It is winter here in the Upper Peninsula as you can see from the image below, limited fly fishing opportunities exist as most of our streams our pretty locked up.  As winters go we are having a fairly normal season, snow totals are a bit lower than expected and temps a bit lower on average as well.  We are in much better shape w ice cover on Lake Superior as well as rivers at this point of the winter compared to last year.  Lots of winter left so it is hard to predict anything for the upcoming fishing season at this point.

A big shout out to everyone from across the UP region & beyond who took part in the 1st showing of the Fly Fishing Film Tour this past saturday night in Marquette.  A near sell out crowd in attendance made for a great event, Thomas Theatres plans on making this an annual event- so thanks for your support!  If you missed this, there is a showing of the Film Tour in Sault Ste.Marie, MI on Feb 22 at 5pm.  The Fly Fishing Film Tour is brought to Sault Ste. Marie thanks to the Sault Area Foundation for Education, SOO Area Sportsman Club and Reel North LLC. Proceeds from this event will benefit Kids Fishing Pond & SOO Area Sportsman Club as well as the LSSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club!  Tickets ($12) are available in advance online and locally through members of the LSSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club. For tickets please contact Addie Dutton at 231-357-7018. Tickets ($15) will also be available at the door the night of the event.

Looking to up your Steelhead game?  Check out our friend Kevin’s new video on streamer fishing for Steelhead, this film includes information on how to properly present flies as well as tie productive patterns.  A well put together video that will surely help you catch more fish!  Here is a short trailer of the film & full length video can be purchased here.

It’s the heart of winter here in the yooperland, fishing options are very limited right now. Icy cold flows fill our streams currently & frankly you are better off going skiing or recreating in the snow than spending your time fishing. Looks like the forecast for fishing is going to get a bit better though as we are under  a nice warm up starting tomorrow. This should open up some water & provide a bit of an opportunity for those looking to make some casts. Pictured below is a new stash of RN decals, send us over a message & we will happily send some your way in the mail for free!

Also, make sure to reserve the evening of Feb 7, 2015 to attend the Fly Fishing Film Tour in Marquette! This marks the first annual showing of the film here thanks to our friends at Thomas Cinema Group. A big shout out the Thomas Cinema as they have decided to donate proceeds to UP non profit fishing organizations, a gracious & appreciated gesture! Click here to purchase your tickets online & join in the fun.

An unseasonable warm up in the weather department was sure nice, it felt more like spring than winter over the course of the last four days here in the Upper Peninsula. A window of opportunity opened w this weather & now we are back to the snows. We lost a good amount of snow recently & a small amount of runoff brought a bit of color to some rivers. Steelhead and Brown Trout dominate the catch w some magnificent fish available.

Treat someone special this Christmas holiday to the gift of fishing, contact us to purchase a gift certificate (available in any amount) to a guided fishing trip w Riversnorth. Also available is a full assortment of Riversnorth gear- Hats, hoodies, & t shirts for the fisherman in your life, contact us to order your today or pick up locally in Marquette at Downwind Sports!

Happy holidays to all & thank you for all the support over the years!

A small window of decent weather opened the window for some fishing opps lately, other than that it has been pretty much to damn cold! This onset of winter has been quite possibly earliest I have ever witnessed this much ice & snow to hinder fishing conditions. Regardless of the rough weather, some great Brown Trout & Steelhead are around in the rivers of the U.P.. This time of the year you just have to time your fishing with favorable weather conditions. A new batch of Riversnorth hats are in, send us a message to order yours today ($20 shipped)!

Ol man winter showed up in grand fashion to say the least…  In literally a 3 hour time span we went from late fall weather to downright middle of winter conditions.  This put an abrupt halt to fishing for a few days, many lakes have froze in a 2 day time span after this brutal weather.  Many areas of the UP got around 2 feet of snow in a 36 hr time span, should make for some interesting hunting on rifle opener this Saturday.  On the bright side, some great fish have been caught as of lately.  Persistency & great presentation has equaled success.  Both streamer fishing as well as nymphing at this time is productive, fishing varying techniques allows the angler to fish to different   fish.

Water temps are in the downward spiral now as we are very quickly fading into late fall here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  A healthy snowstorm greeted to kids for their trick or treating last yesterday as many parts of the U.P. received up to 8 inches of snow!  I wouldn’t say that’s untypical for this time of the year, but it is always a bit of a shock to the system.  Many rivers still remain rather high, this fall has seen ample precip to keeps streams flowing well.  Steelhead continue to migrate into rivers and fish numbers range quite widely.  Late fall offers fun opportunities for a variety of different species!

Burr, some cold weather here lately & even a few snowflakes in the air.  In many areas of the Upper Peninsula the leaves are all off the trees and cold crisp mornings have a quite a bit of frost on the pumpkins.  This time of year is great, I can’t get enough of  the great opportunities that are available. It isn’t easy fishing, but the rewards are phenomenal. Water temps have been cooling daily and many streams are running well above average w all the wet weather we have had this fall.  Some nice Steelhead are currently available, but some areas are lacking in fish numbers while others seem to have around normal amounts.  Look for fish to continue to arrive as water temps drop and river levels stay higher than normal.  Late fall offers some high opportunity for the predator as well….

Rain, rain, rain & more rain-seems like this will never end… Many days of all day rain have most rivers full of water at this point of the season.  A nice variety of species are available across the UP region- both cold water & warm water.  Predators are responding to the dropping water temps and acting accordingly for late autumn.  Steelhead are silver, screw up & it’s game over. This time of the fishing season offers some trophy opps on some great fish, keep casting & feed um what they want!

After a week of probably the nicest weather we have had of the entire summer it is now starting to feel like October.  A steady rain has fallen over the last 48 hours which has provided a big shot of water to the Upper Peninsula streams.  Looks like more rain & cooler temps are in the forecast, so look for river levels to continue to rise across the region.  The onset of fall has brought a few bright player Steelhead into the streams, these fish are have downright hot.  Pacific Salmon are also available, a variety of fresh & older fish are around. Congrats to our anglers as of lately, nice work!

It feels like fall here in the north woods now, certain areas of the U.P. are in full autumn colors & the air has that nice crisp feel in the mornings. This is the time of the year that really just can’t last long enough, it is wonderful to be outside enjoying the surroundings. Currently many fishing opportunities exist- Pacific Salmon are available, resident Trout as well as warm water predators. Take your shotgun out for a stroll as well, upland bird season is open & I have been seeing a few birds on the way to the river. Enjoy…..