River Conditions

December 16th

Due to recent heavy rains and snow melt guided steelhead trips are as MUCH FUN AS EVER! Our guide service continues to produce great catches of steelhead even though the conditions are less than perfect. We have been on the water catching fish right through the high water on larger egg patterns...chartruese, brighter oranges, and pinks are getting it done for us. We still have days open before and after the holiday.

If you are sitting on the fence as to book a day or two...please don't hesitate, the fishing has been great this fall and early winter. Does it or can it get any better? Please call us to book a day...Maybe a half day is what you need to get a little relaxation? A day on the river will do the trick for those seriously stressed by the holidays.

December 9th

Old man winters grasp has loosened a bit, The extended forecast is for much milder weather this next week...This makes it a little more comfortable to be out in for sure. This past week the fishing was awesome with most days seeing double digit hookups. The fish are not in every hole but are in most of them and also very well spread out thru the system. We have plenty of openings to get you on the river these next couple weeks before the big holiday. Please give us a call to get a day or two on the river. Don't miss out the fishing is HOT HOT HOT !!!

Remember guided trips make great holiday gifts. We do have gift certificates and can mail them to anyone any where you may wish. Payment can be made by cash, check, or MasterCard.

December 5th

Just a quick explanation of todays pic's....... I had no one to fish with so I had to lie them in the rod tray and snap a quick mug shot of todays nicer fish. I fished only 1/2 day and had a blast. Much nicer weather than yesterday and still a great bite! The water is still up a bit, but has cleared some. Trips the next couple days. The weekend weather looks to be improving and I have open dates. Call or email if you are interested. The fishing is HOT. The river is so peaceful this time of year with a nice blanket of snow, the scenery is hard to beat.

December 4th

HARDCORE ????!!!! Well today was one of those days where most sane people wouldnt even think of fishing. But...if your a river guide that has spent the last 2 months watching other people catch steelies, today was just what the doctor ordered. Fished with good friend / guide Andy Busch and I decided what the hey. We started around 11 am and fished till 3 pm. The fishing was very good, but the weather was terrible. We watched the snow pile up almost as fast as the steelhead count did. The recent high water has given the fish a new attitude. Happy fish, no crowds equal a great time.

November 29th

Sorry for the lapse, I have completed my 30 days in a row with flying colors. The steelhead fishing continues to be great. This years run was very strong due to the increased water flows and nice warm temps. This winters fishing should be great with all the holdover steelies waiting for spring. Now is the time to get on the water, the crowds are gone and the fish are happy. Please contact us for a day of fishing in December. We are starting to take more fish on nymphs but eggs will get it done most days.

Happy holidays to all. Just a reminder a guided fishing trip makes a great gift idea and we do have gift certificates available.

November 10th

I forgot my camera today...sorry no pics. The steelhead fishing has been good to great depending on the day. The fish are moving into their winter lies and taking position in the feeding lanes. This week we have caught some very respectable fish, including an awesome 36" buck. This is one of the longest fish I have seen in years. Eggs still taking good numbers of fish, but nymphs are getting noticed in the clear water.

Good luck !

November 3rd

The steelhead are here in good numbers. Typical fall and winter lies are holding fish. The cloudy days are much better than the sunny ones. We landed two fish this week over 12 lbs!!! Good to see some bigger fish this year. Bring your warm clothes as the weather has been on the chilly side. Eggs in just about all colors are working.

October 26th

The pictures to the side tell it all! We are seeing a decent number of steel head but the action varies everyday. You may hook several in a spot or you may fish 5 runs with out a hit. The key is to know lots of places and keep at it. Especially in the afternoon hours. The sun is making the afternoon bite very very tough. Keep moving and look for the biters. Pray for clouds and rain!! Eggs Eggs Eggs! Give them what they want.

Congrats to Ron Neil for his 14 lb steelie this past Tuesday. The biggest fish I have seen in at least 2 years.

Thanks to all my clients for making my business so successful since 1992 !!

October 21st

The fishing this week has been good to very good. The steelies are here but you better know the spots because this has seperated the great days from the slow days. They are not in every spot, but the numbers seem to be here. The salmon are looking well past peak. There are still a few but my focus is now on the steelhead. Egg patterns and even a few small caddis and nyphs are taking fish. I will be on the water everyday for the next 30! See you out there. It looks as this winter will fish great with all these steelies here to stay till spring.

October 15th

It looks as if the salmon run has peaked on the Muskegon. The numbers of kings is starting to look as if they are on the decline. The good news is that there are steelies coming in to replace the salmon. The morings have been the best time for chromers on the bright days. We had to hunt around for kings after 11 am today. Lots of traffic and pressure on the sunny days. Fish the crappy days to see less people. Egg flies,egg flies egg flies...oregon cheese,oranges and creams.

October 11th

Time to move south. This week I have started guiding on the Muskegon. There are good numbers of Kings: some good and some bad. The water levels are running very good for this time of year. Bringing in a decent number of steelhead. Each day this week we looked for steelies mostly and found enough to keep us looking. There are some darker steelies in and also some very bright fish. The PM is still fishing well for the wading angler. The salmon fishing will continue for a couple more weeks on both rivers.

October 3rd

Its October and all the local rivers are fishing very well. The PM has seen a great run this season with the good water flows. The Muskegon is going well now with a good run of kingsand a few steelies showing here and there. The salmon fishing on the PM has looked to reach the peek,but there are still lots of fresh fish in the river. The Muskegon should peek in a week or two.

Look for fresher fish in the pools below the spawners. Small streamers, nymphs, and eggs as far as flies go. For more excitement try casting hardware.(spoons,spinners and plugs)

September 20th

I'm in the process of getting a new camera as I decided to take a swim with mine..............dooooohhhhhhh!!!
The PM is fishing great these past days. Lots of fish throughout the whole system making the crowds spread out as well. There are fresh fish in the pools and spawners on the gravel giving you a chance to sight fish to fish pushing 20 lbs. Several steelies have also been caught since the high water. The Mighty Mo is also rumored to have fishable numbers in it...I have not had a chance to explore as of yet. Still plenty of openings in October. The Pm and Mo will have great fishing thru Late October for salmon then its steelie time.

Much larger and healthier fish this year!

September 12th

The salmon run has been pretty average thus far, the fish are very well spread throughout the system with several holes holding good numbers and others with just a few. The rain we got the last 2 days has gotten the fish moving again. Fresh fish should fill in the gaps by the weekend.The crowds have been normal this year also. Small nymphs and streamers still doing the job. A few fish on eggs this week.

The muskegon is still slow but this is pretty normal, this river is great in October!

September 6th

Well...................... it has officially began ! "Salmonrama 2006 !!!!

The river has a decent number of salmon but they are well spread out from custer to the flies water. The big push of fish we saw about 10 days ago has spread out and thinned. Try small nymphs and small streamers to get fair hookups. Good numbers of fish 15-18 lbs. with the larger over 20 lbs finding the wood quickly.

The lake still had plenty of fish yet to come.

Sept openings Sept 29 due to cancelation

October has a good number of openings so feel free to contact us and get a day or two on the river. October can provide some of the best action of the fall.

November is almost full book now or you will miss out !

August 2006

The smallmouth fishing on the muskegon has been great once again this summer. Small streamers and ultra light tackle have been providing plenty of action for my clients. The trout fishing on the PM has been great again this year. Now is terestrial time and the fish are eating big hopper imitations.

The salmon bonanza will be starting soon, the fish are staging closer to shore and packing on the weight. The baitfish population this summer has been great allowing the salmon to get much larger than last years adult fish. Look for the larger fish to be in the 25 pound range. Although we are pretty booked for September we do have openings in October. Call us, I'm sure that we can fit you in somehow.

Now is also the time to book your fall steelhead trips. November is filling very fast and judging by the size of the fish we took on the lake they will be good size this year also.

We will be starting salmon trips on the lower PM in the next week. These trips will be mostly throwing hardware and crankbaits for these fresh fish. Flyfishing will also be an option.

The rest of this month we will be splitting our days on the river and Big Lake.

We still have plenty of openings for river and lake fishing so give us a call if you are interested.

Spring 2006 wrap up

I would like to thank everyone that took the time to spend a day or two with me on some of Michigans pristine rivers. The spring run had a decent showing of steelies with a good average day being 4-6 in the net and several more hooked. We had a few great days early on and from there through the first few days of May had plenty of opprotunities. We are seeing a May typical of the last few with too much rain.The bugs are hatching and we are doing well on streamers. Here are a few pics that were sent in by clients. Thanks for a great season.

This summer we are offering both river trips and lake charters.Please feel free to call for more info.

April 20th

Had a great day out with Steve on the Muskegon river. The river is now low and clear and it looks as if the peak has happened. There are still plenty of fish and we are seeing new fish trickle in,but unless we get a good rain I think the rest of the season will be in trickle mode. Off the next two days getting the big boat in the water and ready to start running charters May 1.

Still a few days open this month.
Book your Lake Michigan charters soon as days are starting to book.

April 19th

Again today on the Muskegon.The conditions and the fishing has been very consistant.Not huge days but steady enough to keep everyone happy.We fished floating lines and indy's all day and had plenty of action. Still several open days ......get out this spring.

April 18th

Had another great day on the Muskegon with a couple of great guy's.We stayed pretty busy casting at fish all day.The water is dropping and is very clear.It looks as if we are at peek this week and could use some rain to get the remaining fish up the river.Look for another couple solid weeks of spring steelheading.The trout have began feeding on the stonefly adults in the slower pools.Traffic has been very heavy.

April 17th

After a nice Easter break it was back on the river once again.Today I helped out Steve from Riverquest charters on a 4 boat group trip.My guys were fast into fish and we didnt stop till the end.Wally,Chris,Rick and I had a blast today catching a good number of fish and a nice tan also.The river is very clear and still dropping.

April 13th

Took a couple of hard working guy's out today......the day before good friday !! The traffic has doubled this week and looks to be really bad this weekend.We managed several fish to the boat but really had to work for them.Not an easy day by no means.The water is looking about normal.

April 12th

Had a father son team out today part of a 12 boat guide trip. (largest group known thus far) We had a great morning catching plenty of fish from pols and gravel. There still are freshies in the pools with a good mix of fish on gravel. The river looks to be getting near peak. Traffic has been bad the last few trips.

April 11th

Took Mike and Mike out on the PM today.We had a great moring and finished strong in the afternoon with a couple more brighter fish.The water is low and clear and this river sould use a bit of rain.Look for the PM to peak very soon.

April 10th

Took a couple die hard fishermen out today and tried drifting fresh spawn through some of the pools, we had a great moring but the action quickly died as the sun rose high in the sky. Some clouds would have really helped today.Some fish spawing under the high sun but the biters pretty much shut off.