Roger Odell and I took a trip down the Grand with guide Phil Cusey (streamertwo@sbcglobal.net) in search of small mouth bass, or "Green Trout" as Phil would say. The trip actually started the night before as I sat on my basement floor rummaging through various piles of fishing stuff assembling a suitable bag of tackle for the day ahead. It occurred to me that my frequently used fishing and hunting gear is relegated to just 80 cubic feet of space, or about 1/10th the space I need amidst the usual basement clutter I don't use. The adjacent workroom houses various tools and bottles of old chemicals and the like that I have been transferring from house to house over the years. I may have used the workbench once or twice in the last 6 years but those projects could have easily been done on the kitchen table when Margie wasn't looking. And that's when it hit me. Why not jettison the so called "workroom" and turn it into my own personal outdoor activities center, complete with rod holders, tackle boxes, wader hooks, gun cabinet, boot tree, and outdoor clothing racks. Move the tools to my barn to join their buddies, leaving just one tool bag for minor household jobs. I promise myself to get this done by year's end (or just 50 more rivers).
We launched our trip at the Charlotte Road bridge just south of Portland on a cool but pleasant morning with the promise of improving weather. Blue Phlox were blooming profusely along the banks on a stretch of river that for its beauty and natural surroundings rivals famous rivers far to the north. With the exception of one distant barn, we saw no sign of fellow man the entire 6 hour float until the end where a lone homestead stood near the takeout. No other boaters, or fisherman, or million dollar "cottages" to muck up the experience. Just miles of scenic beauty in the Portland State Game Area only 30 minutes or so from Grand Rapids.
The fishing wasn't bad either with frequent action the entire trip using a variety of streamers. Nothing big, but then small mouth bass don't have to be big to enjoy catching. On this day the fish were bottom feeders, so we switched to sink tip lines which increased the hits. The hot streamers were a bronz colored "Tequilley" and rabbit strip crab patterns in olive and peach tied by Phil himself. He calls the peach pattern the "Peach Crabbler." In the afternoon a cream colored caddis hatch emerged and we noticed many fish rising to the floating insects. One fish caught on a streamer had a gullet full of nymphs. We were not equipped for nymph fishing but I'll bet that would have been effective.
I took both an 8wt flyrod Orvis had just replaced (see river #2) and the new 6wt Hexagraph flyrod which I had recently paired with an old F2 Rio Orbigo reel. The Orbigo has a midsized arbor and very smooth action. The handle of the Hexagraph is a bit thick in the middle and became uncomfortable holding after extended casting, so I switched to the 8wt which I found much more to my liking as the day wore on.
We enjoyed Phil's company and expert assistance, including the tasty grilled panini sandwich cooked up while Roger and I relaxed. I would highly recommend this trip for anyone who like me grew up in Grand Rapids but whose only knowledge of the Grand is what it looks like peering over city bridges. As with any river the Grand is not the same river beginning to end. And in this case, that was a pleasant surprise.
Note for return trip: this float covers two large oxbow bends returning just a few miles from where you start. The obscure takeout is on Erdmann Rd. It would be easy to pass the takeout spot as there are several islands at that point and if you got caught on north side you wouldn't see the launch. Remember that when you get to the rocky "white" water keep to the left and watch for the house which is next to the takeout. And be sure to take a nymph fishing rig.
Weather: 52 degrees in morning, warming to 68. Partly cloudy. Water temp 60.
Access: Charlotte Rd Bridge
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