A very Happy New Year Michigan Fly Fisherman! It’s been a down right cold January and the fishing has been mostly hit or miss. There has been some local success on the Clinton river in southeast MI. The fish have been smaller in size with a good amount of skippers being caught. The best success for local winter steelhead has been on light rigs with tandem flies. Please remember that our local trout fishery, the Paint Creek is still closed and will not open until the last Saturday of April and do remember to get your new Fishing License for 2025 by March. Also, remember that these cold January and early February days can be active times for the winter stonefly and a small black stone fly imitation can match this macroinvertebrate nicely. Have a safe and healthy New Year and be safe on the waters out there!
For those that fish the North Western Michigan rivers, there have been a few good days with warmer temps in the upper 20’s or low 30’s triggering some good bites. My Guides tell me they have been averaging between 2 to 5 steelhead landed per outing and some very nice chromers! We will continue to be booking Guided Float Trips for winter and spring steelhead.