Why got STEEL!!!!

  My new steelhead queen -Katie Sloan Goggins from Dallas Texas just a few days ago.

WE GOT STEEL!- and more on their way...all I can say, gonna be a great fall/winter run.

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Posted in: gray drake lodge , Great Lakes steelhead , great lakes winter steelhead , michigan steelhead , muskegon fly fishing , muskegon steelhead , steelhead dreams

Its finally spring!- spring steelhead run going strong-May will be outstanding!

What a brutal spring!...or I should say winter. We are finally getting warmer weather, warmer water temps and fresh chrome steelhead entering the river after a brutal cold Mrach and April. Stoneflies are hatching again now that water is back in 40F, and river levels are high ,clear and perfect!!!!
May is going to be an outstnading month for fresh steelhead, hatches and big browns!!!!
We are running 6 weeks behind schedule for spring- (baby salmon just hatched yesterday- norammly hatch in Early March- so if you are planning coming out in May, your timing is perfect!!!!
PS....still have a few great dates in May to hit spring steels, hatches and browns on the dry and streamer!

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Posted in: gray drake lodge , michigan fly fishing , muskegon browns , Muskegon hatches , muskegon river fly fishing , muskegon steelhead

16 year old/16 pounder- yesterday

Here is 16 year old Hayes- first time steelheader with me yesterday. For a first time steelhead, that was pretty damn good!- congrats Hayes!!!!

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Posted in: gray drake lodge , Great Lakes steelhead , michigan steelhead , muskegon river fly fishing , muskegon steelhead

Amazing week at the Gray Drake- March 12-16 th- some stunning Steelhead ,Browns and resident rainbows !

              (Kevin Nelson from Indiana with a stunning hen steelhead on the swing-3/16...congrats Kevin!!)

Despite brutal cold winter weather, wind chills, ice water temps and snow, my clients and I had an epic week at the Gray Drake! Thanks to Matt from Ohio, Ron from North Carolina, Don from New York and Kevin and Joe from Indiana- you guys were hearty and toughed it out to get some stunning steelhead and a massive 29-30 inch brownie!-Cheers!- pictures tell the story! 

(note:still have a few open dates for spring- steelhead, truttasaurus browns on the streamer , dery fly action once the stonefly and drake hatches start in April and May- that last 18 ionch cookie cutter brown Joe got Friday is a sign of whats to come once these fish start eating on the surface- a very exciting spring coming!)

(Matt from Ohio with this beasty Truttasaurus)

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Posted in: gray drake lodge , Great Lakes steelhead , lake-run brown trout , Matthew Supinski new books , Michigan brown trout , michigan steelhead , muskegon fly fishing , muskegon steelhead , Muskegon trout

The Valentines Day Winter Hump has come..Big Red Banned Bucks and Ravenous Browns await !

( Massive red band buck above from the Valentine's day "hump" period - the dusk bite, awaits you in February and March- our TRUE TROPHY time of year!)

With a ton of snow that has fallen in the past few days and arctic cold temps, we are "so" over winter at this point!

The great news is Valentine's day and Lent start the trophy steelhead/ brown season. Our males are at their most aggressive and attack minded dispositions in the pre-spawn phase.

Fresh run chrome females and males guarding alpha dominant lies are at their finest sporting/attack minded quality.

Valentine's Day Mykiss Girls

                                                       ( Chris from Texas with a stunner February steelhead- Gray Drake in the background!)

( My Valentine's Girl- a stunning chrome/pastel hen !)

 Our large browns are now seeing the biological drift of black stoneflies and newly hatched chinook fry that spurs the interests of the smaller trout and bait fish, which in turn sparks the carnivore "Truttasaurus" leviathan brown killer hunt, in the big meat articulated streamer game!- plus the smorgasbord of all those delish stocked browns, rainbows and steelhead soon to come is big brown gluttony- " fat bastard" time

                                                      ( My Newly hatched chinook "Sacman" fry")

                                                           ( A sucker minnow came out of this browns mouth on the Muskegon, that was shared and caught by steelhead brown master- Dennis Bowens- look at those German Bachforelle red spots! )

SPRING BOOKINGS

Time to plan for spring! I still have a few choice slots open this spring with me/Matt, so would love to see you at the Gray Drake

NEW NEXUS BOOK OUT THIS SPRING!

You can now pre-order the book online-link below:

http://skyhorsepublishing.com/titles/13262-9781510730298-brown-trout-atlantic-salmon-nexus

 More news coming along with the clinics/book signings and shows I'll be doing, including Scotland trip.

Cheers!

Matt 

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Posted in: atlantic salmon , gray drake lodge , great lakes winter steelhead , Matthew Supinski new books , michigan steelhead , monster brown trout , muskegon browns , muskegon steelhead , Nexus

An amazing 2017 spring steelhead run still going strong!

The above picture tells the story from this week- need I say more, it has been a spectacular spring run !. - Could be one of the best in ten years.
With lots of rain and cooler weather coming it will last well thru May as always. Plus the summer forecast calls for wet and less heat!- ideal for our gray drakes and other mayflies. With some impressive trout we have been seeing this year, it is going to be a great May!!!- hope to see you at the Gray Drake !

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Posted in: gray drake lodge , Great Lakes steelhead , muskegon browns , muskegon fly fishing , Muskegon hatches , muskegon steelhead

Cold Temps- Snow...But we got steel!!!!

( Jim with his first on a two hander)

Epic say yesterday 3/9, with my guys Jim and Ron....Muskegon has a good number of steelhead and big browns in it !.....still have a few dates left for the spring run...the new cold spell is actually a good thing!

( Ron with his first on a two -hander- was a big girl! )

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Posted in: gray drake lodge , Great Lakes steelhead , michigan steelhead , muskegon fly fishing , muskegon steelhead

HIGH WATER FLOODING FALSE ALARM-ALL GOOD!

 Just a heads up and update.The heavy rains predicted and rising waters never happened. Waters are dropping and receding nicely and already down to 5,400 CFS- the threats were 7,000- not gonna happen!.- should be prime conditions 4500-5000 by the weekend.

The waters are running clear and there is 10 or more feet visibility.The cold weather-teens and 20's shut off the melting machine-  GAME ON!

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Posted in: gray drake lodge , michigan steelhead , muskegon fly fishing , muskegon steelhead

FEBRUARY HAS BEEN INSANE!-THANK GOD COLD AIR IS COMING

All I can say is, "it's been crazy!" Never seen a February like this. 60 F air temps,  T-shirts, spring runoff 3,000 cfs perfect river levels and insane browns and steelhead. The Skagit swinging , streamer meat stripping and swing/switch/chuck nymphing has been something I have never witnessed in February ( not guide talk!).

 What is so cool and excites me more is that despite the dastardly hot and drought summer of 2016, our browns and bows have gotten huge!- thank you spring creek -fed aquifers of the Muskegon tailwater and its crayfish/sculpin/dace/darter/scud biomass .

 Can't wait for the early black stoneflies, sulphurs ,March Browns and Drakes to get them to come up and eat properly-"cricket style-on the dry". But, it has been as lovely as it gets on the aggressive side , which is so addicting. they have been smashing my Coon Skulpines and honored to fish Tommy/Laf/Schmidty/Madden-man/Motown inspired dude's double-d's-sick action.

We have seen more 16-to 22 inch browns caught in the last week then I can ever remember in February- Amen!, and am very, very thankful. My client Jeb from Virginia had some serious 'catching' - not normal for true fly guys and me that don't go to the 'dark side'. He fishes the Bighorn and B.C. and we did the combo in Michigan. 

 GOOD NEWS!...finally cold weather coming- snow and F digits down to 12 F...AMEN!-  a little slow down for the hot mamma nature..we need it to get back to "normal?"- IF THAT EXISTS ANYMORE!

Cheers!- Na zdrowie- hope you come and fish with us in 2017!

Matt 

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Posted in: brown trout , gray drake lodge , Great Lakes steelhead , matt supinski , mayflies of Michigan , michigan fly fishing , muskegon fly fishing , muskegon steelhead , Selectivity book , selectivity dvd

Conditions Perfect for Browns and Steelhead and warm Winter

Can't ask for better conditions!

 Water level 2340 CFS. A few early black stones hatched. 

Chinook salmon fry soon on their way. Browns and steelhead on the hunt and getting active. 50F AIR TEMPS THIS WEEKEND!   ( Virgil with a beauty combo- what else could                                                      you ask for!)

We still have some good dates left for spring. But I think spring is already here eh?...

cheers!
Matt

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Posted in: gray drake lodge , mayflies of Michigan , michigan steelhead , muskegon browns , muskegon fly fishing , muskegon steelhead

The Magic of February -pre-spawn Dino-red banders

The stage is set . 4900 cfs. A winter warm up.This is a February gallery of what could be had . Dino-donkey double red banders that are love sick for action despite 34F water temps. They jump from the shy selective pool pacifists, to aggressive police protecting their turf. Our biggest steelhead come from this pre-spawn period. Let the red band trophy hunt begin! B.C. sized steel ready to crush a deep swinging fly, nymph or egg pattern with a vengeance- it's all good stuff!- bucket list time!

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Posted in: aggressive steelhead and Atlantic salmon behavior , gray drake lodge , Great Lakes steelhead , muskegon river fly fishing , muskegon steelhead , steelhead dreams , winter steelhead fly fishing

WINTER THAW COMING-DINOCROC TIME

                             January winter thaw coming this week- thank God!...It's this time of year when we get some of the most selective/reflective pooled up and bored to tears dinocroc beasty boys of winter's doldrums ...think January Pink/slow/biomass drift...and fish late afternoons into dusk as a water temperature change of as little as one and a half degree Fahrenheit and minimal increase in flow from snowmelt and rain will pique a dormant big buck or hen's interest. Look for deep guts of winter pools and holding lies and slow down your swing or drift significantly and add extra long hang-times on your downstream dangle- slight pumping and twitching your flies for lethargic/slow to rev up winter steelhead.

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Posted in: gray drake lodge , great lakes winter steelhead , michigan steelhead , muskegon steelhead , steelhead dreams

2016/2017 RE-CAP/OVERVIEW: TROUT/STEELHEAD/SALMON-MICHIGAN'S MAGNIFICENT GOLD COAST-PART I- STEELHEAD

                             ( a massive 'Michigan born and raised' Atlantic salmon ( caught by Brett Howard 11/16) , from our freshwater TSS- Trout, Steelhead. Salmon utopia. From the Great Lakes, to thousands upon thousands of inland glacial lakes and pristine fertile blue ribbon, spring-fed, trout filled river systems and tributaries , all of which makes Michigan one of the most unique salmonid ecosystems on the planet)

On this New Year, we along the magnificent gold coast of Lake Michigan's salmonid tributaries, are blessed beyond belief with having the 24/7, 12 months a year world class options to catch wild browns,rainbows, brook trout, unique wild strain steelhead-winter and summer strains , wild Pacific salmon;chinook , pink and coho, and a blossoming Atlantic salmon fishery like nowhere in the planet.

Our vast subterranean aquifers trap water water through the glacial till soil like the chalk downs of England's chalk streams. Through its sandy and gravel soils, spring creeks surge upward and feed the larger river systems and the Great Lakes in a constant hydrological infusion that through precipitation constantly replenishes the systems. 

Very much like the entire Baltic coastline from the Scandinavian countries to Russia, its dense forests of pines,cedars: with their bog wetlands, birches and hardwoods, along with gentle rolling hills of the northwoods, create the ultimate habitat and ecosystem infusion to allow massive wild trout and salmon spawning nursery waters and populations in such vast scenarios like no other. Yes, Montana , New York, Pennsylvania are epic and unique in their own ways and have similar world class fisheries. But Michigan's vastness of cold, clean water and it's mild to cool temperate climate is the finishing touch to this amazing wonderland. Having the most intense, diverse and prolific aquatic insect hatches on the planet, this all fuels the whole fly fishing experience that is truly 'Pure Michigan'. 

STEELHEAD

( From reduced sized steelhead observed in 2015 due to a falling big lake forage base, 2016 saw a major tilt towards larger fish due to the thinning out of  Pacific salmon predation which impacted positively both steelhead and salmon sizes) 

The past 2016 year global climate change reared its ugly head in a big way. A massive heat wave ( by cooler temperate Michigan standards ) materialized from late May and lasted all the way through November. Flooding , and than to quickly 'drying up and hot' was the norm all over the Great Lakes in the El Nino year. 

Major initiatives were under way in the management of the fishery like banning chumming and what looks like the future ability to grow more wild strain Michigan steelhead as smolts in future hatchery programs, we are still plagued by liberal laws that allow the killing of three wild steelhead a day by anglers. The one fish limit was agin rebuked by fisheries officials, which was sad news and made no sense for quality anglers verses meat harvest anglers. Thankfully, more anglers are 'catch-and release'- or 'limit kill' quality seekers.

As the alewife populations diminish and fluctuate, this bodes well for multi-predator foraging steelhead that will target the vastness of pelagic and benthic prey such as sculpins, chubs, smelt, shiners,sticklebacks,perch, whitefish, gobies- just about anything that swims. Also freshwater shrimp, and the booming mayfly and midge hatches ad to the mix. Its wild and stocked smolts have very fertile rivers and salmon and sucker eggs to predate upon as well.

WINTER/SPRING-2016

After a mild start, a deep arctic blast came February thru March. After that was heavy flooding from rain and melt off- a bizarre spring. Stable conditions didnt materialize until mid late April with many fish already spawned and left. May still had good numbers of steelhead but it warmed up fast. The size of the fish were definitely much bigger than the previous year and showing a positive trend. The early black stonefly hatch happened in the flooding and wasn't a factor of the run and trout taking dries which was very sad. 

SUMMER SKAMANIA STEELHEAD

More brutal daily heat coupled with a drought did not allow any serious migrations to take place on the St. Joe River until September/Labor Day. First year we saw such an endless heatwave in as long as I can remember- especially when the two previous summers were actually cold and had the fish running everywhere and endlessly. When the fish finally came in they were of good size and healthy quality which bode well for the anglers that got to be there at the right time.

On a positive note, most likely many summer runs forgoes running the rivers which should make for a very healthy  and larger year class/classes in 2017.

We continued to experiment with dry line terrestrial and mysis shrimp patterns including swinging for steel.

NOTE: On years when we have serious heat and drought waves, rivers like the Muskegon and Grand attract many stray summer runs like we had at 6th street on the Grand, the Muskegon at Croton and the Kalamazoo and Paw Paw. Fish starving for colder water or following bait on lake turnovers result in these runs.

FALL STEELHEAD

The heat, drought and very low waters continued. Surprisingly good numbers of fish entered the river but were easily targeted ( many were killed) due to no water flows and fish congesting at holding lies. With less eggs in the system they were more willing to chase and nail a swinging intruder or spey. Finally when we received rain/snow by early December good numbers of larger sized steelhead started to enter the river. The massive beast above taken on the swing by Paul Dolbec of Delaware at the end of October when a few very large fish entered our river systems

2017 OVERVIEW

 A large hen steelhead taken by myself on the Muskegon Christmas day is a good sign the lake forage is stable and diverse in predator food forms and promises well for 2017- other rivers like the P.M. also had excellent numbers of large healthy sized steelhead all fall and winter.

A late blooming year class of alewives not thought to be that strong be are showing up along with lots of sticklebacks/chubs/sculpins/shiners , including invasive shrimp which are eaten heavily. 

With lots of snow and rain all December into January, barring no extreme weather like we had in 2016, the new year shows more promise than 2015/2016 and a return to "normal', if that exists anymore!  

Feel free to comment and your thoughts are welcomed!....hope to see you at the Gray Drake in 2017!

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Posted in: gray drake lodge , Great Lakes steelhead , Great Lakes summer steelhead , michigan steelhead , muskegon steelhead , winter steelhead fly fishing