My First Surf Fishing Trip on the Big Lake (and Why I’m Already Planning the Next One)

My First Time Surf Fishing (And Why I'm Already Counting Down to Next Spring)

Some trips don't go the way you plan, and this one didn't. We headed out to the big lake on a cool spring day in Michigan, both of us running on empty. I hadn't gotten out of bed in days. Kyle had just come off a solo trip, pushing through a fever the entire time. Neither of us was in any shape to be sleeping in a tent on the shoreline, and we knew it, but we went anyway.

Day One: Cold, Sunny, and Trying to Rest

The first day was sunny but cold, the kind of cold that gets into your bones faster when you're already run down. We took the dogs for a walk on the beach that evening, exploring the area a little before heading to bed early. Rest felt more important than adventure that night. We needed our bodies to catch up before we asked anything else of them.

Day Two: First Cast

We woke up to one of those sunrises that makes you forget how tired you are, even if only for a minute. The hot tent stove was going, and we tried to rest as much as we could before finally getting out to cast our lines for the first time.

Finding a good spot took longer than we expected. The water was rough, kicked up by wind and waves, and we moved a few times trying to find somewhere the fish would actually be. By afternoon, we ended up back near camp, and that's where it finally clicked. We had a great spot, great luck, and a genuinely great time. We fished longer than we probably should have, given how we were both feeling, and by the end of the day we were wiped out in a way that had nothing to do with the fishing itself.

Day Three: Pushing Through the Weather

We woke up early and made breakfast in the tent, still feeling pretty rough. The weather didn't do us any favors either. Wind, rain, and cold settled in for most of the day, and we ended up back in the tent for several hours just riding it out.

In the afternoon, the sun finally broke through. I spent some time rock hunting along the shore, which turned into exactly the kind of slow, quiet reset we both needed. We went for a walk, got some fresh air, and started to feel like we were finally on the other side of being sick. It wasn't a big turning point. It was small and quiet, but it was there.

Day Four: Company, Sunshine, and a Sky Full of Stars

Kyle's dad and his uncle Kevin came out to camp on the last day, and having company after three days of just the two of us fighting off fevers felt like exactly what we needed. We spent the day surf fishing together on the big lake, and the weather finally gave us a break too. It turned into a warm afternoon, the kind you don't take for granted after the few days we'd had.

I found more rocks along the shore that afternoon, which has quickly become one of my favorite parts of being out there. We closed out the trip that night under a sky so clear you could see every star. After a trip that started with both of us barely able to get out of bed, that night felt like the reward for pushing through.

Already Looking Forward to Next Spring

I loved surf fishing the very first time I tried it, even with everything working against us that trip. There's something about it, standing at the edge of the big lake, feeling the springtime peeping in, casting into waves that I didn't expect to love as much as I did. I'm already looking forward to doing it again in the spring.