April 2nd 2026
Spring is here and so are the fish.
Warmer temperatures and a bump in river levels have pushed a lot of fish up the river systems. Most of our rivers have just returned to normal levels or slightly higher than normal depending on where you are at. There is rain in the forecast so I would expect water levels to stay on the higher side for the next week or so.
Lately we have been fishing the Muskegon river and have found most of our fish in pocket water or runs near spawning gravel. I have yet to see any spawning activity but it's only a matter of days until fish are on redds. The majority of our fish have been caught on fry patterns or pale clown colored eggs. I've been a big fan of tying egg patterns with the fulling mill micro uv egg chenille on a number 10 or 8 c14s egg hook. On the nicer afternoons when the sun peaks out and the wind is favorable we've been doing well fishing stonefly dries on the surface for browns.
We have a new lineup of classes online and next Friday (April 10th 4-6pm) Matt Supinski will be at our GR Shop for a book signing for the release of his new book. You can pre-order a signed copy here, and join us in GR for light apps and beer from Atwater Brewery! We hope to see you there!
We only have 2 dates left open this month for trips the 19th and 27th. We have some dates in May for trout still available and are booking summer bass trips in June. We also have decided to run a couple summer trip specials. A 6hr guided trip for bass for $400 and an "after work special" 2hrs of bass fishing after 4pm for $200. Give us a call or shoot us an email to get a trip on the calendar!
Be safe and tight lines.
- Capt. Matt
A word from Parker:
Well, we’ve crept into the spring season within a matter of just a couple of weeks. Water temps shot up, levels are good, and there are lots of fish around. I spent some time chasing resident trout as well as a few migratories since the last report. We learned our lesson on the bigger resident water - cold temperatures, a cold snap, and high water made for pretty difficult fishing. Scraping up a few bites each day and capitalizing on those opportunities was key, there’s a lot of food flowing down our rivers right now with the big melt and rain we’ve received. This can be a tough time for the streamer angler until those water levels drop a bit. In contrast, the smaller rivers tend to fish fairly well mostly due to being confident that you are placing your fly over fish, rather than trying to pattern larger systems. It can produce a few more reactionary strikes rather than food bites. That being said, natural flies in that 4-6” range found a few nice fish on bigger water.
In terms of migratories, there’s all kinds of valid approaches this time of year. Stripping streamers, swinging flies, and nymphing eggs/bugs has been productive. High contrast streamers and swing flies have found success, especially in dirtier water. We’ve got quite a bit of rain coming this week which should bump us back to those first melt flows. Larger pink and orange eggs are never a bad idea this time of year. With lots of fish set up on gravel, fishing the deep buckets and runs 10-50 yards downstream has been great.
There are a few stoneflies coming off now as well. I saw numerous fish, although small, eat a few dries on sunnier days when the stoneflies are more prolific. It’s about that time to keep a dry rod rigged and ready in the boat or truck! I’ve been tying what is essentially a Griffiths Gnat in sizes 10-14 with black dubbing, gray deer hair wing, and gray hackle. Super simple and very effective for this first major hatch. Or swing by the shop and pick up some flies!
Our season is certainly late this year. There are lots of fish around but I expect to see another push with this rain coming. For late March, we’re behind compared to the last few years. Spring steelhead is far from over!
As always, the shop is loaded up for all of your spring wants and needs. I’ll be tying dries in the next couple of weeks in preparation for May and June. It’s been a long winter and I’m ready to see the bugs fly and heads pop.
Thanks to everyone who attended our classes this winter. With great guests came great information and tips for the upcoming season. See you out there!
- Parker