We have had some beautiful weather here on the Pere Marquette over the last several days. Cold nights with highs pushing 70 during the day with piercing hot sunshine. So hot and piercing that you can see Lupe needing to cover up head to toe.
Steelhead are finally petering out in the upper river. Still a few around yesterday, but not enough to really target. We’ve been hooking several steelhead each day, but with water temps in the low 50s these fish are extremely hard to tame. On our last few trips our boats have gone collectively 4 for 26. The fish are aggressive. They come up, whack the fly, get the hook, run 30 feet in about 2 seconds, fly out of the water, tail walk ten feet, head shake their way into some wood and if you manage to survive that whole mess, just when you have them at the net, they make one more twisting explosion and throw the hook or snap the tippet. Actually pretty fun, but also frustrating. Hex and pale Hendrickson nymphs have been most effective, with pale orange egg patterns coming in a close second.
With water levels dropping back down the streamer fishing for trout has declined, though we’re still turning fish, but not too many committing. Hatches have been few and far between in the upper river with almost no rising fish. The middle river is doing better in that regard with good numbers of Hendricksons and caddis coming off in the middle of the day with some risers getting going.
Steve and I made a scouting trip from Walhalla to Indian Bridge last Thursday, the heart of the Hex water. We were worried about new wood making it impassable, but it was mostly clear. The braids above Indian Bridge, however, have changed a bit with the high water this spring with sand bars growing and moving around a good bit. Even with the above average water level, we had to walk the boat through a few sections. Should be even more of a pain in the butt as we get into summer flows.
