An Afternoon with Zuddy

As summer is slowly winding down (even though it very much feels like it with temperatures in the high 90's over the past several weeks), it's time to look back on a few trips.  I was up in Michigan for two weeks in June where Finn and I spent the first three days with Brad Eaton of Tippets & Tales on five different golf courses along the "Left Coast".  I've mentioned it before that I am on a "golf journey" of sorts since Finn is so deep into it.  At fourteen-years-old, he's routinely playing the tips (just for fun) and has a handicap that is hovering around 5 to 6.  Mine is easily three times that.  I enjoy seeing his hard work paying off and know that my game will get more consistent with time and practice.  Maybe...

As plans for Michigan were coming together, I reached out to Matt Zudweg of Boneyard Fly Gear and we penciled in a smallmouth float.  It was a little early for it to be really good but still a good opportunity to spend some time on the river together.  The more I do this, it's more about being with friends anyways.  I've known Matt, a.k.a. Zuddy, since the very start of The Fiberglass Manifesto and all the premium decals I've ever released, have come from his shop.  They last forever and he's always been easy to work with.

We arrived mid-afternoon and met Matt in the parking lot of the ramp.  He had already poked around in his StealthCraft Power Drifter Sled finding a few smallmouth but mentioned that it was likely going to be tough going.  Oh well.  We were here and jumped in the boat for a short run downstream.

Most of Finn's experience fishing so far has been with spinning rods and he hasn't had much interest in fly fishing.  I put together two 8-weight outfits with the Orvis Superfine Glass and the Red Truck Fly Fishing Diesel fly rods while Matt checked the leaders and then tying on flashy streamers.  We spent the rest of the afternoon working flies around downed trees, casting as far as we could into dark shadows, and had a few smallies follow and slash.  I caught several small fish and Finn worked to get the hang of fly casting.  Matt was a great teacher and worked with him on the technique of what to do. 

I am always intrigued with how guides organize their working boats with everything they carry from tackle, gear boxes, where they stash their fly boxes, first aid kits, safety equipment, extra layers of clothing for clients, and much more.  I wish I had gotten a few photos of Matt's StealthCraft Power Drifter so you could see the layout as he had fined tuned this sled to meet all of his needs as a river guide on the Muskegon River to cover all four seasons.

As late afternoon was fading into evening, Matt pulled the sled over to the edge in a dark shadow line and Finn and I got out to cool down in the river.  Matt sparked the grill and tossed some brats from a local meat shop which tasted so great with spicy mustard.  It's tough to beat a meal on the river no matter how tough the fishing might be.  A real benefit with guiding out of a sled like this, there is more than enough room to stretch out, walk around, and have extras like a full sized cooler and small grill for meals. 

Earlier this summer, Matt had created a limited edition run of six Comrade Balsa Poppers (still one left and you can see how the series was made in this T.F.M. post) and in preparation for this trip, he had made up a few smaller Comrade art dressed up poppers that we hoped a smallmouth would slurp.  I ended up casting the yellow version for the last several hours of our trip with several takes that may be been a smallmouth but more likely an over eager rock bass.  We'll get a smallmouth on one the next time...

And, there will be a next time as we had a stellar time with Matt.  It was no surprise that the nice guy I've known for years online is also a nice guy in his boat.  He knows the Muskegon River inside and out and was a patient teacher with Finn who realized that to get good at fly casting, just like he's done with his golf swing, it'll take practice and getting the reps in. 

Late in the evening we eased the sled into the shallow water of the ramp, collected up our gear, and Finn and I headed back to my folks house in Grand Ledge.  I'd be off to head up north a day or so later for the next parts of my Michigan multi-stop adventure.

Thanks again to Matt Zudweg for spending the time with us.  Visit the Boneyard Fly Gear website, follow him on Facebook and Instagram, and dive into his YouTube channel too.