The Pere Marquette has transformed over the last month from a pristine, spring fed, wild, and scenic trout stream, to a river system filling up with large chinook salmon that are literally, taking over the river. Fishing has been good, but tough at times as they don’t always want to bite, as much as we want them to bite. Rather atypical for fall run PM salmon, the early run fish did not stick around very long in the lower stretches of the river, but instead made their way up throughout the entire system. They weren’t bunched up in any given stretch(es) until recently, now things are changing on a daily basis, as many fish seek out spawning grounds in the middle and upper stretches, from Wallhalla, to Baldwin itself.
Once chinook and coho start spawning in good numbers, the steelhead WILL be there. Fishing for trout during the salmon spawn often produces some of the largest resident trout to be caught during daylight hours, as they dismiss their nocturnal instincts in favor of gobs of salmon eggs to fatten up on. Some nice brown trout have been taken lately and more will come to net in the weeks ahead. The lower river is still seeing fresher salmon being caught, as well as some northern pike here and there to keep things interesting.
Popular access points in the middle river include the walk in area off Taylor Rd and US 10, east of Walhalla, Upper Branch Bridge, and Sulak access sites. Upper river stretches can be accessed from Gleasons Landing, Clay Banks, Green Cottage, and Fisherman’s Trail, all in the “flies only” section.
Techniques for fishing the PM include both spin and fly gear, however it’s imperative to be aware of the rules for fishing the “flies only” section of the PM. Consult a current Michigan fishing guide before rigging up to fish the flies only area.
Fly gear setups for salmon include using 9-10 weight fly rods, reels spooled with floating line for indicator fishing with egg and nymph fly patterns, adding sink tips to floating line for casting- retrieving streamers, as well as reels spooled with running/shooting line for fishing them via the “chuck-n-duck” method with egg and nymph fly patterns. Spin gear options would include 7-8′ medium action rods, with reels having 30-40# braid for casting-retrieving lures such as Rapala’s and Thundersticks, as well as heavy mono (18-20#) on reels for casting-retrieving spinners and 8-9+’ long rods with braid and slip bobbers for running spawn/skein under bobbers. You can also fish spin gear “chuck-n-duck” style, which is nothing more than bouncing along with bottom with split shot about 20-30″ above fly/flies.
Being one of the smaller rivers in Michigan to get such a big push of migratory fish in the fall, one must always account for other anglers and vessels utilizing this wonderful river, to get in on some great lake big game fishing. In 30+ miles of land from east of Baldwin to the port town of Ludington, exists nearly 60 miles of river, so there is plenty of water for all. With such big fish this year, hooking and landing are two different things….enjoy both!
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