Michigan Report

[ozark trout fisher]

Well, I just returned from Northwest lower Michigan for the second straight year. While every trip has its own culture (and in this case, and entirely new set of rivers and lakes to fish) it still kind of felt like a re-run. The weather was still ridiculously cool for mid-summer (much, much cooler this time, to the tune of severe discomfort after wet-wading in 55-degree temps because I didn't bring waders) the northwoods country looked the same, and the same little wild trout that had roamed the Pine and Little Manistee were also present in the Pere Marquette and Big Sable, the rivers we ended up on this time around.

(And just so ya know ahead, I'm exhausted right now. I plan to post pictures but not tonight. And yes, this will be pretty long)

The first three days of the trip were largely planned (at least as much of a plan as you can have), the latter three with little idea of what we would do other than fishing whatever water looked appealing and seeing plenty of Lake Michigan. We started on the Pere Marquette River. We had permits to float the first two full days we had up there in the fly-fishing only section. The first day, however, saw a deluge of rain and temps in the mid to low 50s. We were quite worried about flash flooding , so we decided not to float. We did, however, resolve to wade-fish as much as the conditions would allow. We were camped just downstream of the lower boundary of the fly-only section. The regs, however, were still stringent enough for us to have confidence of a reasonable fishery. And it was that. The spring-fed Pere Marquette was a gentle thing, the antithesis of the brawling Pine we'd floated and fished the year before. But, despite the source of its water, it was no spring creek. The riffles and pools were maybe less defined than those on an Ozark stream, but they certainly were there. The river was about as wide as the Eleven Point, but as deep as the Current below Montauk Park, imminently wadeable in all but a few spots. A mixed forest of Hemlock, White Pine, and a a few Aspen, Oak, and Maple lined the river, and their dead versions provided most of the cover for the trout.

I started with rather a large Hare's Ear Nymph under a little stick-on indicator. For multiple reasons, I hadn't been able to do the research I really should for the Pere Marquette's resident trout fishery, so I was just going with what I knew. It worked almost immediately. A little 7 inch rainbow ended any possibility of a skunk within the first 20 minutes, striking on the swing through a gentle riffle. I didn't know (and still don't) whether this fish,or any number of its cousins that I also caught, was a resident rainbow or an immature steelhead awaiting its venture to Lake Michigan. But I didn't (and still don't) really care. I did know that it was par-marked and as pretty as any little trout I'd brought to hand. About an hour later, the persistent rain and the ice-cold stream water became too much for me. I yearned for waders, but had none. So I went back to camp to warm up. Finally it did clear for a brief hour or two, and I went back out and catch a couple more rainbows just like him.

The next day, the weather was just about the same. But though the river had risen a fair bit during another full night of rain (that little break hadn't lasted long) it was still quite clear. So we decided to put on the rain gear and float the fly-fishing only stretch. When we launched, it was but a small brook, deep enough to navigate but narrow and quick. The little rainbows were present up here, but not plentiful. The browns were, but they were tough customers. We passed quite a number of anglers. Not one we talked to had landed a fish that day. Neither did we. We tried everything, from Hare's Ears to big dries to. But it was all for naught. Finally, I resigned myself to just enjoy the float and set the fishing rod aside. Then I could enjoy the unrestrained beauty of a north-woods river on a cold, rainy summer afternoon, drips of water coming off the hemlocks than lined the stream.

The next morning, I awoke to bright sun. I was tired from the previous days activities, and didn't awake until about 8. I spent a few hours wade-fishing near camp, and found the rainbows charitable. I tried switching to bigger fare to attempt to lure out a big brown. But it wasn't to be on this day, or on this trip at all, as I'd soon find out. But I found myself happy enough with the little rainbows, a small stream fisherman at heart after all.

None of the next three days were dedicated solely to fishing, but we got plenty in nevertheless. First, we decided to take the canoe out on Hamlin Lake, a large reservoir quite near Lake Michigan. We simply found an access on our atlas that was near our camp and made the short drive. What we found was a vast wetland. At first glance you could mistake it for a large expanse of cattails and other grass. But channels cut through it in very direction, a maze that we knew would be easy to get lost in. Being late evening, we stayed close to the launch, never venturing more than a quarter mile. We found sizable northern pike, but what our party landed were largemouth bass, the largest about 15 inches. But this didn't have much to do with the admittedly marginal angling. This was wilderness in a maybe less attractive, but no less thrilling sense than a little mountain stream. It was actually a place so unattractive and unused that it was spectacularly beautiful. Myriad birds clearly found there home here. You could envision a moose wading out into its grassy waters, if they still lived in that part of Michigan.

Our next fishing trip (and our last) was to a a mid-sized tributary of Lake Michigan that is little known. Salmon and steelhead migration being blocked by a dam near its mouth, this was a stream fishery with few visible signs of the lake element you get very used to up there. Access is tough on this river, flowing through a narrow strip of forest that intersects productive farm country. But we finally found a good bridge crossing reasonably far up the drainage. Downstream there was a deep, inviting pool that I fished thoroughly, but despite the narrowness of the stream (and its appearance of being a small creek) it was rather too deep to wade past there. In that pool I surprised myself by taking.....a yellow perch, a rather unusual find on a trout stream. I quickly decided to try upstream.

Upstream, at first there was a shallow, quick flat. Yellow perch were holding there, but I didn't see trout, or really get the sense that it looked good. Still I tried dredging the water with sub-surface fare for awhile, with no effect except a couple missed takes from the resident perch. But upriver, a downed tree splitting the river during a little riffle upstream caught my eye. I quietly, slowly began wading upstream. Sure enough, native brookies were rising just downstream from there, in the oxygenated water. Though it was hardly noticeable in the slower water, a small mayfly hatch was occurring here. Seeing as how a solid portion of the fish were brookies, I made the determination that all I'd need would be a #14 Parachute Adams. I got one solid take on that but then they wouldn't have anything to do with it, still happily rising to the naturals. Finally I switched to a tiny Parachute, and it was a take on nearly every cast for a short while. There are few things finer than fishing over rising northwoods trout during a hatch, even if you are having rather a rough time getting them to stay on the hook,

Since I asked multiple questions about the salmon fishing on here, I should explain why there's nothing in this report about them. First of all, we just got ensnared with the little wild trout as we tend to, as well as the fantastic scenery. Secondly, as far as we could find out, options were pretty limited for salmon short of a charter boat or at least a very good river guide that could put us on the few fish in the system. We didn't really want to do either one.

It was another great trip. I love little wild trout, and Michigan has been good to us in that department. We are still looking for our first bruiser resident brown up there, but as long as I'm fishing over predominately wild fish, I'm pretty happy regardless of size. We're already trying to see when we can get up there again.

[cnr]

Glad you had a great time it is a very pretty area to fish you should try it in early October. The fall colors are stunning. Like being in New England.

[ozark trout fisher]

Okay, here's those pictures I promised.

Fishing the Fly only water, Pere Marquette

The Pere Marquette River below the fly only stretch, very good rainbow water

Typical Michigan brookie stream

[Phil Lilley]

I've caught a lot of browns above and below that rr bridge.

[ozark trout fisher]

I've caught a lot of browns above and below that rr bridge.

We saw some good browns rising there among the brookies. But as usual they were the harder of the two species to land, and we didn't get any of them.

[Smalliebigs]

Sweet report OTF!!!! very nice looking water......almost angelic....soothing, thank for posting some pics to....I don't get up there and it helps someone like me see the real beauty of that region.....very nice

[MattS]

Went up to Michigan and had about the same luck as you. 14" Brookie was spectacular experience

[Terrierman]

Funny, you don't look that cold to me. Great report and thanks.

[ozark trout fisher]

Went up to Michigan and had about the same luck as you. 14" Brookie was spectacular experience

That is a very good brookie for up there. Congrats on that. The brookies we were hooking were barely pushing 10 inches and we thought that was great.

Thanks for the nice comments guys!

[MattS]

That is a very good brookie for up there. Congrats on that. The brookies we were hooking were barely pushing 10 inches and we thought that was great.

Thanks for the nice comments guys!

Thought it was a brown until I brought it to hand. My friend lives up there and that was the largest one he had seen out of that river.