GOING TO BE A GREAT SUMMER STEELHEAD RUN!...COME AND JOIN US

Gonna be a great summer Skamania steelhead run...just started!... fish way bigger than last year, and many more to come...treat yourself to these amazing fish that are the most aggressive and opportunistic the Great Lakes steelhead experience has to offer!...Matt still has a few openings and yes the complete fly fishing experience....swinging, sight nymphing shrimp/scuds and even dry fly beetles on the surface!, all are the ticket- dry lines/unleaded/traditional/single and two handers- no chuck-and-lead duck here!. If winter /spring steelheading are your only barometers for "steelheading", this will change the way you think about them forever!

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Posted in: dry fly steelhead , gray drake lodge , Great Lakes summer steelhead , Michigan Fly Girls , muskegon fly fishing , summer skamania steelhead

WHY STOCKING WILD TROUT STRAINS ARE SO IMPORTANT FOR TROPHY BROWN TROUT FISHERIES ESTABLISHMENT

                              ( A gorgeous wild Michigan strain Gilchrist Creek brownie- stocked in June/2014 on the Muskegon river as an experimental 5.6 inch fish- caught 3/8/16 at 16 inches on a size #18 scud- look at the colors and spots- especially red dots along lateral line so indicative of the original German strain)

Michigan and other states are blessed with thousands of miles of wild blue ribbon trout streams that all have brown trout strains dating back from the first importation/alien invasion of German brown trout "Bachforelle" , that were brought to New York's Cold Harbor/Long Island in the early 1880's by Seth Green. Michigan's Pere Marquette River was " ground zero first stocking", due to eyed up eggs going to the Federal fish hatchery in Northville, MI. It was the first stocking/ then NY did the same on Spring Creek in Caledonia in the western hemisphere of the little German immigrants , much to the dismay of all fly fisherman at that time that loathed them for being too "fussy/selective" when compared to their beloved brook trout , whose populations were dwindling. In the Catskills, lodges back in the 1890's encouraged killing as many browns as you can to protect the brookies- funny how now a brown trout is so beloved!!.

Michigan has had the foresight to take the wild original "German strain' browns from a northern Gilchrist creek , and raise them for their hatchery stocking programs- read more information at this link:

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/2080rr_363265_7.pdf

The link basically describes why wild strains out perform domesticated hatchery strains. It is important for Michigan and other states emphasis more wild strain stocking which reproduce in the wild much better, eventually eliminating the cost for additional stockings and eventual wild populations( Pennsylvania could use the Sate College Spring Creek or Penns' Creek strains for much better fisheries/survival /natural reproduction etc.- especially where spring creeks are losing habitat due to development and the wild trout populations are suffering and need a new "infusion" of genetics- - Letort etc.)

My observations on wild strains in Michigan's Muskegon River- a river that has the tremendous potential/massive food supply, to grow trophy brown trout if stocked with the right strain are below.
 The June ,2014 ( 4,000 5.6 inch planting- 2,000 at Pine Ave.- 2,000 at Thornapple) was a gift from former Michigan DNR Hatchery Director/fly fishing friend, Gary Whelan ( who BTW gets it! what I'm saying , and also says we need greater brown trout numbers stocked), after many years of me pleading and begging to get the strain planted again , since the local biologist we have doesnt like the wild strain..:(, since he wants all browns to be killed early as a "stock- and kill' fishery". Despite his undermining the river's fishery potential in favor of his walleye pike,  we 'CONSISTENTLY'  catch 20-25 inch fish, which demonstrates they love the massive food supply, hundreds of ice cold spring refugees, and year round feeding opportunities the Muskegon tailwater holds for trophy brown trout.

( two trophy browns anyone would love to catch on the Muskegon from 2015 and 2014)

 My observations on the Muskegon are as follows:.

* when stocked at fingerling/young yearling 5-6 inch sizes , they disappear for almost two years, only to show up around 14 inches- fat and healthy and colorful

* they avoid the worm/bucket brigade and hold over to trophy sizes in greater numbers

* they are very elusive feeders and spend the first two years under logs/cover chowing down on midges/scuds/mayflies etc...then when they get bigger , the carnivorous urge hits them and they chase bigger bait fish/fry

* they eventually create big trophy fish, but it takes time and patience

* they tolerate warmer water conditions by being wilds knowing when and how to seek thermal refuge- unlike hatchery strains

( Gilchrist brownies from early 2000's when they stocked them in good numbers)

 Last years fall wild Sturgeon River fingerling's, as a result of several factors and fist banging- not gonna get into that right now!, will be interesting to see how survival occurs  and is a step "IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!-. The fish above is evidence and looks so much different from the domesticated Wild Rose hatchery strain the DNR insists on stocking for the most part . A mix of the dumber/easier to catch Wild Rose, and the more "elusive" Gilchrist would be a nice fit to see what eventually unfolds. Progress only happens thru experimentation and evaluation.

 We need much more of it with our complacent DNR/Fish Commission agencies. 

I can only hope that hope runs eternal and pray  TU/FFF /Alliances/Michigan DNR- most importantly anglers !!!! get the message and work proactively to make it happen- in therein lies the rub and challenge !- the river is prime and ready, we just have to stop the undermining, corruption and politics- let the Presidential candidates do that!...amen

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Posted in: gilchrist browns , gray drake lodge , lake-run brown trout , Michigan Fly Girls , muskegon fly fishing , Muskegon trout , Selectivity book , selectivity dvd , wild brown trout , wild rose browns

FLY GIRLS FLYING HIGH ON THE MIGHTY MO!!!!

( Kelly with an awesome hen!)

( Angela with her first hooked-fought-and landed steelehad-go girl!!!)

( Kelly with a handsome male)

( the boat armada!)

( soul brother Mark from Utah with a nice buck)

( Also a very nice brown he picked off)

Sorry for the long delay in blogging- it has been a very busy week and we finally got the welcomed rain which raised the river levels and brought in fresh chrome steelhead hens and red silver bucks- FISHING HAS BEEN ON FIRE!!!!

Had the pleasure of guiding Kelly Smith and her friend Angela Welker on the Muskegon for steelhead on Friday. It was the typical boat show zoo, but we found a really hot concentration of steel and the girls put on an incredible steelhead "Catching" show! Kelly is a veteran fly fisher and is a member of Michigan Fly Girls group. Angela never had a fly rod in her hands but did a lot of bait casting for panfish. After a quick lesson on the drift technique, she was throwing 60 footers with impeccable drifts. Her second cast hit an acrobatic 8 pound double-red banded buck- she was on fire!!!!

Kelly then put on a show landing very large and perfectly colored male and female. Her fighting skills were perfection in form - really knew who to battle steelhead in all the phases of the fight.

As the sun got high and the fish shut off, we were just about ready to call it a day.BUT......Angela with her persist ant determination had"the proverbial one more cast"- and Bingo- a fat chrome hen nailed the stone wiggle and put on an aerial display.She came out of deep dark water- the best kind!

Congrats ladies!!!!

Conditions of water -perfect! Lots of traffic though. Trout taking stones in the afternoon on the warmer days.

ALSO.......a big thank you to all the great clients we had all week! The Holmans from Iowa, my soul brother Mark Murphy and his son Mark Junior from Utah who spent 6 days with us, the Novasels from Ft. Wayne, the Rogers from Iowa and the dudes from Chicago and Connecticut!

More to come!!!!!!!

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Posted in: black stones , brown trout , matt supinski , michigan fly fishing , Michigan Fly Girls , muskegon river , muskegon steelhead