#13 Hersey River, Michigan

Heading north late Wednesday afternoon for a few days of fishing and to chalk up a few more rivers, I traveled up Old 131 intentionally avoiding the expressway in favor of a slower pace. South of Reed City I headed east on 2 Mile toward the town of Hersey. I turned north on 190th to pick up the river where it crosses the Pere Marquette Rail Trail. Just south of the Trail I came across a campground and stopped to look around. This must be the same scout camp Brian Merdzinski suggested fishing. Except for a few cars and a trailer the camp appeared deserted, although there was evidence of some preparation for expected campers. I walked back to the stream and the found the Hersey looking very fishy. Not finding anyone to ask permission to fish I decided to continue on to the Trail crossing just up the road. The PM Rail Trail is paved and there were a few bikers taking advantage of its unobstructed course through the countryside. I walked the Trail to where the Hersey crossed just to get a better look at the river and to see if this would be good access. It was getting late and I needed to get in the river. I could see the scout camp at the crossing to the south and nothing but brush, woodlot, and wildflowers to the north. On the way back to the car I decided to check out the Hersey's confluence with the Muskegon River in the village of Hersey, then come back here to fish. There is a park in the Village where the two rivers meet. The Muskegon at this point looks very interesting, fast water over gravel and stone and I decide to count the upper Muskegon as a separate river as it bares little resemblance to the river I fished three dams downstream for steelhead back in April. From here I headed to Main street and found the Hersey General Store - a throwback to the general stores of old, with everything from penny candy to soft goods and remnants of the old post office that used to be inside. The owner's mother who waited on me said the store is the oldest in the county at 138 years old and still has the original pair of screen doors at the entrance. I bought a long necked coke and headed to the river crossing on Main. As I got out of the car and headed off to inspect the river two DNR guys were walking up the path. I inquired about the fishing and was told that they were inspecting progress on the river following the removal of the dam. I looked around and realized that we were standing in an old lake bed and that the freshly planted trees and newly placed stone riprap along the stream banks were the obvious handy work of man. Fisheries biologist Mark Tonello seemed pleased with the stream's progress. There were some nice deep holes and long gravel runs that should benefit the fishery long term. I inquired about the Muskegon and he said it holds a mixed bag of both warm and cold water species. The brown trout are not plentiful but they tend to be large. I asked about the best place to fish the Hersey. He said without question that would be from US10 up to the airport dam in Reed City. I inquired about the Hersey's water quality given its storied past. Mark said the bad press was the best thing to happen to the Hersey, as he walked off handing me his card and asking for a report on how I did, lamenting that he had to work. As they drove off I readied my gear to test the newly regenerated stream, glad that my "working" days were behind me. Mark was right, the stream is already looking good, but on this day it produced no fish after wading up to the no trespass sign near the end of the old backwater. I packed up and decided to have dinner in Reed City and then fish the section Mark had suggested. To my surprise there are no restaurants in town except the fast food joints at the expressway. I choked down a Big Mac and headed off to the park at the intersection of Old 131 and US10. It was 8:30 or so and I decided to start with the spinning rod as I wasn't sure what the river was like here. I caught a few small browns in the park until I noticed some surface feeding, so I hustled back to the car and grabbed the fly rod. When I got back to the river the air was full of bugs, probably grey drakes, and the fish were eagerly dining. I got in the river and waded up under the US10 bridge. I selected a grey pattern close to what I was seeing and tied it on to the 3x tippet I had fastened onto the butt section of the 5x that was on the rod and began immediately catching fish. As light rain began to fall and the evening cooled off the hatch seemed to go into hyper drive with bugs and splashing fish everywhere. By 10 o'clock I had hooked a dozen fish but nothing big. Then I noticed movement in the center of the stream where two seams came together in the current from each side. No splash, just water being moved by something under. It was dark and at first I wasn't sure I was seeing anything. As I got closer I saw it again, a big movement just below the surface. The stream was narrow at this point but clear to cast in the center and I was able to make long casts up into the converging seams. Several casts produced nothing. Then I noticed the movement to the left along the overhanging brush. My casting must have moved the fish over. I took the time to tie on a fresh fly. My first cast to the left seemed perfect but produced nothing, but as my second cast floated down through the seam the water erupted and a large fish was hooked, reminiscent of the big browns I have taken at night on the Au Sable during the Hex hatch. At first he took the fly down and just sat on the bottom like a log. When he felt the pressure of the line he made a mad run upstream about 20 yards and then shook violently, breaking off the 3x tippet. The excitement of the night was stopped dead in its tracks. The rain stopped. The hatch stopped. My heart stopped. I had been given the opportunity of an early season trophy, and came up short. Unprepared.

Note to self: never ever fish at night with anything but 0x tippet. Go back to the Hersey early next June and try this again.

Weather: 70s in afternoon, 60s and rain in evening
Access: Main Street in Hersey Village and upstream at US10