northern michigan

J

Joe Brewer

Active member
I am in the process of moving to the grayling area and was curious if anyone from the site is from the area I will be staying in the area weekly until I can get the family moved up here and I don't know anyone. I was just curious if anyone from the area carves or does any fishing looking to hit some rivers and would love to tag along. Thanks in advance!
 
Joe

Not quite "in the area"...about 2.5-3 hours south...and arguably not quite a decoy carver, more of a decoy seamstress. Don't have near enough time this time of year to even think about chasing fishes, but there are plenty of good waters up there. Truely a beautiful area, spent plenty of time over by Oscoda and the AuSable river as a kid (two aunts and uncles with cottages over there).

Best
Chuck
 
Thanks Chuck! We vacation up here every year and always said if we got the chance we would move up here and i got the chance with work so here we are lol! Really looking forward to it!
 
Joe,

The biggest drawback to living up north is job availability...since you have the hard part figured out, the rest should be like falling off a log. SW Michigan has a disporportionatly strong decoy making community (relative to the crappy duck hunting) but we get together to make dust and spin yarns (both figuratively and literally) in the winter, and usually Dave Robinson has everyone over to his house in the summer to float some decoys, drink some cold ones and spin some more yarns.

Best
Chuck
 
Willy that would be fantastic! Kind of funny we talked about northern Michigan that Thursday of the show and then that Monday I got a call with the offer! It was snowing this morning in gaylord when i woke up I'm sure in for a change lol!!!!
 
Just wait and the weather change will come......but you are kinda in the snow belt also so anything can happen. You will love the summer season. Assuming you are still in the food business......my connect to the business is in Cabo getting ready to return home after spring break. Traverse is my home town so if you are going to spend any time there let me know and I can send you to some neat places.

W
 
Ok, now here is how I took this...guy says Northern MI, I start thinking of Brandon up in the UP, as in truly NORTHERN MI, or Northern MI university, or well, anywhere in the UP.

Meanwhile you really just mean the northern part of the LOWER....google is my friend....

either way, good luck, hope the move goes well!
 
Northern michigan means the northern part of the Lower Penisula......everything above the bridge is the UP.....lol...

....at least in mid-michigan speak.....
 
Northern michigan means the northern part of the Lower Penisula......everything above the bridge is the UP.....lol...

....at least in mid-michigan speak.....
Click to expand...


Above the bridge...isn't that just eastern Wisconsin?

Seriously though, Mark has it right...from a Michiganger's perspective.
 
I don't know anyone in the area but I can't imagine it will be hard to make friends. I had an interesting experience in the Gaylord area a few years back that left a very positive impression with me.

We were heading north (to Northern Ontario) in an older pickup on our way to go moose hunting. We were planning on driving through the night and right around midnight we were on the interstate near Gaylord in a driving rain storm when the wipers suddenly quit. I pulled over to the shoulder and since we could see an exit ahead I slowly drove up the shoulder to get off the highway. I found a church with a large canopy over the entrance and pulled under to see what the problem was. We were only there a couple of minutes when a policeman pulled up and asked if we needed help. After I explained the problem he made a couple of calls and told us to follow him. He took us down some back roads to a country mechanics shop where he dragged the mechanic out of bed and got him to repair the wiper linkage. The fellow was really good about it and would not accept any payment of any sort even though we tried to get him to give us a price. We left $100 on his workbench when he wasn't looking and got back on the road around 2:30 am.
 
Lucky man...it'll take a long time to find all of the fishing and hunting spots near Grayling...if you are willing to drive an hour in any direction, it could take a lifetime.

Congratulations!
 
Well I did my petoskey charlevoix run yesterday and my traverse city benzonia run today and i can truly say I have never before seen a more beautiful area in my life! This will be amazing I can't wait until next week when i can get out and hit some streams! Don't need to know a honey hole but I use regular spinning tackle so what would be good lures or bait to use? Probably going to hit the sturgeon river. Thanks!
 
Joe,
Keep in mind Michigan's trout season is closed in lots of streams right now. It opens the last Saturday in April. There are rivers that are open and that is going to be for steelhead mostly.

Don't want you getting in trouble when you just got here. You are going to love it your in a good area lots to explore. I don't know a ton about duck hunting in that area but you should be able to find some nice ponds for woodies early on and look to big lakes for divers later.
 
Joe have fun, I lived the Grayling for a time years ago and you are going to love the Au Sable and Manistee headwaters. Great trout fishing but beware you don't become a fly maker, cant spell tyer right. I don't recall carvers but I was too busy making a scant living to really know. My son lives there still but he is a #@%%# golfer. I am east of Gladwin 15 miles off mile marker 199 on I-75 so you could zip by and see other than the xway.
 
Hello Joe; Welcome!!!!!! I am a retired teacher living near Traverse City. Been in MI all my life and would be happy to have you contact me after I get home from wintering in Clearwater Tampa area. I know guys that frequent your area and also can clue you into some of the goings on withing a couple of hours driving from Grayling. While the duck hunting is not a prevelant as deer and trout fishing there are some exciting methods etc etc here is my email---should be home around the 20th of May jpriebe7@gmail.com
 
Joe, living in Grayling on the Au Sable you are going to want to learn to fly fish. The Hex hatch on the Au Sable (and some other Michigan rivers) is something to behold.

Think alligator brown trout sipping mayflies the size of small birds in full dark, often just a few feet from where you are standing. The fishing can last well past midnight. Some of the trout are huge. And it will take years to figure out.

With a spinning rod, hit the smaller sections of streams in about a month with a light line and some attractor spinners. I used to swear by Panther Martins when I fished Michigan--for the smaller streams. The Sturgeon River has some gorgeous browns and a few brookies. I used to love the reach just upstream of Wolverine.
 
Thanks guys I appreciate it! Jerry I will be in touch very soon. Jeff I just took a drive up to wolverine last night to scout the sturgeon river and all I can say is how amazing! I am still in awe of this state (the northern parts anyway) and in my travels on my route everyday I find something new. I also found the Jordan river valley. Another amazing little river!
 
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