King Salmon

[Wayne SW/MO]

My son and I used 7 and 8 wts and I don't see why a 6 wouldn't work. Remember its about the fly and we did best on a berlap fly that was compatible with a 6 wt. We used running line and more of a chuck and duck to handle the heavy split shot..

[ozark trout fisher]

Cool, this is very helpful. Now we just need the salmon to hopefully show up.......

[cnr]

I wouldn't use a 6wt rod. Too light to handle the fish. Remember that some of the Salmon will be 25lb+ and will be fresh out of the lake. Using a light rod would be frustrating. I have hooked well over a 1,000 steelhead and salmon over the last 25 years and my rod of choice is an 8wt 9' for the little manistee. The extra backbone gives you the ability to turn the fish and control them a little better.

You notice I don't say "fight" the fish. I have found with the big fish the harder you pull the harder they fight. You want to put yourself in a position to turn the fish and steer them the way you want. Not always easy but it takes some planning during and before the battle. I'm always cognizant of where I want to move the fish and hazards to avoid (logs, brush, etc). These fish are too strong to get in a straight up tug of war on such small water

[Phil Lilley]

Phil and I fished the Pere Marquette many times several years ago. It's a great stream in the Baldwin, Michigan area. I used a 6 wt. fly rod. Don't think you really need anything heavier than that. Yes, the salmon will be hard to control and slow down though that's part of the fun. Just make sure you use strong salmon type hooks.

Rolan

Rolan is a little crazy... 6 weight is a tad light for these biggin's. Rolan, though, works magic with whatever fly rod he uses

[ozark trout fisher]

Thanks a lot.

Apparently the reports I had read of salmon being in the rivers already were.....less than accurate. So we'll just have to see how it goes. It will be close, I think, whether we hit the run at all.

[cnr]

They should be in the lower river by late August. Check with Schmidt Outfitters over in Wellston, they can give you good information about the little Manistee.

[Wayne SW/MO]

We were on the PM in October when we went, if my memory is correct.

[ozark trout fisher]

Thanks. It's all good if we do end up missing it, which is starting to look like a very possible scenario. Still a couple weeks for them to move into those rivers but it's not looking great at this point. So we are shifting our focus a little more to trout fishing, though I plan to bring some salmon gear just in case......supposedly the hopper/dropper bite is good right now for the browns and is likely to continue to get better. Hopefully no need for the #24 trico imitations you often need on Missouri streams in late July/ early August:) Can't wait for that, salmon or not. We're probably going to try some night fishing as well near our camp, which is apparently the preferred summertime method on the Pere Marquette. Need to buy/tie more big streamers.......

[cnr]

Hey OTF, here is a current report from one of the fishing guides at Schmidt's Outfitters in Wellston Michigan. These guys fish the little Manistee often and know what is going on there.

"Matt Barthels reports on July 14: I hiked around for a bit on the Little Manistee River today and found a good number of kings. I hooked several fish and didn't come close to landing any of them. Top flies were black and purple STS Buggers and eggs. Low light conditions are the best bet for targeting these fish."

Link to the report:

http://www.schmidtoutfitters.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=196

Good luck on your trip and I hope you hook a few.

[dnj21]

I was just 10 miles north of Baldwin this weekend, went up to help my brother build a cabin. Talked to a couple guys, no mention of the Kings being up but it is early. Troutoramia going on this weekend, too bad you arent up there already!

What a beautiful area, can't wait until next year when I will have a home base close by to work out of!!!