Fall activities

Just because your friends are heading for the shooting range to zero in deer rifles doesn't mean the fishing season is closed.
Quite to the contrary. Some of the best and most productive fishing awaits you this time of year. Fish are busy putting on the feed bag and are actively feeding.
Because many people are getting ready for deer camp, local and Great Lakes go begging for action.
A lot of boats have been put away. So have those PWC's that seem to be everywhere once the weather warms.
With hardly any boat traffic, fewer anglers to compete with, and fish on the feed, it's a great time to live in Michigan.
Besides, you can still get an afternoon hunt in following a morning on the water. Last weekend I joined several kayak anglers for an outing on the Grand River upstream from Grand Haven.
The wind did blow cold but with proper dress we all stayed warm and more importantly dry.
During the two days we fished, we saw perhps three other boats and those were duck hunters. You could say we had the Grand just about to ourselves.
While salmon and steelies were selective several large cat fish were caught and released. Instead of trolling, I threw a spinnerbait around trees and logs, a little closer in than the others were trolling.
After several bumps, I changed to a crank along with some other baits. The time on the water was a blast. The air was clean and fresh, fall colors were out, and the bug dope wasn't needed.
Keep that rod handy. There is still plenty of fishing left.