A kid in a candy shop. That is exactly how I feel about moving from the White Mountains of New Hampshire to living in the burbs of Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. From what I have gathered thus far the fishing opportunities here are endless with a robust number of species (both warm and cold water) to hunt for all within a short drive. But the question remains: where to start? Once the movers get here and you’re fully equipped with your trusty tools the quest for local knowledge begins, time to hit the resident fly shop.
I’ve been in contact with a local guide and shop owner before transplanting to MI. Brad Hodkinson of Soo North Fly Shop in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario informs me the steelhead have started to run up the famous St. Mary’s Rapids, we should wet a line soon. Yes, I did mean to say Ontario as in Canada. Before jumping right into the fishing, let me give you a little orientation and history.
Sault Ste Marie is a twin city shared on both the US (Michigan) and Canada (Ontario) borders. What separates these two towns is more than just a border, but the St Marys River and its famous rapids. Today the rapids are sandwiched between shipping locks and power canals. The rapids have been a navigation obstacle between Lake Superior and Lake Huron for centuries being a 21ft drop in grade.
Sault Ste Marie Locks & St Marys Rapids. Canada to the Left and US to the right.
There is an american side to the rapids and a Canadian side, both countries own a bit of the river and each has their own locks and power canals. As a US resident it would be wise to have both a Michigan and Ontario fishing license to fish the St Marys Rapids. Especially since the only access to the rapids is via the Ontario side. Sault Ste Marie is the first city of Michigan and the third-oldest city in the US.
It took me a little over 40 minutes to get to this new water from home. Compared to a 9 hour drive to the nearest steelhead water when I lived back in NH, I can so get used to this luxury. I met up with Brad a little after 6AM and we began the ritual of suiting up. Something I just love about fellow bug slingers is they have this need to share. During this dressing ritual, anglers tend to chatter away about anything that pops into their mind trying to hold back the excitement of what the day will bring. I took to Brad right away through our correspondence and in person was no different. Passionate people who are good stewards of the waters they call home are just the best in my opinion. Brad has been a guide and fished the St Marys Rapids for many moons. Currently his passion is spey fishing. This will be my first taste of it and I get to see it all first hand. I grabbed the last of my attire, my wading boots out of the back of my truck and they must have remained wet from some local exploring I did a few days ago as they were frozen, solid.
No worries, Brad informs me a beaver pond will soften them up on the way to the rapids. Problem solved, and we were off to find the swift, gin clear waters of the Rapids. A quick crossing of the lock and you begin to follow the serpentining gravel nature trails through Whitefish Island and finally break through the vegetation to the rapids.
St Marys River looking downstream towards Lake Huron
First impression of the St Marys Rapids is that its vast, but you quickly see water color gradation from clear to a dark green-blue which tells you depth of the waters and I can easily calculate that the deeper runs are where to concentrate. Brad informed me that most of the vast expanses of slow moving shallow waters are the breeding grounds for various fish, that water tends to only be about 3 ft deep. The Rapids are maintained by 16 gates upstream called The Compensation Works and for the most part stay somewhat consistent. Also all released water seems to be tail water from Lake Superior which should translate to nice cool waters all summer long.
The Swift Waters of the St Marys Rapids
Brad and I stepped into the edge of the first good run as we were one of only a few anglers at the moment. As the morning went on more anglers would trickle in. As any good host Brad offered me the water first and I put my single handed rod to the test, armed with one of Brad’s magic flies. To no avail I finally lost my rig and gave the water to him as I was anxious to see what this Spey fuss is about.
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Brad took his Loop 14ft 8wt rod and reel to the top of the swift run and cast line up and across current, mending when needed, dead drifting the exact same nymph I had on under an indicator. Within a few casts he had a zaftig hen landed. She was GORGEOUS!
Brad hooked up
Brads Phat Hen
Well, I’m no fool and I always will be a Roman when in Rome. Brad hands me his gear and says take a spin. At first I felt like an awkward teenager with haltingly uncoordinated casts that piled up into a mess, tangling my line more often than I’d like to admit to. After I got over my virgin nerves and a got few pointers from Brad, I got into the zone and started to feel what was right and wrong. Once I finally got the swing of it, I had a fish on. Landed my first fish of Michigan and my first Northern Steelhead. Most likely all the steel we caught that morning were from Lake Huron. Hard to tell which strain it was as Ontario as well as the Michigan DNR stock different strains and they interbreed. So for now I’ll just be happy to refer to them as Northern Steel.
My First Northern Steel
Brad said he was having way too much fun watching me learn to cast everywhere else other than where I was trying to fish that he would rather I continue to learn. At various times anglers would come up and say hi to Brad and shoot the breeze. I was too deep into the hypnotic rhythm of spey casting to hear a word that was said bankside. It’s funny but since I first started this fly casting journey about 10 years ago I forgot how delicious it is to learn new casting and you know when it’s dead on when you hit that one cast that feels effortless. From that point on you’re striving to get consistant with that effortless euphoric feeling, it’s totally addictive! I’m definitely hooked on Spey casting.
A Grip N Grin for Brads website
The morning was below freezing yet warm as no wind was currently blowing, but by 9:30 we had wind and it was bitterly cold. Every day, and I mean every day, expect wind on the St Marys Rapids. It has something to do with the juxtaposition of the lakes and land. I continued to land a nice buck and then another hen. All on the same fly, a hex pattern Brad readily sells at his shop.
Buck of the day.
With rain clouds approaching they pushed us to call it a day at noon. I had had my fill of preliminary exploration of the St Marys Rapids for the moment. The day was a success no matter what happened as I know with new water you have to pay your dues, but with Brad to help guide me it was much success. Hopefully if all the stars align right and I can learn the water in time I’ll be able to guide once again and would love to do so for the Soo North Fly Shop for Brad. Soo by the way is what all the locals on both sides call Sault Ste Marie for short.
To celebrate the new friendship, new water and new species I stopped in to the local micro brew on the US side, The Soo Brewing Company, for a local beer lunch. Wow was it delicious!
Bavarian Dark n Delicious!
I’m sure you will be hearing much more about the St Marys Rapids from me or my co-conspirator, as the gamut of species to be had in this stretch of water is simply mind blowing and all season long. Until the next venture, Tight Lines!
Nome
If you haven’t heard the news yet, Reel North has moved! We are now officially Michigan residents. Let me be more specific…we are now Yoopers, or inhabitants of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I have always been a Yooper. I was born and raised only 14 miles from where I now reside. But moving back here is a fly fishing re-birth for me. Except for two days last April, I had never swung a fly in Michigan waters. I never knew what a steelhead was when I lived here but I remember one time my friend and I fished for them with bait, to no avail. But now I KNOW…and to think all those years I only lived minutes from steelhead rivers. It is convenient now to only have to drive 30 minutes to prime steel water, as opposed to the 7 hours we used to drive to NY. I was lucky enough to hook into a fresh one my first day on the river. I say lucky because I think it was mostly random chance, right place right time. None the less, I felt like I was being welcomed home.
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