====== Steelhead Charter With Wild Bill - March 27th, 2001 ======
I went to bed at 11:30 Saturday night. I knew that I had to get up at 2:00 am to set out for Berrien Springs but the excitement of the next day kept me awake. Scott had arranged this. He had been up on the Steelhead run before and had brought back tales of his battles man-o e fish-o. I was apprehensive about the trip. I had saved up the money to buy my Tackle Station and going on this charter would deplete those funds. The weather was also a consideration. It was supposed to be cold again that day with a high of 33 and snow in the forecast. I new that this was serious though when Scott showed up on time!

{{:steelhead-charter-01.jpg?400 |}}It was 3:00am and we were on the road. We stopped for what we thought would be a routine fuel acquisition. Because of the nature of the midnight-to-dawn clientel, the gas station requires a few extra hoops to jump through and the simple matter of filling up the tank took almost 15 minutes. We were on a schedule. We had to connect with Dave and Randy at another gas station along the highway at 4:30. Berrien Springs is about two hours away. Fortunately Dave and Randy were pulling into the station just as we were.

The connection made; the next stop was Michigan Fishing licenses. As we headed up 31 into Michigan, the snow began to fall. We arrived in Berrien Springs at 5:30 [as directed by the Capt. Bill] Unfortunately, the 24-hour gas station and bait shop where we were supposed to get our licenses was closed. The fallback plan was this guy who ran a tackle shop out of his house. In theory, all we would have to do was ring his bell and he’d get up and sell us licenses. We found the place but ringing the bell didn’t do anything but buzz. So, we were there on time but without license. So we figured that we’d check in with Capt. Bill and see if he had any other licensing options for us.

We pulled into Shamrock Park and eventually found Capt. Bill and his boat. We loaded our stuff onto the boat. Capt. Bill provided all of the fishing gear, so we just brought food, drink and cold weather clothing. There didn’t seem to be much else available for licenses so we revisited the places we tried before in hopes that they might have opened. It was just turning 6:00 when we got back to the “old Guy’s” house, and he was opening up the shop. It had been snowing hard now for about 40 minutes. We were pressed for time. Capt. Bill wanted to be on the river by 5:30 so we could get to “his” spot. Capt. Bill is in his mid-30’s and has been fishing on the St Joe River for 17 years. This experience is what makes him such an excellent guide. He knows where to go, and he knows what to use once you get there. This licensing delay was costing us our spot on the river. The guy at the bait shop was nice enough, just a little old and it took him a while to process the paperwork for each license.

Experience has taught me that when dealing with the older generation, it is best to try not to confuse them with anything that they don’t expect. The formula for success is, 1. Make your request – “I need a one-day fishing license” 2. Wait until the first transaction is complete before making any further inquiries. Dave and Randy were not aware of this unwritten rule. While the kindly old gent was trying to enter their information, they pelted him with questions about the need for the “Sportsman’s club card” and pricing on some of the tools in his showcase. I could see each question derailing the guy’s train of thought. Randy paid with one of the new Sacagawea dollars. This crashed the train. The whole thing was very funny Randy and Dave are hilarious.

We finally got out of there and soon we were on the boat and cruising down river to “the spot”. Another Steelhead It was very cold, but Capt. Bill has a cab on his boat and a kerosene heater that kept things almost too warm. I borrowed Alex’s big orange thermal trousers. Apart from my hands, I wasn’t uncomfortable and after the first fish was boated, my hands never felt the cold again.

There were 3 guys in a little boat in the spot we wanted so we positioned a little farther downstream. Capt. Bill had several bait casters on heavy rods spooled with some maroon-colored heavy-duty line. He ties the hooks on using a special knot and baits them with spawn sacks. So, we were “walking the spawn” directly off the back of the boat and drift fishing with wobble-glows from the sides. It was snowing so hard that it was difficult to see.

{{ :steelhead-charter-02.jpg?400|}} Scott had told me tales of battling Steelhead, but you really must do it to appreciate the power of the fish. Dave brought in the first one and I the second. By the time you convince the Steelhead to get into the boat, you can expect a nice burn pumping through your arms. There were people near the shore, in the river wearing waders. They were doing well too. This section of river is the Steelhead spawning area and if you can get in the right spot, you can be sitting on dozens of fish.

We were really impressed by the ability of this woman in waders. She was tagging some good fish. We figured out during the course of the day that she really was a guy who rather accurately resembled a woman. We hung out for a while, cruised a while as we waited patiently for the three men in the little boat to move off of our desired location. At one point another charter boat got too close to those guys, and they made it clear with a barrage of expletives that they did not appreciate the proximity that the other boat had taken. Eventually the ferocity of the little dog barking made the big dog slink away with his tail between his legs. Early in the afternoon Randy hooked into a rather large Steelhead and he worked it for a long time. It was exciting to watch as the sinker would break surface signaling how close the fish was only to be ripped away again. We chased it downstream with the boat and after all that time, it snapped itself free.

About 3:30, the snow and clouds came in so thick that it looked like night was upon us. We hung in there scoring a Steelhead here and there. Scott hooked into one from the bow and had to pass the rod over the cab so he could get to the back and finish him off. It was about 5:30 or 6:00 in the evening when the 3 guys in the little boat hit the highway. We slid into the “spot” and almost instantly began to pick them up. It was almost quitting time and Capt. Bill was determined to see me get another one. He hooked into one that similar to Randy’s gave me a heck of a fight and we ended up chasing downstream with the boat. After what felt like a rather long time. We got the fish up to the net. Unfortunately, the sinker got wrapped around the lip of the net and the steelhead snapped the line and was gone. Capt. Bill was disappointed. He really wants his crew to have a blast. So, he insisted on trying again. My arms were still rubbery from that last battle and before they could recover, I had the fish [see picture] on the line. I wrestled him to the boat after about five minutes and the net was ready. You might have heard but in case you didn’t, Steelhead HATE to get into the boat. When he saw the net coming, he took off hard down river. My line was ripping off the spool like I was casting. It kept going and going. I told Capt. Bill that I was running out of line. He got the boat in gear, and we raced down the river backwards as I reeled up as fast as I could. Pump, reel, pull back, reel in a little more. It was nearly dark by the time we got him on the boat. I was almost too tired to hold him up, but the adrenaline had me jacked! I sat out on the back of the boat on the way back to camp watching the darkness fall on the new snow.

We passed Muhammed Ali’s place on the St Joe River. We got back to the ramp just as it was getting too dark to see. Capt. Bill, clean the fish for us. Scott and I head for home at almost 9:00pm. It was snowing again, and the radio mentioned lake effect snow. We wondered how far from the lake you would have to be before the snow was no longer “lake effect” snow. It was a long ride home.

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