#57 Boyne River, Michigan

Eric and I took a few hours to fish the Boyne River this morning below the dam at Boyne Falls. We awoke to find the ground covered with a dusting of snow and a damp chill in the air. As is often the case near Lake Michigan, the softwoods still held their golden leaves late in the season. The fresh white snow against the backdrop of the softwoods and cedars was beautiful in spite of the cold. We had the river to ourselves which made the experience even better. A few weeks back I drove by the bridge on Dam Road and didn't bother stopping as there must have been 20 cars with fisherman lined up along the banks on both sides. The river was still full of salmon which looked to be in their final days, but there were also some smaller fish in the deep holes, probably early steelhead. We walked along the river up to the dam, casting to the holding fish. Fortunately, we did not foul hook the salmon, but neither did we interest the trout. I think given more time this could have been a productive outing. The weather felt like steelhead weather - cool, overcast, and drizzling.