Michigan Fishing Reports

Your Michigan Fly Fishing Experience


Hey there, Thanks for taking the time to read my Michigan fly fishing reports! I am a seasoned angler with years of experience fly fishing in northern Michigan. I regularly publish my fly fishing reports detailing the conditions, tactics and strategies for successfully landing some of the biggest and most elusive fish in the state. Whether you're an experienced fly fisherman or just starting out, my fishing reports are an invaluable resource for anyone looking to improve their skills and catch more fish.


From the Pere Marquette to the upper Manistee, I cover all of the best experiences and tips for Michigan fly fishing.

I get these questions a lot: Where is the best fishing in Michigan right now? What month is best to fly fish in Michigan? Are salmon in the Manistee River yet? The truth is, Michigan fly fishing is great year round. Since I target both Salmon and Trout (Bass too), there's always something to catch on the various rivers we fish. Our most popular months to fish are June-September. The temperatures are optimal and the fish are active. You can use our fish species calendar to determine the best months for your intended fish target before you book your trip online. I will hand-select the best river to fish for your intended target and trip date. I fish various rivers, all of which have differing seasonal successes, so leave it to the expert to determine the best course of action for your day on the water.


Read my past fishing reports to learn more about fishing during your desired time of year and what to expect. I am excited to fish with you, so don't forget to book!

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October 17, 2023

Chrome and Gold

  Pre-spawn Brown Trout bite is very STRONG!  Steelhead are amongst the Coho Salmon making their way in the Pere Marquette River.  

  Egging where appropriate.  Streamers as always.  Come up and learn how to swim a fly and find some fish along the way. 

The next couple weeks are looking great!
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October 11, 2023

Chrome Push

Sorry it wont let me paste!

Rain tommorow, steelhead next week!   Looking strong for about a week.  Come try catching one while they're hot!

Plenty of Browns to fill in the void...
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June 30, 2023

Summer Smallies

Fishing on the big river continues to be good!  Smallmouth Bass, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, and the occasional other, have all been making an appearance each time out.  
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June 1, 2023

Fun for the kids

Last call to register for June Camps in Big Rapids!
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May 16, 2023

Summer Flies

Dry fly fishing action is in full force on the local rivers.  The main hatches will be during the evening hours, and later as we progress!

Streamer stripping has been great for Smallmouth Bass and Brown Trout.  

Night fishing is always good...   Mousing for the rest of the Summer. 

Get out soon before  water temps get too warm!  This is the new norm for us the last couple of Summers. 

Walk in wading trips are also available throughout the summer. 

See you soon!

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April 26, 2023

Trout Opener

Trout Opener in Michigan this weekend.  

Let 'em go, let 'em grow!

Enough said...

Come check out some new rivers this weekend.  Drift trips available as well on the Pere Marquette River or Muskegon River.  

Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, and Smallmouth fishing has been great!
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April 25, 2023

The Streams of Spring

With Michigan’s trout opener this weekend, many wonderful Michigan streams open up for fishing across the state. Michigan boast’s having more than 20,000 miles of trout streams alone! Let’s put that in perspective. If you were to fish a 5 mile section of stream each day of the “season”, it would still take you more than 25 years to complete such a feat. On top of that, it is estimated that 850 of those miles provide excellent trout fishing. Excellent trout fishing can be viewed in a couple ways. Some may find catching many smaller trout as an excellent day of fishing, and who wouldn’t!? Others enjoy the hunt, far from other’s footsteps, in search of giant trout yet to be weary of any angler. And much like the Dogman of Northern Michigan, they exist, or at least some say so… Many of these streams across the state are home to Michigan’s only native trout, the Brook trout. Brook trout prefer the cold spring fed streams, and provide an abundance of action on a small fly rod. There are a wide variety of insects around these streams providing endless calories for the ever eager feeding brookie. Quite often the Brook trout are not the only trout to reside in the smaller streams. Rainbow trout were brought from California in 1876. These are often a lake run fish (steelhead), but many are planted as fingerlings in landlocked streams around the state. Brown trout are also an imported fish from Germany. The very first plant of fish in North America occurred in our very own Baldwin River, with its more infamous neighboring river, the Pere Marquette in 1884. (Hence the 1884 Fly Shop in Baldwin). With 20,000 miles of trout streams available, the possibilities are endless! Fly fishing is an excellent way to enjoy our beautiful resources. During the next couple of months, most of Michigan’s traditional Spring “hatches” take place every day around these streams. Blue Winged Olives, Caddis, Hendricksons, Sulphurs, Drakes, and on and on, carry about their annual business as Spring progresses, providing fly anglers some great dry fly fishing opportunities. If you find yourself in the right spot, it is possible to catch a Brook, Brown, and Rainbow all in the same day! With an already short season to enjoy these waters, the window is even tighter on these typical dry fly fishing opportunities. Don’t wait until school lets out before you make it out! With so much untapped potential out there, it can be confusing where to begin. Fly fishing itself can seem a bit overwhelming, let alone finding a new bend of water. Like most situations in life, you won’t know until you try it! Everyone has that enthusiastic trip to the stream looking forward to catching dozens of giant fish all day long. The day most likely ends with a couple of hooked trees, a few knots, an empty box of flies, and probably even finish up with wet clothes. The best way to enjoy your time on the water is first starting with a guide. The right guide can and should teach you how and what to use, what kind of water to look for, and you can likely still enjoy all the hooked trees and such while someone else shows you how to fix such a situation! After some instruction, you may find yourself ready to go, or wanting to learn more. There are many guides out there, but only a very select handful are true Michigan trout guides. Make sure to look around and ask some specific questions for what you really want to learn and achieve on your trip so you don’t just end up another dollar in some fish jockey’s pocket! So do some looking before booking. Fly fishing is a “catchy” activity and you can find yourself getting “hooked” in a couple ways. Finding the right guide to help get you started makes all the difference, and usually prevents you from giving up and missing out on just some of what Michigan has to offer!
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April 11, 2023

Streamer Season

An absolutely beautiful day and the fishing was great in the shade and around the wood!  The trout are on the prowl and eager for the streamer.  The next couple of weeks will be ideal for streamer fishing as we head into the hatches.  

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November 11, 2022

Silver and Gold

Steelhead numbers are very solid this fall!  The next few weeks are what makes up the Steelhead Season here in West Michigan (Not March and April!).  Post spawn Browns are on the prowl as well.  

So before you start hearing old Burl singing “Silver and Gold”, come on up and catch some Silver (Chrome) and Gold.  Let’s make it happen, fall numbers like this only happen so often!
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November 3, 2022

Fall Chrome

Plenty of steelhead around and warm weather to enjoy them in!
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October 22, 2022

Fall Chrome and Gold

Fall fishing is picking up with steelhead in the system and the brown trout on the prowl.  Streamer stripping and indicator fishing with the long rods is norm.  
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October 20, 2022

Fall Fishing Adventure in MI Rivers

It's time for us to go fishing. The start of fall signifies the start of the fishing season. We are hoping for more fish on the way on the couple of weeks.