Hi All

 

Winter has loosened it's grip. It has been mild for many days and very sunny as of the last 7 to 10 days. It was getting very cold every night holding back the run off from the swamps and some nights we were actually building ice on the lakes last week. The last couple days things have started to change. Monday evening I walked in below the Baldwin River in the upper flies and something funny was happening. The water was rising and there was a funny color to it (it's about time). The fishing was slow on Monday, must have been the rising water and colder water dropping the temps and the fish needed to adjust some. On Tuesday, John Robinson and I floated the upper flies to scout it out. We fished all the dark water leaving all the bedding fish alone only hooked one. Everyone we spoke with had slower days Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with not to good of a bite.

 

Yesterday was a different story. The fish were biting good not only in our boat but others as well .The water is still rising for a couple reasons... we had a little rain, maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 inch yesterday and it has been above freezing overnight for the last couple nights which was the key to getting the swamps to let go with some water.. I heard a report that in the lower river, around Custard, was getting dumped on with heavy downpours of rain. Soon PM Lake will be open with this warm up. Most of the snow is gone and there is a lot of ground exposed even some fog. The Spring run is ON ! New fish are showing up. Older wintering fish will be finishing their business and going back to the lake.

 

I had a guided trip on the 10th. and the river was fishing good for my clients. I was happy to see all the Trout were on the egg bite big time. The last couple weeks the Trout have been making themselves scarce and hard to catch (bull in a china shop w/low clear water) just needed to add water and color to it and then there not so spooky. The streamer bite isn't there for striping yet but the swing is still doing well mostly because it is a much slower presentation. I have herd of many fish moving and chasing streamers but eating them is a different story. The water needs to be just a tad bit warmer, I'll say 45 deg. + is a good time to start gripping ,stripping, and ripping STREAMERS. Early streamer season usually consist of many fish in the lower teens. The big boys are behind the Steelhead eating eggs and you would have a better chance at them with eggs and muddlers or Salmon Parr patterns. I favor the smaller bait fish giving chase to the egg. I love the TROUT BITE ! 

 

It's Time to crawl out of your winter den growl loudly and few times and get outdoors to wetting a line. I have some great days open to guide in March and April. Give us a call soon and we will help you plan your trip.. 

 

P. S  Please Don't forget about our Live Web Cam to see changes to that occur to the Pere Marquette during the Spring rains, snows, and melt downs..

 

 

Tight Lines

 

Clint