Extreme high water had made for some difficult fly fishing here in the U.P. this past week. Rivers were @ flood stage for quite some time and have now finally crested and are falling. The unseasonably warm air temps melted our snow pack quickly and the rainfall just added even more water to the mix. Now that all the snow is essentially gone, rivers have begun to warm up. Currently water temps are in the 40’s and Spring Steelhead are on the move. The past week the high water has made landing these feisty Steelhead quite a feat of accomplishment! Now that the warm weather is leaving us the snow is back in the forecast-opening day is calling for high is the lower 40’s with a rain/snow mix. That is more like it weather wise for this time of the year here in the U.P.! The holiest day of the season is nearly upon us-Trout Opening day in Michigan. So many decisions to make- Steelhead, Brook Trout or Brown Trout fishing? You’ve thought all Winter about this day, good luck!

Heavy runoff over the past two days has rivers across the U.P. high and dirty-please use caution when wading right now. The past two days air temps have been in the mid to upper 60’s, the snow melt from the high country is moving downhill fast into our river basins. It is now safe to say that Spring is here to stay as the forecast is calling for temps in the lower 50’s for the near future. I was amazed to actually see a few buds on a tree yesterday on the river! Water temps are in the upper thirties currently and a few more Spring Steelhead have been trickling into the Lake Superior and Lake MIchigan streams. The long slow painful wait for Winter to end is finally over-this Winter was downright miserable with cold temps & late snows. I can’t remember a Spring where it has been more satisfying to see the chrome sides of a fresh angry wild Lake Superior Steelhead on the end of a fly line!