W inter has finally hit the banks of the Pere Marquette River. Personally, I like the change in the seasons. The nice thing about Northern Michigan and the Pere Marquette River is that you can fish with every change of season. Right now we are still chasing steelhead. February is one of my favorite months of the year. The angling pressure is down, and the river is just awesome. February steelhead fishing can get really good depending on water color and temperatures. It’s a transition period for the fish. You have fall/winter holdover fish looking for food before they go into the spawn and you can start to get fresh spring fish heading up stream to do the same.
In the winter, the swing can produce some good steelhead because of the simple fact that they need to eat. Sometimes I think the bigger streamer gets them better, then even a simple egg fly. Just need to focus on slowing your swing down, fish heavier sink tips and even heavier flies. Nymphs also start to produce well this time of year. Smaller stone flies work well. Especially on a day over thirty-two degrees. Try hex nymphs as well. For an up-to-date weekly fishing report you can check us out at www.outfittersnorth.com or find us on Facebook!