Hey guys, got a little behind there again, sorry… Since last report I’ve really only had one “real” day off between guide trips, the PM River Cleanup and running a section of river for PMTU a couple of times to do the brown trout redd survey.

Launching for our first redd survey on 10/22. We saw almost no Brown trout spawning activity on 10/22, but there were tons of fish spawning yesterday when John and I did our second survey, great to see!!!

Fall Steelhead season is upon us and the fish are HOT! I literally just got off the phone with John Robinson to change some plans we had and he had lost three hot fish already this morning on flies in one spot. (He is by himself unfortunately, but that should give you an idea, the man doesn’t lose very many! ;^)

Had some shots/grabs from Steelhead on the swung fly with Mac and Ben on the 23rd, but the only good one to hand was this bonus Coho that took a crank bait. Good times, thanks guys!

Oddly enough I’ve stayed very busy on the front end of the fall Steelhead run, but still have plenty of prime spots during this month available. My current open dates are: November 6 & 7, 11, 13, 18 – 21 & 23 – 30. We have other guides available throughout the month also including some great group dates and, of course, motel rooms! Call the shop to check availability or to book your trip, 231-745-3529 7am to 5pm daily.

Dennis and I spent several days together (including the cleanup) last week and had a great time with some HOT fish that got away, some hot fish that we landed and some bonus pike along the way…

We spent our time, as I have been, mixing it up between drifting flies and pitching crank baits. It is always a pleasure fishing with Dennis as he is very proficient at both and is a great friend and client to spend time with, thanks buddy!

Turnout for the river cleanup on Saturday was low as expected, but we had at least one boat in every section from M-37 all the way to Walhalla. No way to get it all with such limited volunteers, but everyone made a HUGE dent and a huge difference. (Too include the discounted car spots from Baldwin Canoe Rental and the beer donation from Jac Ford who was busy on another important mission for TU.)

I, as well as the entire BBT staff thank you all, the river thanks you all even more and everyone else should as well… It was great hanging out with everyone at the appreciation party afterwards and another thanks to everyone who pitched in there! (John Karakashian did a fantastic job on the grill as always!)

Brent and Jessica were a blast to guide on Monday. We landed one Steelhead in the morning (That jumped back into the river before the photo! ;^) and lost another hot one, both on flies, but this sucker that took a crank bait right in the lip was hilarious!

The river remains in great shape despite recent rains (We could actually use some more!) and fish continue to push in daily. I expect to have a great November ahead of us and hope to see a few of you out there (Or in my boat!) enjoying the season with us.

Karen and I are hosting our trip to Belize again this winter and still have room for more. This is a fantastic deal that the everyone in the family can enjoy so check out our Belize Page for details and join us!

John and I will be hosting two weeks this year down in Patagonia and still have a couple of spots open there as well. This is a trip that must be experienced to be believed, check out our Argentina Page for details on that…

Alaska? That’s a “no brainer”, just do it as soon as you can and enjoy it rather than waiting too long! Our “BBT exclusive” is always an awesome deal.

That’s all I’ve got for you right now, till next time, tight lines!

Steve

 

 

3 COMMENTS

  1. Really appreciate that you do the river clean up each year. Small things that make a big difference!!! I try to stop in and make a purchase whenever I’m in town. Your reports are crucial for me deciding to drive up or not from Kalamazoo area.

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