John@BBT
11-02-2006, 12:43 PM
Fishing continues to be strong on the PM and Muskegon for steelhead. The bite can turn on and off as weather and water temps fluctuate, but that's fishing (especially fall/winter steelhead fishing). Eggs have been the primary fly of choice (clown eggs, pale nuke eggs, OC glow bugs and Estaz nuke eggs), but nymphs will start to produce as the water temps drop and egg supplies decrease. The water has dropped back down to normal flow levels/clarity and water temps have been in the low to mid 40's on the PM.
I have been out several times since my last report and here are some details....
10/27/2006 - Richard and I hit the river in search of steelhead and they made us work hard for an opportunity. The morning started off with a couple smolts while refining the floating line indicator technique, however even with some great drifts the bite turned off. After lunch we regrouped and things turned around for us (the water temps also increased a couple degrees for us too!). The trout bite turned back on shortly after lunch and we were now just waiting for an opportunity with a steelie. Richard was hitting the right seams with great drifts when BOOM.....FISH-ON! We managed to bag this fish and capitalized on our only opportunity for the day. Great job Richard!! (Staying focused will keep you in the game on slower days....sometimes you only get one chance and that's if your lucky!)
Richard's "Day Maker"...clown egg victim
http://bbt.steelcity.net/10-27-2006-1.jpg
10/29/2006 - Heather and I did a short float and enjoyed a beautiful day on the river together. (I have said it before and I will say it again, there is no better place to spend quality time with friends or family). We took advantage of a strong fly bite in a short period of time and the fish were HOT! We landed a couple and lost another heart breaker, but being humbled by a steelhead is always welcomed. Estaz nukes and clowns were the key flies for us. Below is a very impressive buck Heather landed after a lengthy battle.
Heather with a solid 12-13 pound buck
http://bbt.steelcity.net/10-29-2006-1.jpg
10/30/2006 - Steve and I floated a mid section of river to check out the conditions and fish numbers. We jumped one nice steelie (check out Steve's page for a photo and details) and landed a handful of browns and smolts each. Another nice day on the crick!
10/31/2006 - Happy Halloween and one to remember...Jeff, Justin and I had the river to ourselves (which is very rare!) and we took advantage of the opportunity. Both of these guys are experienced anglers, but newer to fall steelhead fishing with floating lines and indicators. They picked up on the technique very quickly and the fish were biting. After a couple browns and some smolts, Jeff hooked the first steelie...however it was a brief encounter (but a confirmed hook up because we saw the chrome roll below the float). Shortly afterwards, Justin had his shot at landing his first ever steelhead (Justin was visiting from Colorado)...long story short....it got away. Both Justin and Jeff had their shots (which is all you can ask for on many days), however I was confident in the locations downstream we had yet to fish and the fish were biting/active. After lunch, Jeff stepped up and put a nice hen in the net for the ice breaker...a great fight and hot fish.
Jeff's first Steelhead of the day!
http://bbt.steelcity.net/10-31-2006-1.jpg
After a few more stops, Jeff hooked up with another hot steelhead. It tried it's best to break us off...several strong runs towards some structure, then right towards Jeff, some surface rolls in between and then head shakes down deep...we finally scooped it up for some photos. Both fish fell for an Estaz nuke egg.
Jeff's second of the day
http://bbt.steelcity.net/10-31-2006-2.jpg
We decide to change spots while the bite was still on and it paid off. At the next location, Justin boated 2 steelies in 5 casts in a very difficult place to land a steelhead. They were epic battles that will last a lifetime. (The first fish ate the same Estaz nuke and the second fish ate a clown egg). Congratulations Justin on your first (and second) wild PM Steelhead...and as I said in the boat.....welcome to the addiction of steelhead fishing! Thanks a lot guys and I look forward to having you in the boat again in the future. Below are a couple shot's of Justin's fish.
Justin's first ever steelhead...he earned it!
http://bbt.steelcity.net/10-31-2006-3.jpg
This fish stripped Justin of his nickname as the "Smolt King"
http://bbt.steelcity.net/10-31-2006-4.jpg
The extended forecast looks promising and the fishing should continue to be strong. I have some open dates available for guide trips for next week (Monday 11/6, Tuesday 11/7, Sunday 11/12 and then it opens up a bit). Please call the shop to reserve a day on the river (1-877-422-5394).
Steve and I both have some prime openings for winter steelhead trips (available on the PM or Muskegon...Swinging streamers for steelhead can be very rewarding at this time of year as well!). We are also offering a special rate from November 5th, 2006 and going thru February 28th, 2007 we are offering either a free nights lodging with any full day guide trip or, a reduced full day guide trip rate of $275 for one or two people. Now, while a full day certainly ups the odds of you getting into more fish (More time to fish, learn and/or work out the kinks!) we are also offering a half day special rate of $195 during that same time period. I hope that you'll consider taking advantage of these great offers and come spend some quality time on the water with us during what we consider to be the best part of the year!
This weekend we will be hosting our first steelhead school...there are still openings available for last minute adds. Please call the shop for details or check out the post on our forum for more info.
Thanks & Fish-On!
John
I have been out several times since my last report and here are some details....
10/27/2006 - Richard and I hit the river in search of steelhead and they made us work hard for an opportunity. The morning started off with a couple smolts while refining the floating line indicator technique, however even with some great drifts the bite turned off. After lunch we regrouped and things turned around for us (the water temps also increased a couple degrees for us too!). The trout bite turned back on shortly after lunch and we were now just waiting for an opportunity with a steelie. Richard was hitting the right seams with great drifts when BOOM.....FISH-ON! We managed to bag this fish and capitalized on our only opportunity for the day. Great job Richard!! (Staying focused will keep you in the game on slower days....sometimes you only get one chance and that's if your lucky!)
Richard's "Day Maker"...clown egg victim
http://bbt.steelcity.net/10-27-2006-1.jpg
10/29/2006 - Heather and I did a short float and enjoyed a beautiful day on the river together. (I have said it before and I will say it again, there is no better place to spend quality time with friends or family). We took advantage of a strong fly bite in a short period of time and the fish were HOT! We landed a couple and lost another heart breaker, but being humbled by a steelhead is always welcomed. Estaz nukes and clowns were the key flies for us. Below is a very impressive buck Heather landed after a lengthy battle.
Heather with a solid 12-13 pound buck
http://bbt.steelcity.net/10-29-2006-1.jpg
10/30/2006 - Steve and I floated a mid section of river to check out the conditions and fish numbers. We jumped one nice steelie (check out Steve's page for a photo and details) and landed a handful of browns and smolts each. Another nice day on the crick!
10/31/2006 - Happy Halloween and one to remember...Jeff, Justin and I had the river to ourselves (which is very rare!) and we took advantage of the opportunity. Both of these guys are experienced anglers, but newer to fall steelhead fishing with floating lines and indicators. They picked up on the technique very quickly and the fish were biting. After a couple browns and some smolts, Jeff hooked the first steelie...however it was a brief encounter (but a confirmed hook up because we saw the chrome roll below the float). Shortly afterwards, Justin had his shot at landing his first ever steelhead (Justin was visiting from Colorado)...long story short....it got away. Both Justin and Jeff had their shots (which is all you can ask for on many days), however I was confident in the locations downstream we had yet to fish and the fish were biting/active. After lunch, Jeff stepped up and put a nice hen in the net for the ice breaker...a great fight and hot fish.
Jeff's first Steelhead of the day!
http://bbt.steelcity.net/10-31-2006-1.jpg
After a few more stops, Jeff hooked up with another hot steelhead. It tried it's best to break us off...several strong runs towards some structure, then right towards Jeff, some surface rolls in between and then head shakes down deep...we finally scooped it up for some photos. Both fish fell for an Estaz nuke egg.
Jeff's second of the day
http://bbt.steelcity.net/10-31-2006-2.jpg
We decide to change spots while the bite was still on and it paid off. At the next location, Justin boated 2 steelies in 5 casts in a very difficult place to land a steelhead. They were epic battles that will last a lifetime. (The first fish ate the same Estaz nuke and the second fish ate a clown egg). Congratulations Justin on your first (and second) wild PM Steelhead...and as I said in the boat.....welcome to the addiction of steelhead fishing! Thanks a lot guys and I look forward to having you in the boat again in the future. Below are a couple shot's of Justin's fish.
Justin's first ever steelhead...he earned it!
http://bbt.steelcity.net/10-31-2006-3.jpg
This fish stripped Justin of his nickname as the "Smolt King"
http://bbt.steelcity.net/10-31-2006-4.jpg
The extended forecast looks promising and the fishing should continue to be strong. I have some open dates available for guide trips for next week (Monday 11/6, Tuesday 11/7, Sunday 11/12 and then it opens up a bit). Please call the shop to reserve a day on the river (1-877-422-5394).
Steve and I both have some prime openings for winter steelhead trips (available on the PM or Muskegon...Swinging streamers for steelhead can be very rewarding at this time of year as well!). We are also offering a special rate from November 5th, 2006 and going thru February 28th, 2007 we are offering either a free nights lodging with any full day guide trip or, a reduced full day guide trip rate of $275 for one or two people. Now, while a full day certainly ups the odds of you getting into more fish (More time to fish, learn and/or work out the kinks!) we are also offering a half day special rate of $195 during that same time period. I hope that you'll consider taking advantage of these great offers and come spend some quality time on the water with us during what we consider to be the best part of the year!
This weekend we will be hosting our first steelhead school...there are still openings available for last minute adds. Please call the shop for details or check out the post on our forum for more info.
Thanks & Fish-On!
John