July is one of my favorite months on the Pere Marquette River when it comes to searching for trout with dry flies. This is the terrestrial season: grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, and damsel flies become an abundant food source for the trout of the Pere Marquette River in these dog days of summer. These giant attractor flies can bring up some nice fish all throughout the day.
It’s once again a game of hunting, covering a lot of water, and making a lot of casts. Work these flies along the bank, in the bubble lines, and the riffles. Fishing after dark with giant mice patterns can also be effective this time of year as the water cools the bigger fish are on the prowl after the lights go out. Looking for mice, frogs or anything else that will fill them up until the following night. Just bring lots of mosquito repellent and don’t forget your headlamp.