I’MSTOMPINGDOWN
themiddleofariver inheavy
bootsattached torubberoveralls, following thecigar-
smoke trailofa
sensei
fishermannamedBear.
Hegrumblessomething inastogie-muffled,Billy
BobThorntoncadenceabouthow thebubblesby
theriverbedmeanprimefishing, thencastshis line
perfectlyashemeanders fartherdown theriverwhile
Isplashnoisilybehindhim, tanglingmyself infishing
lineandappearingdoomed tocatchnothingbut the
leavesof the treesIkeephooking.
ThestateofMichigan (#PureMichigan, andyes,
I justshouted-outahashtag)pitched theeditorsof
AmericanWay
ona trip to its idyllicnorthernregion,
forawriter topartake inapackedscheduleoffly-
fishingandgolfing inapicturesquesetting.
Beingasadist lot, thoseeditorspickedme for the
gig,despite the fact thatI’vegolfedonce inmy life,
haven’tfished in20years, andmy ideaofoutdoorsy
recreationusually involvesdomesticbeerconsumed
inaNewJerseyparking lotprior toaprofessional
sportingevent.
FromTraverseCity’sCherryCapitalAirport—
theregionproduces those tartcherrieswhichmake
nothingelsematterexcept forhowyouaregoing to
acquireyournextsliceofpie—Iheaddirectly to the
StreamsideOrvisfly-fishingstoreon the town’smain
street. IsojournwithMasterCasterInstructor for
theInternationalFederationofFlyFishers (!)Dave
Leonhard, awiry,mustachioed fellowwhoharnesses
theflyrod likearodeoclownwitha lasso.
Wepracticecasting inanalleyway, thwacking
passingcarsandwhizzingfishing lineby theearsof
pedestrians.Weare theclosest thingTraverseCity
has toastreetgang.
Asliceofpie is thenconsumed, andIfindmyself
onagolfgreenatTheHomestead, thesprawling
resortnestled in theSleepingBearDunesNational
Lakeshore, themajesticnationalparkofsandyslopes
overlooking theoceanlikeLakeMichigan.
At theDavePelzScoringGameSchool, foundedby
aNASAscientistwhoabandonedspaceexploration
for themuchmorebefuddlingartofbeingadequateat
golf, instructorStefanCarlsmith teachesmeaseries
ofritualistic tricks, involvingwatchingmyshadows,
puttingmy thumbs inmy
waistbandandbumpingmy
putteragainsthis, and trying
topushoverabucketofballs
withagolfclub, allwhile fo-
cusingonwhich thighmuscle
Iamactivating.
Aftersuccessfulputtsaided
bysuchwitchcraft, followed
bypie-inducedsleep, I’m
beingdriven towaterby the
ownerof theWolfeOutfitters
fishing-guideservice,CaptainBenWolfe, a former
Manhattanhaute-cuisine-chef-turned-river-guide
whodoesasurprisinglyspot-on impressionofJulia
Childasafly-fishing instructor.
Hehandsmeoff tohisguru,Jeff“Bear”Andrews,
who, afteranhourofstrollingnonchalantlydown
theriver, suddenlystops inhis tracksandgrumbles,
“Fish.”
The troutIpulloutof thewaterwithBear’srod
isbarelywider thanmyhand.Followinganextended
photosession,wegingerlyplacehimback in thewater
toswim free.But itsatisfies thestateofMichigan’s
mandate, relayed tomewithanexpletive: “Justmake
surehecatchessomething.”
THELASTWORD
130
SEPTEMBER2015
AMERICANWAY
OntheFly
Gettinga lineonfly-fishingwithaguynamedBear
Wepracticecasting
inanalleyway,
thwackingpassing
carsandwhizzing
fishing linebytheears
ofpedestrians.
BY
JOEMURRAY
PHOTO
JASON LOUCAS/GETTY IMAGES
