November 1st 2024
We are just coming off of another great king season. The salmon have completed their annual migration up most of the rivers in West Michigan and were in good numbers despite low water. There are still a few straggler fish that are just starting to spawn but will taper off in the next two weeks. A good group of steelhead have also come into most of the rivers following the salmon run.
We are catching a lot of our fish by swinging streamers with spey rods or by floating egg flies behind the remaining spawning Kings. Most of our fish have been found in bucket gravel behind Kings or in faster transition water or runs in the 3 to 6 ft range. While swinging we've been using an SA floating skagit with 7-10ft of T7- T14 sink tip depending on water speed in depth. For the faster or slightly deeper runs a weighted fly can get you down a few extra inches. It's wise to carry a few weighted and unweighted flies of the same pattern. For swing flies we've been using feenstra code breaker, flash mob, and sculpin patterns.
It looks like we have rain in the forecast again, hopefully some substantial amounts of rain. The rivers are low and could really use a bump in flows to help bring more steelhead up into the rivers and improve the fish numbers.
On the warm water side, one of our local guides that helps us with guided trips Allen Campbell has a report on pike fishing if you are still looking for warm water species. Our warm water fish feed very heavy going into the winter months anticipating the slowing of their metabolism with the cold water. Now is a great time to look for a PB smallmouth pike or other warm water fish. Here's Allens report.
Our pike fishing has been on fire despite the low water we are experiencing. The keys to the game involve patience and keying in on the right structure. Many, if not all of our fish are caught close to submerged timber or structure. Our choice of gear includes steel leaders, 8 wt rods, and intermediate sink lines. Our favorites are the clear tip intermediate lines from SA. In the deeper holes, SA Sonar Sink lines I/2/3 are a great choice. For fly selections, the most productive flies have been in the 5"-7" range. Match the color of the fly to your local forage or just through chartreuse and white cause that works too.
Be prepared to land your fish with a large net and have a pair of pliers handy. Catching pike is fun, however, bloody knuckles are not. Most importantly, if you see a flash or feel a tug, strip set! If you lift that rod and trout set, you will miss a lot of fish.
Good luck out there and have fun!
We have open spots for classes and a good stock of everything you need in the shop to be successful on the water. We still have a few guided trips openings for the month of November for warm water Pike, Bass, or Steelhead.
Tight lines - Matt & Allen