Third Coast Fly

The salmon peaked late on the PM River this fall. Why? Who can know for sure but it has been unseasonably warm and dry which are two conditions that have been known to delay a fall run and this year it seems to have pushed them back about two weeks.

Thanks to hurricane Patricia things have changed overnight. It rained all day yesterday and the mercury has dropped significantly and from time to time I can hear sleet hitting the windows. Only a steelheader could be thankful for this change in the weather.

More steelhead are hitting our nets each day and this gray wet weather should only help bring more into the system.

Water conditions are still slightly below average with just a touch of color. All of my steelhead have been on eggs, which makes sense due to the fact that I haven’t fish anything else.

The salmon fishing remains as good as it has been all fall with spawners on many gravels. There were many rumors that the Big Manistee received a batch of steelhead after the last rain, I’m afraid that there are no such rumors floating down the PM yet.

Water conditions remain low and clear, certainly not the recipe to entice fall steelhead to head upstream. I’m doing my rain dance as I write this.

I’ve got the same low and clear water advice as I’ve had all fall: Stealth. A quiet, perfectly placed first cast puts the odd in your favor and increases your chance. Our good bites have been happening on the first couple drifts.

While warm and dry weather doesn’t make for great fishing is sure does make it pleasant to be on the water. The fall colors combined with the diffused low light we get this time of year makes Northern Michigan a great place to be.

Summer had been lingering and following probably the longest run of perfectly comfortable weather I can remember yesterday’s first frosty morning put a chill into the fishermen of the PM, myself included. There was a good rush of fresh salmon at the beginning of the week but the older salmon seem to be dying at about the same rate as new arrivals.

A day of rain has the level up and has pushed in some color which is good as the low and clear water had been making for some challenging conditions. In the upper river it had been especially tough, leaving anglers struggling to get close enough to make a presentation without spooking the fish.

So that’s good.

Also good:
A few steelhead have arrived. Those spunky little 3 to 5 pounders that are always the first to make an appearance.