River Conditions

Fishing Report - Feb 1 2010

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Had a chance to spend some time on the rivers this week, altohugh the super cold weather kept us off the water a few days this past week. There seem to be a few new fish around from the week priors warmer temps and rainfall,creating a small surge in water levels. Look for fresh fish numbers to increase the overall fish numbers from here on out, until the fish start spawning and dropping out. This weeks weather looks great to get some Feb. steelhead fishing in, we have open days.... give us a call to reserve your winter or spring steelheading date.

Had a chance to take out the long time outdoor writer Bob Gwizdz a week or so ago..click below for the full story.

 http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20101310503

Great news !!!!  The lamprey weir will no longer be in operation.Click below for the story.

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2010/01/electric_barrier_on_pere_marqu.html

Fishing Report - Jan 24 2010

Sorry for the lapse in a recent report....as from the pics you can see I have been on the water quite often and we are catching fish. Most days have been pretty decent, but there has been a day or two where we really had to work hard for our fish. But then again...since when is only catching a couple 6-10 pound trout a bad day ! The fish are always a bit more "moody" in the winter making it necessary to keep a "PMA" (posative mental attitude) while in pursuit of these great fish. This week current speed played the biggest role in sucess. Depth at times didnt seem to matter as much as the current speed.

Spring dates are booking up! Please call or email if you are interested in getting on the water.

Fishing Report - Jan 15 2010

The last few days on the river were great! Although the number of fish boated per hour may not be what it "should / could" have been we did enjoy some pretty good winter steelheading all things considered. The warmer weather sure made the fishing itself more comfortable. Please keep in mind just because the air temps are warming.... water temps usually cool or hold steady in these conditions due to the icy cold run off entering the river. Floats and spawn are still my main weapon, but I am sure fishing small flies close to the bottom would also get some intertest. Slower and deeper have been the keys....look for the fish to be sitting in some pretty froggy water.

The phone has been ringing quite a bit with the recent warming trend.... call us if you have any questions or would like to get on the water for either a full or 1/2 day.

Fishing Report - Jan 11 2010

Had a chance to get back on the river this weekend and found several nice steelies willing to get their pictures taken. The fish are here and willing to bite, but........covering the water,being patient and working hard have been the keys recently. Sunday morning we launched once again with the temp right at 1 degree ! slush and ice was coming down the river.....but we boated our first fish only minutes after we started ! The best thing is that the fish are seeing very little pressure and when you find them its "Bobber Down" !!!

Plenty of days open,now is a great time to book a 1/2 day on the river.

We are also seeing an increase in spring bookings, prime days are going quickly,call or email soon for the best availability.

Fishing Report - Jan 4 2010

Pictured is Jeremy with a well earned fish to start the new year off! The first day on the river this new year proved to be challenging with the 9 am starting temp hovering right at 1 degree F.....yes 1 degree. Even though temps were chilly in the am we managed to keep spirits high and worked hard for the few hookups we did have, the bite just wasnt on Sunday, period! I have had hundreds of days fishing in the exact conditions and hammered em! Sunday just wasnt to be....super clear skies,dropping water didnt help for sure.

One thing for sure......you cant catch these wonderful fish from the warmth of your home, there are plenty of fish in the river and I am sure we will be seeing some really good days on the river in the near future.

Floats and spawn,flies and plugs are all great options this time of year!

Fishing Report - Dec 26 2009

Back to the river after a few days off for the holidays !

I hope everyone had a great holiday and got a chance to spend it with friends and family. Things on the river have set into full winter mode, great white backgrounds and very colorfull steelhead. The fishing has been good to very good for the early winter. There are good numbers of fish in the system. Look for the fish to be in the true winter mode....deeper ,slower and structure ! Lately I have been fishing closer to the wood and closer to the bottom.

The fly bite has'nt been the greatest, but floats and spawn have been fishing well.

We have heaters in our boats ,but nothing will warm you up faster than feeling the thrashing of a heavy winter colored steelhead!

Please call us to get a great day on the river!

Fishing Report - Dec 14 2009

Winter has arrived in force this year ! After a very nice mild November we are now experiencing the wonderful winters Michigan is famous for.

The good thing is that the fish are seeing much less pressure and they are more willing to bite. The best presentions have been floats and spawn or small nymphs and natural eggs fished as drag free as possible,as some of the fish are still a little weary and educated.

The fishing has been good to great the last week of so....dig out your thermals,get you warm boots and insulated coats and bibs out and give us a call to get on the water to experience our wonderful winter fishery.

We have heaters in our boats to warm up those chilly fingers after you experience the grip and grin winter photo!

We do have plenty of openings from here on out, the winter fishing looks as if it will once again be GREAT !!!

Call or email us to take advantage of this great fishery ! Guided fishing trips make great holiday gifts! Gift certificates are always available.

$200 1/2 days 4-5 hours ,1-2 anglers.

Full day trips are also available!

Fishing Report - Dec 5 2009

Winter steelheading is upon us !! THe fishing has been a bit more consistent each day, but the bite has been very different....some days the fish seem very active all day, other days the fish seem to prefer the morning or the afternoon to be active. I guess thats why its called fishing. Water temps are still slightly above 40, but the fish are starting to move toward their winter haunts.

Flies in natural colors and very small nymphs have been the best as far as flyfishing goes, but spawn and floats is still a great way to cover water quickly to get the aggressive biters.

We do have plenty of openings from here on out, the winter fishing looks as if it will once again be GREAT !!!

Call or email us to take advantage of this great fishery ! Guided fishing trips make great holiday gifts! Gift certificates are always available.

$200 1/2 days 4-5 hours ,1-2 anglers.

Full day trips are also available!

Fishing Report - Nov 24 2009

The last week or so the fishing has been a bit of a rollercoaster ! It has varried from easy to extremely hard .... with no real reason that I can figure out. There are good numbers of fish in the system,but I feel that the clear water,combined with a decent amount of fishing pressure and constantly changing weather patterns. This  all combined with our total lack of rain in November and water levels that have been dropping the entire month has contributed to making the fishing a little slower than it should be.

Look for the fishing to improve when we get a decent amount of rain,cooler temps. and a little less pressure on the fish.

Fishing Report - Nov 13 2009

The Muskegon is still producing good steelhead fishing. The river has dropped a bunch and the water has cleared ....but the fish are here and willing to bite. The morning  low light periods have been the best and then once again in the afternoon when the shade begins to cover the river once again...bright sun and clear water periods have the fish a bit "off"

We still have a few dates available so please contact us to get your "fish-on" !!

Fishing Report - Nov 6 2009

As expected the steelhead fishing has picked up a bit after last weekends high water. The fishing in the upper river has been the most consistent due to the cleaner water and the fact that the fish that were in the system before the high water all crashed the upper river during the high water. There are large gaps in the rest of the river as things need a little time to fill in after the high water.

The fish this week have been very fiesty! Several fish over 10lbs have seen the boat this week, this is a great sign as to the health of our fishery.

Please give us a call if you would like to experience the best fishing of the fall !

Fishing Report - Nov 2 2009

Recent high water forced me to re-book a couple trips. After fishing hard Saturday and only getting one fish to take the fly,it just seemed like the right thing to do. Fishing in flood stage conditions just is'nt that fun.

The river is back to a good level and the fishing should turn on this week, I will be back on the water tomorrow and am looking forward to chasing the fresly arrived chrome !!

Look for things to get cranking in the numbers dept. this week !!!!

Fishing Report - Oct 28 2009

Ahhh...back to the Muskegon, I did a short stint back on the PM earlier this week and found the water to be in perfect shape for steelies...however our group thought it best to let the young and up and coming fishermen have their way with the remaining salmon. The King numbers are falling off, but we did find enough to play with each day. The best thing was that the river was vacant of angling pressure. I am sure there were bars of silver in the pools, we just never got around to chasing after them...the kids were having too good a time with the Salmon.

Things on the Mo are about the same.....

The keys are ....

Be patient,fish hard,cover water and most of all............. be ready when it happens, get caught napping and you might miss your chances! There are steelies available you just need to fish them. The salmon run looks to be winding down quickly.

Fishing Report - Oct 22 2009

Its official.... from here out it looks as if our full time focus will be devoted to fall steelhead ! The Salmon run is still going on both the PM and the muskegon,but the steelhead numbers are increasing daily and there is not salmon in the river that can match the excitement of catching a fall steelhead....

We are still covering good amounts of water but the fish are here and they have been very aggressive when you find them.

We still have a few days open....dont wait !

Fishing Report - Oct 14 2009

As you can see we are getting into some steelies .... they are here but you need to be wiling to cover water and fish in the right places....Steelhead this time of year are at their absolute BEST ! There is nothing better than an October Steelhead ! There are still Kings in both the PM and the Muskegon, but they are in various stages of condition, some are still quite fresh, others are quite stinky.

Fishing Report - Oct 10 2009

Both the PM and the Muskegon are still providing good catches and lots of chances at King salmon and a few steelhead for those willing to look for them and work a bit. These fall bullets are well worth the time invested once your hooked up ! Give us a call and come and get your FISH ON !!!

We still ave a few open days left in October and November, now is the time to book a day or two before they are all gone. The best fishing of the fall is right around the corner.

Fishing Report - October 5 2009

Things are still going well in the PM, there are fish spread out the system although the higher concentrations are in the middle to upper sections. There are fish in every condition,so it pays to be a little selective to avoid the nast ones.

The Muskegon is also seeing its share of salmon, although the numbers arent what they should be, they are here in fishable numbers. I have been targeting the fish with crankbaits and getting into several fish each day. Bringing these fresh fish to the net has been a different story. As the numbers improve so will the flyfishing , look for the flyfishing to be a little slow for the time being.

Short Term openings

Fishing Report - Sept 29 2009

Carefull what you wish for ....... Well we have all been hoping for rain, and we finally got it !! The middle of last week after a bit of rain we saw a big push that lasted for several days, with a lot of fish pushing into the river. Well.....these fish did not stop ! They ripped right up to and beyond the flies only water. This weekend's rain has done similar things, there have been a bunch of fish moving the last two days,they are not stopping in the pools much if at all. Making it tough to find numbers of fish except for spawners. The water has colored a bunch the last few days and rose about 6 inches.

We should have good salmon fishing on the PM for the next few weeks,and the Muskegon is sure to see its main run showing up any day now.

Fishing Report - Sept 22 2009

Finally we recieved some much needed rain on our west Michigan streams !! And the salmon trickle has turned into a decent "drip" of fresh Kings !! We have seen good to decent fish moving up the rivers the last few days with the mostly cloudy daytime weather we have seen good numbers of fresh fish moving upstream without stopping much if at all. Although the numbers are still not there, things have improved a bit, still plenty of sections with long dry areas.Hopefully things will improve even more the next day or two.....stay tuned.

It looks as if October will be a great month once again!

Fishing Report - Sept 19 2009

Things have improved a bit the last few days.....there are still many many sections of river that are very thin in numbers. The fish have been moving everyday making the section and which holes the fish are going to be in a guessing game. Look for things to improve just a little bit each day. The fly water has fish throught with the most spawning fish for those looking to sight fish.

Fishing Report - Sept 16 2009

Well...... after spending everyday for the last week on the PM , I can tell you this, If you are looking for the salmon fishing to be as you remember it in the past... you might be very upset. The fishing is very tough for most....of course there are a few spots that have decent numbers , most places only have 1-3 fish per run or pool. Guide traffic has been busy and the good spots are being camped on most hours of the day.

Rain..Rain and some good strong north or east winds would help get the rest of our fish in the systems. Until then things wont change much.

Fishing Report - Sept 9 2009

With Charters on the lake keeping me busy and a couple of dates that opened up due to cancelations I have only been on the river a couple days...there are Kings available,but the fish are very spread out. Making it hard to find any type of numbers to play with. The plug bite has been the best,simply for the fact that you are targeting FRESH fish. The fly "bite" has been slow just for the fact that the fish that are up river are getting pounded.

There are fish spread from the lake to Baldwin. Look for some much needed rain and East/North winds to help the numbers and send the fish up river.

We have a few dates open due to cancelations and would like to get you on the water this fall.

Fishing Report - Sept 1 2009

Its September and this means one thing....the return of the King !

Fresh King Salmon are beginning to run into the lower end of the rivers and streams of west Michigan. Look for rivers to get the best numbers in the next few weeks,rain and east winds will help the most to increase the numbers of fish in the systems.

We have a few dates open due to cancelations and would like to get you on the water this fall.

Fishing Report - August 21 2009

The smallie fishing continues to be going well on the river. The water has warmed up and dropped quite a bit allowing the smallies to spread out and feed in different types of water. Still the best seems to be 4-6 foot with large rocks and slower flows. Floating stick baits,poppers and flies are all hammering the smallies.

Due to cancelations I have some prime Pere Marquette salmon dates that have opened up, please contact me if you are interested in taking advantage of these prime openings.

About another week and a half remain for me in the port of Ludington on my charter boat the "Hattrick" it has been a very busy year for us on the lake. I am looking forward to the simple fishing on the river soon. www.hattrickfishing.com If you are interested in getting on the alke for a day.

Fishing Report - August 6 2009

The smallie fishing has been great the last few weeks. Good numbers of fish in the 10-15 inch range and some over 17 inches. Both flies and light spinnig gear have been equally effective on the aggressive summertime smallies. The fishing should continue to be good for them until the Salmon arrive in a month or so.

We still have a few dates open for September Salmon on the Pere Marquette river,October Kings on the Muskegon and Fall Steelhead on the Muskegon River.