Pigeon and Black rivers

[marco]

I'm heading up there next week for some trout fishing. Has anybody fished them yet this year?

[skipper34]

The Pigeon is open only in the lower reaches until the regular trout season. the Black is not open at all until the regular trout season. So I hope nobody has been fishing either river.

[Adam Peterson]

Thats what i was thinking, I thought that they are closed to fishing then I looked on the dnr site and it said the possession limit season was last saturday in april to 30 of sept. So then i was thinking you could fish during the rest of the year... But I always knew it was last saturday in april.. I just got confused by the original post.

[Frantz]

I was up on the Pigeon this weekend, what a wonderful weekend for the opener. Lots of people out and about and al lthe holes were fished hard. We had limited success, and by we I mean that the guys with me all got at least one fish worth keeping, mine was a sucker. Lots of the guys we bumped into had some nice fish. Drank a lot of rum and laughed so hard that it hurt and my throat is sore. Had Elk tenderloins with dinner Saturday night, just can't ask for a better weekend away from it all.

[DanP]

Fished the Black - water was clear and a low for spring fishing. Found fishing slow - 3 Brookies caught in the group - all released for a later trip.
All three came to dries which was nice to see. Great to be back up North again. Fried morells were nice with dinner on Saturday - will not get back up now until the end of May.

Dan

[otown]

Made a quick trip up to the Black and had too few great days. I grew up on that river and respect it's privacy and brookies.
In almost 60 years of fishing it, the stretches I fish anyway, I think I can count on 2 hands the other fishermen I've met there. All were good folk but I really resented the intrusion in retrospect.
I'll be back up next month for a few weeks and just want to let the air out of my gasbags.
It's a small, intimate river guys, help keep it that way.

o town

[ovendoctor]

I was talking to one of the local's up there ,he sez there was a major kill off on the main streem above the tin shanty road 2 years ago wen we were there last time:sad:
use to catch some awsom trout up there
hope it makes a come back

the local is a honnest guy we talk to on a regular basis and gets us in the hot spots+good tips on grouse hunting

[otown]

Yes, there was a big die-off, bur the river seems so fertile it will recover.
I've seen Canada Creek in the summer when it was teeming with 5" brookies. It's a heckuva nursery for the Black.

o town

[Dawg]

Fished stretches of both and a couple sections of the Sturgeon this weekend.

Nice hatches occuring with active fish rising all hours, water low and very clear. Obvious stretches had matted banks but crowds could be avoided. Only kept one fish for table, which had an empty stomach.

[sloechli]

I was up for Memorial day weekend and fished the Pigeon up and down from the Pigeon river forest campground.

It was very hot, very pretty river, caught quite a few small brown's mostly 9" and under.

Anyone else have much success on the Pigeon?

[Gillslayer]

I fished the Black for a few days a couple weeks ago, and had pretty good success. As for the die-off above Tin Shanty, things seemed to be pretty good to me. I fished one whole day above Tin Shanty and the fishing was quite good. Not alot of keepers, but one pig that will bring me back again. I'll attach a pic.
As for the Pigeon, it does hold some nice fish, but I much prefer to fish the Black or Sturgeon. Less people almost anywhere you go, and the quality of the fish in the Stugeon is amazing.
my 2 cents.http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/551/TagAlders.jpg

[Gillslayer]

This is the pic I meant to post. The first one is a gnarly strech of the Black we fished.


http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/525/Brookie2.jpg

[Rat Fink]

I fished the Black for a few days a couple weeks ago, and had pretty good success. As for the die-off above Tin Shanty, things seemed to be pretty good to me. I fished one whole day above Tin Shanty and the fishing was quite good. Not alot of keepers, but one pig that will bring me back again. I'll attach a pic.
As for the Pigeon, it does hold some nice fish, but I much prefer to fish the Black or Sturgeon. Less people almost anywhere you go, and the quality of the fish in the Stugeon is amazing.
my 2 cents.http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/551/TagAlders.jpg



I know where you were! LOl I fish that stretch every year as a ritual with one of my buddies. What a great place.

[KRC]

sloechli/dawg (or anyone) -

How where the bugs (black flies/mosquitoes/etc.) up in that area? I am thinking about hitting the pigeon this weekend and want to be mentally prepared!

Thanks,

Kelvin

[Gillslayer]

I would prepare for the worst as far as bugs go.
They weren't too bad when I was there, but it was cooler.
Carry a cigar and a headnet, and weight your boots down so they don't carry you away.

[otown]

Gillslayer,
Wild guess but I'm gonna say that that pic was from the East Branch bridge on the Vanderbilt Road on the south side of BR Ranch.
Am I right?

o town

[Gillslayer]

otown,
you are not right, although it's not far from there.

Tom

[ovendoctor]

looks like McKinnons bend to me:p
the only trouble is once u get out there everything looks the same
just ask the ol boy from ohio that we rescued a few years ago
he went in at McKinnons on the trail ,hung a left instead of a right
got lost in the swamp. 6 square miles
we got him out at 2.30 am:yikes:

also verry nice brookie there:D

[Banditto]

Canoed the black a number of years ago and went directly over a pretty decent musky if you can believe that. It looked like she was over a bed. She followed the boat for about 8 feet before returning to the bed, very pissed off fish.

[otown]

Muskie?
Lots of hammer handle pike, so I guess Muskies are possible. No size limit on pike and the locals had a ball a number of years ago when they drew down Tower pond to rework the dam. Lots of pike taken.
Over the years, I've seen few or no pike in the upper stretches. Hope they haven't intruded.

o town

[Banditto]

Yep it was a beautiful female mature musky--non tiger. very agressive.

o town I was just in Orlando last week, really nice week for Disney. We had a blast.

[otown]

Banditto,
Of all the muskies we are supposed to have in Black Lake and all the pike fishing I do and I've fished it since the early 50's, I've never heard of one being caught or had one on myself. By 'heard' I mean in our neighborhood on the west side. They seem to hang out in the north end where BR empties in.
Small question. Were you above or below the Tower dam(s)?

Next time you're gonna be in o town, email me and I'll hook up with some free passes to Universal for you. (Fringie of freelancing for them). We also have an abundance of bull redfish about 30-40 pounds this time of year in the Mosquito lagoon, about 45 mins from Disney. They make king salmon look like wimps. Had one destroy an 8 weight Sage rod last week. Both the fish and I were too hardheaded to give up and the rod got caught up in the middle of the dispute.

o town