Tag Archives: manistee river salmon

Happy Valentine’s Day

Posted on by Captain Ben Wolfe

I was reflecting the other day on how lucky I am to have such a supportive wife and family. Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day, and I’d like to send out a special Valentine’s Day message to my best friend and wife: Thanks for being you, allowing me to be me.

Without her daily support, it would be nearly impossible for me to operate one, let alone two busy fishing guide businesses, Traverse City Bass and Manistee River Salmon. Getting up before the crack of dawn on a daily basis, often staying up late into the night pouring custom plastics, tying spawn sacks, curing salmon spawn or pouring jigheads and drop shot weights normally would come as a heavy price to pay in terms of a marriage.

Thankfully, my wife is understanding. Not only of my fishing obsession, but my break-neck guide schedule. And the fact that I constantly smell fishy! So here’s to my fantastic wife and best friend: Thank you for putting up with me and for everything that you do. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Guide’s Day Off! Let’s Go Fishing!

Posted on by Captain Ben Wolfe

On a rare guide’s day off from salmon and steelhead customers, what did I do? I went fishing of course! Not only did I have the day off from my busy guide schedule, but another guide friend also had the day off. It was mid October, with the fall steelhead run in full swing. Following a hugely successful salmon season on the Big Manistee River, it was nice to have a day’s break. Driving down to the Muskegon River to meet my guide buddy, it was filthy with rain. Just pouring. No matter, we were going to enjoy this.

After a relaxed breakfast at a local diner, we hit the water in my buddy’s jet sled. Backbouncing egg sacks were clearly the way to go, as we boated 17 or18 beautifully chrome steelhead. We tried a few drifts with a float fished by a center pin rod, but that only yielded a carp. The highlight of the day was a hot steelhead that actually jumped in the boat. I’ve been fishing for salmon and steelhead for a long time, and I have to say—this was the first time that a steelhead has literally jumped in the boat. I’ve had salmon ram the boat, and steelhead leap and hit the side of the boat, but this chrome buck turned and ran straight at the boat, launching itself a few feet from the boat, landing squarely inside the boat. Absolutely a first, and absolutely no net needed! It also so happened that I was trying to do some filming and caught the entire thing on camera. Check it out!

Best Job in the World!

Posted on by Captain Ben Wolfe

“Being a fishing guide must be the best job in the world”. I’ve heard this countless times from dozens of customers fishing with both Traverse City Bass Guide Service  and my other guide service, Manistee River Salmon Guide Service. Best job in the world? Surprisingly, yes it is! It’s a lot of work, worry and stress, but I find it completely rewarding. I can’t imagine doing anything else, considering that I get to go fishing for a living. Yes, it’s a job like any other, but it’s also a tremendous privilege to not only meet new people on a daily basis, share a boat with them, but also to be outside, doing something that I love to do. Whether I’m fishing Grand Traverse Bays for big smallmouth in waters that resemble the Caribbean, or fishing for king salmon  on the Big Manistee River, the scenery is absolutely stunning, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I have been extremely fortunate to be a very busy guide, with guide trips almost every day of the season. And when I’m feeling run down, tired and don’t think that I have the energy to keep going? I just realize that I get to go fishing as part of the best job in the world!