I can’t tell you how many times I’ve visited a pool at the crack of dawn, got skunked, and later caught a massive winter steelhead in the same pool after a slight 1- or 2-degree increase in water temperature. When the egg hatch is massive, fresh-run steelhead cannot ignore their urge to feed, especially since spawning might be five months away. We too often take the fly out of the fish’s mouth with quick trout-like nymph striking. The rod, lines, and the flies all need to match the water size and conditions. The action was non-stop, with more fish than we could count AND multiple double headers. I’m not sure if you’d call it feeding or merely “throat mouthing,” but they definitely take in food items. … Winter steelhead are frequently in 32- to 38-degree water, so the ultimate key for success is to slow everything down. sometimes. Steelhead fishing in Michigan is very popular, with fish starting to enter the rivers in March. Pocket/boulder/pool water is a winter steelhead’s ultimate holding, resting, and thermal refuge water. Bridge pools, train trestles, and lowhead dams all work to congregate steelhead, and tributary influences are sure places to find these comfortable lies. A sand or silt bottom signifies slow water, and that’s what the steelhead prefer. Steelhead fishing in Michigan is very popular, with fish starting to enter the rivers in March. A steelhead’s attitude becomes dour as the temperature drops, but two-handed rods and swinging flies are still effective in the right hands. Strikes are usually detected by the rod tip throbbing or stopping. Here are step-by-step instructions for tying the Strong Arm Merkin fly. By Bob Butz on December 27, 2016 Tagged Fish, Outdoors, Benzie County, Benzonia, Honor. The Kamikaze Sculpin is easy to tie, versatile, and smartly designed to get the job done. The Editor.]. The timing below is for the Upper Peninsula, downstate goes a … $395 for 2 anglers Full Day. Out of all the steelhead seasons, winter is by far my favorite. Euro nymphing is also effective for fish holding in deeper runs and bigger rivers. This is most often associated with water temperature. Fishing for Michigan steelhead this year is going to be a fun and exciting challenge. What makes them savagely attack your fly at times, and at other times scoff at your offerings or become totally dormant? |   On these streams, any kind of gravel or cobble bottom is a magnet for steelhead. It is a combination of deep bottom nymphing and swinging that uses a clear intermediate line instead of a narrow running line, and two weighted flies (where legal) moving broadside to the fish and along the bottom. Active spawning begins near 42 degrees. In 1876, Michigan’s Daniel Fitzhugh never dreamed that his California rainbow trout experiment on the Au Sable River would result in migratory winter steelhead. Given these developmental factors, the winter steelhead strike response is shaped more on what I call biotic stimulation than on aggression. No individuals have done more for the winter swinging game than the MOW boys—Mike McCune, Scott O’Donnell, and Ed Ward—who developed Skagit lines to fish heavy sinking tips and dredge deeper waters with big flies like Scott Howell’s Intruder. And bad weather often means good fishing as the snow and rain feed the rivers and draw fresh chrome up out of the Great Lakes, whether that’s on the Salmon River in the Tug Hill region of New York, Lake Erie’s Steelhead Alley, Michigan’s Muskegon or Pere Marquette, or on the Knife River on the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. In the Great Lakes, the long, cold winters create lengthy incubation periods for fish that run in the late fall and don’t spawn until spring. These sighters, along with Cortland Liquid Crystal lines are a perfect way to go ultra stealth. Spawn skeins and cured eggs tied into bags are proven fish-getters throughout the steelhead landscape. This is when nymphing—either with an indicator or with a European tight-line technique—becomes vitally important. Size 6 Bugger Hook. Finally here, the big question is and will always be “Do steelhead really eat once they return to the rivers?” The obvious answer is that yes they do . Places like this are perfect for dredging Sculpin Intruders. Also, the Early Black Stonefly hatches of late winter on rivers such as the Muskegon can have adult steelhead focused on stonefly nymphs, while the younger year class of “skippers” actually eat off the surface. When these pools get bombarded on busy rivers like the Salmon River in New York, target tertiary lies where fish retreat. Wild, naturally reproducing river strains have taken root in Michigan, New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ontario. Be sure to subscribe to … This solitary winter-run lifestyle affects how you pursue the fish of a thousand casts. Combined with the three fall steelhead fishing tips above, lure choice is important to bring steelheads to the bank. Winter steelhead also travel in smaller migratory pods or as singles, whereas summer fish are often schooling fish and travel in large packs like stripers. Pelagic hunting strike responses have their greatest display when fresh-run steelhead just enter the rivers and their eyes are glued to the blue/green/orange UV light spectrum, which is most visible in the pelagic zones and deeper in open waters down to 200 feet. When a broad-shouldered winter fish violently strikes your swinging Intruder, the savage aggression has no fly-fishing match. Often as they do with baitfish hunting in the pelagic zone, steelhead bump the fly like they are trying to stun their prey before eating it. Fishing Tips Michigan Steelheading. Summer-runs evolved on larger, vast river systems like the Columbia and Skeena, where great distances favored early start dates. Croton Dam Steelhead. In 1876, Michigan’s Daniel Fitzhugh never dreamed that his California rainbow trout experiment on the Au Sable River would result in migratory winter steelhead. Biotic prey stimulation goes on constantly for winter fish from birth, through spawning, and eventually mortality. These rivers always have later runs of steelhead. Pick the holding lies carefully, envision where the fish are, and penetrate the depths effectively by slowing down the line speed and the fly speed of your Intruders or sculpins/leeches. Michigan has many fine steelhead streams, and about this time of year, it seems like spring will never arrive. But when salmon or other steelhead aren't actively spawning and providing fresh … Here … Finally, invest in the best clothing you can buy. Live bait is popular among spin-cast anglers who are fishing … Those moments quickly make you forget your frozen toes and fingers, and makes those moments back at the lodge—looking at your images and sipping a Scotch or bourbon by the fireplace—so much more heartwarming. Some of the best steelhead rivers in Michigan … Ashley with a gorgeous Spring Steelhead in Michigan Muskegon River. Steelhead fishing … Spawning is in full swing right now with lots of Salmon visible and on gravel. Here are a couple links for Fishing Reports for Michigan Spring Steelhead fishing as well. Late Febuary and March offer some of the best Fishing the Michigan has to offer, before the crowds arrive. Runs hit their peak in April and fishing can still be good up until the end of May. Explaining the tackle and the technique surrounding swinging for steelhead would take a whole book, and there are many fine ones already out there. As a general rule, the rivers in the southern portion of the Michigan warm first, getting the first migrations of Spring Steelhead. Tie all you leaders before you leave home. In smaller rivers, indicator nymphing with switch rods is effective and cuts down on the potential of “lining” a fish (merely drawing the fly into the fish’s mouth). Thus, swinging two-handers with Intruders with color motifs such as blue/chartreuse/purple are highly effective. Keep slower flows, current deflections, and the idea of “path of least resistance” forward in your mind since winter steelhead are slow creatures. Generally the St. Joseph and the Grand River kick off our Michigan Spring Steelhead. Glo-bugs, beads, Krystal Meth Weave Eggs, Sucker Spawn, and Otter Eggs are all highly effective, but with the gravel being dug and dislodged, caddis larvae and mayfly and stonefly nymphs also get into the biological drift. All Rights Reserved. With winter steelhead, you obviously need to get your flies down near the fish, but controlling the swinging line speed is the most critical element for winter steelhead. They are pursued with fly, bait and lures of all types. As you explore your home water, keep in mind what they are eating to select the best carp... You don't always catch large trout in these alpine lakes and streams, but even the small ones... How to deliver meat & potatoes to hungry trout, They've been waiting millions of years for this opportunity. Winter Steelhead Fishing Tips in Northern Michigan. Covering human scent is a major key in catching salmon … River bends with tailouts provide some of the most perfect steelhead lies, especially where you can see demarcation where a bubble line of moving water meets with slow water to create eddies, creases, or seams. Great tips on casting spinning rods, bead fishing, drifting a float, and netting a steelhead. Winter Steelhead Fishing on the Muskegon River. The Big Manistee River and the Muskegon River usually have a fishable number of Steelhead until mid to late May, often until Memorial Day. Its short but sweet! Fishing Lake Michigan tributaries for some giant steelhead. They migrate to the ocean as juvenile fish and … Your email address will not be published. Steelhead and Steelhead fishing has became one of the most sought after game fish and fishing pastimes in Michigan, rivaled by only the Chinook or King Salmon in popularity with Michigan anglers. All Fly Fisherman subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. Drift fishing sounds complicated (and it is), but in my experience, it’s probably … Watch for fast-dropping barometric frontal systems. Michigan Salmon Fishing – The upper sections of the Manistee River, near Tippy Dam to the High Bridge Boat Launch have been fishing very for King Salmon, Coho Salmon, and Skamania Steelhead. These rivers are smaller and warm more quickly than the larger rivers, offering early Spring Steelhead fishing. With water temps often in the 30 F. range, the takes are often slow and subtle. Based on Chapter 9 of The Complete Cast, Ed Jaworowski and Bernard 'Lefty' Kreh give some... "The Professor" George Daniel demonstrates how to stop the rod high, and haul the line to make... Give a Gift   The earlier warm up has the fish moving up river to different runs, closer to spawning gravel. In the Great Lakes, deepwater sculpins and gobies now make up a larger part of the prey profiles since alewife baitfish numbers have decreased as much as 90 percent. Once steelhead settle into their “incubation pools” before they spawn, biotic riverine drift stimulation becomes much more dominant. Bright Silver Steelhead have been throughout the mainstream, from the … A true sign that you are sick with the affliction is when you find yourself obsessing about your next trip while driving back from your current one. They are a tough breed, not far removed from Siberian Gulag survivors with icicles hanging off their long-frozen beards. Natal imprinting also has a powerful effect. Forums > Michigan Fishing > Warm Water Species Fishing > Detroit River and Lake Erie > Huron River Steelhead Discussion in ' Detroit River and Lake Erie ' started by … Required fields are marked *, Spring Steelhead Trips for the Pere Marquette, Manistee, and Muskegon River. Paying attention to Spring run off, and water temperatures are your best bet but this list of rivers should also help. Steelhead seek gravel as spawning season approaches, but it’s not always required. Thus, the winter steelhead chuck-and-duck method using running line is still very effective. This is a huge time-saver … Rivers such as the Muskegon, Manistee, White, Pere Marquette, and Grand offer some outstanding steelhead fishing in West Michigan. Most significant of these are eggs. Trout Trips. The smaller rivers like the Pere Marquette Riverwarm faster than the Big Manistee River. You can be a successful freshwater fly fisher with just the nine knots shown here. @Copyright 2020 bettsguideservice.com | All Rights Reserved. Scuds, burrowing mayflies like Hexagenia, and chubs love this water, and they often get attacked when they move too close to steelhead. The ice keeps these rivers much colder than others. If you are not fly fishing for steelhead this fall, then lure choice will usually include live bait. Tips, Tricks, and Techniques For Steelhead Fishing. Since 1992 I have been analyzing every aspect of a winter steelhead’s behavioral repertoire, and have come to some firm conclusions. These incubation periods can last up to six months for summer steelhead, and as little as a few months or even weeks or days for winter fish. With 140 years of genetic and behavioral modifications, Michigan winter steelhead have the most uniquely adapted survival strategies of all Great Lakes steelhead. They are as diverse as the rivers they live in, but fly fishers think of them in terms of their calendar polarities: winter steelhead enter the river between October and May, while summer steelhead migrate from May through October. By searching the highs and lows, we have come here to present you the best steelhead fishing tips or rainbow trout. The steelhead drug is a very powerful one that will eradicate any semblance of self-control. I have often witnessed steelhead spawning in these rivers on valentines day if we’ve had a couple warm, sunny days. ©2021 Outdoor Sportsman Group. As for being a fishing guide in Western Michigan for nearly 25 years, there are always several reoccurring questions that I often get from clients that are interested in Michigan Spring Steelhead fishing. Each winter fish must be earned since you must not only put in the time, you must often overcome harsh conditions, which makes every capture of a winter steelhead so much more rewarding. Black thread (heavier thread is necessary for … To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine. Each fish must be earned, and the joy of battling and landing a big crimson and chrome beast in the middle of winter brings on a euphoria like no other. Michigan Fishing Reports – Spring Steelhead Fishing has been going strong on the Muskegon River. For this article, we will concentrate on streams that get good summer and fall runs of steelhead, and thus, usually offer the best winter fishing. The St. Mary’s Rapids has Steelhead well into June. The Hobie MirageDrive 360 pedal propulsion system is the pinnacle of kayak control with more efficient fin designs, glide technology and allows the boat to be moved in any direction. [Read Supinski’s story “Checkmate: A match-the-hatch chess game for Great Lakes steelhead” in the February-March 2014 issue or online at flyfisherman.com. Both rivers offer excellent steelhead … The Manistee and other northwest lower Michigan rivers have steelhead in them from late September to well into May. After guiding year-round for Oncorhynchus mykiss the past 23 years, I insanely still find myself not getting enough of the crimson and chrome buzz. But with the new switch rod revolution, you can swing, nymph, or use a method I came up with called chuck/swinging, all in the same day with the same tackle. Once a frontal system stabilizes, get out there, as the heavy snow bite is usually ferocious. 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