Updated Fly Fishing Reports for West Michigan's Salmon & Steelhead.
Michigan Fly Fishing Guides. We look forward
to guiding anglers for Muskegon River Winter & Spring Steelhead!
- (231) 519-7348
Mark displays a bright male from today. I wanted to thank Nick
and Mark for a great day on the water. Going 7 for 9 was fantastic!
(3/9)
Nick with another great buck from today!(3/9)
Nick with our 7th steelhead landed this afternoon.
Mark with a nice hen. (3/9)
Steve with a chrome hen. Fishing was a little
tough with the boat traffic & sunshine.
Can it get any better? PJ with a beautiful Spring Steelhead buck!
The weather is gorgeous with Steelhead in the river. Good things
to come!
Mark with a gorgeous Spring Steelhead buck.
We had a fantasic day of fly fishing!
Chris a with a really nice pig hen. Many different fly patterns
worked well today. Hexes and small Nuke eggs were at the top of
the list.
Chris with our 5th Steelie of the morning. We hit several fish
out the slack water on nuke eggs.
Mark with one of many bright hens. Spending time in known "fishy"
spots paid off!
Chris with another bright male from today.
Spring is in the air and fishing is improving!
Jerry with a very nice Spring Steelhead from today. New fish are
starting to show.
Andy with another of our chrome fish from today.
Congratulations Kyle with your first Muskegon River Steelhead!
Tough conditions... Lots of boat traffic and low, gin clear water.
Anstey Jr. with our first Steelhead of the morning. It's great
to start seeing some bright males. (2/27)
Afternoon bite was also hot! Anstey with a very nice buck taken
with floats & spawn. (2/27)
Tim with the results of a great fight! A bright chrome Spring
Steelhead. New fish are definitely on the move with the run off
and warmer temps.
Finally! A big push of chrome Spring Run Steelies.
We were into fish big time today on the fly! (2/23)
Ken displays one of many bright fish from today.
Rainbow Clown eggs were the ticket! (2/23)
Doug from Park City Utah with a gorgeous hen taken on a Dark Knight
Stone fly. (2/22)
Doug with a mean spirted Buck. This was our first Steelhead of
the morning. Nuke egg. (2/22)
I had a fantastic day on the water today with Lee and his lovely
wife Darcy! I truely hope to see you guys in November for more
chrome Steelies!
Lee with one of many Steelhead and Trout from today. Many brighter
Spring Steelies. (2/21)
Steve with a beautiful double stripe buck!
Surprisingly, fishing was very good today in the low, clear water
and bright sunshine. (2/19)
Spring is near! Troy with a chrome hen.
New fish are entering the river! (2/19)
Fly Fishing today with Anthony. Here's a fine hen taken on a micro
sparkle nuke egg. (2/17)
Anthony with another nice hen - Sparkle nuke.
Anthony with a beautiful Spring hen from today.
Anthony with his third Steelhead of the morning.
Anthony with another plump hen. (2/16)
Mike and Andy with a beautiful wild Steelhead from today. Clown
eggs were very good! (2/15)
From the great state of California- Andy with our first Steelhead
of the morning. Micro Nuke. (2/15)
Jason with a very nice hen. (2/14)
Dave with a gator Brown Trout! I will be
looking for this fish in June! (2/14)
Bob with a gorgeous Winter's hen.
Smaller flies really helped the bite. This one took
a grapefruit micro Nuke egg. (2/13)
Bob with another bright hen taken on a micro clown egg. Afternoon
bite was good. (2/13)
Richard with one of our Steelhead from today.
Shun with a beautiful bright Spring Steelhead
taken on a fry pattern. (2/7)
To get the blood flowing this morning, we spent the first several
hours nymhing for trout. We landed about 15 nice Rainbows in two
hours
with floating lines, light tippet, and tiny nymphs.
As the air temperature today warmed up, so did the bite! Shun
with another bright hen. Tan Hex Nymph. (2/6)
Greg with a spectacular Lake Run Brown Trout!
We had a phenomenal day of fishing! (2/5)
John with a giant Steelhead from today! (1/25)
Warmer weather is greatly improving the bite! The last few days
have been very good! Joel with a very bright chrome hen. (1/22)
Caught and released. Bob enjoyed this
beautiful buck Steelhead from today! (1/19)
Laser chrome hen so bright the scales were falling off! New chrome
moving up river! (11/4) Michigan
Fly Fishing Report
Skamania Steelhead from South West Michigan. Winter Steelhead... The crowds of salmon season
will be gone!!
Unlike
the Pere Marquette River, Grand
River, and White 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.
- Spring
Steelhead Specials -
$250 for 4-5 hrs.
(C) (231) 519-7348
We will be offering half-days once again starting on March 15th
Through May 15th. 3:30pm - dark. $250 (2ppl) Spring
Steelhead Dates & Availability: March: 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21 April 3, 4, 6,
7, 15, 30. May1,
2, 3...
Nathan, Jim, and Tim have many dates available during March and
April.
Come join us for the search for "Chrome" on Michigan's
Muskegon River!
Let us know what dates work best for you!
(3/10) Wow! Glorious cloudy skies! Finally a little rain this
morning. This should significantly improve the bite and give us
some much needed snow melt and a bit of run off. Steelhead fishing
was greatly improved yesterday with Mark and Nick.
We landed 7 beautiful Steelhead in just a few hours of fishing!
(3/9) There seems to be good numbers of Steelhead throughout
the system although the low - clear water has made things challenging
at times. 3x tippet and smaller flies have been the best bet.
Fishing has been up and down based on boat traffic. Boats have
pushed the steelhead into the wood or off to the fringes of the
main runs and holding lies. Warmer weather has brought out boat
anglers in big numbers, a sure sign that spring is here. Overcast
skies would certainly help the bite and rain may improve the migrations.
I've been amazed over the past few days as to the large number
of giant female walleye. I've seen several between 12-14lbs!
Best fly patterns have been small sparkle nuke eggs with a bit
of flash. Golden with an egg halo has been my best fly in the
gin clear water. 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.
Grand Rapids "Fly Fishing Film Tour"
A night of cinematic fly fishing magic is expected
to draw a crowd of anglers of all ages to Wealthy Theatre
on March 26 when the Fly Fishing Film Tour returns to
Grand Rapids. "MetalHead" BC Steelhead
Check out Kevin Groothuis at theHex
Fly Shop. Tickets are here for $13. (616) 977-3655
When/where: 7 p.m. March 26 at Wealthy Theatre,
1130 Wealthy St. SE, Grand Rapids
(Doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Chromantic
(n.) -
One who steadfastly continues to fish flies in the hope of hooking
any of the various members of the geni "Onchorynchus"
and/or "Salmo" in the early stages of their return
to natal waters despite the nearly ludicrous odds of success.
"He is a hopeless chromantic; he fishes twelve months a
year, uses only flies, and has gone months on end without so
much as a pull!" From the modern English "Chromer"
(hot fish) and "Romantic" (delusional fanatic).
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...
Muskegon River Winter
Stone Flies: During February we begin to see Stone fly movement
throughout the river. The Dark
Knight Stoneis 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. Fishes best drifted
as chuck & duck or floating line/ indy.
Stone flies are now emerging along the
frozen shoreline - This is great news for Steelhead and Trout
fishing. Stone flies will be the primary food source for Trout
and Steelhead for the next several months. Look for changes in
fly patterns for Steelhead - going from egg patterns to Stone
flies- Fish should begin to key in on small dark nymphs drifted
along the bottom.
Current
River Conditions:
34 degrees- Water levels are perfect with a slight
stain- Upper Muskegon River is ice free. Visibility is:
6- 8ft. Water temp: 34 degrees. Level: med - Clear with slight
stain
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.
Now
is the time to float fish Steelhead!
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!
Pere
Marquette River Report
(Accurate Steelhead Fishing information for the PereMarquette River)
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.
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.
Attempting to stop sea lamprey with an electric barrier has become
a thing of the past on the Pere Marquette River, according to
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials. The federal agency recently
announced it no longer will operate its electric weir and will
resume treating the river only with chemical lampricides.
This should greatly increase natural reproduction of Chinook Salmon
on the Pere Marquette River. It should also significantly improve
Steelhead migrations!
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.
Floats for steelhead vary greatly depending on water levels and
conditions. We generally use the orange/black Thill steelhead floats.
They seem to work best for the Muskegon and Big Manistee Rivers.
Smaller floats styles are available for the White and Pere Marquette
rivers. All gear is provided for you. We have the spawn tied, cured,
and ready to fish!
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. Water
levels are up today!Muskegon
River Streamflow Data
Muskegon Brown Trout
Brown Trout spawn during the late fall months. November
and December offers anglers a shot at trophy Lake-Run
Brown Trout. West Michigan's Spawning Browns on
the Muskegon River.
Michigan's
Winter Steelhead December also offers the finest in Fall Steelhead
fishing. Both Fly Fishing and Float Fishing is excellent
at this time!
Come fish Michigan's uncrowded West Side! The Muskegon
River's "Home of the Chrome!"
A selection a of Mojo Clown eggs. With it's many
color schemes, the Clown egg works in a variety
of conditions for both resident Trout and Fall Steelhead.
Egg flies For Fall Steelhead Clients often ask me...What are the best fly
patterns for Fall Steelhead?
My answer: Eggs, Eggs, and eggs!
Steelhead crave Chinook Salmon roe (spawn) and
it is without a doubt their food of choice during
the fall months.
I have several favorites: (1) The Nuke
egg . Fav. Color: Golden/ Egg halo (2) Estaz Egg - Orange/ Peach halo (3) Circus Clown egg.
Low water - Smaller- natural flies.
Higher water - Larger-brighter flies.
Muskegon River Fall Steelhead
(Late October- November)
Fall
Steelhead:
The crown jewel of Great Lakes Steelhead- Fall
Chrome is the most sought after and Jump like
no other!
We will
be offering floats and spawn, backbouncing, and
fly fishing trips for Fall Steelhead on the lower
Muskegon River. These fish are chrome and we average
well over a fish per hour!
Winter
Steelhead:
During the Winter Months,
the Muskegon River is loaded Winter Steelhead.
Unlike the Grand, Manistee, and Pere Marquette
Rivers, the Muskegon is a tailwater fishery, this
means the Muskegon River never freeze allowing
us to guide anglers throughout the winter months
for Steelhead and Trout.
Fly 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.
Spring
Steelhead:
In late February, Steelhead move up river and
begin their migration to their spawning areas.
Steelhead feed heavily on stone flies, caddis
larvae, and Chinook fry. During March, April and
May, Steelhead begin to polish gravel and begin
to spawn.
During this time, Fly Fishing Steelhead is at
it's absolute best!! Anglers can visually seek
steelhead and make casts to the spawning Spring
Steelhead. Sight fishing to Steelhead on gravel
and watching them take the fly makes this an exhilarating
experience!!
Skamania
Steelhead:
We are offering Summer Run (Skamania) Steelhead
on both the Big Manistee River and the St. Joseph
River. If you've never tried Skamania Steelhead,
these fish are amazing and jump like crazy!!
(July, August) Skamania Steelhead
available on the Big Manistee & St. Joseph Rivers
in July and August!
Michigan's Big Manistee &
St. Joseph
Summer-Run Skamania Steelhead
Jet
Boats for the Muskegon River!
Our Jet Boats are top notch! HeadWater boats get you where
the Steelhead are! Quality Custom Jet Boats for the Muskegon
River!!
Our boats are top -notch! Fish in comfort
18' jetboat - 140 Suzuki
Custom Jet boats get you on Steelhead - and keep you on
fish! Click here to contact
us
Recommended
Fly Tackle for Muskegon River Fall & Spring Steelhead.
Comments: Due to huge client request
I am posting a list of Spring Steelhead Fishing equipment.
Rods: As per Steelhead fishing in November
and December , I recommend a 9'6" 8wt fly
rod or a 10' 8wt fly rod, as for reels, I recommend
Orvis Barstock IV or a Ross big game #4.
These reels have an excellent drag and very fast line
pick up. Spool them with a running line, ex, Poly Fuse,
25lb Amnesia or Neon Tangerine Suffix.
As for flies, I recommend a large selection of small egg
flies in natural colors such as golden, steelhead orange,
oregon cheese, peach, and cream. Tie them in size
#8, and 10's tied on a Tiemco 105, Black stoneflies in
8's and 10's, small hex nymphs, and green caddis.
For weight on chuck-n-duck I use
a free sliding snap swivel clipped to pencil lead, a clear
bead, and a barrel (crane) swivel with one end to butt
(12lb) and one end to tippet. For optimal drift, I recommend
a 5 foot leader (8 or 10lb) from lead to end fly, with
and egg fly in the middle and a dark nymph on the end.
Also note: For guide trips, you will need waders
and polarized sunglasses. All gear, tackle, flies (nominal
cost) and a grilled, shore lunch will be provided with
all guided trips!
Fly Fishing Knots- Steelhead
Steehead:Glo-bug egg flies in sizes #8 and #10's,
natural colors such as Golden, steelhead orange, peach,
Oregon cheese, baby blue, soft yellow. Hex Nymphs, nuke
eggs, dark center, light halo Nymphs: Stone flies,
hex nymphs, soft hackles, green caddis rock worm.
I always carry a large selection of egg flies at any given
time for Steelhead and resident trout.
We now also offer guided floats & spawn fishing trips
with either center-pin or spinning gear for Winter Steelhead
on the Muskegon River. Come join us.. These trips are available
during December and are a fun and exciting way to catch
numbers of Muskegon River Steelhead!
Purchase
Mojo Fly Steelhead Assortments for Great Lakes Steelhead.
Steelhead Fly assortments make excellent gifts and are
available in many assortments for steelhead and/or Trout...
Muskegon
River - The Muskegon River, as always, is far
behind, because of the warm water reservoirs. The Muskegon
should peak for Steelhead during later November. Over
the past few days, rain and cooler weather has dramatically
improved the Steelhead fishing on the Muskegon River.
There seems to be good numbers of steelhead starting to
show near the Thornapple launch and high rollaways. Deeper
holes and runs have been producing the best fishing action.
With forecasted rain, fishing should continue to improve.
The middle to last week of November and December should
offer some great Fall Steelhead fishing, I would also
expect to see a handful of large, Lake-Run Brown Trout.
Book
a Winter Steelhead trip on the lower Muskegon River or Big
Manistee River!!
We have multiple jet boats & other fishing guides
with dates available for early season Spring Steelhead !!
Let us plan a Spring fly fishing adventure for you!
Fly
Fish Steelhead on the Muskegon River.
West Michigan offers trophy wild
Fall Steelhead! Great Lakes Fall Steelhead are some of the most
sought after fish of the year! The bone jarring hits and
incredible power... these chrome fish are amazing!
We have guided trips available for fly
fishing for Steelhead. Guide trips with sink-tips or chuck
& duck are available. We also specialize in fishing
with floats and spawn during the winter months. Not only
do these fish bite.. They about rip the rod out of your
hand!
Michigan's Muskegon River - Winter
Steelhead Fly Fishing
Chicago Fly Fishing Outfitters - Chicago, Ill 1279 N.
Clybourn, Chicago, IL. 60610
Grand Rapids Fly Fishing Company - 49505 - Grand Rapids,
MI
Chicago Fly Fishing Steelhead Muskegon River- Chicago,
Ill.
West Michigan's Spring Steelhead ~ Muskegon River Fishing~
Fly
Patterns for Fall & Winter Steelhead.
Purchase Steelhead Patterns here: MoJo
Flies.com
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.