JANUARY MADNESS!- NOT MARCH MADNESS?.............BIG HOGS CONTINUE ON A ROLL!.....PINCH ME!....I'M DREAMING

( "STEELIE RAY" with an uber hog!)

Don't really know what to say but this is just about as good as it gets!!!!....anywhere in the world right now!. Spent Tues-thru-Thurs. guiding and I've seriously ( for a fly guy) never seen numbers of steels like this in the river this time of year.....and "lots' of big multi- spawn returning fish that are trophy proportions. Just about every year class exists except small skippers. The big lake must be loaded with pelagic bait fish, gobies, sticlebacks....these guys are eating very well!   .....so much for a bait fish crash- just can't figure out that Graet Lakes see-saw!

( birthday girl with a gorgeous hen)

( THIS GUY CATCHES WAY TOOO! MANY FISH!)

 Water took a nice bump from snow melt Weds. to 3,000 cfs. Ray and John, and Murphy and Lindsey had two phenomenal days. Lindsey was the birthday girl on Weds. and she hit 5 nice steelhead as  mother nature's birthday present.

( John hasn't caught a steelhead since he was 12...he is a trout bum convert!)

 I have no idea what the hell is going to happen by spring......got some orioles and cardinals already showing up by the deck bird feeder...seeing flocks of geese...no ice on the lakes for winter fest next week.....can anybody say...."GLOBAL WARMING!"......or just an El Nino!!!.....who knows....who cares!!!!........AIN'T "GOT MILK?"....but" gots steelhead"!.....Amen.

 TACTICS: deep guts, tailouts winter/spring transition water; Switch  rods...Skagit compacts, intermediate , scandi, aqualux sinks.......small streamer/leech/laser minnows, sculpins, eggs, nymphs....don't matter....fish are heated up sexually and aggressive/active

Posted in: babine double red bands , gray drake lodge , Great Lakes steelhead , matt supinski , michigan steelhead , Muskegon River steelhead , Skagit swinging , trout and eagle lodge