2023 Family 350 Day 4 - Fish and Fish

Once we all got going my sisters and I headed down towards Petoskey and went to Spring Lake Park.  The plan was to take my nephew fishing, but first we headed out on a moderate hike.  Traffic can be bonkers around Petoskey, but it was early.  The area around the state park and the smaller (county? township?) park was relatively quiet.  The path we were on was paved and there was a mix of walkers and bicycles, but nowhere near the mayhem of Mackinac Island.  It was all very pleasant.  Various small lakes and ponds kept things interesting.

Back at Spring Lake, my brother and I helped my nephew catch several bluegills.  It was a great location for him to do so since there were a lot of fish and it was really easy to fish right off the dock.  He was able to bring in around 7 small bluegills and sunfish.  There were always fish biting, but many were too small to use even the smaller hooks we were using.  We used a mix of casting a short ways and fishing right off the dock.  The fish out a bit more did seem to be a bit bigger but not significantly so.  Our VRBO hosts suggestion was perfect for what we were looking for.  My nephew seemed to have a lot of fun and did much better than his previous fishing.

We had a bit more time so we went up to the Ogden Fish Hatchery.  We weren't able to hit the actual tour, but we were able to see what I assume to be almost the same things.  A short walk from where we parked was the "Big Fish Pond."  I wasn't sure if it was a pond with big fish or a big pond with fish, but it appeared to be both.  Many species of trout were swimming around and there were lots of good size fish.  Throwing in the available fish food caused a feeding frenzy.

A short walk further brought us to the stream viewing area followed by the visitor center.  I was a bit confused by the train car at first, but it had some exhibits about the market fishing from the early days of European influence in Northern Michigan.

A walk back brought us to the car.  But after all the walking and hiking over the previous days, my legs were feeling it.  The fish hatchery was well worth the short diversion.

Back at home we got Mom and went out to the Legs Inn for dinner.  We went early to avoid the rush which was probably the right thing to do since it was already quite busy.  The food was good as was the atmosphere.  On my best days I'm somewhat neutral on restaurants, so it was a little unusual for me.  But the food was good.

After dinner we went out behind the restaurant where there was a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan.  The weather was almost perfect.  Oddly, there was a bit of an off-smell which hinted at sewage which was a little off-putting?

Back at our rental house the key got stuck in the door.  Thankfully - if stupidly - we had left another door open.  I did find the situation more aggravating than it really should have been.  Our host did come and fix in quickly which gave me a chance to thank him for the excellent suggestion on the kid-fishing.  But perhaps this was also a sign that it was time to head home.