- Michigan Fly Fishing Steelhead-
Now Available! - $350 for 8hrs. (C) (231) 519-7348
Booking Muskegon River Spring Steelhead - 8am - 4pm - $350

Winter Tailwater fishery for Steelhead in West Michigan.
Unlike the Grand River, White River, and Pere Marquette Rivers, the Muskegon is a tailwater fishery, this means the Muskegon River never freezes! This allows us to guide anglers throughout the winter months for Steelhead and Trout. Float fishing during the Winter is a beautiful time to be on the water with good numbers of Steelhead and lots of wildlife along the rivers banks. We are also now offering Centerpin instructionals to learn Centerpin float fishing for Steelhead!
Click Here: Photos & Tips.

Muskegon River Steelhead and Salmon fry - During the late winter months, Chinook salmon fry and lake run brown trout fry begin to hatch out of the gravel into the "Fry" or "Alevin" stage.
These young fish are the perfect food source for larger steelhead and trout during this time of year. Egg patterns with a pronounced "blood dot" or bright red dot mimic the fry at this time. Also patterns such as the "Ice Man Minnow" or other fry or parr patterns also work well. Steelhead and trout during winter are now relying less on salmon eggs and focusing more on case caddis, stone flies, scuds, sowbugs, other macro invertebrates. Stone flies and fry patterns begin to really work well at this time of year when temperatures are cold and food is limited.
Muskegon River Streamflow Data

Over the last couple of days, we have been landing a above average amount of fat, egg laidened, pre spawn female steelhead. I attribute that to the warmer, mild winter. There is a good chance of an earlier spring with steelhead beginning to spawn in the end of February, early March, in synch with the walleye migration...

(1/25) Chris and Karim had a great day on the water today. We landed a lot of Steelhead and a handful of trout today.. The river seemed well rested with ZERO boat traffic or anglers. We caught fish on both beads and spawn. Micro-managing drifts and presentation was key. Landed Steelhead is almost every good lie that we fished. Many fish landed in fringe areas as well. It was a pleasure guiding these two. I can't wait to fish them again. We had a blast! (231) 519-7348

(1/24) Mild temperatures over the past month have made water temperatures above average and favorable for steelhead fishing. With the ridiculous numbers of Fall Steelhead that entered the river in November/ December, January and February should offer some outstanding Winter Steelhead fishing throughout the Winter months. Steelhead on the Muskegon River are certainly larger than average, as we have had three Steelhead near 17lbs, and one over 18 pounds! That is a trophy in anyone's book with most fish averaging in the 10 lb range!

Our best techniques over the past two weeks have been fly fishing with the Alaskan bead technique and floats/spawn combo is also working very well producing over a steelhead per hour. Trout fishing has also been excellent in the upper river with resident trout being healthy, fat and sassy!

(12/16) Step on board for one of the best Fall / Winter Steelhead runs in over a decade! If you ever wanted to learn to steelhead fish, now is the time! Steelhead fishing has been very good over the past week making this December one of the best migrations in over a decade. Both the numbers of steelhead and the average size have been larger that years past. This trend should offer tremendous fishing opportunities through December and the winter months. The long-range weather looks to have our run of above normal temperatures ending and seasonal conditions becoming the norm. Steelhead fishing forecast looks excellent!

Water flow and levels are normal with clarity being excellent making for some great floats and spawn fishing. Good numbers of steelhead are spread throughout the river system. Fishing should be excellent through December with a great number of steelhead already in the system with more to come!







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11 lb Lake Run Brown Trout starting to spawn on the Muskegon River. Late Ttrout and Browns beginning to spawn in late November and December. December should offer excellent Browns and BIG Steelhead!!

Alaska Bead fishing style.. Floating lines, strike indicators, and Trout Beads that match the hatch. Trout beads come in colors that closely imitate fresh salmon eggs along the river's bottom. Our most productive fly fishing technique for fall Steelhead on the Muskegon River. Beads drifted along the bottom match the eggs!

Floats & Spawn -(Baitcaster or spinning) Our second favorite technique that produces numbers of steelhead is floats and spawn. Float fishing provides a long, perfect drift that presents your offering well away from the boat. Float fishing is the ultimate "stealth" technique for steelhead in clear water. Float fishing is a faster paces technique that allows anglers to fish miles of river per day and cover lots of water searching for active steelhead.

Centerpin float fishing - Float fishing is fast becoming the predominant means of fishing rivers and streams no matter what the species. Europeans have fished this way for years but it has only been in the last 30 or so years that North Americans have really embraced this style of fishing. In and around the Great Lakes, Float Fishing is becoming the preferred method for taking Steelhead, Salmon and Brown Trout. This simple method of fishing has made exceptionally successful anglers from average fishermen. If traditional Fly Fishing were considered one of the Finer Arts, then Float Fishing would most certainly have to be considered the Deadly Art. Our guides excel in Centerpin float fishing for Great Lakes Steelhead and Trout.

New Video Clip: Float Fishing Muskegon River Steelhead
One of the best float fishing videos we have filmed for Fall Steelhead on the Muskegon River and Great Lakes region. Lots of float fishing with a ton of hook ups and fish landed on video! Now is the time to float fish Steelhead!

Fall Steelhead are here now! Now booking Steelhead trips for the Muskegon River and Manistee River.
Alaska Style Bead Fishing - Floats & Spawn


Where has the summer gone? I return from guiding in Alaska and summer is almost over? Only a few short weeks and the Chinook Salmon will be making their first migrations up the Pere Marquette and Manistee Rivers. The first big migration of king salmon on the lower PM and Manistee comes when Lake Michigan makes it's first big "Flip", hard East winds or NorthEast winds push warm water to Wisconsin, leaving cold water near the shoreline of Ludington and Manistee.. Bingo! You guessed it, Chrome Kings in the river... This usually occurs around August 20th although many years, I have caught good number earlier casting Thundersticks or drifting skein under a float. Join us when the chrome kings come in! If you've never tried early Chinook salmon, you really ought to give them a shot.  You'll never forget their strength, speed, and sheer aggression.

Muskegon River Smallmouth: In the meantime, Hot and humid weather means Smallmouth Bass. Good numbers of molting crayfish in the Muskegon River mean excellent Smallie fishing, a smorgasporg for "Bronzebacks!"Whether you enjoy stripping streamers, poppers on the surface, or casting a spinnerbait to shoreline structure, Smallmouth bass make an enjoyable day on the water.

Cooler weather and rain means hatch fishing - Caddis emergence and terrestrials make for some exciting dry fly fishing. Keep your dry fly gear at the ready so you can experience some fantastic late summer dry fly fishing. Nymphing and swining soft-hackles is also great this time of year!

Now offering Summertime Hatch Master's Trout Specials - 4:30pm till dark $250.00 - One or two anglers. Want to be on the Muskegon River during the Gray Drake Spinner fall or the Caddis emergence? Do you want to learn to catch trophy rising Browns and Rainbows? We also teach anglers about the streamside entomology and the bugs that trophy trout seek! Get your work finished during the day -
Fish trout after work, into the evening during the prime hatches!

Water levels are high! 3600cfs: Muskegon River Streamflow Data
Levels are high. Heavy Stain - 3'-5' visibility -
Manistee River Steamflow - Flows are normal. Looks good.

June & July are the the time for Dry fly fishing with the Isonychia Bicolor. (Iso's are a "husky"- Larger Mayfly similar to Gray Drakes but more of a purple hue with smoke clear wings, a thick variegated body, and dark front legs, light rear legs) Most spinner falls occur just be for dark. Not as prolific as Gray Drakes but fish will find them! Isonychias also always spinner fall on or near riffles or fast current. Muskegon's most overlooked hatch, typically found in the middle to lower sections of the river. Thornapple - Henning Park.

Isonychia BiColor- June-July Evening Hatch Fishing ( Mahogany Dun) River perfect level-2450-cfs- 66 degree water temp. Isonychia occur on the Muskegon during low light periods, usually in the lower sections of the river below Thornapple, sometimes well below Newaygo.

May & June are the the time for Dry fly fishing with the Gray Drake Spinners. ( Gray Drakes are a mid-sized may fly with smoke clear wings, a thin variegated body, and a white ring around the eyes.) Most spinner falls occur just be for dark. Drakes also always spinner fall on a riffle or fast current. Muskegon's most overlooked hatch, typically found in the middle to lower sections of the river. Thornapple - Henning Park.

Gray Drake Spinner - May - July Trout Evening Hatch Fishing (Gray Drake Spinner -Mahogany Dun) River perfect level-2450-cfs- 60 degree water temp.

We had one of the best trout fishing days ever! Doug and Melinda were here for a graduation, visiting from Oklahoma. Within an hour, I had both of them casting well and nymphing behind spawning suckers. Melinda caught the first few nice rainbows but then Doug tied into a monster brown trout! We floated down several hundred feet and I netted this beautiful brown. The brown took a tiny peach egg pattern.

Later in the afternoon we fished several other nice riffles fishing pocket water. Both Doug and Melinda landed nearly a dozen hold over Rainbow Trout between 12" and 16". Most of these fish were landed on tiny pheasant tail nymphs and a soft hackle caddis emerger. Fry Patterns also worked well fished along the bottom, nymphing style, then swung at the end of the drift.

We fished the base of one more riffle after enjoying a great dinner. That is when Doug tied into a very large fish. I presumed that Doug had foul hooked a sucker. It turn out to be a smaller 6 or 7 lb buck steelhead. The fish was gorgeous with out a mark on it. It was landed on Umpqua 5x tippet and a micro size 16 pheasant tail nymph.

We ended the day watching thousands of Gray Drake spinners hovering above the water and watching for rising fish. We already had an epic day of trout fishing and decided to head in. I just wanted to thank Doug and Melinda for fishing with me. It was truly a pleasure fishing with you guys and definitely a day that I will write about in my fly fishing journal for sure!

Seasonal Fishing Schedule for the Muskegon and Manistee River.  
Fall Chinook Salmon: Aug. 20th - Oct. 20th  Fall Steelhead: Oct. 20th -
Dec. 25th.   Winter Steelhead: Dec. 25th - March 1st. 
    Spring Steelhead: March 1st - May 20th.    Major Trout Hatches:
May 25 - July 1st.       SmallMouth Bass: July 1st - Sept. 10th

Water Levels are 1800 cfs - Wading is an option at this time.

Sucker Spawn Nymphing is beginning to start! Good numbers of Red Horse Suckers starting to spawn creating a smorgasbord for resident trout. This is my favorite time of year for large trout! Great hatches, sucker spawn nymphing, and wonderful sink tip streamer fishing for BIG chaser Browns! Mid-May to Mid-June are primary dates for Muskegon River trout. I consider this time of year a quality experience that offers outstanding fly fishing!

Steelhead Fry & Sucker Spawn

During the day- Large Streamers and fry patterns near the bank. Shaded pockets hold the fish! Sink-tip fly lines have been the key. Nymphing with sucker spawn patterns and small nymphs has also been producing numbers of Muskegon River Trout. Dry flies & Drake spinners in the evenings. Some of the best hatches occur as the sun drops below the tree line with low light.

Muskegon River Hatches: March Browns, Caddis, Quill Gordons, Black quills, and Sulphers. Gray Drakes coming soon! We still have good numbers of steelhead in the system on shallow gravel redds. Key locations are holding fish. Chinook Salmon fry are everywhere against the banks. Resident Trout are feeding on fry and parr big time - Making for some fantastic Streamer fishing during the next several weeks.

Muskegon River Trout - There are lots of suckers spawning and encouraging the bigger browns and rainbows to feed on nymphs behind sucker redds. Excellent numbers of Gray Drakes seen in the last couple of days, mostly during the afternoon period. Many of stocked Trout targeting dry fly Caddis with an occasional big fish on the surface. As water temperatures increase, larger Trout will come up. Sulpher emergence is soon to come. Streamer stripping with salmon fry patterns has been working well for larger Trout - We need warmer water to get the big boys to chase streamers.


Much to my surprise, Steelhead fishing has been very good the past three days. Water levels are now perfect at 3300 cfs! Fair numbers of bright late spring Steelhead have been spawning in the deeper gravel redds. These make easy drifting targets and some hefty digit days! Drifting flies through deep spawning redds has produced hard strikes and chrome fish! Warmer weather has these fish spawning in a big way creating some excellent fishing opportunities in comfortable, warmer weather. It has just felt great catching Steelhead when it's 70 and sunny! Spring is finally here with perfect flows and May Steelhead!



(5/3) Water temperatures are beginning to warm and steelhead are becoming active. Both methods, floats and spawn in the dark water, and flies on the gravel flats, are both working well.The majority of steelhead are moving closer to spawning gravel and seeking pocket water. We saw a fair amount of steelhead at the boat house riffle and across from Thornapple launch yesterday. This means things are beginning to break loose with good numbers of steelhead spawning. The dark water or winter water still has many, many fish waiting to spawn. Plump pre spawn hens have been most of the fish we are landing. Males seem to be nosing the gravel and preparing to spawn.
Egg Sucking Stones and Steelhead Buggers working well!

Temperatures are now in the low to mid 50's so fishing the gravel flats for steelhead will most likely be the staple for the rest of the season. There are still many fish available for float fisherman and those whom are willing to work hard to get fish to bite in the dark water. But the vast majority of fly fisherman will be fishing to fish that we can see. Sight fishing to steelhead on the shallow gravel shoals. Active spawning and very good numbers of steelhead should be available well into May and early June. With today being the first day of ice out, water temperatures should stay on the cool side well into late May for spawning steelhead. May should offer excellent fishing!
Water levels are stable: 2800cfs: Muskegon River Streamflow Data
Levels are perfect. AHeavy tannin Stain - 5'-7' visibility.

(4/5) Water levels are up this morning! (5500 cfs) We shall see how today goes. Yesterday was fantastic float fishing. Kip and John landed 11 by 2 pm. Later in the day, The DNR began walleye shocking in the areas that we were fishing. Shocking and rising, dirty water put an end to great fishing.. (3:45 pm) Picked Dan up at the launch and we headed towards the dam with two spill gates open. Fished the turbine side with great success. Dan was 3 for 6 in three hours. I am pretty fired up about the high water levels, it usually makes for the best steelhead fishing of the entire year. The next few weeks should be outstanding with new fish stepping up to the gravel in the next couple of days. Water temp is 38 degrees, quickly approaching the magic 42 degrees. This should have many fish hitting the spawning gravel by the weekend!

(4/4) We had good steady rain most of the day today. Steelhead fishing in the lower river has been no less than incredible the past three days.While we were on fish, double digits were the norm. There seems to be large batches or pods of fish moving through the system. If you hit a group or pod, it's has been game on! If not, your "Dreaming the dream," looking for new fish to bite. There have also been some voids between batches of fish and dry spells. Moving with the jet boat has been key and has paid big dividends! I believe this is the first major large push of Spring Steelhead on the Muskegon River. Over the past several weeks, "Trickle charge" has taken place but I think this time the gates are open! Good numbers of steelhead throughout the entire river system. This higher, warmer water should get things going in full swing.

(4/3) Water levels are up and stable at 3000. Water levels are warming during the day and afternoon, climbing to 38- 40 degrees. Walleye are beginning to spawn in the upper river. Clarity is decent at 4'-6'. A slight stain but generally clear and free of debris. Clown eggs, BTS fly, grapefruit leeches, and generally larger, brightly colored patterns or straight black flies are working well. Floats/ spawn has also been excellent under the right conditions and correct flow. Fished with Tom and Todd today and went 5 for 7 in a half-day. There seems to be a good mix, 60/40 between bright chrome hens and winter hold over dark males.

Spring Steelhead fishing has been greatly improving each day. Warmer water temps and great stream flows have made for some great fishing. Due to the coldest spring thaw on record, Steelhead fishing should go well throughout the month of May. In years past, May Steelhead has offered some of the best fishing of the year with Steelhead spawning into the first weeks of June. Good numbers of Steelhead are present at this time with plenty more to come. Comfortable weather for Steelhead.

(3/19) Fly Fishing is also improving daily with the warmer water temperatures and massive emergence of stone flies. Both trout and steelhead have been gorged feeding on stone flies along the bank. Stone flies such as the Egg Sucking Stone and Dark Knight have been producing numbers of trout and some nice bright hen steelhead.
Chuck-n-Duck and indicator nymphing along the shoreline and plunge pools (pocket water) have also been very effective. Rick's bright chrome was taken on a stone fly in 18" of water behind a log jam. Steelhead were sipping sub surface emerging stone flies near the bank. Trout fishing with stone flies in pocket water has also been good.

Muskegon River Winter Stone Flies: During late February we begin to see Stone fly movement throughout the river. The Dark Knight Stone is a great stone fly imitation that also does very well in normal water levels. I tie this pattern primarily for Steelhead and Trout. It's a great looking bug with movement and a true nymph profile. This fly fishes best drifted as chuck & duck or floating line with an indy rig.

Mojo Flies and updated photos for the New 2011 fly patterns - Alevin - Salmon fry - During the late winter months, Chinook salmon fry and lake run brown trout fry begin to hatch out of the gravel into the "Fry" or "Alevin" stage.
These young fish are the perfect food source for larger steelhead and trout during this time of year. We have some great new patterns that mimic all stages of the steelhead life cycle - Eggs - Sac Fry - Alevin - Fry Patterns - Smolt Patterns - NEW MOJO FLIES 2011

Just a Quick Note: I wanted to let everyone know, I now have the Spring order of Mojo Flies completely tied and finished. For those of you that have pending fly orders, I should be able to ship them out on Monday- Tuesday of this week.

(2/4) We landed two very nice steelhead, two smaller skipper steelhead and a handful of nice trout today. The weather has been stable for several days now with fish eager to feed. Water levels have been low and clear making boat control and stealth important. Longer drifts from the boat and lighter (3x) tippet, also seems to help. Smaller micro egg patterns, hex nymphs, and salmon fry patterns all took fish.

Muskegon River Steelhead and Salmon fry - During the late winter months, Chinook salmon fry and lake run brown trout fry begin to hatch out of the gravel into the "Fry" or "Alevin" stage.
These young fish are the perfect food source for larger steelhead and trout during this time of year. Egg patterns with a pronounced "blood dot" or bright red dot mimic the fry at this time. Also patterns such as the "Ice Man Minnow" or other fry or parr patterns also work well. Steelhead and trout during winter are now relying less on salmon eggs and focusing more on case caddis, stone flies, scuds, sowbugs, other macro invertebrates. Stone flies and fry patterns begin to really work well at this time of year when temperatures are cold and food is limited.



Centerpin fishing for Steelhead - Floats and spawn is the perfect "stealth" technique for low-clear water. Float fishing has been our technique of choice for covering water. Floats enable anglers to hook-up at long distances away from wary fish.Most of the deep waters areas have all been holding Steelhead around the Thornapple launch, High rollaway area has also been good in the deep gravel areas and in the riffle. Trout have also been active in these areas. Small spawn sacks, natural mesh, and light tippets help with pressured fish.


A note about Trout Beads: I love the smaller sizes in the washed out colors. I've been using them under a float for about ten years. Chinook Salmon, Kings have a yellow, or soft orange color about them so the washed out orange ( Mottled colors are awesome!) seem to work best. Coho colors are good. "Egg yolk" is great here in Michigan. You seem to need King Salmon, and Brown Trout colors. Try to use a red rubber band and pull loop through the leader and bead. works great! Peg about 1" to 1.5" above a hook. Also, try blued or black hooks. Bright hooks spook fish.

I spent the afternoon centerpin fishing with Jim and found the weather to be great and the Steelhead whiling to bite! We fished the upper sections of the Muskegon River and found a decent number of fish in each area that we floated. Most of the Steelhead from today were located in the deeper portions of the runs and deep tailouts. They seemed to fight hard and several of them even managed to jump. Water temps are still in the high 30's - low 40's keeping Steelhead aggressive to the correct offerings.

Our technique today was one of our favorites, Centerpin float fishing with floats and spawn. We also landed several fish on tiny Little Nipper jigs and waxworms. Long, extended drifts, light tippets, and different offerings paid off big time as the water levels remain low and clear. I feel there is a great number of Steelhead throughout the river system. These fish are wise and may have been caught and released before. A quiet approach and a clean drifts certainly helped to bring fish to hand.

Fly Fishing for Winter Steelhead - We were 5 for 5 on Steelhead drifting flies...Small egg patterns were very good - Citrus clown, Chart nuke, and Steelhead orange/ flame dot were the hot bugs. It was a great day indeed! Lots of new fish in the afternoon, most were chrome hens from the the lower river. Celebrating the finish of a long steelhead season! Looking forward to Winter Steelhead!

Atlantic Salmon on Torch Lake - The bite is on this time of year for giant lake run Atlantic Salmon. Casting large streamers or Shad raps at creeks mouths of the streams entering Torch Lake are producing good numbers of bright Atlantic Salmon. Something different, but definitely fun to walk in and hook some fish!


New Video Clip: Float Fishing Muskegon River Steelhead
One of the best float fishing videos we have filmed for Fall Steelhead on the Muskegon River and Great Lakes region. Lots of float fishing with a ton of hook ups and fish landed on video! Now is the time to float fish Steelhead!

Ever wonder what your guide is thinking throughout the day?
Check out this video... It's hilarious! Guide Thoughts...

Centerpin float fishing for Steelhead : There are a handful of white mouthed beauties lying in wait for fresh roe. We hooked at least four chrome bullets this morning during low light conditions. Greg managed to land one very nice skipper on a peach egg patterns. Cooler water temperatures and some rain would really help the cause for chrome! Later this month, Steelhead fishing should be excellent as everything seems to be a week behind.

Muskegon River Fishing Report - High Bridge to Tippy Dam - The Big Manistee River is in full swing with salmon. The past few days, salmon have been everywhere in the upper river. Gravel season is upon us! Lots of fish and lots of gravel goblins. Small, dark flies have worked the best for me. Drifting behind the redds has also been great! (Ex. Stanley's 28" Brown) and Steve's nice chrome Steelhead, all by catch of fishing behind redds in the morning. There have also been a few Steelhead & Coho in the the lower Manistee, a sign of good things to come.

Muskegon River is still far behind, water temp is still in the low 60's. There are a handful of salmon but not quite fishable numbers yet. Should be a couple of weeks yet before good numbers of Salmon in the mighty Mo. Trout fishing has been very good in the upper river above Thornapple to Pine St. Chrome should show up with the first good batch of kings in the lower Muskegon. Water temperatures need to drop before we have good fishing and decent numbers of fish.

Pere Marquette River Salmon Reports: Today was "Moving Day"! There was no question that today was moving day in the lower river. "Moving Day", as I refer to it, is the day when all the salmon from the lower river, (Custer, Scottville, Ludington ) move into the upper to middle sections, (Walhalla, Rainbow, and lower Fly water) at a high rate of speed. Today was that day. We watched as over 1500 salmon swam past the boat today between 8am and 2pm. Don't get me wrong, we had a fantastic day of casting thundersticks with lots of fish landed. It was, however, interesting to watch wave after wave of salmon jet past the boat without so much as a glance at our T-Sticks. The majority of these fish were chrome and headed to the upper river to spawn, being a warmer than average fall, these fish are running late, and are ready to spawn!

(9/25) Michigan Salmon Fishing Reports - The Pere Marquette and Manistee Rivers are both fishing well at this time. Grand River should also start soon - Big hit of fish off piers in Grand Haven! Wind directions have been constantly changing, keeping fresh Salmon entering the rivers each day. Casting crankbaits should be very good over the next few weeks on all northern Michigan Rivers.

(9/25) Muskegon River Report - The Muskegon River received a very nice push of fish this morning. We hit a nice pod of chrome salmon and fishing was quite good most of the day. Casting cranks was the name of the game. More wind equals more fish! Welcome to Salmon Season in Northern Michigan with lots of Salmon and Steelhead yet to return from the Big Lake. It should be a wonderful fall season the the weather we've been having!

(9/2) Muskegon River Report for Salmon: We will guiding anglers on the Manistee and Pere Marquette River for Salmon. There are good numbers of Salmon on both rivers, especially after the cool rains and cooler temperatures we've had over the past two days. Manistee received over an inch of rain yesterday! Water temperatures on the Muskegon River are at an outstanding 73 degrees which means we are a solid month away from Kings on the Muskegon River. We drive to Manistee each morning to get our clients into numbers of bright chrome kings on the Big Manistee and Pere Marquette Rivers!

(8/30) Muskegon River Salmon Report: Salmon are just now entering the Big Manistee River near Insta-Launch and Manistee harbor. There are also fair numbers on the Little Manistee below the weir. We have recently hit a few nice pushes of salmon on the lower Manistee. A strong East wind or Northeast wind to turn over the Lake and get salmon moving in a hurry! Cold shoreline water would move salmon in close and heading into the river.
(8/30) Pere Marquette River Salmon Report: Lower PM has been showing a few fish and improving daily. Steve and Steve did quite well on Friday (8/27) going 4 for 6 on crankbaits. Scottville down has had fish moving through but have been difficult to stay with. Walhalla and braids between Reek Rd. and upper Custer should start seeing pushes in the next few days with fish moving into South Branch of the Pere Marquette.

Now offering Manistee and Pere Marquette River - Thunderstick trips.
Full Day- $350. Afternoon half-day. 4:00pm till dark $250.00 - One or two anglers. Do you want to learn to catch trophy Chinook Salmon and Steelhead casting crankbaits? Do enjoy bone jarring hooksets and fish that rip the rod from your hands? We are also offering floats and skein trips for Salmon. Floats and spawn produces many early salmon. Manistee River is also home to the World-Record Brown Trout that was caught casting Thundersticks.

Pere Marquette River Salmon Guides - Guided Salmon fishing charters begin on August 25th. Casting Thundersticks for Kings on the Pere Marquette and Big Manistee Rivers. Prime dates are from Aug. 25th - Oct. 20th. Come join us for chrome Chinook Salmon on the Big Manistee or Pere Marquette.

Muskegon River Smallmouth Bass on the fly...
Muskegon River Smallmouth Report - Smallie fishing has been very good over the past weekend. Hot, humid weather and an abundance of crayfish have got the Smallmouth Bass on the Bite. Streamers up tight to the banks have been the key. Clouser minnows, black leaches, and bunny strips have all been working well. Light Spinning gear and soft plastics have also been excellent. Good numbers of smallies on curly tail grubs or tube jigs...

Muskegon River Trout Fishing Report - Trout fishing has been very good the past few days! Perfect water levels have made for some excellent dry fly fishing in the upper river. Caddis have been the name of the game. Size 16 - X-Caddis with a trailing shuck and small nymph droppers have been producing many nice trout. Dark brown soft-hackles (emergering Isoynchia) swung on light sink-tips have been producing some larger fish. Isonychia dries have also been producing larger Muskegon River Trout just before for dark. You can hear big fish feed and take iso's!

June & July are the the time for Dry fly fishing with the Isonychia Bicolor. (Iso's are a "husky"- Larger Mayfly similar to GrayDrakes but more of a purple hue with smoke clear wings, a thick variegated body, and dark front legs, light rear legs) Most spinner falls occur just be for dark. Not as prolific as Gray Drakes but fish will find them! Isonychias also always spinner fall on or near riffles or fast current. Muskegon's most overlooked hatch, typically found in the middle to lower sections of the river. Thornapple - Henning Park.

Isonychia BiColor- June-July Evening Hatch Fishing ( Mahogany Dun) River perfect level-2450-cfs- 66 degree water temp. Isonychia occur on the Muskegon during low light periods, usually in the lower sections of the river below Thornapple, sometimes well below Newaygo.

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Gray Drake Hatch fishing at it's finest - Muskegon River Trout
Gray Drakes, Drakes, and more Drakes!!
Streamer and wet fly fishing with sink tips for trout are producing decent numbers of nice fish, especially on overcast days. Big, bold streamers have produced some big brown trout for those who are willing to work. A wide variety of insects are currently emerging, Caddis, Sulphers, and Gray Drakes being primary in the evenings. Sulphur mayfly hatches/spinner falls are heavy with other common mayflies getting underway. Gray Drake spinner falls have been going well into the evenings with last light producing the most rises and best fish. ( 9pm-10pm )

Here is a chance to spend a productive day at the office and still have time to get into some excellent dry fly fishing or sink-tip streamers! Hatches are in the evening, during the most comfortable part of the day. Come join us for a fantastic evening of trout fishing on Michigan's greatest tailwater.

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Wow! What a change in weather! Warmer temperatures forecasted and the fishing has been very good! Muskegon River Trout and Streamer fishing has been great with the huge amounts on Sucker and Steelhead fry. Fry patterns have been the flavor of the month. Both Rainbows and Browns have been feeding heavily on fry. Trout have also keyed up on Caddis emergers and or fry depending on the weather.

Steelhead Fry & Sucker Spawn

During the day- Large Streamers and fry patterns near the bank. Shaded pockets hold the fish! Sink-tip fly lines have been the key. Nymphing with sucker spawn patterns and small nymphs has also been producing numbers of Muskegon River Trout. Dry flies & Drake spinners in the evenings. Some of the best hatches occur as the sun drops below the tree line with low light.

Excellent Muskegon River Trout fishing for this Summer!
Welcome to Muskegon River Fly Fishing! Michigan's best kept secret for hatch fishing at it's finest! Trophy Trout are available throughout the summer months on Michigan's Muskegon River. A tailwater fishery, the Muskegon fishes well all summer long with cooler water temperatures, expansive riffles, and easily waded flats, this river is loaded with large Trout.

Hatch fishing is at it's best during May, June, July, and August. Trophy Trout Fly Fishing on the Muskegon River with Stone flies, Gray Drake, Iysonychia, and Caddis.

High Water Clowns Without question, my hottest fly pattern, bar none for high water conditions is the Clown Egg. Brightly colored eggs show up well in stained water. Clown Eggs are also a bit more buoyant than regular egg patterns and suspend a little higher in the water column making them easier to see. I always use them as my point or middle fly, usually trailed by something dark... Steelhead Bugger or Wiggle Stone. This gives color contrast and movement to the drift.

Best fly patterns have been large Clown eggs with a bit of flash. Rainbow Clown egg has been my best fly in the higher water levels. Hex nymphs and fry patterns have also taken some hard hits and fish during the past three days. Sometimes during the afternoon, Stone flies have worked well but have been hit or miss taking mostly smaller Trout and Steelhead smolt. Light tippets and long drifts have produced the most Steelhead especially later in the day or bright sunshine.


Stages of Steelhead life cycle. Egg to Smolt.
During March and April all stages of a Steelhead's life cycle are very important to the fly fisherman. Eggs and eyed eggs are a major food source for both resident Trout and Steelhead. Egg patterns in apricot, steelhead orange, and oregon cheese represent represent fertilized or freshly spawned eggs. Nuke eggs represent "dead" or unfertilized eggs with the white halo around the egg pattern with a center nuke (nucleus) dot, usually bright orange or red (Blood dot) Egg Flies
Late March - April is the time of year that the Salmon fry start to hatch and show themselves in big numbers. Salmon / Steelhead fry and parr are another favored morsel as they are readily available this time of year. Salmon / Steelhead fry live in the gravel and are are high in protein, and don't swim very well. Small streamers or fry patterns drifted along the bottom also work great. Fry are always striped with a mottled tan or soft green, with parr marks.

Why do Steelhead key in on Winter Stoneflies?
Great Lakes Steelhead are perhaps the most opportunistic member of the salmonid family. While Chinook and Coho salmon require large schools of baitfish like smelt and alewives to support their numbers, steelhead take a substantial amount of their forage from insect sources, supplementing with baitfish, crayfish, gobies, and whatever else strikes their fancy. This fact leads some experts to believe that steelhead "residentize" back to their stream-trout roots when they spend any length of time in a river environment. When February and March roll around, the winter stonefly hatches begin in the cold river environments in Michigan.
It has been my experience as a fly fishing guide that Stone flies begin to emerge and become active in late morning through the afternoon, usually when water temperatures are at the warmest. Steelhead also tend to key on them during the warmest part of day when they are the most abundant and moving.

The steelhead holding in river pools, waiting for spawning time to begin, may revert to feeding behavior that worked well during the early stages of life. When you're winter flyfishing and you notice tiny black specks (they look like carpenter ants with gray wings) on the snow around you, study them closely. You'll find that these are adult Stoneflies, possibly ringing the dinner bell for whatever lurks in the depths of that hole in front of you. Fish accordingly, as your luck may have just turned.

There are a variety of nymph flies that imitate the Winter Stonefly.
Most of these patterns are simple, from a hare's ear nymph or pheasant-tail nymph colored dark brown or black with marker, to more involved patterns such as the Egg Sucking Stone, black Viagra caddis, Mojo Dark Knight, Rubber Legged Stone, etc. Remember that these flies should be dead-drifted the same way you'd fish glo-bugs or egg flies, under an indicator or bottom-bounced through holes that look promising. No vigorous stripping is needed with these - keep in mind that while the weather is warmer than usual, the water is a few degrees above freezing. Deep and slow wins the race here - make sure that your flies drift along current breaks and bubble-lines, to ensure that any fish present has time to take a shot at them. Strike back when the strike comes, snub that fish before it can get loose, and then enjoy the music of your reel underscoring the winter sunlight dancing on rippled waters.

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Pere Marquette River Fishing Report
(Spring Steelhead Fishing information for the PereMarquette River)
Pere Marquette River Fishing Report - Spring Steelhead fishing on the lower Pere Marquette River has been improving daily. The lower sections near Custer and Scottville have been producing fair numbers of Steelhead on Floats and Spawn. Back Bouncing with fresh Steelhead skein has also been very productive producing well over a fish per hour. Upper to Walhalla has also been fishing well. Centerpin float fishing with small spawn sacks has been producing a good number of Steelhead. Jigs and Waxworms have also been working well.

Pere Marquette River Spring Steelhead - Although crowded, the "Flies Only" section is beginning to show signs of Steelhead on gravel. Floating lines with strike indicators have been working best. Egg imitations, Clown Eggs, and natural glo bugs are working well. Now is also the time for the late winter stone fly. Stone flies have begun to emerge along the shore lines. Steelhead have started to key on the little black stones. Pheasant tail nymphs in chocolate and black have been working well. Estaz Stones are also producing a fair amount of fish. Michigan Fly Fishing
Pere Marquette River fishing Report
Sea Lamphrey News about the Pere Marquette River

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Floats and Spawn for Spring Steelhead


A selection of floats and spawn.
Another preferred method for Winter Steelhead is fishing floats and spawn. Fishing floats and spawn is a fast-paced style of steelhead fishing. We fish quickly and cover miles of river in a day, usually producing lots of hook-ups and many steelhead landed.

We prefer to fish specialized G. Loomis 11' 3" float rods. Loomis rods are available for your use on guided trips. These longer rods allow the angler a longer drift and a stronger hook set. We also use Cabela Prodigy spinning reels or center-pins reels spooled with 10 lb hi-vis monofiliment line. These smooth reels allow for long casts and a smooth drag system to fight big fish.

Fly Patterns for Winter & Spring Steelhead.
Steelhead: Natural tones of egg flies, Oregon cheese, peach, cream, Hex nymphs, green caddis, sparkle stone flies.

Salmon: Any two fly rig, such as an egg (middle fly) and a nymph dropper fly seems to be working well. Dark nymphs such stone flies, green butt skunk, large pheasant tails, or hares ear nymphs. Tan or olive colored PM wigglers also work.

Trout: Small egg flies, little green caddis rock worms, midge larvae, pheasant tail nymphs, Beatis nymphs, Clown Eggs - Hot for Steelhead!



Hot Clown Eggs : 1. Chartreuse, Cherise, Steelhead Orange, White
2. Baby Pink, Cherise, White 3. Steelhead Orange, Golden Nugget, White
4. Charteuse, Niagra Gold, White. These egg flies work very well drifted as a fly
or drifted under a float with spawn, they add color to your presentation!

Hot Steelhead Flies: Nuke eggs- (Egg-Golden) (Peach- Golden)
(Grapefruit) Glo-bugs: Peach, Golden, Early Girl Cream, Orange Dot.

Fly Fishing: Best patterns have been Rainbow Clown, Steelhead - Orange
Glo-Bugs, Nuke eggs in Chartreuse/flame, Chart/Golden, Egg/Golden.
Leaches such as Egg Sucking, Laser, & Steelhead buggers also producing Steelies.
Trout have been keying on micro eggs and nukes, and Rhyacophila (Green) Caddis.

Atlantic Salmon on Torch Lake - The World record landlocked Atlantic Salmon was landed in November on Torch lake on a streamer. Torch Lake has one of the largest runs of Atlantic Salmon in Michigan and Great Lakes. We guide fly
fishing anglers for Atlantic Salmon on the St. Mary's River during July and early August. We also guide Torch Lake and the St. Mary's River in late October and November for for land locked Atlantic Salmon on the fly.

Related Links
Michigan Fly Fishing