Many people claim baseball, football, and basketball as their favorite pastime. But, in Michigan, one can easily confuse 
hunting for the state sport.
Not surprisingly, Michigan recognizes the white-tailed deer as the state game animal. Hunting season is a rite of passage, particularly in the northern portion of the state. Small factories shut down for one week in October for the beginning of bow hunting. Schools close their doors on the first day of gun hunting (November 15) because of the high rate of absenteeism resulting from young hunters slipping out for a day in the woods.
I am, however, not in this sporting majority and prefer to avoid the woods and anxious, gun-toting hunters. Rather, I spend my days after work, weekends, and holidays on the water instead, waiting for a prizewinning fish to come my way. And who says you need a boat to catch anything? I fish the bountiful waters of Tawas Bay quite well from the state dock at the foot of Newman Street in East Tawas. This picturesque seven-mile-long cove of Lake Huron is mere blocks from my front door.
Singer and song-writer Kid Rock recently released a song, heralded by many as a personal anthem with lyrics “catching walleye from the dock” and Otis Redding crooned “I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay”. How much we have in common.
Some days my wife even accompanies me, keeping me entertained during the lulls in bites, even catching a fish or two.
People here flock to the docks hoping to catch walleye, salmon, or perch. Other species swim these waters too, including whitefish, catfish, and small-mouth bass. Everyone armed with a pole has a favorite variety and mine is perch. Despite their small size - generally six to eight inches - foot-long versions are not unusual. Once cleaned and filleted, perch make a great meal.
hunting for the state sport.Not surprisingly, Michigan recognizes the white-tailed deer as the state game animal. Hunting season is a rite of passage, particularly in the northern portion of the state. Small factories shut down for one week in October for the beginning of bow hunting. Schools close their doors on the first day of gun hunting (November 15) because of the high rate of absenteeism resulting from young hunters slipping out for a day in the woods.
I am, however, not in this sporting majority and prefer to avoid the woods and anxious, gun-toting hunters. Rather, I spend my days after work, weekends, and holidays on the water instead, waiting for a prizewinning fish to come my way. And who says you need a boat to catch anything? I fish the bountiful waters of Tawas Bay quite well from the state dock at the foot of Newman Street in East Tawas. This picturesque seven-mile-long cove of Lake Huron is mere blocks from my front door.
Singer and song-writer Kid Rock recently released a song, heralded by many as a personal anthem with lyrics “catching walleye from the dock” and Otis Redding crooned “I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay”. How much we have in common.
Some days my wife even accompanies me, keeping me entertained during the lulls in bites, even catching a fish or two.People here flock to the docks hoping to catch walleye, salmon, or perch. Other species swim these waters too, including whitefish, catfish, and small-mouth bass. Everyone armed with a pole has a favorite variety and mine is perch. Despite their small size - generally six to eight inches - foot-long versions are not unusual. Once cleaned and filleted, perch make a great meal.
Fish aren't the only things I catch. One afternoon, while angling for perch, a hungry seagull swooped down and swallowed my bait hook, line, and sinker. The bird bit me twice before I had the opportunity to cut off the hook and let it get on with its life as a scavenger and mine as a fisherman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtJxVO5sfnk
As fate would have it, I soon felt a strong tug on the pole. The ensuing 20-minute fight yielded the largest fish I have ever landed: a prehistoric-looking 27-inch catfish, weighing an estimated nine pounds. And, unlike some fisherman who can't support their tall tales with hard evidence, I can prove capture of this behemoth with photographs. Catch and release was the name of the game and I respectfully returned the trophy fish to the bay.
Fishing and hunting do have at least one thing in common: Patience is rewarded and less gun fire on the dock.
Fishing and hunting do have at least one thing in common: Patience is rewarded and less gun fire on the dock.
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