A friend is in town for one evening and wants to chase some woodcock. You have two hours of shooting light after you get out of work. Where do you go?
We’ve all probably been faced with a similar situation. For me, the answer is a simple. Head for the alders.
Alders are woodcock hotspots Read More »
Mean weather, mean water, and mean-looking flies are the keys to catching trophy brown trout.
People might want to watch the 1985 thriller “The Mean Season.” The movie is set in Florida, so it depicted a warm-weather storm. But set that discrepancy aside. A mean season – semi- or near-total darkness, cold rain, maelstromic currents, sometimes high winds – those describe big brown trout conditions.
Big browns are a fish with an affinity for mean water Read More »
Ticks it seems – like the ‘water water’ made famous by Coleridge’s ancient mariner – are everywhere. Also like the mariner’s water, they have no immediate value.
Ecologists constantly remind us that every living thing occupies an important niche in an ecosystem. If we disrupt one link in the ecological chain, we’ve harmed the whole thing. The scientific literature is surprisingly silent regarding the value of ticks, though.
Ticks, and the disease risks that come with them, are widespread in Michigan Read More »
Despite some trout-harboring streams remaining open to angling all year, Michigan’s official trout season kicked off on April 26. The season began somewhere between a whimper and a bang.
As is often the case, the season had a chilly beginning. Opening morning saw temperatures across the lower tier of Michigan’s best trout-fishing counties hovering in the high 30s. Dawn arrived in Silver City, at the extreme northwestern corner of the Upper Peninsula at the base of the Porcupine Mountains (and in the vicinity of several popular brook-trout streams), with temperatures sitting right at the freezing point.
Michigan anglers see mixed results on trout opener Read More »
Sometimes wrinkled ennui accompanies the outdoor writing process. I’ve been writing for years now, mostly for my local newspaper. I’ve treated the same topics over and over. And I’m fairly certain I’m not alone in this regard: As much as writers might hate to admit it, we often run out of additional information to contribute to an activity.
Rabbit hunting is ‘old hat’ but offers plenty of fun Read More »
Christmas money still jingling in your pocket? Anglers who buy a fly line, rod, and reel designed for the task of bass fishing will find more success next summer.
We’re stuck right now in the midst of a long, cold, dreary winter. That makes this an excellent time to buy a new fly reel and a bass-taper fly line to place on it. What better way to fight the wintertime blues, eh?
Looking for a winter blues buster? Upgrade your fly fishing gear Read More »
I’d dropped by the Michigan home of famed anglers David Van Burgel and Kathy Scott for a minute. Those names should probably ring a bell with a lot of Michigan anglers.
For those to whom they don’t, here’s the scoop: They’re a husband-wife duo who both gained fame in the fly-fishing world – Van Burgel as a builder of fine bamboo rods and Scott as an angling author. They spent much of their adult lives in Maine. In fact, it was in the Pine Tree State that the pair achieved their fame. They both have roots in central Michigan, though, and they maintain a home there in addition to their home in Maine.
Add some “wood specials” to your fly box this winter Read More »
Big fly, big fish. Right?
Well, not always. Sometimes the fish key on the most numerous flies on the water – even if the flies are tiny. And those flies the fish are keying on are likely to be blue-winged olives.
The olives are a group of small mayflies with greenish-hued bodies and smoky-blue wings. The flies run in size anywhere from about a size 14 clear down to almost microscopic. Anglers can see a lot of variation in size even among flies of the same species.
Blue-winged olives entice trout to feed all season long on Michigan streams Read More »
“A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!” yelled King Richard III as a battle raged around him on the English moors. His words were echoing in my mind, but I wasn’t an English king on a battlefield. I was merely a trout fisherman living in Michigan during the throes of winter. As I rummaged through my fly-tying materials I muttered, “A neck. A neck. My fly rod for a neck.”
Wet Flies: They’re often all it takes for a trout angler Read More »
We’ve simplified things. Now you only need one password to access all your Outdoor News digital content.
If you hit the help page, follow the directions so you don’t miss out on any of our great content.
Let’s get you reading!
We’ve simplified things. Now you only need one password to access all your Outdoor News digital content.
• Click Continue below.
• You’ll be taken to the OutdoorNews.com sign-in screen.
• Don’t have an account yet? Create one—it’s quick!
• After signing in, click the E-Edition Login button again. When the pop-up appears, just click Continue. You’ll either:
If you hit the help page, follow the directions so you don’t miss out on any of our great content.
Sign up for the Outdoor News Weekly Newsletter and get 6 months of FREE access to OutdoorNews.com – packed with hunting, fishing, and conservation news. No Catch.
This offer includes digital access only (not the printed edition)
We know you love the outdoors—now we want to make OutdoorNews.com the ultimate destination for all things hunting, fishing, and conservation.
Take our brief 3 minute survey to share your thoughts, and help us build the best outdoor website on the planet. As a thank you, we’ll send you a special offer!
Together, we can make OutdoorNews.com even better.
For a limited time, you can get full access to breaking news, all original Outdoor News stories and updates from the entire Great Lakes Region and beyond, the most up-to-date fishing & hunting reports, lake maps, photo & video galleries, the latest gear, wild game cooking tips and recipes, fishing & hunting tips from pros and experts, bonus web content and much, much more, all on your smartphone, tablet or desktop For just a buck per month!
Some restrictions apply. Not valid with other promotions. $1 per month for 6 months (you will be billed $6) and then your subscription will renew at standard subscription rates. For more information see Terms and Conditions. This offer only applies to OutdoorNews.com and not for any Outdoor News print subscriptions. Offer valid thru 3/31/23.
Already a subscriber to OutdoorNews.com? Click here to login.
