H ard to believe fall is already here, where did the summer go? I have already seen some trees turning color along the banks of the Pere Marquette River. With a change of the season comes a change in the fishing. September brings a monster fish into our area rivers. This fish is the king salmon or chinook as the locals call them. These fish start their yearly migration in September and through the month of October. They travel out of Lake Michigan to head up the rivers to spawn. When and how many fish come into the river is based on water temps and winds in Lake Michigan. The king salmon is one of the most recognized big game fish in our State. Unfortunately when they return to the rivers to spawn, they are looked down on, almost disrespected by anglers. The king salmon does not eat as well when they are in the river over a period of time because there are getting ready to spawn. Anglers become frustrated because they won’t bite or just snag them deliberately. What I hear the most about king salmon is the old excuse or saying they’re going to die anyway. We all need to realize they have to spawn, so we can all have more to fish to enjoy in the future. The Pere Marquette River is a wild fishery. The State doesn’t stock this river with salmon or trout species such as steelhead. We all need to start protecting our resource more, so we can enjoy this river in years to come.
The king salmon pound for pound is one of the hardest fighting game fish in the world and they do eat. Try throwing Spinners or Jerk Baits for them very aggressive takes. Or fish them with Skein under or Bobber. For flies, they will take flies if presented right, mimic the food they eat in the big water. Bigger streamers that resemble baitfish that they feed on all summer long in Lake Michigan or big articulated flies that will entice an aggressive strike. Fish these streamers slow with a sink tip line. They seem to like them more on a crawl then a fast retrieve, just like you would fishing a lure to them. Native trout fishing can also pick up in the time the salmon are into spawn. Sight fish to giant brown and rainbow trout sitting among the salmon spawning reds try to fool one into taking a micro egg that looks like the real deal. This can be a fun and technical way to fly fish in the fall months. If you look closely, you could also spot an early chrome steelhead sitting with the kings. Good luck and for more info and weekly fish reports check out outfittersnorth.com.