Shop Hours are 8am – 6pm Daily
We are still looking for shop employees!!! If you, or someone you know, is interested in joining the team…give us a call 231-745-3529!!!
Trout fishing on the Pere Marquette River has been pretty good on most outings. The weather and water level has been bouncing around, but adapting to the condition will pay off. We have been changing our approach dependent of water/weather conditions…we went from wet flies, to dry flies (hatch fishing) and now streamers. We have gotten hit with several good rain storms over the last 5 days. And the extended forecast looks very inconsistent!
Currently the river is higher then normal and colored up – top to bottom…much darker the further down stream you go. Streamer fishing has been our plan after Saturday nights rain and it’s been good to great at times. Mid-sized flies in natural tones has been the most productive for me….olive, tan, yellow and white. It’s been a nice break switching gears and tossing streamers again! Keep an eye on water levels and the weather if you are looking to dry fly fish.
Last week, we had good Gray Drake’s hatching on most nights. Still some sulphur’s, Iso’s are popping here and there, yellow sallies and stones are all on the menu. Hexes will be happening in the near future…they have been hatching on a few local lakes when the conditions are right. We probably won’t see any hex bugs until mid-June, but who knows??? We will be out looking and scouting…I love June fishing in Michigan!!!
We have guides available daily for full and half day trips. We are flexible to do mornings, mid-day or evening floats….whatever the client prefers! However, typically in June we (the Guides) would favor an evening trip to hit the hatch and/or do some mousing. The river has been quiet and very light fishing pressure! Give us a call to reserve a float and/or a Motel room….231-745-3529.
The banks are really coming alive right now. Damsels, ants, spiders, greenie worms, gypsy moth caterpillars just to name a few. Once the water levels drop and clear we will be hunting the banks with big dries/rubber legged creations and searching for the evening hatches. Twitch bugs fished wet have been very production when you are looking for some action.
June is prime time for Michigan’s trout streams. There are so many opportunities and options! Don’t let the conditions discourage you! If the water is up…go streamer fishing! If it’s too cold for a hatch…try attractors and/or go mousing. Can’t fish the evening hatch….try banging the banks with bigger dries (you might be surprised what jumps out of the river to grab your fly!!!). Not getting any bites…try going sub-surface with nymphs, swinging soft hackles or small streamers. Or better yet…not getting any bites; enjoy sitting on a trout stream and watching the water flowing. You have options…try making the most of them and enjoying being on the river. I am excited for what’s coming up and I would love to show you why!
Good luck out there! Be safe and have fun while you are on the river.
Later-
John Karakashian
Below is a recap of an exploratory trip to visit our friends in Argentina. We fished the Rio Limay each day and experienced their “late season” fishery. We worked hard (all streamers) and battled some conditions, but got some dandies!!! It was truly a trip of a lifetime. A huge “Thank you!” to Pedro at Fly Maniacs…we have a week and/or 10 day trip option for January 2025. Here are the details
For January of 2025 we will be offering two options as our next trip! Option one is January 4th to the 11th for a total of 6 days fishing and 7 nights lodging at $4,995.00 and option two (The better bargain considering the travel time etc, in my opinion!) is January 4th to the 14th for a total of 9 days fishing and 10 nights lodging at $6,995.00. This is a trip of a lifetime, but that being said, we have had lots of repeat customers on it and it’s a deal that simply can’t be beat!
This includes:
- Either six or nine full days guided fishing with expert, local bilingual (Spanish-English) fly-fishing guide.
- All your lodging, meals and beverages (including beer & wine).
- Transportation to and from the Airport in Bariloche
Trip does not include Airfare to and from Bariloche Argentina, Fishing license (Purchased there.) or tips… Please contact the shop to reserve your spot(s)! 231-745-3529.
Here are some pictures from our trip last week-
