While the weather seems to be up and down with temperature the trend has been towards the cooler side and the water has started to creep down around 33 degrees in most systems. It's safe to say most of the fish are in their winter holds and should be fished accordingly. 

Lately we've been focusing on slower holding water with either structure or depth. The rivers are still low and clear so the shallower runs that we are finding fish in usually have some sort of structure that they are holding close to. Log jams and boulders are great places to look. Swinging flies has been effective, especially when starting at the tops of runs and working the run down towards a piece of structure. More natural looking flies like sculpins and small bait fish patterns have been our top producers.

Indicator and euro fishing really starts to shine this time of year. Getting flies down to where the fish are and keeping the fly in the fishes strike zone longer can really pay off in colder water. On the smaller water a euro rod really helps you pick apart short pools and runs. While euro nymphing is mainly geared towards trout, sizing up to a 10ft 6wt or 7wt and bumping leader size up just a touch you can increase your landing percentage on the steelhead and bigger trout. To compensate for the slightly tippet diameter, using a heavier anchor fly helps keep you in contact with the bottom. Remember to use tungsten flies as they are heavier than your standard brass bead heads. 

Indicator fishing some of the deeper and longer runs is a great way to fish if you want to cover more water or cast to some of the runs you can't quite reach with a euro rod. A 10ft 7wt or a 6 or 7 wt switch rod paired with a SA anadro indicator line is our go to setup. Most of the fish have been 50/50 on hitting nymphs vs eggs. Stonefly, wiggler, and hares ears for the nymphs and dead egg patterns in light pale variations of green and orange. 

When we are fishing deep runs 6 or more feet deep we really like to switch over to switch rods. The increased rod length over a standard rod makes casting long rigs a breeze and the mend ability is far superior when trying to maintain a good drift. Some of the fish we've brought to net lately have been in water between 7-13ft range. If your looking for a really good do it all rod a switch is a good choice. 

We can help you get set up in shop with the right gear and rigs for swinging, euro nymphing, and indicator fishing. Need a refresher on steelhead tactics? Just getting into steelhead, or curious about trying but dont know where to start? No problem, we offer Free Steelhead 101 Classes in the shop regularly and can send you out on the water confidently. 

Tight lines, Capt. Matt 

Brews and Bugs 2025 Schedule

We are excited to announce our Brews and Bugs schedule for 2025! This year we are LOWERING the cost of each class to $20. RSVP includes $10 in shop credit and exclusive access to in store discounts on the night of the class. Classes are held at our Grand Rapids shop and space is limited so don't hesitate, sign up today!! We are kicking things off on Saturday January 4th with a double header with Jon Ray and Ed McCoy of Mangled Fly. We will be raffling off some Mangled Fly Gear and other cool stuff during this Brews and Bugs season opener. One raffle ticket is included with RSVP for each class. Sign up for both, get two tickets! Full schedule is below, and can also be found by following this link. 

Saturday January 4th - Ed McCoy
Saturday January 4th - Jon Ray
Saturday January 11th - Jeff Hubbard
Thursday January 16th - Matt Grajewski
Tuesday January 21st - Kevin Feenstra
Thursday January 23rd - Ross Swanson
Thursday January 30th - Lance Nelson
Tuesday February 4th - Matt Zudweg
Wednesday February 12th - Drew Peklo
Thursday February 20th - Drew Rosema
Tuesday February 25th - Cole Devault

We are working on adding more winter classes to this list so stay tuned for more updated. We look forward to seeing you all this winter!