Well i think that every body knows that just about every river/streams in the lower peninsula is blown out. So I spent the opener picking mushrooms and hanging out with the normal trout camp crew. On Friday I did head to the Muskegon just to see it higher than it has been since the year I was born. We drove the boat around checking out the new trees in the river and watching docks and huge logs float by. Then we decided since we were there we might as well see if we could catch a fish. Surprisingly we hooked and landed this nice male in about twenty minutes of fishing. After a quick pic we called it quits. So the fish are still there and most of them will be doing there thing on the spawning gravel in the high water. The problem is it just isn't that enjoyable fishing in this type of water and I pushed all my trips back to the end of the week. If you do decide t head out use extreme caution and don't try and wade. No fish is worth drowning for. Hopefully by the end of the week the water levels will be down to a fishable level and hopefully there will still be steelhead around. The pictures are from friday, the bottom one is the gage a Thornapple witch was a little of 10.


Drew www.flyfishmi.com

I Had a great day guiding Dave and Glen a father/sun combo from Bloomfield Hills. I woke up this morning to a blizzard but luckily it had cleared by the time I mad it to the river. The river level was perfect and there was a good stain. We had good numbers of hook ups and put a few in the net. We caught everything from scarlet males in full spawning colors to bright chrome hens in deep holes and even a big drop back buck that took one of glens hand tied hares ears. Lately there has been some vary large fish caught and on average the fish have been bigger than most years. While most of the winter/early spring fish are in full spawning mode we have a fresh run of dime bright fish filling in the holes. Fishing deep staging areas is going to be the ticket this week. Eggs, stones, caddis, leaches, fry, and minnow patterns are all good bets right now.

Drew    www.flyfishmi.com

Steelhead fishing has been very productive over the last three days. The river level is still up a little which I prefer and has a perfect stain to it. Typical April flies have been producing good numbers of fish with smaller natural stuff around the gravel and larger leech and minnow patterns in the holes. Fishing should remain consistent throughout the week and I hope it does because I am guiding the next five days. There are also more and more trout rising and streamer fishing should start producing fish as the water reaches the mid 40's.


Drew www.flyfishmi.com

I have been guiding/fun fishing almost everyday for the last week and a half but unfortunately lost my camera so all the pics were taken with clients cameras. Fishing has been steadily improving with a couple of slow days when the flows were 5000 cfs or higher. There are now plenty of steelhead throughout the entire river. Most of the winter fish have already spawned or are currently spawning and most of the activity is around spawning gravel and staging areas. Fishing pressure has been extremely high on the week ends and nice days which can make fishing tough. In general I would say fishing has been pretty good but I expect it to get much better in the following weeks. Egg patterns and nymphs have been the ticket as we are fishing shallower water now and lighter tippets will become an issue as the water continues to clear. On warmer days there have been tons of adults stoneflies laying eggs on the surface and I have been seeing a fair amount of trout rising in the slack water. Hopefully this years hatch will be as productive as last years. Needless to say spring is here.

Drew   www.flyfishmi.com

Friday I had the pleasure of guiding family friends Luke and Ken Scholten. The weather was perfect and we had a great day on the river. Traffic was very high but we were able to get into a some good spots any way and were able to do battle with some feisty steelhead. I also saw a good number of trout rising but their were only a few that were feeding with any regularity. As long as the weather improves like it is supposed to we should be able to dry fly fish within a week or so. Yesterday evening I made it out for a few hours with my good friend Kevin Groothuis. We hooked up with a few fish in the short time we had but unfortunately couldn't get any to the net. Over all steelhead fishing has been improving slowly but surely and should continue to do so with the warmer weather and water temps. The spring crowds are definitely here but there are fish to be had if  know where to find them.  Eggs, leeches and fry patters have been the top producers this week but don't be afraid to experiment as sometimes all it takes is something different. 


Drew
www.flyfishmi.com

Sunday and Monday I had the pleasure of guiding a couple of great guys Shawn Strohpaul and Todd Cowles. Todd and Shawn came up with a group from Caster's Fly Shop and were staying at Matt Supinski's Gray Drake Lodge. We had two great days of fishing with a lot of hook-ups and some really nice fish in the net. The fishing was pretty consistent on Sunday and we hooked fish almost everywhere we fished. Monday was another story however. Fishing was good till about noon and then it just shut down until around four. All in all it was a couple of awesome days on the water with a couple of great guys. Great weather, great fishing, and company, can't ask for much more. Heres some pics from the weekend.

Drew

  Yesterday I had the opportunity to guide two great guys, Jeff and Tim. We had a great day and they hooked plenty of steelhead. The water was clearing up throughout the day and the best action was from 10:00 to 2:00 when the water was at it's warmest. The river seamed to fill in with fish after the good toilet flushing we had and there are now steelhead spread out in every stretch. Fishing has been pretty consistent the last few days with leeches, minnows and eggs doing the trick. I tried a stonefly yesterday without success but I think as the water continues clear they will come back into play. Hopefully the water will warm up over the next few days and winter will finally let go but I think spring is near. There are a few fall and winter fish hitting the gravel but the majority of fish are still in winter holes. The river is really ripping so fish the softer water where the fish can hold out of the current. Steelhead fishing should only continue to improve now and trout fishing is possible again with a few fish starting to rise.

I still have April dates open so call me or email me if you are interested in a day of steelhead fishing.

Drew,  www.flyfishmi.com

 I had a few hours to do some scouting this evening and tried out some spots I haven't been fishing. I managed to find a few players and hit this nice hen right at dark. The river is still high but there is about two feet of visibility. Steelhead fishing should continue improving throughout the week as new fish appear on the high tide. I still have April dates available so give me a call at 616-318-1435 to book your trip.

Drew

  Steelhead fishing was decent today considering all the crowds. The river rose a lot today and has a lot of color so bust out the high water clowns. Most of the holes  are getting worked good now so if you aren't the first one their in the morning SLOW DOWN and make sure you fish it good. Most of the time you can find fish that others have missed. Their are a bunch of spots that don't fish good in low water but will be holding fish now so don't be afraid to explore. Unfortunately the high water might put a damper on the dry fly action. I expect to see a good push of fresh fish with the high water coinciding with the full moon. I still have April dates available so call me to book your trip.


Drew, 616-318-1435

 Steelhead fishing is up and down right now with one day putting up good spring numbers and the next day being more like the dead of winter. The good news is the river is rising both in level and temperature. Another bonus is that there are a lot of stoneflies now, both swimming nymphs and adults on the surface and their are a few trout rising. Hopefully we will see an epic hatch like we did last year and the trout are willing to rise. During last years hatch I landed more big fish than the whole year combined. Trout fishing in April can be awesome with little to no pressure while everyone is chasing steel. Stonefly nymphs are producing fish now along with eggs, leeches, and baitfish patterns. I still have some prime dates available for April so call me or email me to lock in your day for steelhead and or trout fishing.

Today I had the chance to fish by myself for couple of hours. Despite the dreary weather I had a pretty good evening hooking up with a few fish. This nice male took a low water clown. The river is running VERY low right now but the guys at the dam say that Hardy pond is almost full and once it is we will get some much needed water. They also are saying to expect a normal high water spring, which hopefully means more steelhead than last year. Steelhead fishing has been surprisingly good over the last couple days despite the low water, and should continue improving over the next week. Trout fishing remains consistent in the soft water. I will be down in Detroit for the weekend at the Mid West Fly Fishing Expo so if you aren't out on the river come down and enjoy the show.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of guiding Rob Lisiak. Fishing proved to be tough due to low water and high fishing pressure but Rob stuck it out and was rewarded at the last stop with an awesome  buck that slammed a baitfish pattern. Steelhead is pretty consistent now however numbers vary a lot from day to day. River traffic was vary high this weekend but if you put in the time you can find fish that haven't been pressured and are willing to take flies. The river is vary low right now which means fish will be moving out of some spots that have been producing and into spots that haven't been holding as many fish. Eggs have been producing and baitfish patterns are getting jolting fall like strikes. Trout fishing remains consistent but the low water is pushing fish out of some areas. 

Stiff winds and high sun made fishing tough today both for trout and steelhead. However we did manage to get a few trout and a couple of nice fresh hens. One of the fish came a couple of cast before we were going to quit, a nice way to end the day. 

Steelhead fishing was pretty good today. Almost every stop of the day produced at least one fish willing to play although some of the fish didn't make it all the way to the net. Most of the fish over the last few days have been good size hens that are really fresh, a good sign of things to come. Fishing should continue to improve throughout the week as we see more and more new arrivals. The river levels have dropped quite a bit but there is is still some good color.

 Steelhead fishing was good today using switch rods and indicators. I fished with Matt Sikkema and we hooked a good number of fish in soft seems in deeper runs. Steelhead fishing in general has been varying from day to day. Some days everything comes together and fishing is great and the next day you have to really put your time in to hook a fish. However it does seem the number of good days has been steadily improving. It seems there is a lot of fresh fish around and the holes have been filling up. It also seems the fish are feeding a little more actively over the last week. Trout fishing remains good i the usual winter runs. The hot flies today were steelhead buggers and the Juice Box by Matt Grajewski. Stone flies have also been producers this week as the become more active.

    The river has come up significantly over the last few days and has gained a lot of color. Trout fishing has slowed down quite a bit but you can still find fish in the slower seems and runs. I spent Friday fishing for trout and steelhead and both were tough especially in the gale force winds. On Saturday I fish for pike with a big group of friends in the Dam to Dam tournament. In the afternoon me and a buddy gave up on the pike and decided to go swing for some steel. We didn't find any takers but the wind finally died down and it was a beautiful evening to be casting a spey rod. Today I headed out with good friends Pat Tubergen and Drew Peklo. We had a great day of steelhead fishing that was cut short by the inbound Blizzard and a long ride home going 30mph the whole way back to Grand Rapids. Before we decided to leave we managed to hook eight steelhead and land three. The high water clown was the fly of the day. Look for steelhead fishing to continue improving throughout the week.

Drew
www.flyfishmi.com

  The river has definitely come up and seemed to be gaining a lot of color throughout the day. Trout fishing was tough today with most of the fish being on the move and or just not feeding. We swung flies for steelhead for a while but were not rewarded with the TUG. However I did talk to a few other guides who did well using other methods. There were steelhead in a few new spots that I drove over today that weren't there yesterday. The rising water and color is much needed and once the fish get used to the changes we could have some really good fishing. The boat ramps are melting off but still need to be treated with caution.

 The river is starting to come up and gain some color from the snow melt. Once the ground is saturated the flows will increase even more. I fished today with Bob Mansel. The trout have definitely been effected by the cooler water from the run off and current changes. The fish changed where they are holding and seems that have bee loaded are now empty and other previously empty spots have now filled in. The means you may have to search a little more but we still found great concentrations of fish. The bite was slow this morning but as the water warmed it picked up and we landed 25-30 fish. The pink scud was once again the number one producer with the natural coming in second. 
      We saw steelhead in a few new spots today, a sign of spring and fresh chrome filling in the runs. The launch at Thornapple looked 100% better than two days ago but one trout was stuck and one at Pine. I talked to a couple people today who caught steelhead so the warmer weather might being the ticket.

 Well it seem like the weather may have made a turn for the better over the weekend. Along with the spring like temperatures we are getting a little snow melt and some much needed runoff. Another sign that spring is around the corner and fresh fish are on their way. 

 Despite the frigid temps earlier this week trout fishing remained great. I spent Thursday scouting new spots for the upcoming season and found good amounts of trout  at almost every stop. I fished with friends Bob Mansel and Tom Bernard on Friday and we had a great day despite some boat problems. We managed to land around sixty trout between the three of us. Most of the trout were on the smaller side but we did get a few thirteen too fourteen inchers. Most of the trout were feeding on scuds but in a few areas the were keying in on midges and were even suspended near the surface. We also found some trout holding in faster water than the last few weeks.

  Yesturday was spent guiding Mike from Detroit. Mike lives on the Detroit river river and has alot of experience fishing for bass, walleyes, and trout on the east side of the state. He was excited to fish the Muskegon and to try out some winter fishing. We started out trout fishing and working on nymphing techniques. With about an hour left of sunlight we decided to head down river and try for a steelhead. After easing in on a log jam Mike got a perfect drift right along the wood and sure enough, fish on!!! Mike fought the fish out of the logs perfectly and we got her in the net. Great way to end a trip.

 The steelhead fishing should improve with the tropical temps expected this week. New fish are showing up every day. Trout fishing is only getting better and as long as you search around you can find some great pods of fish. The salmon are hatching now and alevin are starting to squirm out of the rocks. Any day now the stones will be crawling on the snow. Spring is on its way.

      Anyone who is expecting to put a boat in should come prepared with sand and shovels. The boat launches are in very bad shape with the thawing and freezing. Las night it took me an hour to get out at Thornapple and wouldn't suggest using that ramp for awhile.

This weekend was spent enjoying the sunny weather on the mighty Muskegon. I spent Saturday swinging flies for steelhead with a couple of my friends. We were on a scouting mission trying out a couple of spots that I haven't fished too much. Unfortunately, it was pretty uneventful but we did get one good tug at one of the new spots so I will definitely try it again and hopefully figure it out a little better. Despite the lack of fish, it was beautiful to be out on the water and we had the stretch to ourselves.

Today I met up with fellow guide, Jay Allen, and his good friend Curt. The target of the day was trout. Fishing started off pretty slow and we were only picking up a couple fish here and there. We made a big move to some pockets downstream where the sun was on the water and it was like magic. After the first couple of casts we realized that we had made the right move and whether it was really the sun or just coincidence, the fish were definitely there. It's funny how subtle things make a big difference in the winter. The fish were in tight pods and once we found them, the action was pretty steady. Most of the fish came on scuds but after realizing the shallows were full of swimming stoneflies, I tied one on and picked up fish on that. Seeing that much stonefly activity is pretty strange this early in the year, but a cool site to see and another winter treat.

Trout fishing should remain steady this week, if not improve. Steelhead fishing varies from day to day. To book a trip or for any questions give me a call or shoot me an email.

Drew Rosema     www.flyfishmi.com

I had a lot of fun over Christmas and got to spend time fishing some northern rivers while I was visiting my girlfriend's parents. It was great to be on some new water and fishing was very productive. While targeting trout with nymphs we even managed a few steelhead. Always remember that after the salmon are done steelhead start to feed exactly like stream trout and can be caught on all the same flies that you use for trout and often in the same seems. I have even had steelhead take flies as small as 20. The steelhead in the pic above took a scud pattern while trout fishing and was a pretty exciting battle on 6x. The beginning of the week was also productive trout wise. Fish have started to congregate in their normal winter spots. The key is to be persistent to find the fish. Start in close and work your way across gridding out the hole and runs. DON'T OVERLOOK INSIDE SEEMS! If you're fishing pocket water, pick it apart seem by seem but remember in the winter, fish are going to prefer the slower side of the seems. Most of the areas that trout have been holding have been slower edges of the rivers and the soft sides of seems, staying out of the current as they watch food go by. The name of the game for steelhead is the usual for this time of year. Work holes and runs methodically. The fish do not have the same spunk as they do in the fall and sometimes you have to put it right on their nose.  Don't give up. Fish a spot hard then move to the next searching for a fish that is feeding or can be enticed to feed. Winter steelhead lies are a lot like winter trout lies and sometimes they are feeding side by side. Fish soft seems and the slower water next to them and long deep holes and runs. The big rain last week and the snow melt dropped the water temperature but fishing should improve throughout the week. Also the brief high water probably moved some fish around so if you have a spot that hasn't been producing in the past couple weeks, now is a good time to go back and give it another shot. In deep holes the bottom can vary a lot with boulders and humps creating cushions in the current. Sometimes you need to fish holes hard to find this bottom structure that may be holding fish. Another safe bet is always fishing around wood. Start with your indicator set high and slowly work it down so you can fish tight to the wood without getting snagged in it. Flies for trout have been mostly smaller nymphs 16-22. Steelhead flies are small, more natural colored eggs and nymph patterns.

Drew Rosema      www.flyfishmi.com