Epicurean Angler-Matthew Supinski's Selectivity/Nexus Blog- Everything Trout/Steelhead/Salmon

Epicurean Angler-Matthew Supinski's Selectivity/Nexus Blog- Everything Trout/Steelhead/Salmon

Saturday, August 11, 2018

The Best is yet to come...Pure Michigan Salmonid Mecca

Despite the hot and dry summer, our rivers and the Great Lakes have held up remarkably well! 
Given the low flows from lack of rain, that has actually allowed more cold water underground spring influences on our smaller rivers and even Muskegon tailwater. Lots of summer rain run-off is usually warm water- thus our vast underground cold spring aquifer Michigan is planted on with its sand/chalk down soil, allows more spring flow influence.
We are very excited of what is yet to come for 2018- an amazing array of trout, salmon and steelhead possibilities unlike nowhere on the planet, and all in one state- #PureMichigan at its finest, and we can bring it all to you!
SUMMER STEELHEAD AND CHROME SILVER COHO SALMON ON ST. JOSEPH RIVER
                  ( Gene Kelly with a beauty two weeks ago)
Despite our first push of fresh fish two weeks ago, we are now waiting for the Lake to turnover from the 74F that it is now and will cool down to the low 50F water beach temps when we get the next wave of Nor'easterly winds. That will bring in the rest of the bulk of summer Skamania and chrome silver coho salmon we should get an excellent run this year ( Indiana plants close to 400,000 coho -wild Michigan Platte River strain) We are waiting for the next wave and bulk of the run to come in for the rest of August and September, since June and July was so hot with lake and river temps soaring back then. It has cooled off considerably. I still have a few dates left for these exciting fish as the best is yet to come!
                            ( The coho of the St. Joe come in chrome silver with a tad of pink- stunning fish on the fly rod!)

OUR DIVERSE TROUT FISHERIES

DRY FLY HEAVEN TIME!!!!....From the Muskegon and Manistee tailwaters , to all the small jewel spring creeks we have all around us, the best fishing for the year is on right now, Fishing early mornings when the flows are the coolest, we have wild browns,and brookies in the small spring creeks, and rainbows and browns in the tailwaters that can get to trophy size. Tricos in the morning, followed by the caddis hatches which are just starting and will peak in the next 8 weeks, along with terrestrial hoppers/beetles and ants The massive midges,  tiny Pseudo Blue -winged Olives and flying ants are an August thru October gig and can litter the water in massive amounts and bring every fish up to the surface.

FALL CHINOOK KINGS AND STEELHEAD
( here are two epic fish from 2017- Gene from Boston with his massive Wild king salmon on Muskegon September 2017- and Norm from Connecticut with his stunning winter run swung up on his Burky spey-December 2017)
All indications are the big lake is loaded with very large Kings and much larger than average steelhead ( they are hitting the alewives and exotic shrimp populations) They will start hitting our rivers from September through December. A few have already been spotted to rivers up north ( Betsie,Manistee, PM)
Judging by the massive size of summer steelhead this year, our fall/winter run steels are packing on the weight and should be game on this fall!
OUR UNIQUE ATLANTIC SALMON FISHERY

Our Michigan Atlantic salmon fishery has been world class and it continues to get better!  My client and I still hold the world IGFA record at 27 pounds taken in 2011. Last year we saw some amazing fish in the mid 20 lb class, especially this Brutus caught by Brett Howard on my electric Green Butt Candy Cane above. The run so far on the St. Mary's is strong and we are looking to crack a new world IGFA record this fall- I have very few dates left so treat yourself to this magnificent "bucket list" fish of a lifetime
Cheers!- na zdrowie, more good things to come !
Matt