Woodland Hills Nature Park in Farmington Hills, MI

This is a beautiful spot that you can only see if you hike about 1/2 mile back into the Woodland Hills Nature Park.

Sunset on Kent Lake at the North Shore Fishing Site of Kensington Metropark

Can't believe that I did not know about this location. I will need to take my fly rod there and do some casting. Pike, Bass, Carp, all are there. Hopefully I will not get skunked!

Wisconsin: Free Fishing Weekend - and More! June 1st and 2nd

Fish anywhere in Wisconsin for free

Fish anywhere in Wisconsin without a license or trout stamp on Free Fishing Weekend. This includes all inland waters and Wisconsin’s side of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River. Other fishing rules apply, such as limits on the number and size of fish you can keep and any seasons when you must release certain fish species. So, pack up the family or call your friends and head to the water for fishing fun.

But wait, there is more!

• Free fishing June 1,2
• Free DNR trails June 1,2
• Free entry to state parks and forests Sunday, June 2 only
• Free ATV/UTV riding June 1,2

For more info check out these links:

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/anglereducation/FreeFishingWeekend.html

http://dnr.wi.gov/news/features/feature.asp?id=8&article=2

Learning how to do a "Single-Handed Spey Cast"

Today I was at the park - then the river - to try to do this "Single-Handed Spey Cast". To make matters more difficult, I was attempting to cast a sink-tip line and the wind was in my face. I have gotta learn this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EJAl8eSrz8

Cabela's in Dundee Michigan caught fire and closed for repairs last week - just in time for me to want to go there and look at their fishing gear. Fortunately it is opening this Friday.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/22130096/closed-by-fire-cabelas-in-dundee-prepares-to-reopen

Opening day for trout on Paint Creek.

Fished upstream of Clarkston Rd in Lake Orion. No trout but I did see lots of fly fishers.

Fiberglass Art!

Fiberglass Art!

Check out my beautifully rebuilt Fiberglass fly rod, thanks to James DeLoria of Petosky Michigan.

I met James at the Michigan Fly Fishing Show this year, and sent him my old Wright & McGill 8-ft glass rod that had half of its guides missing. Little did I realize what a talented artist James is. He did a masterful job, don't you think?

My new rod now sports a freshly scraped blank with a clear-coat finish. James told me that my rod has an uncommon grip shape. I have since learned that the shape is called a "Hammer Handle" because it has an elliptical cross-section. James cleaned and filled the cork. He replaced the missing and damaged guides with new titanium ones, and added 3 additional guides to bring the total number to 9. The extra guides add both beauty and function. A new hook-keeper replaces my old rubber band. New red wraps and a spiral flourish makes the rod look great.

The best feature is the logo. James re-touched the worn "Wright & McGill Fre-Line FLR-8" logo and added "DeLoria rebuild 4/2013". This really makes my rod unique. I am definitely going to call it my "deLoria" when talking to it in the future. (yes, I talk to my fly rods)

Now all I need is for Bass season to open up and the recent flooding to subside, and I will be heading down to Dexter/Ann Arbor to fish the "Book Section" of the Huron River. Hopefully I will get a nice photo to post here of a big smallie next to my lovely glass rod.

To see some other wonderful art by James deLoria, and to check out some unique canoes that James also converted to art, click this post on the Fiberglass Manifesto Blog: http://bit.ly/XX9u14 and this post http://bit.ly/YChJus on The Graphic Weekly.

Oh, and here are a couple of photos of me using my fiberglass rod on the Hershey River in pre-rebuild condition: http://bit.ly/Z70AwB

And here is a link to a really dumb video I made while standing in the middle of Johnson Creek -the first time I ever fly-fished. Be sure to turn your speakers on. http://bit.ly/17BY3L4 Yeah, I was using my deLoria.

The "Hammer Handle" grip.

Wright & McGill "Fre-Line" - 8ft.  No. FLR-8

de Loria rebuild 4/2013 and a nice new spiral flourish.

The business end - featuring a new hook keeper.

Nice new red wraps and titanium guides.

Additional snake guides.

A new tip to replace my old cracked one.