September Is Over

Hi All

Well here we are with another September is over. Fall is here and it is time to start finishing those drifts. I have started to preach already to the clients...Why you may ask..The trophy fish are behind the Salmon..To say this was a tough September would be a understatement..Hookups were hard to come by and you had to make good on few opportunities and put them to the net or you might have gotten skunked..

The last 2 weeks have been better and better..But the first 2 weeks of September were TOUGH..Biggest problem was no big heavy rain, way to much sun, and way to much heat. The water temp flowing out into the lake was bath water till mid September..We still have a lot of summer moss all over the rocks everywhere because of no heavy rain so keeping your hooks clean is constant and now add all the leaves too...

Have been hitting some Steelhead but not very many around yet. Think I have hooked 5 and finally got one 12 lber. in today and a 16" skipper Steelie on Monday..Great Job on the chrome guys..Browns have been biting as well..Nothing over 20" yet on the gold bellies but plenty of teeners.

Fresh Salmon ( Coho and Kings) are still coming up from the lake at a steady trickle and every once in a while a heavy push is rumored here one day gone the next. I have been patiently waiting for the Salmon to come to me up top and I stopped chasing the dream of a hole stacked full of fish 10-12 days ago..Old Salmon are dieing off fast and there is a steady rotation of fresh new ones..You pick moldie oldie zombie or greener brighter Salmon..There is enough around you can be choosy, where you stop, is what you'll catch..

Went bird hunting with friends this weekend and we shot 2 grouse and 5 woodcock over the weekend and I missed Salmon Eve and Salmon Day here on the river..We had at least 100-200 phone calls for the last weekend in September it was right up there with Blessing of the Bikes..Crazy..Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and was safe, I was not feeling left out at all over in Lovells chasing dogs and birds..

On a sad note we were over there in Lovells for a memorial of ONE of my best hunting buddies Jim Edwards died of cancer a littler over a year ago and wanted his ashes spread at Woodcock Alley one of his favorite hunting creek beds along with the ashes of his last 2 hunting dogs Butch and Cassy. So there was a good size group over there celebrating the life and many hunting and fishing trips with Jim. We all had great times with him. Lots of pictures and life long stories were told. A very fitting end to Jim's final resting place..

Enough of the tear jerker stuff and there is lots of great times being had this very minute on the river and in the woods. Tomorrow October 1 st. the ARROWS FLY and the next day Deer start scanning tree tops for large smelly objects on platforms. The acorn crop is huge, huge,huge this year...Do not waste your money $$ on carrots unless you want to see how long it will take them to rot.

October 1 st. is the start of the extended season rules...That means UP stream from M-37 bridge is CLOSED TO ALL FISHING.. Downstream from M-37 bridge is open ALL year around on the Middle Branch or Main Stream of the PM. All of the Baldwin is closed, creeks also. The Little South Branch is closed, creeks too..The Big South Branch is closed, creeks too..Most of the small creeks and streams are closed in other words General Trout season is over and most of the rivers in the state are closed to fishing. Check your rule books closely and if your not sure call the DNR to find out or you could face FINES..

My Open Guide dates: Are October 14,15,17th..--28th.. Think Mixed bag( Kings, Coho,Steelhead,Trout) the best fly fishing of the season is near..Book a day or two you won't be sorry...

Tight Lines
Clint

Salmon Season Slow Start

Hi All

We'll  Salmon season is off to a slow start. We have been missing all the nice flooding rains lower Michigan has gotten the past 2-3 weeks. Customers telling horror stories of all the rain and flooded basements. All I keep thinking is I wish that happened up here( dang we missed it again) and we would be in much better shape with our run. We have had some showers but no big high water, dirty up the river events. You need 3"+ for that. Just a steady trickle up from the lake every day. Some Salmon just have to run and nothing is going to stop them.

I have been managing several hookups a day and 1 or 2 fish to the net. That has been the average for me..Not gangbusters but were not skunked. The commitment rate isn't there. Lots of nudges,bumps, and 1 hook straitened out stuff going on. The ones that are biting it right are coming in to the net with a mouth full of hooks..In other words we haven't been wrapped around a log yet..Couple busted lures, couple bite offs from Pike, all in good fun with the lure program.

It's nice and overcast today with some rain showers and I'm off. It's Debi's birthday and were going to have a day together.I'm back at it tomorrow. Which is good, a few more fish each day in the system. Every day will be better than the last.

Fishing on Lake Michigan has been good the last few times out. Best day was August 16th. Had my biggest box of the year weight wise. The last 2 times out the water has been warm and the fish we marked were acting stale. Should have went offshore for a mixed bag, but I wanted to target adult Kings so I hugged the bank and caught some just not big numbers in the box..

Open guide dates are October 13,14,15,17-28th..These are Great dates for fly fishing.. Salmon, Steelhead, Coho, and Trout ( Mixed Bag). Fall Colors and cooler temps..Snatch up some of these guide dates you won't be sorry...

Tight Lines
Clint

August Kings / Pike / and Trout

Hi All

Been a while...I know...I know...Summer is pretty busy with all the tourism and fishing. Fishing has been good out on Lake Michigan and in the Pere Marquette River. The river in general has been low and clear for the last month, like it is suppose to be. Hopper fishing and mousing has been the best way to get the bigger Trout along with nymphing when nothing will rise to the fly and you have to get down to them..Not many Salmon around couple here and there but no good fishable #'s as of yet in the river. A friend saw 15 in a hole one day a couple weeks ago and there is a few here and there but they are hard to target still in the river..

In Lake Michigan the Adult 4 year old Kings have shown back up and pretty much on Que..The size is down a little bit from last years Big Boys but last year was a exceptional year around here..This year there are still the 28-30 lb Kings out there from the reports on the Wisconsin side of the lake, it's just not like last season over here on the Michigan side of the lake..

Lately out of Ludington there has been some 23-25lb. Kings caught and some 18-20 lbers. are becoming more abundant as we get closer to the Fall run..Were not stuffing the coolers with 15 -20 Kings every trip out but 5-7 a trip is a good catch and the size is good like 8-18 lbs. are the bulk of the catch this season so far..Who knows the big lake is very very big.. ALL the fish have a BIG FAT BELLY so they are eating very well for sure.

Pretty much anytime you want to go Offshore you can find the nice batch of Steelhead,Lakers and Coho to fill the cooler. The Kings are near the shore line for the most part and very hard to impossible to find offshore this season. It has been a weird season with lots of cold water up against the shore and it's ICE water not far down..

For Example (if you care) : Offshore 500+ FOW 12-15 miles out, it will have some warmer stuff on the surface 58- 62 deg. and drop like a hammer 20-30 ft. down to 41-44 deg....40-50 ft. down 38 deg. just plain and simple ice water..Near shore 100 FOW 63-65 deg. surface temp and 40 ft. down it will be 46-48 deg., 50 ft. down 44- 40 deg. below that ice water.. The normal summer surface temps are in the 72 -75 deg. range and most years you have a big thermal break 46-48 deg. ( Salmon preferred temp). at 70 to 100 ft. down with a major temp. change with lots of warm water from the surface all the way to the break in temp.It helps you target water temps and the better fishing is stacked in that temp. break...The water is so cool everywhere this year, the fish and bait is extremely scattered..

The cool, wet summer and the late thaw of the Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, also the Great Lakes being 75% covered in ice from the Polar Vortex has really done a number on the water temps this season...Good or bad who knows but the fishing has been a different kind of year out there..Keeps you on your toes..

I was in the lower river here a couple weeks ago with Jeff Hubbard Pike fishing and we got a few med. size ones on lures and flies but didn't see any Kings and didn't really figure we would. Might have to go tomorrow and check things out. We are getting a nice rain today and the river is rising some and cooling and there is plenty of cold water near the shore lines. I usually start sniffing around August 15th. and chances are good we'll get either Pike or Kings or both..

I have booked August 23,24,25th. for trips but I'm open to go anytime from here to the end of the month for those hard fighting August Kings and Pike on lures or streamers. Half or Full days..Let me know I'm ready to GO..This rain were getting should give us a good shot of Kings and get the season kicked off down river..I look forward to this time of year. The best fighting fish in fresh water IS A KING SALMON bar none. When they bite that lure or streamer you will know it !!

My open guide day left in September is the 5th....October opens up after the 11th.--30th..

We still have some good room openings and plenty of days open to get you on the water this late Summer and upcoming Fall. Give us a call..


Tight Lines
Clint

Hex Hatch / Lake Fishing

Hi All

As many of you may know the night fishing Trout program is in full swing. The Hex Hatch has been going for the last week pretty good. It should keep going for about another week or so. Night fishing is your best opportunity to catch trophy Trout in the summer, all summer long. Here's the catch you have to be able to cast large dry flies or mice patterns in the dark with consistency and accuracy. Daytime fishing for Trout is good as well. Use Nymphing as your main tool and you should catch some Trout. If you want to dry fly fish during the day use stimulator's and terrestrials ( Stones, Hex, Hoppers, Ants, Rubber Legged Creatures etc.) Larger patterns for larger fish.

My big lake boat is doing well and still has no name. Been buying a few new rods and doing some rigging and getting a program down for all 12 rods. Most days I run 9. Been getting some use out of it. It's ready for my first oil change with 50 hours on it and all of last years gas long gone. This weeks project, boat maintenance and getting a lettering guy hired..Big Lake Fishing has been going good. Lots of pups/ guppy's around this year. About 4-8 pups a trip out. The only way to keep the guppy's off is to run mag. size spoons and run meat and flies off spin doctors too.I have done this a couple trips out, tired of those little craps. You think your fishing with 9 lines when 2 or 3 have guppy's your dragging around.

Most of the boxes have been a mixed box with 6 to 12 fish with keepers + the released pups. No huge fish yet biggest I've caught is around 14 lb.- 16 lb...Lots of 4 lb.-10 lb. fish hitting the coffin. Which is fine they are the better eating size anyways. Big fish wise at Captain Chucks leader board 2014 is a 20 lb. King, a 30 lb. Brown Trout out of Ludington this Spring and a 32 lb. Laker caught on Thursday the 26th. after the tournament out of Manistee port.. Big fish in the Budweiser Classic Tournament in Manistee June 20th.-22nd was a 20.8 lb King caught by the Job Site crew. AM winners was Almost Paradise and PRO was Verdict III..Big Laker was 14.85 lb. and big Steelhead was 10.15 lb..I think 38 boats in total. It's never a big tournament kinda a shake down tournament for most guys.

Had a really fun trip on a private lake this past Wednesday the 24th.. I had one guy and it was actually really fun teaching him how to cast a fly rod on a lake. Scott went from A to Z in a few hours. Poppers for Blue Gills and Bass was on the menu. A lake and my yard is the best place to learn to cast a fly rod in my opinion. He learned how to roll cast, forward cast , hook set, strip line to catch fish, then set & strip play fish to hand. Over and over and over, Scott put about 20-25 Gills and Bass to the boat in 5 hours one Blue Gill was 10". One of the best casting secession I've taught in years. A 39" Trophy Pike was also caught by Peter trolling body baits out of a wooden row boat. Plus countless Largemouth Bass were caught on other boats that were out on this trip as well..It was a great outing for all..

I have also done some Carp fishing with Pete Hodgman of GoldenBoneFish.com  up on Travers Bay a few weeks ago. Also joined a friend Chuck Howell over of Saginaw Bay for a day of Walleye fishing a few weeks ago where we caught a 3 man limit. Even got my wife Debi out fishing on the big boat a few times for some Salmon action a couple evenings.On June 10 th. Debi and I also celebrated our 20 year wedding anniversary.. A great start to summer so far..Starting to get hot up here. Yesterday we saw 90 deg. which is pretty hot for Baldwin Mi.

                                                                      Tight Lines
                                                                         Clint

Hatch Season

Hi All

For those of you who like to dry fly fish NOW is the time for the next 6 weeks ! Good hatches have started a week or so ago. I'm watching 4 fish feed as I type. Hungry little to med. size guys. Bigger fish have been caught in the evenings 16"- 20". The last few trips I was still streamer fishing, while nymphing and egging behind the Steelhead. The water has cleared and heated up and the cork has came off the "preverbial" bottle and released the Hatch..Steelhead are finally done around here.. Bugs are everything all at once, sulfers, caddis,stones, henny's and drake's right before dark have been best for the big guys..

Been working on my big lake boat the last week or so. It was done on the 22nd. and I put it in the water on the 25th. we fished for 5 hours with Steve from H&H Excavation and went 6 for 7 mixed bag then slipped it in a marina for the summer in Ludington. I'm at Thompson Marina and Ed has been a very nice owner..It's not 5 star but has all I need at a reasonable price. Need to finish up some more Spring cleaning and updating safety equipment for my coast guard inspection and I'll be ready for the summer on Lake Michigan..

                                                                     Tight Lines
                                                                         Clint