Steelhead fishing on the Pere Marquette River has been really good. The river received the much needed rain along with some November winds. The steelhead weather brought the water levels up and turned the lake over, which brought in some new fish. You can now find steelhead throughout the whole river system. With the cooler weather, we’re seeing water temperatures starting to drop and fish are starting to use more winter type water (slow and deep). For flies, its been Clown and Nuke Eggs in brighter colors, Chartreuse, Grape Fruit, and Pink. For steelhead on the swing its been bigger Leech and Sculpin patterns with lots of flash. Don’t be afraid to start trying Nymphs too. As the water temperatures start to drop along with the water level, Nymphs such as Stones, Hex’s, and Hares Ear’s will start to produce. Check out outfittersnorth.com for some really productive patterns.
Steelhead fishing will start to get a little tougher with winter on the way. Water temperatures will start to drop and get clear making conditions much harder. Even with a lot of fish in the system, the bite can be on and off in the winter. We can only hope we see a little more rain before the white stuff really starts to come. Don’t be afraid to mix up your fly patterns and work much slower through the runs and pools. Good Luck and remember practice catch and release, especially on wild Pere Marquette steelhead. If we kill them, they can’t reproduce!
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