July 28, 2005
Section: VENTURE OUTDOORS
Edition: THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION Page: C10
 

Fly guy
Au Sable's youngest guide earns praise, respect
By Liz Shaw lshaw@flintjournal.com - 810.766.6311

LAPEER - The river that runs through Michael Johnson's life isn't a Hollywood vision of a legendary Montana trout stream.
 

It's a simple, unassuming eight-mile stretch of the Au Sable, winding past rural Mio about two hours north of Lapeer, where the Hillsdale College student lives with parents Jeff and Suzanne.

It's a familiar, friendly place where canoeists and tubers share the public launch just down the road from a McDonald's restaurant, and the current is smooth and easy.

But don't be misled by ordinary appearances. These are protected trophy waters where the fish are fewer but bigger, where the Huron National Forest runs down to the river's edge and the brown trout are a fly angler's dream.

It was here that Jeff Johnson taught his 12-year-old son how to roll-cast in front when the river narrows, how to mend a line to drift upstream so the fly is what the fish sees first. Long hours spent together sweating in neoprene waders in the summer heat. Losing flies on snags. Working the current far into the night when the Hex hatch peaks in June.

It was here the young teen learned the patience and knowledge it takes to be a good fly fisherman, where father and son became equals and the boy became a man.

"Like most parents and children, we had our struggles when Mike hit his teens. But when we were on the river, my son was my friend," said his dad. "Families are losing that connection between generations, losing the art of conversation. But when you're in a boat together for eight hours, you're going to talk."

Michael Johnson, shown here launching his drift boat, is just a typical college student - who happens to know more about fishing the Au Sable than anglers twice his age.

Like the river itself, Mike doesn't pretend to be anything more than what he is: a self-described typical college kid who likes video games and playing guitar, with an interesting summer job.

But at barely 21, Michael Johnson might be the Au Sable's youngest professional fly fishing guide. And those who've paid for the pleasure of his company will tell you the good-looking youth with the easy smile is already a wise old man of the sea.

"I've been fishing most of my life and I know most of Michigan's rivers and legendary blue ribbon trout streams. But it took me 40 years to learn what Mike knows right now," said George Poulos, 56, owner of Poulos Realty in Flint. "It takes time to learn the talk of the river, the feel and the hand of it. He has that, and I suspect his dad had a lot to do with it."

Last year, Poulos placed the winning bid at a Trout Unlimited fundraiser for one of Mike Johnson's guided drift boat trips.

"I was most impressed by his knowledge and appreciation for the river. I have that and my friends do, but I'm not sure everybody does," said Poulos.

"I caught a real nice 181/2-inch brown trout but it was the good company and conversation, the outdoors that was 99 percent of it. In fact, I bragged about it so much, this year my brother bought the same trip."

That kind of word-of-mouth kept the young guide working for 25 straight days in June, before finally getting a week off to visit sister Rachel, 25, in Arizona to celebrate his 21st birthday.

"I thought about going out on a guided trip to Lee's Ferry in Colorado but I decided I'd rather hang out with friends and not spend my money on fishing," he said, chuckling. "I went to Las Vegas instead."

He brainstormed the idea for the business venture after graduating from North Branch Wesleyan Christian Academy in 2002.

"He was working as a waiter before college started in the fall. Nobody wants to hire a kid at a decent-paying job for just a couple months in the summer. So he came up with starting his own business," said his dad. "You've got to admire that kind of ambition to make your own way in life."

His parents helped finance the $7,500 drift boat in December 2002.

The next spring, father and son launched the business by taking friends out on free trips.

"I knew I had the knowledge and skill to do it. But that whole first summer was about learning how to teach what I knew, what to cook, how to handle the drift boat, how to give people the kind of experience they're looking for," he said.

The result is a finely tuned trip, with Mike Johnson's intimate knowledge of the river's secret eddies and flows.

The excursions are all catch-and-release without exception and include all rods, reels, leaders and flies. There's even a streamside dinner of chilled shrimp, grilled steaks, potato salad and strawberry shortcake - all prepared by Johnson while his clients relax and wade-fish in the shallows.

"My real talent is as an instructor in casting and technique. I especially like working with beginners. It's a great feeling knowing you're teaching them something they might do for the rest of their life," he said.

But even the most experienced anglers are willing to listen when their young guide patiently offers his expertise.

"Sure, maybe there's been a couple older guys who weren't sure at first. But once they see me start casting, they know I know what I'm talking about and start paying attention," he said.

An economics major, he hopes for a career in marketing and wants to grow the guide business enough to someday hire others to work for him. But for now, he's content to row the Au Sable's next bend

"I've seen him grow up in a big way in these past two years, the self-confidence it's given him," said his dad. "Here's this young kid, telling doctors and attorneys what to do all day. It's pretty amazing, to see the changes in him. There are certain things in life you just don't learn in a book."

True fly fishermen grudgingly accept what 'The Movie' has done for sport
By Liz Shaw lshaw@flintjournal.com - 810.766.6311

There's a certain mystique that's grown up around fly fishing in the past dozen years that drives many anglers crazy.

"It was the movie, that's what did it," groaned Richard Walker, Longway Planetarium astronomer and a fly fisherman for more than 25 years.

Walker was referring to director Robert Redford's "A River Runs Through It," the 1992 Brad Pitt hit that immortalized Norman Maclean's novella and transformed fly fishing into a yuppie gotta-have-it sport.

"We don't even refer to it by name. We just call it 'The Movie' and everybody knows what we're talking about," joked Walker. "You can always tell the people who got into it because of The Movie. They're all about the look: the right hat, the right vest, the wicker creel."

But that's not why you fly fish, said Walker.

"It's not about looking pretty on the river. You should see my vest. It lives wadded up in the car trunk. I hate to say it but it's never even been washed. It probably smells like it too," he said. "You go out to fish. It's the process that's important. Catching one, that's just a bonus."

 

Michael Johnson feels it's the experience that counts when fly fishing, not the number of trout in the creel. That's why it's called "fishing" and not "catching", he said.

Professional fishing guide Mike Johnson agreed.

"Some guys are all caught up in showing off their casting. They'll lose a lot of flies casting into tough places just to show they can do it," said the Au Sable River drift boat guide. "Other guys don't think it's a good day unless they catch a lot of fish. But it's not about the number of fish, it's the entire experience. Otherwise, we'd call it catching instead of fishing."

Still, both agree there's an art to fly fishing that can be intimidating to the beginner. Unlike the simple forward flick of the wrist used in spin casting a heavy bait, casting a fly is a smooth, pendulum-like motion that allows the weight of the line to carry the tiny fly.

"A lot of people think the harder and faster you cast, the farther it'll go but no. It's all about timing and rhythm and technique," said Johnson.

"You do have to learn how to do it. But it's not as hard as it might look. And once you learn you never forget, like riding a bike," said Walker.

So what's the best way for someone to start who can't afford to hire a professional guide or instructor?

Seek out local fly fishing clubs or join national organizations such as Trout Unlimited.

"We don't currently have any casting clinics set up but there's always two or three members willing to work with someone new," said Gabriel Zawadzki of the Greater Flint Muddler Minnows.

"Beginners shouldn't be afraid to join. We always say any cast that reaches the fish is never too short or tangled."

Also check out colleges and community education programs for inexpensive beginner classes.

After that, an instructional video "is the next best thing to having someone stand next to you, so you can see the motion," said Walker.

"There are tons of fly fishing magazines out there but the problem is you can't learn how to fish from reading about it. You've got to see it."

A decent starting set of equipment can be had for about $100; the main thing is making sure the rod and line match. A 4-5 pound line and reel with a matching 9-foot, medium-action graphite rod is good in most situations. Anglers who catch-and-release use barb-less hooks, to reduce the chances of injuring the fish.

"Don't start out in a river. Not only do you have to contend with learning how to cast, you'll be dealing with the current," advised Walker.

"Start in a pond or small lake with bluegill and bass. You don't even need a boat. You literally roll your pant legs up and step into the water."

Make sure there are no trees behind you to hang up your line.

"Trust me, though. You're going to hang one up in a tree. That's why I tie my own flies. It's cheaper when you lose them," Walker said with a chuckle.

Surface, or dry fly casting, allows you to actually see the fish taking the fly - one of the most exciting aspects of fly fishing. Start with little rubber spiders, he advised.

"Bluegills are stupid. They'll eat anything. The spiders are easier to cast and it'll give you the opportunity to catch a fish and see what it's like. Once in awhile you'll even get a bass that way, and that's when the fun begins."

But even down-to-earth purists like Walker admit to a few elitist tendencies.

"If you really, really get into it, eventually you'll want a custom split bamboo rod," he warned, grinning wickedly. "They don't cast as well, they're not as sensitive so you can't feel the fish as well ... but there's just something about the feel of bamboo. It's unbelievable, like an extension of your arm. There's no way of describing it. It's like seeing the Northern Lights and trying to explain why they're so cool.

"I don't know of anyone who wouldn't fish all the time with a $3,000 Bob Summers custom-made bamboo rod, if they weren't afraid of breaking it."
 

Detroit Free Press article... Streaming Downstream Underrated - Eric Sharp OUTDOORS

You'll need the free Adobe Acrobat viewer. If you don't have it you can download it here