 pounds and some 6 pounds or so.
A total of two hours im guessing went on that remarkable day. We had 22 fish on and we had 15 in the boat. Due to the fishing law at that time, we could only keep three of one species and two of another. Yet, we only caught brown trout that day and we left with 9.
From his past fishing trips here, Kirk has come to name them "football-browns," Meaning that the Brown trout is fat and bulbous around the belly because the Browns have been feeding all Spring. The average size of them were from 4.5 pounds to 9.5 pounds. So, its a pretty good size fish for being in Lake Michigan. Notice the square tail. Most fish has a V-shape. Browns have a strait cut end on the tailfin.
One time we went out and the season was still a bit cold. We were trolling through mini ice-bergs from the winters flow ice. That occasion was cold and very uncomfortable andquite the challange. It reminded me of the Titanic.
Finally, we would get together and watch NCAA and have a fish fry. I love the flavor of brown trout. We used egg and crushed Saltines crackers then panfried. We would have bread and real butter and slam the fish between bread and eat it just like that. I tend to still cook and eat it that way when I am in possession of Brown Trout.
The trick in a good fish is in the cleaning. When you filet the fish and you notice on the skin side some dark red meat. That is the fat and all that needs to be cut out. Notice the lateral line groove. Notch that red meat out of that line and remove all of the red meat. That is the fishy part of the fish. After the fish is cooked the red turns grey and that is the fatty fishy taste. When I eat fish in restaurants, I cut out all that grey fish before i eat it. Personally, Restaurants dont know how to prepare a cut of fish.
We would go for about two weeks out of the year around March 27 to April 7. One day a group of 4 guys was coming up and leaving for the day and Bill and I was going in our boat and we hollared out to them, "did you get any". They were a bit intoxicated, replied back, "no but Nimrod here, had one on and lost his pole." They laughed and proceeded up-river and we went on out. We was trolling just over the rocks and Bill picks up one. He reals it in and finds a fishing pole on the end of his line. So we end up with a free fishing rod.
Truely my best Spring time fishing experience.
In Loving Memory:
Unfortunately, We lost Kirk Marutz, due to cancer March 21, 2010. He did not make it this year. My Brother, thought to call him just prior to his last days. His wife, Sandy told Bill that he will not be attending this years Brown Trout fishing.
He truely is a great man. He gave me pointers when I was going to College. He was my mentor when we went fishing. We fished for Walleye, and Browns, and even Crappie at Arbutus Lake #2 at Mac's Landing Resort, Traverse City, Michigan. I was his Outdoor Maintance Supervisor at his 14 Cottage Resort for a few years in the early 90's. He loved the way I dressed the boats all in one line, Military style (dress-right-dress). Bill worked also the last couple years with me. Bill also put his touches on the Cabins with the grills and funiture. He will forever be in Bill and myselfs' hearts as we Pray for Sandy going through these hard times. We will forever remember Kirk when we go fishing, especially at Platte Bay and our famous Walleye hole.
God Bless my friend, may you always look down upon Platte Bay those two Glorious Weeks of the Year. As we know, you will be thinking, who will have the lucky color this year?
His life was too short.
