Peak Trout Season

June marks the annual  Iso "Isonychia" (Slate Drakes on the Manistee river), the Hex "Hexaginia limbata" hatch (Pere Marquette River, Manistee River, and AuSable River), The Grey Drake  "Siphlonurus" Hatch, and great fishing with "Giant stone flies" (Pteronarcys California) on our Michigan waters. If you are interested in booking a prime date in advance for great dry fly trophy trout fishing in Michigan (open days limited) call or e-mail for more information.

Michigan Guided

Trout Fishing

Over 30 years guiding Michigan Trout

• Manistee River
• Pere marquette River
• Muskegon River

Muskegon River

Trout Fishing

Newaygo, MI 

Pere Marquette River

Trout Fishing

Baldwin, MI

Spring Trout

April in the State of Michigan is the official trout opener, although many rivers and streams are open year round. Early season trout fishing can be affected by weather and water flows. Streamer fishing can produce some of the biggest fish of the season. Fish have had a long cold winter, and as water temps start to heat up, so does the fishing! Warming trends early in the season offer dry fly fishing, with hatches of stones, caddis, and Hendrickson's.

How do we fish for trout?

There are many ways to fish for trout and no better time to learn how than during the peak times. With good hatches and warmer weather around, the odds of success are larger than any other time during the year. The techniques used vary on river conditions, the number of fish in the river, and the time of the year, as well as the type of water we are fishing and the traffic on that water. Here are three ways that we  fish for spring trout.

Nymphing

90 % of a trouts diet is subsurface, so it only leads to fishing food sources below the surface in front of the fish. Sometimes we fish them under a float and at other times under a fly. Looking at a hatch chart for your area will lend a hand in determining what nymphs are active in a system.

Dry Fly Fishing

When we think of fly fishing this is what we think of. Dry fly fishing is awesome and very interactive with angler making presentations and the fish working the hatch. Warmer weather and normal river flows goes a long way in helping the chances of a good hatch or spinner fall. June is the best month to look for these opportunities in Michigan.

Streamers

This method is a mind set! Lower numbers of hook-ups, more work, and more skill is needed, but the rewards can be great! Streamer fishing during the spring can produce some great fish, improve casting skills, and give the angler a more intensive day. This type of fishing requires covering a great amount of water and lots of casts. Some of the best Trout of the season are landed during this time period using streamers.

Gear Fishing or Light Spin Tackle for Trout

The use of spinning gear can be very effective for trout. We offer guided fishing using the following techniques.

- Center pin Fishing

- Float Fishing

- Cast and retrieve

- Drift Fishing

Flies for Spring Trout

Flies for spring Steelhead can be described in four catagories:

• Eggs - Flies that look or imitate fish eggs.
• Nymphs - Local aquatic insects. (Mayflies, Stone Flies, Caddis)
• Streamers - Bait fish imitations, Salmon fry, Leeches.

• Attractors - Bright flies, flashy, can be hot colored patterns of the above mentioned.

(See fly gallery for pics )

Brighter patterns / darker patterns and larger patterns during high water or low light can be effective. Fishing smaller patterns and matching the bio-mass of aquatic insects and natural eggs will work better during low water periods and in high sun. When fishing streamers, a rule of thumb is fish bright colors on sunny days and fish dark colors on cloudy days.

When and where should I choose to fish for michigan Trout?

Fishing any popular river, you will find plenty of fellow anglers with the same fishing fever you have. Using a guide can help to get you on fish, but will most likely not get you away from all the traffic. Fishing low light conditions will increase an angler's odds, and knowing when insects will emerge and have spinner falls puts you on the river at the right time! Fishing pressure is something that comes with the sport, but how you move around traffic and the river you choose can make or break your day. Knowing insects like to drop eggs in shallow riffle water allows an angler to post up below shallow riffles and look for bigger fish to feed in lower light. Here are a few places to look at for your next fishing adventure.

Michigan Hatch Chart

• Manistee River - From M-72 down to M-66
• Pere Marquette River - From M-37 Bridge to Wahalla Bridge.
• Betsie River - From Green Lake - County Line Rd
• Boardman and Elk Rivers - More of an urban fishery but very productive.
• Muskegon River  - From Crotton Dam to Newaygo.
• White River - Hesperia to Podunk Rd.

Northern Michigan Fishing Info for Local Rivers

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