Fishing Reports

  • October 6 2015

    Maybe you have heard or read about all the bad press Michigan’s fall salmon run is getting…yes overall numbers are down….but there are still fish is all west Michigan rivers, returning like they always do to spawn. Sure our catches aren’t what they used to be, we knew that they were going to drop because the DNR plants are down. But the truth is, that in order to save the King fishery this is necessary, we will have a few slim years until the baitfish numbers rebound. Just remember this….how many places can you catch King salmon in the world? What we had was a under appreciated fishery….now its a little tough and we have to work harder for our fish will make us appreciate them that much more.

    This season converted many hardcore fly fishermen into true Salmon fishermen by actually using presentations that will get the fish to strike our lures or bait. Casting hardware (crank baits,spinners) and float fishing eggs put bends in the rods daily from fair hooked fish. River Kings will eat the proper presentation. At the days end, many people learned a great deal and had a fun time on the river away from their usual daily doings.

    I will be switching gears into my favorite season here in the next week or so as our focus will be towards fall run Steelhead. Great fall colors and the hardest fighting fish pound for pound will be our target. We offer float fishing trips with standard gear as well as center pin gear. Fly-fishing can also be productive at this time.

    We still have a few openings in October and November. December fishes great as well and the crowds are gone!

  • September 19 2016

    I have been running almost daily on the PM since September 10. From the looks of it the run will peak later than most years, due to the late summer heat waves and lack of our typical hard north winds that help cool the water and send the adult kings up the river.

    For the most part we have been fishing low in the river system, getting our chances most days on crank baits and float fishing skein. This style of fishing looks like it may become the norm, if you are a die hard “fly guy” looking for the glory days of years past….those days may be very un-realistic for a while as we wait for the forage populations to rebound in the lake…until then be ready to work a lot harder between hookups.

     

    Still a few openings for Kings, fall steelhead trips are booking up as well. Please call, email or text for more info or open dates.

  • September 2 2015

    River time…….almost!

    The pm saw a decent push of fish last week, but they have spread out, and now a slow trickle at best is moving up the river. Look for the next push to happen with the next big wind event, especially if its from the north or east. Near shore water temps are very warm, keeping the fish deep.

    I will begin guiding the PM for river Kings next week, I still have a few dates open for anyone looking for a river trip. Our preferred method will be casting hardware and drifting skein under floats for these fall run fish. The smashing strike from a fresh king on a crank bait is awesome.

    I still have some open dates in both October and November as well for fall steelhead, though they are going fast.

River Conditions