A fter an up and down spring, and a slow start to summer the Pere Marquette is finally stable. July/August water levels have been below normal and hot and dry conditions have small tributaries down to a trickle. Boat navigation is difficult due to the shallow water, but walk and wade fishing has been easier than normal. Higher than normal water temperatures should also be expected, with the coolest temperatures being available in the upper sections of the river.
Trout fishing has been good! Nymphing early in the morning with Pheasant Tails size 16, Copper Johns size 16, and Prince Nymph size 20 fished on 5X or 6X will perform great until the canoe traffic gets busy in the afternoon. Hopper and dropper combo’s are the choice for afternoon fishing. Chernobyl Ants size 6, Club Sandwiches size 8, work well, especially for dropper fishing. Stimulators and humpy’s are also indicator flies for this technique. 4X to the indicator fly and 5X or 6X to the dropper and 18 to 24 inches of dropper tippet will do fine. Try them behind the countless log jams where canoe traffic doesn’t spook the trout.
The Pere Marquette also boasts an early morning Trico hatch for the experienced angler. The emergence takes place all night and spinnerflight’s from daylight until around 8 am. Trico Spinners size 20 thru 24 and 6X and 7X tippet is a must as well as a healthy dose of patience. Some afternoon and evening hatches of Isonychia size 10 and BWO’s size 18 and 20’s can also be found throughout the river system. Terrestrials like Ants, Beetles and Damselflies, are also good patterns to have handy.
Night fishing is what truly drives our fishery in late summer. Warm water temperatures and daily canoe hatches force large trout into a night feeding pattern. Meadows and lowland swamps surround our river contributing to a diverse food source. Predatory trout see a host of prey opportunities in the dark. Deer hair mice, frog patterns, waking baitfish creations, and custom foam and fur flies are the top choices. Large tippets 0X and 1X are normal selections as most fish caught this way are normally large fish browns (18 to 22″) and even some larger. Gear selections are usually 7wt. and 8wt. rods with a large floating line like a bass bug taper or even a salmon steelhead taper will work great for turning over the large bulky flies.
The Pere Marquette River is one of the top late summer trout fishing destinations in the midwest. King salmon are beginning to show up in the river as well. The bait ball in Lake Michigan is huge and the fish are going to resemble it this year as well.
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