August midnight fishing was at its best. The new moon and dark nights have really made the after dark fishery go off. With all the chatter of mousing, it’s not uncommon to see more anglers after the lights go off than during the day. High sun, canoes, and lack of daytime bug activity have the fish going nocturnal. Don’t get me wrong, fish have been taking rubber legged foam creatures, nymphs and small streamers during the day…just not as many or as big of fish will play with the lights on.
Your best bet this time of year on the Pere Marquette is to focus on the evening/night or first light. Middle of the day is best reserved for recharging your batteries or tying flies. The darkness is not easy and if you get out a bit before the sun sets you can hone your skills a bit. After it gets nice and dark then you need to keep the lights off and the flies swinging. Both streamers and mice fished on floating lines will produce. Remember just by tying on a mouse and hucking it in the water isn’t some magic pill. You still need to know where to put it and how to move it.
Fly selection is across the board. We hit several very nice trout on size 18 BWO’s, and within 30 minutes we were dragging fur balls tied to 2/0 hooks. You talk about changing it up…technical work with the 4 weight 5x combo, then splatting large mouse patterns on 8 weights tipped with 12 pound Maxima. The ability to give the fish what they want when they want it is the trick.
Nymphs under indicators will produce fish out of pools riffles and runs. Small prince nymphs, bead head hairs ears and other small realistic bugs have been best. Best daytime dries are BWO’s, tan Caddis, Tricos and Hoppers. Fish spinner patterns if they are sipping and keep changing size and color until you figure it out.
Salmon are present in the entire river now. Top to bottom there are a few here and there. Several holes are holding over a dozen. The Big Manistee was loaded with them end of August when I was there, however with the Lampricide treatment they were not to accommodating. I have spent a few days chasing them and scouting with crankbaits. With the preseason over and the September air in full swing (or one good rain) it’s game-on for sticking. Colorful crankbaits and thundersticks will be the ticket if you’re throwing hardware.
Like football season, September is the month we kick-off the fishing season for the great migration. If you haven’t felt the head shakes or explosive runs of a 20+ pound salmon in the river, you need to get north to any one of the great rivers we have in West Michigan. They will be loaded with massive kings this year. Don’t miss out.
Frank Willets
Pere Marquette River Lodge
www.pmlodge.com
(231) 745-3972
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