Everything In Its Right Place

The water looked great, the water temps where perfect, the weather was gorgeous, traffic was light, steelhead where plentiful, and trout had the munchies. This past week the Pere Marquette’s puzzle fit together perfect and everything was in its right place. It was a wicked start for April and it finally feels, looks, and smells like it should.

The spring steelhead migration seems to have peaked this past week. My assumption is things will slow down quickly with it being this warm and this late into April…but hey one never knows for sure. There should be plenty of good opportunities for steel this week but these fish won’t linger long and next week I would assume those opportunities will return to the big lake. No those jumping steelhead are not eating flies they are just happy to go home. Steel are nipping eggs, alvin, and nymphs around the gravels and holding water. Streamers are getting the dropbacks and more aggressive males in the packs behind the ladies. This being the most exciting way to target these brutes!!!

Now for the trout program. Eggs, eggs, eggs and a little of everything is the menu. Get away from steel and a streamer, stone nymph or wiggler might work but the river is full of orange candy at moment. The Alvin are starting to ball up the bugs are starting to fly and next week other techniques should start to fall back into the fold but for now eggs, eggs, and eggs will fool most of our trout.

Go enjoy a watershed.

Pere Marquette Watershed conditions

Water level: normal

Water temp: 52

Water clarity: light stain