fishing : All posts

outdoors: Dr. Randall Forsch fishes to a place back in time

Dr. Randall Forsch proudly holding a very impressive and elusive Brown Trout on a recent fly fishing trip out west.

photo courtesy of the Forsch family

I've known Dr. Randall Forsch for more than 10 years as my primary care physician. We've hardly ever talked about our personal lives, probably due to our doctor/patient relationship. I did, however, know that Dr. Forsch loved to fly fish. It was a complete surprise and a pleasure when I received the story below from Dr. Forsch in an email last week.

I hope this story resonates with you as it did for me. Thank you Dr. Forsch for allowing all of us to read your story:

When I moved to Chelsea from the Snake River country of Idaho and Eastern Oregon in 1995, I knew I’d miss many things, including the beauty of the high desert, the rugged mountains and the wonderful friends Christine and I made as we started our family.

That which I miss the most is the cold water of the rivers and lakes and its resident trout of brown, cutthroat, bull and rainbow hues. I grew up in Michigan and truly enjoy fly fishing the steelhead and salmon runs and for resident browns and brookies, but nothing compares to angling in the scenic beauty of the West, especially when the fish cooperate.

outdoors: Walleye fishing with Sen. Randy Richardville is a chance to get back into the outdoors

Senate House Majority Leader Randy Richardville and I holding an eight-pound walleye caught in Lake Erie.

Rick Taylor | AnnArbor.com Contributor

I haven’t done anything related to the outdoors in months. I haven’t fished once this year; heck I didn’t even go turkey hunting at all this spring.

Home sales have absolutely exploded in Washtenaw County. I’ve always been busy selling homes but nothing compares to the spectacular real estate market I’ve seen this year. I’m not the only agent touting this fact; many agents are having their best year ever.

Unfortunately, this real estate success puts our personal passions on hold, let alone our personal time with our families. I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever get outdoors when I came across an email on my smart phone.

It was an email from the Michigan Association of Realtors; they offered two free tickets for a walleye fishing tournament on Lake Erie near Monroe.

“Oh Yeah, I’m doing this,” I thought to myself. I immediately called the number provided and found myself confirmed for this event. I laughed to myself because I didn’t even know who was hosting this fishing event, and I didn’t care either. I just wanted — actually really needed — a few hours to just get away from work for a little while.

outdoors: The Ultimate Fishing Show is in Novi through Sunday

Rick Taylor | AnnArbor.com

There's always a time and place when it comes to fishing our magnificent waters of Michigan. There are few places that can rival the level of expertise of the vendors at "The Ultimate Fishing Show" located at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, which is running from now until Sunday.

Whether you're into ice fishing, river fishing, inland lake or fishing our majestic Great Lakes; it's all here.

There are vendors from all over North America that proudly display their previous catches by video presentation, pictures or taxidermy.

There are ice fishing shanties of every shape and size, lures, motorized or manual ice augers, outer ware and fishing rods for those who are brave enough to endure the icy conditions of the frozen north. Maybe someday we'll get some ice so bring out your boats in the meantime.

There are a multitude of other fun attractions for the entire family to enjoy.

outdoors: Outdoorsman reviews highlights of 2011

Ricky and Joseph proudly showing off just one of many King Salmon they caught this day.

Rick Taylor | AnnArbor.com contributor

I wrote my first story for Annarbor.com, about ice fishing, this February and 20 more stories since then. I’ve covered many outdoor adventures and thought it might be fun to do a "Year in Review" and briefly discuss my favorite stories of the year.

Of course, you can do a search on my stories and pick your favorite or most controversial.

Speaking of controversial, let's start with a story in which I discussed the Michigan gun laws. This was not meant to be an opinion piece, rather, it was simply designed to go over the existing gun laws in the state of Michigan.

I received more comments on this story than almost any other. I was accused from both sides of the political isle of being partisan to hunting and anti-hunting groups alike. Wow, who knew that defining the gun laws in Michigan could be so inflammatory?

One of my favorite stories came to fruition when I met Heather O’Neal; owner of "Of Global Interest." Heather and my wife are lifelong friends, and we met during a party honoring clients of Heather.

There, I met Pemba and Moni Sherpa who were the first to get married at the summit of Mt. Everest! Their story is inspiring and why it hasn’t been turned into a movie yet is beyond me. Pemba is from Nepal and Moni from India. Their cultures don’t allow them to be together, but they defied cultural taboos and put their love above everything else. Truly, a wonderful story.

outdoors: A King Salmon fishing trip with kids is one to remember

Ricky and Joseph proudly showing off just one of many King Salmon they caught this day.

Rick Taylor | AnnArbor.com contributor

There are some things in life that are just meant to be together. Apple pie and ice cream, beer and pizza; and finally kids and fishing.

I still can’t explain the allure of fishing at the age of 42. However, I can say that I love fishing every bit as much now as I did as a kid. Indoctrinating a child into fishing is arguably one of the coolest things a parent can do for his kids. You don’t have to be a parent, though, to put big smiles on the faces of little kids when it comes to fishing.

You can be a mentor to many kids who’ve never held a fishing rod before, as sad as that sounds. May this story inspire you to take a child fishing; that may include the child within yourself.

outdoors

column: A king salmon fishing trip near Frankfort made even more memorable by fine companions

My companions and I with salmon.

Rick Taylor | Contributor

I won a salmon fishing trip from Michigan Out of Doors (MOOD) TV last fall. Little did I know that I’d share this amazing experience with four great guys. Any of these guys would have made a great story, so sharing this fishing trip with all four guys was simply amazing.

Jimmy Gretzinger, Bill Harmer, Captain Greg Sheremeta and Bob Young are those four guys and I’d like to talk about how they made our fishing experience extraordinary.

Many of you may know Bill Harmer as the director of the Chelsea District Library. Bill and I have collaborated on various projects in Chelsea for the last few years, and we’re both in Rotary International.

Bill is anything but one-dimensional. He’s a happily married man with three awesome kids; he loves rock and roll; he raced sail boats for years, enjoys NASCAR races and gets along with almost everyone in Chelsea. Bill is an amazingly focused and driven person who’s passionate in his profession. Just walk into the library, and you’ll see a state-of-the-art facility that rivals most large city institutions.

Outdoors: Ice fishing can be rewarding, especially when you have shelter from the cold and good advice

Ricky Taylor has his hands full with two bluegills he caught while ice fishing.

Rick Taylor | Contributor

I’ve spent time on the ice with brutal wind hitting my face making it difficult to stay out there. Adding insult to injury is the lack of fish hitting the bait. Let’s face it, who wants to sit out in brutal weather conditions not catching fish? Bringing out your kids in these conditions may result in disaster. If it’s tough for adults, then you can just forget about kids having any fun either.

The solution to this is quite simple. No, it isn’t going to the grocery store and buying a salmon fillet. Go ice fishing with someone who’s good at it. Learn their secrets to success, and try to employ them yourself. Secondly, purchase or make a portable ice fishing shanty.

Links: Tips and insight for fishing on the mighty Huron River and northern trout streams

Twelve Classic Trout Streams in Michigan.

Here's part of the process of collecting local fishing information, in part as told by people who say "you shouldn't write this down, but ..." Secret fishing places up north are as secret as secret morel hunting places, but there are some things that are readily shared. More importantly, the story of fishing is the story of habitat for fish and food for fish, which means bugs; your favorite fly fisherman is an amateur entomologist as well.

This is an update in part to my April "going fishing" links; to the extent that it's incomplete, it's because I tried to write about it then.

Ex-Michigan professor's new book can assist fishermen and fans of the Great Lakes

Gerald Smith's new book, "A Guide to Great Lakes Fishes," offers information on every species of fish found in the Great Lakes. (Photo courtesy of University of Michigan Press)

By his own estimation, Gerald Smith, a former professor at the University of Michigan, has been obsessed with fish for “too long.”

In his new book, “A Guide to Great Lakes Fishes,” which is available in book stores, he hopes some of that enthusiasm will rub off on residents of Michigan and other Great Lakes states, who sometimes take advantage of the resources that available in lakes Michigan, Superior, Ontario, Erie and Huron, which represent 20 percent of the planet’s fresh water supply.

The book is specifically aimed at fisherman, although Smith himself hasn’t fished in a long time. He even pushed the publisher to print the book on waterproof paper, in hopes that it will help anglers identify the fish they’re catching.

Links: Going fishing - some places to go nearby, what you might catch and getting a license

Drew Anderson, front, and his dad, Scott, fish together on Barton Pond on Easter Sunday.

Mark Bialek | AnnArbor.com

The mighty Huron River goes right through the middle of Ann Arbor, which makes for plenty of good places to put a pole in the water and go fishing. Here's what to expect when you're out on the water.