By: Jeff Hubbard
Seasons are changing along the Pere Marquette River. The Pere Marquette is a great trout stream with its cool waters that last all year long. Trout do exceptionally well. April is a great month for swinging streamers for these resident brown and rainbow trout. After most of the steelhead eggs diminish, trout start to key on another meal that’s hatched. This meal however is not an insect, what most fly anglers would think when talking about a hatch and fly fishing for trout. This hatch is the salmon. These wild little salmon hatch by the thousands along the Pere Marquette River. Big trout key in on them, over the years I have witnessed brown trout blitzing these little minnows along the shore. Just like a saltwater fish would attack its prey in the ocean, these trout will smash these little salmon to the bank and trap them as it goes in for one big swoop to have a easy meal.
In April I enjoy swinging smaller wet flies that I tie to match these little salmon. By using a smaller switch rod in the 4 or 5 weight range and a smaller head such as Air Flo’s short Scout heads I can swing flies just as if I was steelhead fishing but for these resident trout. It’s a lot of fun and can work quite well. Especially if the water is still colder in April, I think a smaller presentation and slower fly speed can be much more effective then stripping a larger fly through the current at a much faster speed. For flies at the end of your sink tip, try smaller olive and white salmon fry or parr imitations. Small works well if the water is clear so try to match the size of the real salmon swimming around you. If the water is off color and a little higher, a bigger fly with some flash works will well too.
If interested in some trout fishing this Spring or Summer you can contact me at outfittersnorth@hotmail.com and check out my web site for fly patterns and a up to date weekly fishing report at outfittersnorth.com.
By: Jeff Hubbard
Outfitters North Guide Service
(231) 898-6246
www.outfittersnorth.com
