The evening started at 7. We headed to the river laden with an array of herbed veggies, red wine vinaigrette, toasted french bread, and drake patterns.
I caught mostly bows so I snapped a pict of this brownies (my hubby’s catch) beautiful spots.
Come a little closer.
This salad – the Italian Bread Salad – is my new favorite. I have made it twice already this week.
Think fresh basil, oregano, tomatoes, roasted asparagus, roasted yellow peppers, sauteed & peppered red onions, avocado & bread chunks all tossed in a simple vinaigrette.
But as the friend who served me this last week pointed out, you really can add whatever fresh veggies you want.
Jay & I had a few days to vacation & celebrate our anniversary. We chose to spend them right here on the Muskegon River.
Eating well & fishing for trout….this is the perfect getaway, only we get to call it home.
Come celebrate your days with us on the Mighty Mo.
Consider this next time you’re sitting on our lower deck sipping your favorite brew. Michigan ranks 5th highest in the Nation for craft beer, breweries, and brew pubs! Most recently, Grand Rapids, MI was just voted by popular vote–Beer City USA 2013.
Want to sample some of Michigan’s finest suds? No problem, just let us know and we’ll make it happen!
The days are warm, the breeze is soft, buds are on the trees, and myrtle is in bloom. Each season is special at the Lodge for a different reason, this season come linger on the decks, let us serve your appetizers while you watch the river flow.
Spend your days fishing with our guides and your evenings re-telling your favorite fishing moments of the day over a dinner prepared exclusively for you.
Bruschetta:
2 large or 4 small tomatoes will serve about 4-6 people. Combine chopped tomatoes with ~1/4 cup of fresh chopped basil (optional: add 3 Tbsp red onion if you like). Add sea salt & black pepper to taste and set aside.
Place 8-12 slice of bread on a cookie sheet and directly under the broiler for 1-2 minutes per side. When bread is toasted, rub fresh cut garlic on the top side & swipe with olive oil. Add bruschetta with a slotted spoon to the bread, and garnish with thin slices of parmesan & basil ribbons (long, thin slices of basil). Serve immediately.
** Fresh baked bread takes this recipe up a notch, if you bake your own it will be well worth the effort.**
While fly fishing satisfies as we enjoy the river, our surroundings, our beloved catches, and time away from our busy lives, I think we fish, in part, to make memories. Some of my fondest memories fly fishing are the times around the fire or table sharing our experieces with our friends. Certainly, catching a a 20″ brown trout or an outsized chrome steelhead on a Spey rod is rewarding, but replaying those moments with friends is nearly as good or better!
Memories are what we are all about at the Muskegon River Lodge. Whether its on the river with our RiverQuest guides, in the man cave enjoying a great cigar, or indulging with one of Chef Heather’s almost sinful desserts after sharing one of her five course dinners. Sharing experiences like these only enhances what our sport is all about-making memories.
Recently, while listening to the conversations our guests were having with one another, a common theme kept replaying. While the fly fishing is central to the RiverQuest/Muskegon River Lodge experience, our guests can’t seem to stop talking about the phenomenal cuisine prepared by Chef Heather. Having been fortunate to enough dine with some of our guests, I attest that we’re truly fortunate she is part of our group. Next time you visit the Lodge, do yourself a favor and add our chef services to your stay. You’ll be glad you did!
Snow clumps litter the ground and yet here and there I see bulbs peeking up from the ground, tufts of green announcing a new season. I begin to think light, fresh & colorful. Lemon Curd Tart comes to mind. I whip up a crust and then stir lemon juice, yolks, and a lot of lemon zest until they thicken, yielding a smooth lemon curd texture. The combined flavors are delicious…subtly buttery, richly tangy, not overly sweet. Here’s to spring!
Too bad the deck is still covered with snow–this plate was meant to be enjoyed from the comforts of our deck furniture. Chef Heather featured a seared walleye filet with tangy cilantro, parsely, garlic & olive oil glaze–yummy!
Please take a moment to read this petition and if you are so inclined, please support it!
Hopefully through education, people will come to realize that this is not about the successes of one individual group of people, but rather the assurance that all Michigan license holders are given an equal chance of success steelhead fishing on our cherished Michigan rivers. We were all a young fishermen at some point in time–the successes we all experienced back then when we were young, are impart what inspired us to become what we are today. Had we encountered self-serving attitudes and techniques those many years ago, chances are fair that some of us would never have chosen to continue down the path of river fishing, let alone the path of a steelhead fisherman. ~Captain Steven T. Kuieck
Big thanks to RiverQuest guide Jay Allen and friend–Kevin O’Rourke, for enduring a couple cold snowy winter days on the Muskegon River as we wrapped up shooting our winter trout Vimeo. I’ve been off the water for three hours and I’m still thawing out, however I can’t express how wonderful our river truly is in the winter. The scenery is pretty special–you owe it to yourself to see it too. Look for our production Vimeo in the coming weeks.
Ok, a little horn tooting! We’re pretty proud to be one of the Orvis Companies newest lodges and now top-rated in the entire country. This certainly didn’t happen all by its self, it took a team effort! Thanks goes out to our entire operation-Dave, Jay & Heather Allen, Don, Tom, Rachelle, and Holly.
06/14/13: Every now and again a special opportunity comes about, and last night was one of those. Dick Pobstâ€... 6/13/13: Sometimes, they’re just camera shy. This brown TUer Tom took a couple of evenings ago on a g... 06/12/13: It was bound to happen, night after night, heavy gray drake spinner falls left the trout last night... 6/10/13: It’s not often I have the privilege of guiding an 85 year old fly fisherman so an afternoon an... 06/09/13: After nearly 18 years on the river I continue to be suprised from time-to-time. Last night for insta... It’s hard casting dries on a warm summer evening: Fishing was hard today….hard if you think casting dries to rising trout while being bombarded with... 06/08/13: Dr. Brandon and his father Gary joined me last night to try their hands at dry fly fishing. Niether... Sweet Endings: Went out tonight expecting drakes…ended up catching some nice fish on caddis instead. Not all bad,... Feels like we are being watched: Sitting in the boat waiting for drakes is an interesting activity. The anticipation is palatable and... 6-4-13: The grey drake hatch tonight was fantastic, the Browns were looking up and Captain Tom Kuieck and I...
