Inside the Box: Ray Schmidt

HERE’S A QUIZ: If big trout eat both large flies and tiny midges, how do you know which to carry in your fly box?
a. I carry both; you never know what you are going to come across.
b. I look at the food sources in the waters I’m fishing.
c. Not an issue — I carry a dozen fly boxes in a vest the size of a type I Offshore Personal Flotation Device.
d. I use only flies that are enormous, because little fish can’t eat them.
All of those answers are valid, of course. But if you are long-time Michigan fly fisher Ray Schmidt, there is only one correct choice: d. This week Schmidt, who owns the venerable Schmidt Outfitters in Wellston, Michigan and who has been guiding area rivers for decades, shares his personal fly box with MidCurrent.