Sorry for the lapse in reports folks… It’s been a bit as having a couple boys in most school sports, guiding, trying like hell to still fish my ass off, and making sure I kiss my wife at least once a day… It keeps a man busy up north. Twas a great winter, spring and summer, and now deep into fall 2022, and the first of our real cold fronts being upon us, it felt like a good weekend to do a report and stay warm with the dog and family as the snow begins to fall with the thermometer.
Fall is here, and I’ve got a few November & December openings for the fall steelhead run, which has been very impressive to date so far here in all of Northwest MI, and by comparison to lasts years start up, leaves us really looking forward to the cool months of big bows that carry us through till the next trout season next year. Those booking these open dates have the option of holding those dates next year as well as a few extra cancelations has me digging a bit this fall to fatten calendar. Again, last fall started slower and scattered numbers of fish at best; where this year the numbers are very solid and the big fly streamer bite is now finally coming online. Average size of the fish is way up this fall as far as weight especially… Chunky monkeys on the swing for sure, which may attribute to the slower than normal start up with all techs, save maybe a spawn bag… Swing fly has been most of the offerings off the bow and stern, with most of the action though so far coming on the varied eggs, (the couple times we got the yarn wet), as well as the strip fly approach that very much catered to the mass of fish that wasn’t settled into the holes, so much as scattered and transitional, making them very vulnerable to the moving boat approach. As of late, we are seeing a nice, but slow tip into the glitter favor as the caviar crusade subsides and settles a bit. Egg binder in the rear view, the rotation of offerings can yield better results then getting stuck in a presentation rut where tippet/nymph ideas diminish ones ability to walk a totally different path. In short, you really will be fascinated by just how willing to a fly steelhead actually will be if your willing to play some more cat and mouse games, versus trying to feed them cheez-its! Lets get ya in the boat this fall/winter for a full download to give ya a better mind set on not just pattern, but more the approach and actual fly fishing practice that would make ya better as an angler overall.
Last year, fall steelheading started slowly, but finished awesome, and following my last report, I can sum up the passing years fishing as enlightening via the silly amount of new creek water I afforded myself, but also an average overall year, save a pretty solid mouse season in all respects, with certainly a noticeable age class that kept us happy in many sections thanks to the low clear water all the water way down the creek. Though the Golden Stone fly hatch was flat out stellar this year, the hopper season was simply OK. Grey Drakes was a pretty good happening last May, but now the Hex Hatch is more or less a wash with as many dudes that all wanna share 7 miles of river for almost as many good fish feeding these days thanks to the pressure…ahhaha Sulfurs was ahead of the curve, but the egging, at least in the Flies Only Section in the Spring and late Summer behind Kings is becoming tougher to engage as the salmon/steelhead, lining/snagging army seemingly shows up earlier and earlier each rotation of the migratory fish; which I might add, simply scars the river from all the traffic and bad form circulating in those three or four months of ever year now. It simply chokes off those sections with traffic, and keeps away any actual anglers looking for a bite, versus all the glorified mouth hockey and lining tactics being practiced within another rod length during these periods. Mouse fishing this year gave Ryan Doughtery 2, TWO FOOT BROWNS in one night, which is a rare bird in my boat, where I could only manage one for myself here on the PM over plenty of outings this past summer… Good on ya Ryan!!! Late into summer, we did have some quality trout rise for the terrestrials, and though we had a few dandies break off, and even landed a few of them, it seemed as if the hopper bite was a bit light this passing summer, where the mouse bite, even under the fishing pressures, remained impressive all the way through, save the brighter moon phases… which I thought was odd. Taking September off these days and fishing all the creeks while everyone focuses on the KANG, was simply epic this passing summer… One I may never forget, but for these reports, I certainly will. Fall steelhead started as it usually does, us waiting for water following the bulk of the Kings spawning. Being the largest push of Kings in likely a decade, one could only hope the river stinks good enough for the incoming chrome… And point of fact, it did! We saw a solid 6 days of migration of the giant bows, and that would have been enough to keep us happy for a month or so, but instead, we got another big rain event, and though we expected to see another push of sorts, we got a MASSIVE push that has since scattered and mixed with the first push all the way to the top of the system thanks to the prolonged higher water here early in the fall… In short, and summing up… Last year’s steelhead push wasn’t that cool until the end of the season when it was blowing and cold, and this year we got a solid count before Halloween…. GET YOUR ASS UP HERE…. I still have a few openings!
Won’t lie, been on a creek binder now for a few years, and the need for new water has me drunk on seeing those new bends of river, and what they might offer. Couldn’t tell you how many I got to last summer, but it was more than last year… Which was simply a blast. This summer we got the boys to Yellowstone Park, and several western rivers and streams for their first western experience. Got to hang out with my very best friend of old, Mr. Brad Turner and his beautiful family positioned in Helena and surrounding watersheds… Which was just such a blast…. Thanks for having us Turners! Several runs up north to Pop Pops cottage is always in the mix… For Andrea and myself, it was simply the best summer of all time! Some of the creek highlights would be 24 ¼ slab of butter in a northern trout stream, only just as wide as the Trout LL Sage, 7’4”, 4wt is long, on a unsuspecting skunk, but coming from a very suspect log in the middle of a lonely flat of sand, stone, and clay. It was all the rod could muster from that cluster of timber, and it did well, in U turn fashion, this in more ways than one. Fish simply filled the nomad, even got me good and wet, all I said was I wanted to take his picture… hahaha In all seriousness though, that size of a fish, on that gear, in that kind of water, and nobody within a couple miles… Priceless! And though I could tell ya I got another 30” brown on a mouse, which I did, but I’ve done that enough; it was a hen, and lacking the facial character to remember, so it swam away without leaving the water this time… What is worth telling you about is something I have never done before, which saved itself for the end of the summer, and into the fireworks of fall backdrops. This passing summer, for the closing of the season, I was gifted the most ultimate of rewards for all the hours allotted trying to hold the tighter loop…. A Brown Trout, A Brook Char, and a Steelhead… All on the Surface, All In One Day, On Two Different Watersheds over a 20 hour fishing binder…. It Was A Day!!! Myself having not done that before, I took a solid moment, at about midnight, to reflect on this achievement and my life as a whole given to this fine and ever enlightening sport we all dabble in… Make sure and get yourself some, as I wouldn’t trade any day of my life in this pursuit.
Moving beyond the sappiness and yes, but a little tear for the passing summer completed now… It was just fun watching Andrew Kremer with his first steelhead on the swing ever just the other day! Though my veterans of the swing need the zing of that drag, or the sheer size of the fish to get them fired up at the end of the big stick… When ya watch a guy, get his first real grab that buttons the rod to the gunnels, it’s quite tickling as a guide to see all the fire rise up in a resolved awareness to all the fuss around “THE TUG!” Fish beat him up something good, left some bloody knuckles, maybe a line burn or two, and a shoulder that won’t forget that 15lb bull for at least a week; on the two hander no less, and for that matter needed on this brute, but Andrew came out real shiny for his first tussle with chrome muscle on a swung fly… We don’t post as many pictures of fish as we used to, but that’s fun to watch a guy on his first swung fly fish, as it changes the angler, and leaves the egg fishing wanting a bit in the take and present department. Steelhead don’t just take a swung fly like and egg… They END IT! Swing fly presentations vary far more in the smaller water than they do in the bigger tail-waters. Pockets, pools, and smaller runs replace open medium flats of tail-water game, where the holes and runs are as big as a football field versus the size of the boat. Strategy in knowing not what just looks fishy, but then again, where exactly in the hole those fish may prefer refuge from flow can give you an edge. We are advancing techniques that don’t just beg the suicide swing take, but also allow more tip over in the less than fired up in the steelhead group, much like the pressure a plug fisherman applies. Starting with a very pinpointed placement of the holes sweet spot, (that it where the pools lays them up more consistently), and then manipulating two-handed approaches in tighter water to get the perfect swing speed, and depth in those areas. Considering light, section, flow, and even time of year and the motivations as they slip a bit, fly selection I believe matters the very least! Leader design, tip selections based on flows and even bodies are all factored in… But one universal constant, is glitter and flash win over all else, the way you choose for them to see it is the game and the sales pitch all in one swing. Get better or beg more… Or book a trip and download some shortcuts… You’ll get there on your own eventually, I can just get ya there faster and limit all the bad habits on the way to Jedi status. Again, I’ll post some openings below, but we are planning on taking the boys tropical this late winter, and daddy could use some extra cheddar this fall to make sure they get enough slushies, so the calendar can be a bit fatter this fall than the last couple… Feel me…hahahaha
Inspiring is all I have to say about Baldwin Michigan’s newest Fly Shop and owner. 1884 Fly Shop is all that and a box of Drunk & Disorderlies… He’s done it… He’s put and actual fly shop in the hometown of the first brown trout ever planted in the US, hence the name of the shop, if you were wondering. Battling through some local racism and even threats, bumped around by different companies afraid of new representations, and even powering through a thunderstorm that almost made a fly shop actually fly… He’s thriving, and setting a new pace, and example for that matter. Unlike some of the other local “shops”, there is no practice or endorsing of guides or tactics used in snagging, lining, or shortcutting the fly-fishing experience people fly and drive long and far to experience. You won’t find lead shot, maxima, amnesia, or any tight line bump fishing gear at The 1884, but you will find all the tools needed to engage the trout and steelhead properly. Ear to ear, the store is brimming with proper creek and river outerwear and gear, which falls second the massive stocks of trout and steelhead candy that’s been spun with chicken and flash taking up the western flank of the shop. Unlike myself, who might have gone on a three state killing spree after some of the local backlash he got for simply catering to a group of anglers not yet represented correctly in Western MI… Dan keeps a cool head about him, simply smiles, and moves on with even more determination. Suppose we could all learn a little something from his story, but it’s definitely a good one, and certainly one worth supporting. For a long time being a guide in Baldwin, I chose never to meet me clients at a fly shop for the simple fact that I disagreed with the business models of raping the fishery at any expense. It’s been a real breath of fresh air to have Dan White come into town and knock it out of the park, and a very easy place to meet my clients before a day on the water and set them straight with the right gear following. If you haven’t, make sure you check out Dan’s incredible 1884 trout shop, located just north of The PM a half a mile, and save yourself at least and extra half hour to browse the flies, as he has drawers of them filling most of the shop… But don’t drop my name… He may charge ya double.
Again folks… Thanks for another stellar year…. Gonna wish ya all Happy Thanksgiving & A Very Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays incase I don’t do another report for a while. Steelhead trips this winter come SOOOO recommended it’s not funny. Push of steelhead this fall is that solid and its not even the gun opener yet!! Peak fall dates are limited, but need to be filled for winter nest egg, so I will post openings below. Winter trips can be booked based on the weather and water trends, so if you see a good weekend of weather coming, don’t wait till a couple days out, book when you see the forecast to get a solid shot and the window as plenty of other people get the cabin fever too. Heads up to all the mouse anglers coming this year… Get your dark moon dates before you’re stuck with the half moon action and begging for clouds. Hopper trips are recommended on all the full or brighter moon cycles, and not because the mouse fishing is rough, (which it is), but more because they don’t hunt well at night under brighter lights and prefer the daytime bank bounty that can’t swim away so much as flop and roll. Goldens hit last summer from the 16thof May through the end of June, which seems pretty standard the last two years going now; and is a very recommended time for those looking for some better pay off while learning to be more proficient with the dry lines and single hand approaches, and can pay well without playing right on the bank like hoppers. Will be doing some Hex trips, via walk in to limit logistical time, and to re-engage another part of the day so the whole day isn’t given to a couple hour hatch window, (which I always thought was kinda silly)… And is certainly a more efficient angling experience as your casting instead of waiting. Also considering doing a Arkansas trip this winter, based on flows… It’ll be last minute, and won’t focus on streamers so much as the night game of the White, as one technique still works well, versus the other which is like winning the lottery due to the exposure of daytime big fly practices on southern watersheds like the White in recent years. Again, most of my winter will be devoted to this massive run of steel/bow that just busted the west side of MI, but per request, chasing post spawn browns on northern tail-waters and assorted smaller water, boated, or half day walk-ins, and anything in between can be arranged, and for that matter welcomed. Indicator trips are still available for those learning to fly fish for steelhead, or just want to become more skilled in the tech, but 95% of my guiding in the last decade has been tremendously favoring the big fly approaches per clients need or expectations of the days download. We offer higher learning in the harder engagement of fly-fishing versus dumbing it down with beads, level lines, and no need to learn how to fold fly lines while presenting things tied and not pegged then chucked. Fly fishing was never supposed to be easier, which is why most favor… Don’t get stuck with a guide who doesn’t know how to teach as much as catch by shortcutting the experience and is simply trying to get one on the board. If catching is your mainstay, get the center-pin and spawn bag and get it the #(*% DONE… But if sport and the way a fish is caught mean more than the numbers caught, than fly-fishing may be up your alley. Make sure you tip your guide according to how much better of a fly fisherman or woman you think you have become after learning or not learning what he promoted the trip as. Some like to the cloud the water between what an actual fly cast is, and for that matter what a fly is; if your guide pegs a bead… He is no longer a fly fishing guide as there is nothing tied that’s presented. If your flies are hurled or chucked into a hole versus casted and then mended, fly-fishing is lost, and conventional tactics with a fly reel attached are found. Ask yourself why you got into fly fishing before considering your next booking, and make sure when you book a fly fishing guide, you’re actually getting one instead of the artist formally known as Chuck & Dork, which is certainly the dumbest of the dumb downs…
On a bit more personal, but relevant note, and certainly a good rant… Only read if you’re like me, and somewhat worried about the current direction of our BLUE RIBBON Waters here on The Pere Marquette River… Rest of you should just look the other way and soak up the shiny written above…
NOV OPENINGS:::21-23,29,30…
DEC OPENINGS:::1-3,13-15,17-20,22
I think we are almost at a tipping point for the Flies Only Section after hearing of some of the recent happenings this September/October. Heard for the first time ever, we not only broke into triple digits for car spots to Gleasons in a single day, but with the combined spots, between just a few car spot services, they managed to shuttle 121 trailers into Gleasons over the course of ONE DAY, with some of those being spotted twice simply because they floated through miles of river that was already spoken for by other fisherman, so they had to run again… On top of the 400 people fishing in boats, there are another 25-50 float tubes or small rafts, then sprinkle in 500 or so walk-ins, this all inside a 7.4 mile section of river that is for the most part, privately owned save a few access points where the fishing is so busy, finding a parking spot is the least of your problems. Really???? Everyone likes fishing like that???? FLY FISHING ONLY needs to replace the current FLIES ONLY designation, or they might as well close it now before it gets to Homestead dam status! Fishing pressure is so steep that the guides are slicing their own neck by teaching these shady techniques to fellows that can easily reproduce the same results by simply showing up earlier than the guide does… Fly fishing only won’t prohibit the snagging/lining issues this state noticeably has, but it will move some of the pressure downstream as the rate of growth is now surpassing the size of the BLUE RIBBON which we already allow to be raped twice a year, for up to for months, which is a Greek Tragedy in its own right. Fly Fishing Only would simply set the pace of fishing an actual fly line, (as they actually did book a fly fishing trip… hint, hint), to line and bump the fish instead of contact nymphing, chuck and dork, spinning rods tipped with flies, or just yarn wrapped around a hook with a level winder, which, YES, is currently legal in the first place they ever dropped a brown trout in the US?!?! Hear me now, and believe me later, if we don’t push for FLY FISHING ONLY NOW, pressures will get so bad, they simply close it, which for me isn’t much different than the way I currently get to fish it, but for those that make a living ripping it up in there, well lets just hope you dig sharing Mac to Lac with everyone else that gets kicked out when they close it, this on top of all the state guides already milking that as hard as they can. Just saying you guys better start looking past the next couple seasons or you’ll not just be teaching some shady techs to some less than aware clients, but doing so in allot less water. If they consider opening the Flies to ALL artificial gear, (which has already been discussed), how long before you think it’ll take before we get to that pressure threshold, and do remember, there were 4 fist fights in the Flies Water this fall. As soon as they Flies gets a few bad report cards, they will close it just like Homestead Dam, and now the downstream miles following which are being considered all the way to 31! Just Saying…. Better pony up on that petition when it comes your way… Worst that could happen, is you might have to actually do your job and show somehow how to cast a fly line.
Fishing pressure now, finally starting to slip after the absolute tragedy of salmon lining/snagging that has been allowed by the DNR, and promoted by the local shops. It had been several months since seeing the fly water from the summer hopper trips and mouse runs, and the amount of flies, lead, and even spinners and gear in trees, matted banks, stumps and limbs covered with mono and hooks, and enough hanging lead to keep your head on a swivel all the way to Gleasons… WHAT A JOKE! Trails beaten down to highways, campfire pits on most peninsulas, a dead owl in some mono filament… Ahhh, it’s great to be back… NOT! Shame on the local shops for still pushing this bullshit, as they know full well they are going to run the upper sections of the PM into the ground for fly sales, guide trips, and some lodging… Could think of other terms to use besides stewards. We wouldn’t need river clean-ups at the end of each snagging season if the river wasn’t trashed during all migratory fish events in the first place… For one, I think I’m for closing it entirely for the sake of the fishery, and the embarrassment of the happening… And why should a bunch of dishonest shops and guides be allowed to make an honest living off a false narrative they know is a lie. Time to evolve savages, or revolve yourself into another line of work. How many times can you take a man to Wardels in a boat for money, before he goes and buys a boat with those monies, to go fish there without ya and earlier for that matter? If you don’t see the writing on the wall, that’s to be expected with the outlook of this river that is almost as strong as my 13 year olds, but you should know, a busy day just a decade ago in the Flies Only for a peak weekend was about 21 cars… IN JUST TEN YEARS that’s up to 121… You doing the math on that one yet meat? How many of your clients asked you where to pick up one of them fish stickered/stereoed boats, or simply saw the boat manufacturer on the way out of town? Then my next question, is if your not a master of your profession, but more a boat taxi service with knot and netting skills, how long you reckon your gonna make it as a fishing guide? Just food for thought… And maybe a look under the skirt… But without some near future change, it’s gonna be tough finding parking at Sulac in the years to come!
Rant Over… Take Your Medicine…