Almost February……

Just wanted to drop a quick update this afternoon, after a few days of slower than expected fishing with the high cold water, things are returning to normal on the Muskegon. Water levels are still high, temps fighting to hit 34 degrees, but the fish are settled in and the fishing has been decent the last few days. Covering a ton of water and getting the hungry ones is the key, the fish are well spread throughout the river system. Mostly darker fish, but a few new ones are around as well. Look for slower water and current seams. Now is the time of year where it can pay off throwing something a little different, as most of the fish are getting pretty educated to the typical fare.

Give us a call to get in on the fishing now or for the spring run.

Flying by…….

Winter seems to be flying by this year. With the moderate temps as of late and plenty of time on the water the days just seem to flow faster than the river. The fishing has been pretty typical for this time of year. Some days it seems like there are fish in every pool…..others you have to cover a bunch of spots to find just a few hungry ones. The truth is that there are fish in every pool. But not all are biting every day. Fish hard and you will find a few.

We have plenty of openings for the winter, March and April are getting filled up.

Winter wonderland?

Things on the river are pretty typical for early January. One day the bite is strong, the next day it is hard to figure out. Water levels have been up and down, leaving us to “wonder” what the dam operators are thinking, dropping to below 900 cfs  a week or so ago. This cant be good for the fishery, the last time this happened we lost a large portion of our resident trout. The fishing has been much better after a thaw that brings the water up and adds some color. Floats and beads have been our best tactic. Cover a bunch of water, find the color and size that they want and its game on.

We still have plenty of openings for the winter, if you are interested in hitting the river with us for some water therapy.

Happy New Year!

Time keeps on slippin……

Its been a very busy last few weeks on the river. The fishing was heating up pretty good just after thanksgiving, but has cooled back off with the falling waters and now dropping water temps. I would guess by the weekend we will see the fish shift into full winter mode. Look for the fish to get moody with water level changes. This is something we tend to deal with a lot on the Muskegon, as no one can guess as to what the dam operators are thinking.

Look for the fish to start to group up in slower pools, look for pools with bottom structure, like logs, drop offs and rocks to hold the most fish. Float fishing will get the most action, lighten your tackle, beads, small spawn bags and tiny nymphs.

Winter 1/2 day trips for only $200 for 1-2 anglers start December 15th.

We also off holiday gift certificates for any amount.

Just a quick update today, nothing much has changed. We are heading into the peak of the fall steelhead run here in West Michigan and the air temps are in the 60’s for the last few days…..not normal to say the least, but it sure feels good.

The fact of the matter is that this mild weather hasn’t helped the fishing as of late, but may pay off with huge dividends in December. Water temps of both the lake and in the rivers is very warm for this time of year. The fish are just trickling in, but we are seeing decent pushed of fresh fish with every decent rain storm. Pray for rain !!

Egg patterns are still the top choice. Float fishing has been the most productive choice in my boat. Covering a ton of water is the key, as fish are holing in all types of places.

November 15 is available for anyone looking to hit the river instead of the woods.

Chrome is the color!!!

We have been targeting fall steelhead for the last couple weeks, the numbers have been pretty typical for this time of year. The fish look very healthy this year, similar to the run 3 yrs ago, where we saw many fish into the high teens. Although to the date 13lbs is the largest we have boated thus far. Look for numbers to increase with every rain and cooler temperatures in the next few weeks.

We have been float fishing with beads for the most part, but spawn bags have also worked well when we have used them.

If you are in need of some great steelhead tackle check out  www.raventackle.com

We do still have a handful of openings, please give us a call if you would like to get on the water.

Closer to home finally….

I have made the shift to the Muskegon for the rest of the fall season. There are still decent numbers of fish on the Pm, both fish in pools and many spawning in the upper sections. The Muskegon is seeing small batches push up river, water temps are still above 60, I feel that that is the reason the river isn’t fishing better than it is.

We have been casting thundersticks early in the day and then switching to float fishing with skein once it gets bright out. Although we are not catching huge numbers of salmon, we are getting our chances daily. And…the fish we get are fresh and feisty.

Look for steelhead numbers to be on the rise in the coming days, we will be switching gears to target these awesome fall run fish in just a few more days. Still some open days if you are interested in fishing with us. We offer guided centerpin trips for those interested in learning this new hot technique.

On a side note….when booking a guided trip, please be sure that your guide has the proper license, state and or federal permits and is insured. When booking with us you will be fishing with a guide that is licensed by the USCG and has the permits to legally operate on the river, and carries the necessary insurance.

King salmon season is in full swing, I finished up on the big lake about a week ago and have been on the river a few days since then. The fishing has been pretty typical for fall river run Kings. We have been casting hardware and drifting skein under floats for these early run kings. The fish are here and many are running very large. The river has been pretty busy as every year it seems more people are switching to actually catching these fish rather than the snagging that was so hard to break people of.

If you are looking to have a fun day on the water and learn how to actually catch fall run salmon, please give us a call.

On another note: We will no longer be offering guided flyfishing trips for salmon, I feel that there are better, more sporting more ethical ways to enjoy these awesome valuable fish. These fish will smash the correct offerings and are very catchable. Sure the hookup numbers are much lower, but the bites that you get are very memorable and the fight is awesome.

Fall steelhead dates are filling in, if you are interested in locking in a day or two with us please give us a call asap.

Only a few more weeks and I will be wrapping up my summer in Ludington and moving my fishing operations to the Pere Marquette river. I am excited to see what we have in store for us this fall, the lake fishing proved that we have bait in the lake just by the size of the kings we were catching. I’m hoping to guide an angler into a 30 lb king this fall on one of our west Michigan rivers.

There are a few fish in both the Manistee and the PM, fishable numbers can be found here and there from the reports I have heard, but don’t expect big numbers until we get a big north blow to send the fish to the river mouths.

Tops baits will be bright colored crank baits…storm deep jr. thundersticks in fire tiger are a yearly favorite. Once it gets bright out try floating salmon skein under a bobber the get those stubborn fish to bite. These fall fish will BITE and do not need to be snagged. Its time for anglers to evolve and give these fish a fair chase.

Summer is flying by as usual!

Although its not even August yet, although it is close, its time to lock up those fall fishing dates. I’m not sure how many kings we will see this year, but one thing for sure they will be big!!! Fish over 30 lbs will be caught in the river this year. Fall steelhead will also be big, from my experience when the kings are running big, our steelhead also follow that trend.

Its time to check your calendar and lock in a day or two. The leaves will be falling sooner than you think…hopefully the temps as well.