144 steps Lead to Fun at Bueter's Michigan Salmon Camp

   Salmon Camp, a fly fishing only camp, has been luring anglers to Michigan for years during 1 or 2 consecutive, long weekends from late September into early October.  Anglers fish the Pere Marquette River, & primarily target king (AKA Chinook, tyee, Pacific) salmon.  John and Rhonda Bueter are hosts of Salmon Camp and proprietors of Cloud 9 Resort, located in Baldwin, MI.  The actual camp, located at 3200 S. James Rd, is about 1 mile from the resort with most anglers electing to camp on the grounds and some renting cabins back at the resort. 

   This post was written to help the angler plan for and know what to expect at Salmon Camp.  It is a blast!  John’s mantra is, “This is too much fun to keep to ourselves!” To get a better idea of the social aspect of Bueter’s camp, please see my post from fall, 2012.         

The People

  Friendly folks from all walks of life attend Salmon Camp.  Generally anglers, & some spouses and older children attend.  Seasoned fly fishers and first-time anglers are welcome at camp.  4-footed friends must remain at home.

On Land

   The camp itself is home to the 24-hour campfire – the place of tales, toasts, and occasional late night/early morning antics. Mostly tents and a few campers dot the property.  In the large trailer where most food prep occurs, ladies have access to the bathroom with a shower.  Men have access to a shower house.  Running along an exterior wall of the shower house, there is a communal spot to hang waders.  There are port-a-potties on site. 

   Generally, 2 meals are provided:  a large, Friday evening supper and a big Saturday breakfast, both supplied by Rhonda and her crew.  Coffee and leftovers are the norm as well.  The option to purchase a large supper for Saturday is frequently offered.  Under the large, covered outdoor area, hosts welcome anglers, tales are told, meals are enjoyed, flies are tied and John provides lessons in knot tying and leader set-up.  John also coaches those new to salmon fishing and/or fly fishing on how to set the hook and fight a salmon.  He explains yearly why the bulk of Salmon Campers head to the Pere Marquette River at night instead of in the day to fish.

   Late afternoon or early evening, plans are made for the night’s fishing.  Carpools are the norm since parking is limited at the fishing accesses in the Huron-Manistee National Forest and those parking in a non-designated area risk a fine.  There is a use fee for parking.  One should always inquire about transportation, but John, his helpers, or those who return annually to Salmon Camp help ensure that “newbies” have a ride to the river & are prepared for the first trip to the water.

  People come and go throughout the days and nights at Salmon Camp.  All Bueter-led fishing trips are made at night, with folks usually leaving camp between 9 and 10 pm.  Most return to camp between 1 and 230 am.  Some venture out in smaller groups in the day or early evening, and a few leave late at night to return at dawn. The river is especially pretty in the fall & I recommend one visit to it in the daytime.

   There are at least 3 fishing stores, including Baldwin Bait and Tackle (BBT), all on highway M-37 in Baldwin, where fly fishing supplies & fishing licenses can be purchased.  To buy a license, one must also buy the $1 DNR Sportcard. The latter does not expire and can be a 1-time purchase if the angler presents it each time a license is bought. If you are purchasing a 1 or 3 day license, tell the merchant what time you want the license to go into effect to ensure you can fish as much as possible.  For a very good meal, the folks at BBT were spot-on to recommend “Barski’s”, also located on M-37, close to Salmon Camp,

At the Water

   As anglers walk the river trail, sudden, loud splashes made by salmon emanate from the river & through the darkness.  Tucked inside the periphery of the bobbing light of headlamps, angler excitement builds and the desire to enter the dark water & do battle with the scaled adversaries grows. 

   Salmon Camp fishing officially takes place at night on the “flies only”, catch and release section of the Pere Marquette River.  Access is at “Claybanks” & here, what goes down must come up!  There are 144 wooden steps (and the historic salmon slide) that lead down to the water.  Anglers then hike along both public and private land and respect for the shore and water is enforced by John.  Nets may also be used to haul out a smattering of trash left by others who, evidently, still need a mama.  An LED lamp per group is generally left hanging from a tree to mark where tackle, rod tubes & backpacks are left on the bank.  Most anglers string up their rods at the riverbank.

 

The Fish

  Target the males and try not to disturb egg-laden females or their redds.  During this year’s final Salmon Camp, I heard that a 32# king salmon was landed.  Coho salmon, steelhead, brown and rainbow trout can also be present in this section of the fishery.  Anglers wade into the water and target a particular area based on fish action.  While most of the water is only knee to mid-thigh in depth, there are deep holes & the river bottom varies from sand, to gravel or rocks.  It’s easy to take an unexpected bath when fishing & wading at night.   A headlamp is needed, but the amount of its use will vary depending upon the weather conditions and moon phase.  Classically, I use my headlamp for hiking & wading, to help get the initial amount of line out on the water, to change flies, & also to fight & land fish. 

   I purposely cast a bit short to the hole where the fish are located and then strip out 2-3”

of line after each cast until I feel contact with the head (hopefully) of a salmon.  I feel this method allows the best opportunity to get a fair vs. foul hook-up.  If I feel I’m on target but need to get the fly just a little lower in the water column where I surmise the mouth of the fish is located, I make a small step upriver & cast out the same amount of line.  Powerful runs & acrobatics are common with a hooked salmon.  In a side arm direction, setting the hook a few times is recommended.  Depending upon the angler’s experience level, a 2^nd person may be required to land the salmon either with or without a net.  Even when landed salmon are displaying the unappealing signs of being spawned out, anglers ensure salmon are adequately revived prior to releasing them. 

Rod & Tackle

   It’s best to tackle large salmon with a 9 or 10 wt fly rod.  Many use floating line.  If so,

sink tip leader & a fluorocarbon tippet are recommended. Others might simply tie up a tapered fluorocarbon leader to their 40-50# butt section.  The tippet ranges from 12-20# test, depending on the year’s salmon run and how lucky one is feeling.  I run intermediate fly line to a 40# mono butt section to a leader made simply of a 5 foot length of 20# fluorocarbon. When fighting these large fish, John recommends use of an unimproved clinch knot to secure tippet to fly.  If a break-off does occur, this likely keeps it at the hook eye, not farther up the leader or at the fly line.  Apparently, many anglers don’t use weighted flies or add weight to the leader, but most of the flies I tie for Salmon Camp are wrapped with non-lead wire to add weight.  I occasionally add weight to the leader, particularly when fast current is entering a deeper hole. 

   A popular fly choice is the “Crystal Bullet”, made with glow-in-the-dark flash.  Flies can be purchased in town and an angler or two typically sell flies at Salmon Camp.  Ensure the hook is very sharp otherwise you will lose fish.  A net is commonly used, but not required, to land a salmon.  I have gotten away with forceps, but a good pair of pliers is recommended to remove flies from salmon.  Furthermore, the flies you remove may not be just your own!  These fish, whether fair or foul hooked, tend to cause a lot of break-offs.  Bring extra tippet & leader materials.

Supplies

   Bring a headlamp (70 lumens minimum) with extra batteries to the river.  Lamps that include a red setting help preserve night vision.  At least one person in each group should have an LED lantern for the shore.  This keeps backpacks, rod cases, etc., from getting lost and helps anglers find their way back to the shore.  Chest waders are a necessity.  A hat is recommended for obvious reasons but in case of rain, a brimmed hat will help keep the headlamp dry.  A wading staff and clear glasses could increase one’s safety.  Also recommended: wader patch kit, water, snacks, gloves, clothing layers &, perhaps, a change of clothing.  For this reason, many carry backpacks during the trek to/from the water.  Because anglers carpool, it’s not convenient to return to camp for dry clothing, etc. 

    

More Questions?

   John can give more detailed answers to questions, including the net and hook size limitations, current cost, directions to Salmon Camp (a gps may not accurately direct one to the camp), or what one with specific physical challenges can expect with getting to and fishing the water.  At least 1 month prior to camp, John sends out an email providing general information & the basic requirements for Salmon Camp.  Salmon Camp email can be directed to the link email address below.

cloud9baldwin@sbcglobal.net

Salmon Camp & the lisagene

   Salmon Camp is held yearly for 1 or 2 consecutive, extended weekends at the end of September/beginning of October as the king salmon make their annual run up the Pere Marquette River.  Friendly fly anglers converge on John and Rhonda Bueter’s property, located in Baldwin, MI, for a few days of camping, hardcore angling, & a major disruption to the normal sleep cycle.  Most fishing begins when regular folks are donning their pj’s, and the campfire festivities slow as regular folks wake up to start the day.  In the daylight, anglers can be found tying flies, napping, or telling stories about the previous night.  And, as one person said, and I know it to be true:  If you aren’t a nice person, you don’t belong at Salmon Camp!    

   The fictional fly fishing story you are about to read is based entirely on facts & the kindness of fellow anglers.

   Kate and I started the 6.5 hour drive from the IA/IL border to Baldwin, MI, Thursday morning on Sept 27th.  We avoided rush-hour traffic on I94 and found our way cruising into a world filled with color.  Our first fly fishing trip to Michigan was occurring near the peak of the fall color change.  Lovely.  We purchased fishing licenses from the helpful folks at BBT, Baldwin Bait & Tackle, who also directed us to Barski’s for lunch.  At the bar, we enjoyed chef-created pierogies and Kahlua cheesecakes, & then headed down the road.  At the Cloud 9 Resort, we met John Bueter’s wife, Rhonda, of whom John would later speak of with great respect.  She directed us to the Salmon Camp property.  

   After camp host John Bueter gave us hugs & a good ribbing, we got settled.  Gene, a tall, fit man with wavy, whitish hair, was on our right also setting up camp.  That evening I turned down Bueter’s offer to go fishing.  They were ready to go and I was not, and my license was not good until midnight.  While I also debated the wisdom of fishing this new water for the first time at night, I regretted not going.  But, a couple hours later when it was darker yet, another offer came & I headed out.  Kate stayed at camp.  Brian drove and Gene sat next to him, acting like a passenger-seat driver.  Good-natured bickering ensued.  I sat in the back with Mike.  Another tall man who I immediately liked; at first glance he had an unassuming personality, but displayed great character, humor, and intelligence.

   We drove to ‘Claybanks’, the flies only, catch and release section of the Pere Marquette River.  We came upon Bueter’s party of anglers after clumping down 144 wooden steps bedecked with a salmon slide -built years ago, when snagging was legal & there were no fish limits.  Bueter had just hooked into & landed a fish.  It was fitting that the ‘king’ of Salmon Camp would be the first to be recorded in my pictures of the trip. 

   While John Bueter had claimed that the use of a net was primarily to carry out trash, our fishing party planned to use one for fish.  But… we forgot it.  Soon after I hit the water I had a sizeable fish hooked.  It was my first salmon of the trip, and it was fair-hooked in the mouth!  I successfully fought it.  It did break off, but we considered it a catch.  Gene had attempted multiple times to land it by the tail, but it continually garnered enough energy to elude the experienced angler.  Then, my tippet finally surrendered.  If we’d had a net, fish and fly angler would’ve posed for pics.  I headed to shore to rebuild my leader under more light.  Gene followed and sheepishly asked, “Are you mad?”  I laughed.  It was a nice first fish, hooked fairly, and we’d had a fun fight.  I’d had a great introduction to night-fishing for salmon!

   The next day, I assured Kate that the night fly fishing came fairly easily with use of headlamps, and under a full moon that would light the water near midnight.  Watching a string of headlamps bobbing along the shore, listening to the loud splashes of salmon, and watching others ready their tackle around small tents of light elicited feelings only truly shared by experiencing them.  On this 2^nd night on the water, I returned to the bank to sit with Mike and Brian, talk of fly fishing, enjoy the moonrise, and share their flasks of brandy and vodka.   I also photographed Kate with her first salmon. 

The lady beamed as she posed with a salmon whose tail symbolized it was no longer ‘fresh’.  She caught many more and many ‘fresher’ fish during her 2 nights on the water, but I knew she loved this style of fishing after she bagged that first salmon.

   The night of the lisagene was a bit of a blur.  Was it the 2^nd night or the 3^rd night of fishing?  Was it the night preceding the:  ‘til 530 AM campfire with the communal sharing of a variety of fine alchohols?  Or was it the following night?  Salmon Camp is for the hardcore angler and there is a reason it only lasts a few days/nights.  We were looking & feeling pretty rough after the 1^st couple nights!  What I do remember from that 2^nd or 3^rd night were the lessons given by a tall, wavy-haired man and our lisagene.

   That night, Gene put me on some good holes and had me experiment with his rod, loaded with floating line and a different leader set-up.  We fished together and separately, but Gene remained nearby.  I yelled ‘Fish on!’ a few times, but then the line would go slack. 

   Many fish had come up onto what we termed ‘the flats’, and we were excited.  Gene soon hooked a fish and I heard, “Lisa, come over here”.  He wanted me to fight his fish.  I didn’t want to, partially due to ego (I wanted to hook and land my own) and partially because I wanted the man to enjoy the pleasure of fighting his fish.  He persisted & said, “Lisa, come over here and fight this fish!”  I did it for Gene, because he was so kind and because instinct told me he had a reason to be so persistent.

   Before giving me the rod, he quickly asked if I knew how to set the drag with my finger.  I shrugged and said sure.  Well, I didn’t know how to set it for king salmon but I learned quickly.  Whoaa!!!!!  Then I knew why Gene had been so persistent.  A main attraction for fly fishing is that one can never stop learning how to become a better angler.  However, the anglers I meet continue to teach me that one can never stop learning how to become a better person. 

   I recalled the lessons given by Gene the first night and from Bueter earlier in the day.  I did not high stick and I kept the fish less than 90* from the rod tip.  No trout, bass, pike, or musky had ever pulled line off the reel like that and I traded off between setting drag with my fingers to attempting to control the fish from the reel.  The latter attempts left me with a bruised finger but got me laughing that night!   I followed Gene’s instructions, attempting to guide the fish toward the net.  Mostly we enjoyed the excitement of the fight, having the greatest of fun!  Then, the fish streaked downriver and I didn’t give enough slack.  It was gone. 

   Back at shore, Gene re-rigged his leader and I was honest with him about what I’d been feeling when he asked me to fight his fish.  I thanked him for what he’d done.  Then, we were back on the flats, fly fishing.  I felt excitement when he called me over again after hooking another strong fighter.  There were no arguments & this time I brought that fish in and Gene netted it.  We were alone on that stretch of water, so I posed for pictures with the lisagene.  When the camera flashed, I wish Gene and I could’ve stood together holding that fish.

   On Sunday, I helped Gene pack up his tent.  Most of camp had broken up and headed home.  Brian and Mike had left.  Kate & I said our good-byes to Gene, and that evening we announced that we were heading to Claybanks ahead of our small group.  I wanted her to see the Pere Marquette in the daylight.  It is a beautiful river.  We passed other anglers but by the time we were ready to fish, it was dark and the water had become our own.  Kate started fishing first and I waded upstream of her.  No sooner had I started casting when she told me she had a fish on.  I waded back to her, helped her land it, took pictures, and we headed back out.  I scouted the holes as I waded back upstream and spotted 2 fish.  One was very large and ‘fresh’.  I targeted that fish but it wasn’t destined to be mine.  Kate was on a roll so I headed back to her.  It was fun to help Kate land fish as others had done for me.  Also, I’d never landed a sizeable fish by the tail, and was excited to do so.  By this time, headlamps bobbed along the banks and soon the remainder of the ‘Salmon Campers’ shared our water.

   That night, ‘Jackfish Kate’ landed too many fish to count.  I never got the chance to target that large fish again, but other fish made up for it.  By then, I’d figured out how to cast to avoid many foul hooks and did not set the hook when I felt I would snag fish.  However, I used that knowledge of the fishes’ positions to adjust my cast & eventually hook and land fish.  The ‘newbies’, as we had been called, were doing well.

   My first fish was a ‘fresh’ male, large, and a good fighter.  John, a young guy with a soothing voice, asked if I wanted help netting it.  He was fishing but was magically present to help land all my night’s fish.  After we removed my fly from its mouth, and others’ flies from its back and fins, that fish and I posed for pictures taken by Kate and John.  As taught by John Bueter, facing upstream I placed the fish between my feet.   After it recovered in security, I released it.   

   Throughout that night, Gene, John, John Bueter and others were at my side or at least their words and actions were in my thoughts.  Every time younger John netted my fish, Gene’s instruction to use the rod to lift the head of the fish and then release the tension on the rod to let the fish slide into the net, would resonate in my head.  I enjoyed sharing the water with our small group.  The lisagene did not take my fly that evening, but that fish’s job was done.  It had rooted lessons of kindness, giving, and sharing in me and then moved on.  It’s written that Pacific salmon (including king salmon) spawn once and die.  However, the lisagene is an exception.  That fish works its way upriver yearly, fighting hard to spawn new learning and life-lessons in others. 

   While I did finally land a fair number of salmon, none remotely compared in power, fight and spirit to the lisagene.  If you ever wish to fly fish for king salmon, I recommend visiting Salmon Camp.  I suspect the lisagene times its arrival to coincide with the appearance of those friendly anglers.