January 19th

Well well well.  I really never thought that I would say this, but the PERE MARQUETTE RIVER LAMPREY BARRIER AT CUSTER IS CLOSING!!! 

For those of you who don't know, we have been subject to an experiement on the PM for the past 10-12 years.  The electrical fish barrier as it is better known internally as is not going to be run in 2010, and probably never again.  Click here for the official USFW document.

On to the fishing.  I was on the water 4 out 5 days this past week and we had mixed success.  In fact the best day by far was on the Big Manistee running plugs with Martin.

He has been offering for awhile and I have never been able to make it, but boy am I glad that I did.  We hit a stretch of the lower river that I had never been on before and I always love seeing new water.

We did quite well in the AM, and then the bite died.  Things picked up toward the end of the day with the bite turning on good around 4:00.  
   
The next day I hit the PM with Jarrett.  We ran the mid river.  It was nice to hit a fish on the first couple of casts, and I thought it would be game on.  Well not really, however he did manage to land a couple more fish for a good day on the water.

We did have this very nasty tree to contend with.  Which reminds me to once again tell you.  Be careful when you float this time of year and bring a saw! 

However afterwards we were treated to a nice colored up buck to end the day on a great note!




January 5th
Happy New Year!!!

Well folks it's a new year and it's time for us to look back and reflect on last year, as well as look forward to the future.

First a quick look back into 2009.  It was a great year and I thank each and everyone of you who came up to fish with me.  We sure had some great fishing and great times.  Each of the seasons seemed to top the next this past year.  With the grand finale being the Winter steelhead run.


What a run it has been and the fishing is still going strong.  In fact using the right stuff on any given day can really produce.  We have fish throughout the system right now...from top to bottom. 

The fly water has been giving up a fish or two to those willing to stick it out.  Indicator fishing with eggs and nymphs is still the top choice amongst the fly fishermen.

However there is a contingent of guys really working the swing these days.  This is about as much fun as getting punched in the arm all day long...however the take of a steelhead when holding a tight line is hard to beat.

This time of year however I am hard pressed to throw flies all day.  In fact given the choice, I will take plugs or bait over the flies anytime the temps are South of freezing.  To me it's just a numbers game, the more fish that I can hook up with the better in my book.

Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to push my religion on you...I am like Switzerland, neutral.  I enjoy fly fishing for many species...and wouldn't have it any other way.  In my humble opinion fishing should be enjoyable.  I think a lot of people take the enjoyment away.  Some are too competitive, some are too frustrated, some try to make the fish too smart.

Bottom line, as for me and my spare time, I will pursue my quarry with the most effective manner available.  As for you and yours...the choice is yours.  I can put you on fish and offer you the best shots at whatever your game fish of choice is, and in doing so I will help teach you the method that you prefer to utilize.


Here's wishing you all the best in 2010.


December 20th






Now that the Winter has set in, the fish have set up.  With the water temps near freezing, the fish are staying put.  It is really nice to have them here in the first place, but with the shear number of fish in the river and the lack of pressure...well let's just say it has been fun to be on the catching end of the equation more times than not.

I have been out a handful of times since the last report and the fish have cooperated nicely.  In fact I hung out with good friends and fellow guides Jeff and Dan the other day and we put the hurt to them.  Now I won't really say how we did, but I will tell you that it was one of the best Winter days I have ever had.  My eyes were opened to a new technique that really works. 

The following day my buddy Clint and I headed back to the same section (we probably should have tried elsewhere, but with what we did the day before I just couldn't).  We put an honest few hours work and it paid.  This time with plugs though.

I really can't tell you how much fun it is grabbing onto one of these fish.  Amazingly enough, they are still fighting very hard!  We managed to land a double with in 5-10 minutes of putting the rods in the water. 

If you want to CATCH steelhead, now is the time.  In fact, I will guarantee you catch a steelhead or the next trip is on me.  That's right, if you come up and book a full or half day plugging trip, I will guarantee your success.  That's how good and consistent this method is this time of year.


So if your not afraid of the cold...bundle up and let's catch some Winter steelhead.  As my good buddy Frank always says "there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad dressers".


The PM Lodge is offering a FREE room with any guide trip booked this month!!!







WHAT DID THE STEELHEAD SAY WHEN HE HIT A CEMENT WALL????  DAM!!!!






December 5th


The weather has really began to change into a Winter pattern.  The fishing is still consistent, however the fish are spread out.  We have still been getting a little rain intermitently and the water is in great shape in the fly water and looking great mid river.  The lower river is high but running with about 2-3 visibility now.

With the weather change the fish have become a lot more manageable and are now coming to the net a bit easier than a couple of weeks ago.  Don't get me wrong, some of the big, bright chrome bruisers are still handing the guys their lunch daily.  It's just that once the water temps drop below 40 degrees the fish are not as acrobatic and they don't have the blistering speed.  Which is a hidden blessing for the hooked to landing ratio.

Fly fishing is still going well.  Indy rigs outfitted with nymphs and eggs are the norm.  If you find a concentration of fish, don't be afraid to switch flies if they are not playing.  Remember, as they say size matters.  Don't be afraid to go small as the water drops and clears.  I can't tell you how many times I've heard clients say..."I can't believe that you can catch such a big fish on such a tiny fly".  Size 10's and 12's are not out of order, especially when you are running 3x.

This is one of the best times of the year for the plugs.  I have been hitting the lower river chasing the steelies down with plugs every chance I get.  There is something about these little rattling, flashing lures that the fish just can't refuse.  The other nice thing about plugging is just the simple math.  I have hit multiple fish on EVERY trip this season.  When the water cools and the fly bite slows, this is my go to game.  If I'm going to spend time on the water in these tough weather patterns, you better believe that I am going to make the most out of that time.



November 20th

Well, things have settled down around here and the fish have settled in.  We have a good number of fish in the river right now and they are really biting when the conditions come together.  The cloudy overcast rainy days have been great and the sunny days have been good at first and last light.


The fishing has varied between fair to excellent.  The fly water has fish in all the right spots, and some of the larger holes are filling in nicely.  However, as it can be this time of year they are still moving.  In fact, the lower river is still passing fish.  There are plenty of fresh chrome fish to be found.  Some fish are starting to color up and get some great color.

Eggs have been the early morning ticket, with the nukes and glo bugs each having their moments.  The bug bite has been on when the eggs slow.  Nymphs have been taking a few of the tougher fish.  Light leaders...3x Floro are a must right now with all of the pressure and the clear water. 

Look for the real aggressive fish to be near the head of the runs.  Once you have put some quality drifts through a hole move through it and concentrate on the tail outs and right into the wood.  Alot of the fish are tucked in the woodwork and will still play if you send 'em deep.

Plugging has been good downstream.  I have not been able to get down there as much, however, it is getting real good and if we were to spend a full day doing it we could really rack up the numbers.  I am offering a guarantee on ALL plugging trips, if you don't catch a steelhead the next one is on me.  Any takers???


Your wait is over and the 2009 Fall run is looking great.  Now is time to bring your A-game and take a shot at the greatest fresh water game fish on the planet!

 

November 3rd
Wow...did we ever get a bunch of rain...and FRESH CHROME!!!!  It sure is nice to be getting fresh chrome fish in fishable numbers.  The past few days have been quite a ride on the river.  We received several inches of water this past week and the river was just getting back into shape when the next deluge hit us.  The good news is that a new batch of steelhead came with the water.  There is a good mix of summer run fish and some nice chrome missiles.  These fish are hot and they kick in the afterburners from the start. Eggs are the ticket still, with clown eggs being top.  The salmon are pretty much done spitting eggs and they still want 'em.  With the high dirty water the pale eggs are kind of on hold.
 

The next couple of days should see the water dropping throughout the system.  The fly water is in good shape and should be great shape in the next 24-48 hours.  Mid river should be back to shape shortly after that.  The lower river is blown big time and basically about a 1/4 mile wide...there are fish though.  In fact recent reports from the pier was good to great fishing and those fish will start upstream soon.
 
 
The weather is not bad, the river is quiet and the fishing is good.  If you are waiting for the fall run...your wait is over.  Come on up for what is arguably the best fishing of the year!




October 20th
The winds of change are blowing here in the North woods.  The leaves are changing colors and the days are growing shorter.  The fishing is changing as well.  There are still salmon in the river, mostly full on spawners, however there are isolated pockets of fresh fish.  The remaining salmon will last another couple weeks at best and then the river will take on a whole new feeling.

With the salmon fishing wrapping up and winding down, the trout and steelhead fishing will pick up.  Right now there are both to be had, but with the excessive number of real eggs in the river the fish are pretty full.  Don't worry, it won't take long for those eggs to drain out and the fish will be looking for a substitute.

The steelhead that have made it into the river are keyed up on and near the gravels that the salmon are on.  They are wary and you really need to take an major stealth approach to them.  Small pale eggs, flouro carbon tippets and long leaders will help.
Over the next couple of weeks the fall steelheading will begin to pick up.  The entire month of November and December are typically prime Fall times to be out there.  There is nothing more exciting than these chrome bullets.  The fresh fish put up some epic battles and can fly with the best of them.  As far as I am concerned, these are pound for pound the greatest game fish on the planet.

If you have not taken a shot at these guys, come on up.  We can target these fish in a number of ways on several local rivers.

Fishing pressure is at it's lowest point of the year right now, no canoes, fewer boats and hardly any walk in traffic the past few days have made it rather pleasant...again...to be on the river.
Uber





October 4th

 

 

 

 

The full moon is high in the sky now and that will trigger some sort of run, also though it means that our last practical shot at mousing will be at hand.  I always love it right after a full moon...something about that pitch black background I guess.

With the nice warm days the trout fishing has picked up with hoppers/droppers. Nymphing for trout with eggs or bugs is going well too.  The tricos are still thick at night and fishing them in the AM can really produce.

 

 
Keep an eye on the weather, one big soaking and we will be up to our ears in fish!!!
We have a couple of dates left for salmon and then it's straight to steelies from there.

August 18th
Well everyone the fishing is great right now up here in the North woods.  If you are interested in big fish now is the time to come.  In fact we have been hammering large fish morning and night...during the day we are still getting some nice ones as well.

Lake Michigan salmon HCP style we had 5 on at once.  Thanks Duck.

 

It's August and that can only mean two things...early run Kings and midnight mousin!!!  It's pretty hard to beat.

For just about two weeks now we have been hitting the lower PM at first light looking for those reel screaming, drag peeling, rod bustin' chrome Kings.  They have yet to disappoint.  I hate to throw out numbers, but here's one...100%.  That's the success rate that I have had on hooking these guys every morning.  In fact we have been landing them now with regularity and have even managed a couple on a good day.  It's still pretty slow down there traffic wise, however I bet this report will change things in that category.  I have been keeping a lid on it since we filmed another edition of Hardcore Pursuit this past weekend, but now that is done and in the can...well, no reason to keep it a secret any longer.  On our last trip we even managed a couple of Steelhead.  This is definitely my favorite time of year.

Once the sun goes down, it's go time for browns.  As you should know by now, we are hitting them hard after dark on mice and it is still going strong.  This fishery is getting pretty popular and finding new water has been paying off.  In fact I haven't seen another angler in a while.  It's pretty much a matter of finding the right type of water as much as anything.  The moon cycle is prime now and the cloudy, rainy days have been producing great night fishing as well.

 

Ubers Midnight hog on a mouse.

August 3rd

 

Well here's the report...from Alaska (if you want to skip ahead to the PM scroll to the bottom).  I've been gone the past couple of weeks up to the Nak Nek River Camp.  This is my second trip there and it only gets better.  This time I brought along the crew from Hardcore Pursuit and we documented the whole thing for the Sportsman Channel.  It's great having all of the stories and adventures on film for prosperities sake.

The Johnsons make wonderful hosts and the accommodations are improving each year.  This place is a bit of Heaven.  The fishing is incredible, in fact we caught 8 species of fish while we were there.  We also fished 5 different rivers.  As you can imagine the diversity in species, technique and river types allows you to use a variety of gear and methods.  If you prefer a method, say dry fly fishing, you can employ it on monster rainbows in several of the area rivers.  For those who like sink tips and streamers, this is your kind of place.  In fact if you have never fished before this is your kind of place.

We fished for rainbows the majority of the time since the Nak Nek river is known for it's monster 'bows.  We were not disappointed either, in Alaska trout are judged by a different criteria than in the Lower 48.  In fact it takes a 30" fish to be called a true Alaskan trophy.  Well, we got a couple of trophies on and even managed to land one or two.  What epic battles these fish are in the mighty flowing Nak Nek.  It is not for the faint of heart, and if you truly want to target them September is the month.  However all things considered it fished quite well in late July.

The Sportsman Channel will be airing our adventure late Aug or early Sept, I will post the dates when I can.  Speaking of TV the episode of Hardcore Pursuit featuring the PM Steelhead will air Aug 11 @ 2:00 PM, Aug 15 @ 12:30 AM and Aug 16 @ 9:00 AM.

 

OK here's the PM REPORT...Fishing is good at night, and OK during the day if you can keep away from those pesky canoes.  We are getting a cool cloudy rain today and it should help the fishing remain good.  Look for terrestrial action to be good through out the day.  Yellow hoppers are one of my favorites this time of year.  Streamers are not out of the question on any rainy/cloudy day or even the next.  You may want to downsize the fly however.

With that said, night time is the right time if you know what I mean!  This is prime time mousing season.  If you haven't heard this IS THE WAY to the Holly Grail.  A 20" fish is certainly possible on any given night.  Now don't get me wrong, you can't just walk out and huck your fly out there and reel one in every cast.  However, if you are a proficient caster and can pitch a large fly accurately in the dark, well you will probably succeed.  If you are just learning or want to learn, we can work with you too, but it may be smart to at least spend some time on the river in the light first.  Either way your bound to roll something big and scary in the dark.

The Kings are in and more on the way in the Little Man.  In fact I will be heading there later this week to do some fishing.  Also the lower PM should be getting some new fish with all of the cool weather.  I will be running down there tomorrow to check in on it.  For those of you who have not thrown a stick down there, you have to try it.  These kings are not the same when you get to them early and with the right gear.  It is my personal favorite time of year to fish.

July 9th

 

As much as I hate to say it, the dog days of Summer are upon us...This is the time of year that the weather is great and the daytime trout fishing starts to pick up.  Most of the big bugs are done for now, however we are still seeing some bugs at night given the right conditions.  In fact I was on the water last night and we had fish feeding very actively right through dusk.  You just have to be at the right place at the right time.  The latest weather pattern looks as if it will settle in and bring us more warm air temps and little rain.  This is setting up the hopper fishing to be right on track.  If you have not tried the old hopper-dropper method, you are missing out.  It is so pleasant to spend the day floating down the river and enjoy watching trout come out of the wood work to grab your fly.  We also start to get some good action on damsels.  The daytime trout fishing can produce good numbers given the right conditions, however if you are after a real monster the night time is the right time.
The after dark fishing is really picking up and should continue to do so as the moon starts to fade from it's full moon phase that we are getting through.  It seems that the darker the night the better the mousing.  We have already been pushing it hard at night with those fuzzy little mice.  I can't stress enough, if you are a real trophy hunter and want your best shot at a two footer of the season...we are hitting the prime time right now.
King salmon are starting to work their way into the area streams as well.  If you want to experience a real rodeo, and work on your tan at the same time, might I suggest a salmon slug fest?!  These fish are bright and feisty, and if everything goes right willing to take a fly.  It can be a real work out just, you need to be willing to hike.
We are still offering deals on both half day and full day trips.  We have just what it takes to beat the heat and enjoy a great day or night on the water chasing fish.

July 4, 2009

 

Well it's official folks HEX SEASON is here!!!!  We have had good bugs for a little over a week now.  The fish are on cue and the fishing is fantastic at night.  This is the real deal, from steelies to monster browns they all are suckers for a hex. Now just because this is the best time of year to land a trophy it doesn't mean that it's easy.  You better have your A-game on and be prepared to fish blind, so to speak.  You are actually sight or maybe I should say sound casting to rising fish in the dark.  It can be a little intimidating if you have never tried it before, however the rewards can be great.  We are hitting 20" fish with some regularity and the odd steelie laying around adds a whole new dimension to it.
The hatches are really weather dependent and the hotter the better.  The day time fishing suffers a bit from the fact that most fish wait for the big meal that comes in the form of hexes at night.  We are running half day trips that begin around 8:00 PM and we return around 1:00 AM, so be sure to nap before you come.

If you are a real gluten for punishment you can enjoy waking a mouse after the hexes are gone.  We generally hit a different stretch of river where the bugs are not quite as abundent and target browns.  Mind you these are no regular browns, these are meat eating carnivors that are looking for a big dinner.  We drag the mice around and they respond.  It is a real thrill when a 4 pound brown hammers your fly on the swing.

The daytime fishing has slowed, however on an overcast afternoon we are getting some action on the surface and some nymphing.  This can be a great way to beat the heat and enjoy a float down the river.  As the hex hatch winds down, you can expect the daytime fishing to get better.