Last night I decided to sleep in (I made it all the way till 6:30 before I decided I was awake and moved to the couch for some quality time with Tess this morning.) and, since I actually do care about keeping our site up to date, do this first to get it done. With any luck, depending on how I feel with a full belly later, I’ll head out for a few hours this evening to see if there’s a hatch or something! (Might as well keep the streak alive, can’t think of anything better to do.)

To sum it all up we’ve had one hell of a run here on the PM! I recall telling John sometime about mid March that even if we never saw another fish for the rest of the season I’d have to say we’d already had more over the course of the fall/winter and first part of spring than we’ve seen since the pre-lamprey barrier days and I meant it. We actually saw another week or so of unbelievable days after that…

I’m not by any means saying that all of the effect is simply due to the lack of barrier for a few years, but it has been getting better and better every spring since it went off line and with any luck the healing will continue.

Fact is, even with a “natural” high mortality in Steelhead after a spawning run It most certainly didn’t hurt our returns here allowing the out migrating Steelhead and smolts to do so freely and have a better chance at recovery out in the lake…

I’m also not quite ready to say “Stick a fork in it, it’s done.” as a friend of mine told me he did for his home water already, but it most certainly is harder to find just a few players now than it was during our “perfect storm” in the early season.

Heck, just yesterday we stuck a couple in the net and lost four or five others after good battles, but that has more to do with the rotation you wind up in and keeping the pulse of the river right now than anything else. Good anglers with great attitudes and wiling fish help of course also… ;^)

The “perfect storm” I speak of was something to see! You take high water, add in warm enough weather to bring water temps that get into the high 50s in early March without an electric barrier to hold them up a bit and you’ve got a recipe for T-shirts and double digits!

It was actually pretty darn fun to witness the guys that always come “early” expecting only a few shots from dark water here and there and maybe an active redd or two hit it like that for a change, but it’s also going to cause us to mix it up more with some trout fishing a little earlier than usual. Since last report I’ve had a few days where we never put a Steelhead in the hand, but I haven’t had one yet where there wasn’t a shot at doing so and a good time was had by all…

Both John and I caught our first dry fly fish of the season last week (John beat me by two days, but convinced me to toss in the four weight in doing so! ;^) and we’ve been seeing some risers almost every afternoon. Streamers are fishing well on some days also, but as of right now other than just a short stint or two of doing so to mix it up my focus has remained on putting the time in to hunt silver.

New fish continue to pop up here and there, mostly bright new hens, but not a bunch of them. My “guess” is that with any significant precipitation we will most likely see at least one little late burst as we do on most years, but then again. I’ve been running around regularly on the PM for the past 20 years as of this spring and that wasn’t exactly “most” March.

Only time will tell and we will be out there with or without clients to pass it on. As it stands, thru the 21st my open days in April that are open to book are the 11th & 12th and the 20th and John’s are the 18th & 20th. It opens up for both of us after the 21st pretty well and we wouldn’t mind filling it!

Hey, a good night out on the town in most cities for a couple of guys winds up costing about the same as a guide trip so just stay home that evening! (OK, I mean a really good night out on the town! ;^) Any way you look at it having a great float down the scenic Pere Marquette River seeking trout and Steelhead, having a few laughs, learning a few new tricks and eating at Steve or John’s five star riverside café is well worth it and we’d love to have you!

A HUGE thanks to everyone who’s already supported us at the shop and motel in any way this season and a special thanks to those we shared the boat time with.

Since last report I’ve had Ben & Ron on the 29th, Steve & Pete on the 30th, Tom & Sam on the 31st, Pete & Andy on the 1st, Jacob & Eric on the 2nd, Mike & Pete on the 3rd, (Pete’s a popular name, not the same guy! :^) Jonsey & Randy on the 4th, Joe & Will on the 5th, Todd & Dan on the 6th as well as Tom & Eric on the 7th.

We love our office and we love sharing it with you all! I’ve had too many great stories this season much less this past week to even try the old blow by blow here so the best way to get those in my boat!

Alaska 2012
Want to fish some of the best rivers in Alaska (Katmai/Bristol Bay Area) without spending an arm and a leg??? Then join us for this summer’s BBT Alaska trip ($500 per person holds your spot)…Week one: July 28– 4, 2012 and week two: August 4 – 11, 2012. We have room for twenty guests each week. OUR PACKAGE PRICE PER PERSON IS $2,295.00 ($200 LESS THEN BOOKING DIRECT) and includes:
• Six full days guided fishing
• All your lodging and meals
• Transportation to and from the Airport in King Salmon, AK

Argentina 2013

The dates are January 12 – 19, 2013…we are taking deposits now to hold your spot! Treat yourself to a trip of a lifetime! The package price per person based on double occupancy is US $3,450.00 and includes:
• Six full days guided fishing (with expert, local bilingual (Spanish-English) fly-fishing guide)
• All your lodging, meals and beverages (including beer & wine with meals).
• Transportation to and from the Airport in Bariloche

BBT in Argentina 2011 from John Karakashian on Vimeo.

Plus, here are a couple pictures that Pedro, the head guide of Fly Maniacs, recently sent John…

Please contact the shop to sign up for either of these exceptional trips!

Also, please check out our new Baldwin Bait and Tackle Facebook page.

Baldwin Bait & Tackle

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