Kevin left us for ten days up in Quetico, chasing big smallmouth and pike on the Canadian side of the Boundary Waters. I’m a little jealous. Here are some of Ian’s awesome pics from their trip up there in 2009. Expect another big pike/smallmouth fish porn dump here next week some time.
Kevin had several trips last week and even managed a day fishing with his daughter. Kevin reports that the steelhead fishing was good. Not super, but consistent and dependable, just the way he likes it. While a lot of people have switched over to the winter strategy of drifting egg and nymph patterns, Kevin he is still doing well on streamers. He has been covering his best runs quickly but thoroughly with moderately flashy streamers in the four inch range. Orange/black/blue flash, orange/yellow/gold flash (pictured below) and pink/black/purple & blue flash (pike photo) have been his best colors. He has got zero attention on chartreuse/black/green flash.
Fished hard today for early salmon on the lower river. They’re just not here yet, but Mike got into a few nice pike. We got a good shot of rain last week but the lake is still too warm and so we wait. And perhaps this is good. As Steve says, before hand to hand combat with kings you need to prepare, you need to get everything up to snuff, clean and replace lines, clean and oil reels, tie flies, look at pictures from last year, and generally steel yourself for the knuckle busting, tail walking, ass kicking chrome of salmon in August on the Pere Marquette river. Because right now we’re fishing on hope alone. But maybe this weekend or maybe next week when the word starts to trickle down that the fish are in you need to be ready, you need to be ready to fish with guts and hopefully with glory.
Fishing for trout on the upper and middle river has been a bit slow, but hoppers and streamers brought a few fish to the boat over the past couple days and mousing is still a good option. Though I should say that taking pictures of said fish with water on your lens is not advised. Steve and I floated the lower river on Monday scouting for early salmon. Didn’t find any. But we did find a couple decent pike. Always a nice bonus. And yes, we’re eating well- spinach, walnut, and cranberry salad may sound fancy, but chips and brats only go so far.
Water temps in the lower river are 71 degrees and the lake temperature off Ludington is still quite warm, near 75 degrees. We’re looking for good northerly winds for a few days and a decent rain event to get the big fish pushing upriver. We’re on the water almost every day and will keep you posted.
Aug 30
2010
Living Well in West Michigan
We had a good taste of Autumn last week but summer moved back in for a few days this weekend. With warmer weather and southerly winds the salmon run will likely slow down a bit on the Pere Marquette, but the forecast for later in the week looks promising and should get the fish moving again in good numbers.
Founded in 1898, Bortell’s Fisheries is a Great Lakes icon and located just down the coast from us between Ludington and Pentwater. They serve locally caught and imported fish fresh by the pound or fried to take away. You can even order a meal with fries and coleslaw, bring your own favorite beverage, and eat at the picnic tables or right in the grass out front. There’s not a better way to enjoy a late summer day in West Michigan. I’d recommend the Lake Michigan whitefish. It is some tasty stuff.
Bortell’s closes for the season after Labor Day, so get up here now, catch some salmon, let them go, then get yourself a pile of fried whitefish. Nelson’s Frontier Market has a great selection of cold craft beer and is located on the way to Bortell’s just south of Ludington. You can’t beat that. Good living.
