November is my favorite time for steelhead fishing in the lower Pere Marquette River. The leaves have dropped, and everyone has deer hunting on their mind. Not seeing a lot of anglers is a relief from the salmon season we just finished. The best time to catch fresh fish coming in from the lake is a day or two after a good rain. The good thing about fishing the lower PM is that the fish have not seen any offerings from anglers and tend to be pretty easy to hook. The fight and jump of a fresh chrome fish makes the landing part a bit difficult. Spawn, egg flies, and beads work very well under bobbers. Casting spinners or plugs will also work for the aggressive fish.
Steelhead in the lower PM tends to come in and out of the river after rising water periods. I think once they pass upstream of Walhalla Bridge they are likely to spend the winter with us. I am not sure how many fish will stay in the lower river when they come in searching for food and do not find a lot because to the minimal salmon run we had this fall. There will be a lack of eggs washing through the system.
Surf anglers have been doing well for steelhead in the last two weeks. Without the rain, the steelies roam the shorelines in search of baitfish. The best temperature for fishing the surf is 54 degrees. If the PM is low and clear, it is a great spot to spend a morning or afternoon. Fish a floating spawn bag off a pyramid sinker with up to three rods in holders. I like to wear waders and wade out as far as you can and cast. Then flip the bail of your spinning rod and return to shore and put your rod in a holder. Make sure you keep the drag on your reel very loose or you may see a rod out of the holder dragging across the sand being pulled out into the lake.
If you forget something and need basic river supplies- you will find a small selection of rods, reels, hooks, flies, beads, lures, and tippet at the Bottle and Can in downtown Scottville. You may even find something behind the counter to warm you up and celebrate after a cold day on the river fishing!
[easy-social-share]