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12-29-05

Pleasant air temps this week have made for some ideal fishing conditions here in the U.P.! Air temps have been at or above freezing all week long, sure is nice not to have to clear the ice off the eyelets in late December for a change! Seems as if the meltoff has ceased for the most part as a new coldfront is coming in tommorow. Sure would be nice to see a little more snow on the ground here, we only have 4 inches!!! Fishing was very steady this last week around areas that look very nasty to put a drift through (wood, snags,ect.). This time of the year the fish are not going to move very far at all to eat a meal. The drift has to be perfect or no game. After all it is the game that keeps us going to the river in late December .... Happy New Year!!

12-23-05

This week we have been lucky enough to receive another warming trend which has caused another meltoff in the snowpack. The meltoff has caused the rivers to get a slight stain to the water & temps/levels have risen a touch. Steelhead have been still hiding out in deep/dark wooded areas & coming out to grab a quick bite to eat occasionaly! Eric W. was lucky enough to find this eager late run Coho on a mid-winter float trip this last week! The Coho have been hanging around late this year adding quite the bonus to a day of winter Steelheading! The forecast is calling for above normal temp's for the next couple days so the runoff will continue & bring in more fresh Steelehad for the New Year!! I'd like to thank everyone for a great year of fishing & wish you a very merry Christmas!

12-15-05

Winter fishing in the sunshine with mid thrity degree temps, can it get better? Sure I guess if the fish are cooperating it really doesn't matter how nice the weather is! Today the thermometer hit a sweltering 37 degrees! This is quite the heat wave from what has been the norm here lately. This last week fishing has continued to be very steady as water temp's have been stayed put for the most part. Deep holes with lots of hiding places (wood) have the Steelhead feeling quite cozy for the Winter months ahead. We have been catching very bright fish still which means they haven't been in the river for long at all. Forecast is calling for above normal air temps here for the next few days so we should see some more fish entering the rivers for Christmas time! Treat yourself to a relaxing day of Winter Steelhead fishing with us!

12-08-05

After a week long of sitting in the deep freeze cycle it looks as if we are finally back to some normal seasonable temp's here in the U.P.! The cold air temps caused water temp's to plummet, but that really hasn't effected fishing at all! Surprisingly yesterday with the cold water temp's the Steelhead were still deciding that they wanted to be in the air jumping as much as they wanted to be under water! We are still getting quite the mixed bag of fish ranging from Steelhead, Brown Trout & Coho. The rivers have cleared up & dropped back to normal winter levels thus putting fish in their normal Winter areas. This time of year requires persistence, fishing slow is the key many days to finding the Steel! This holiday season a 10% discount is available on all trips booked now through January 5 for this upcoming season, click "Winter Special" on home page for additional information. Gift certificates make great Christmas presents!

12-01-05

This early Winter has brought some very strange weather patterns here to the U.P. that has caused some excellent opportunities on the fishing side of things! This last weekend air temp's dropped to -14 degrees in some inland areas only to warm up to over 50 degrees two days later! This warm up caused another run-off & water temp rise in our rivers which brought another batch of chrome Steelehad up from the lake! Nearly all the snow we received from the earlier storm has melted & caused the rivers to come up a few inches. This last week has produced a nice mixed bag of fish ranging from Steelhead, a fresh Chinook (wierd?), Coho, & Browns. This last weather system has blessed us with even more fish to keep us busy for the Winter months! This will truley be a Winter to remember here in the U.P.!

11-20-05

Snow blankets the ground here in the Upper Peninsula now as winter is beginning to take its grip here! This last week a major winter storm came through dumping upwards of 15 inches over the higher terrian in Marquette County. The snowfall was very wet causing lots of downed trees which resulted in major power outages throughout the U.P., just yesterday power was restored to everyone. Currently it is raining, the snow is melting & air temps are in the upper 30's which is causing a good amount of runoff which should bring up some more fresh Steelhead! The rivers have a fair stain to them right now which is great for this time or the year, normaly we are low & clear by this time of the season. Starting after Thanksgiving we will be offering our special Winter pricing for Winter Steelehad trips. Upper Peninsula Winter fishing is truley a expereince all true Steelheaders should experience! The rains from this late Fall have set this Winter up to be a steady fishery here, if youv'e been waiting this is the Winter to make the trip to up for Steel!

11-09-05

The forest now looks empty as high winds have pretty much taken the last remaining leaves from our trees. Yesterday the white flakes were beginning to fall from the sky, but as I look at the forecast it looks as if another warm weekend is headed our way. Steelhead & Lake Run Browns are still continuing to cooperate when the right conditions occur. Small eggs have been working best on overcast days as of lately. Bright sunny conditions have fish rather shy in the clear water conditions. If you are headed up for the rifle opener the rut is in full swing! Be careful & considerate of other hunters on public lands. This is a great year to combine a deer hunting trip with some Steelhead fishing! Give us a call!

11-02-05

This Fall the Steelhead we have been finding on the end of our lines are not happy!! These fish are extremely hot & have been getting us into our backing quite frequently as they dance down the river. Small eggs in all kinds of different color patterns have been effective this week. They are still a few Salmon actively spawning which is keeping the menu of eggs full in our local streams. The forecast is calling for more rain which is setting us up for a outstanding late Fall/Winter fishery! We should continue to see fresh Steelhead showing up well into December if this warm weather pattern keeps up. Nothing like fresh chrome to keep us warm all winter long!

10-23-05

The fridgid nights & rainy days have the last few remaining Salmon getting their spawning done in a hurry! The combination of rain & cold weather has brought in a few more Steelhead/Lake Run Browns to eat the Salmon eggs & give us some enjoyment to fish for during those long winter months! Not much longer before the white stuff flies! If your flyrod has a layer of dust on it now is the time to get her cleaned off & on the river instead of the closet!

10-13-05

The U.P. this time of the year is simply breathtaking as our Fall colors are nearing peak. Near the Lake the there is still quite a bit of green around but as soon as you get a bit inland the forest is alive with color. This week fishing has been very steady with the majority of the Salmon finding their way upstream to gravel. When lucky enough to have a favorable wind we have still been finding fish in the surf! The rivers are very slowly dropping & looking in prime shape for Fall Steelhead!

10-06-05

Seems as if all the rain that we missed out on this summer has found us this month! Along with the rain the Salmon have begun to show up in force! There is a good mix of fish in holes as well as actively spawning. The water temp's are still rather high for this time of the year so it should spread the run rather than having all the fish spawning at once. Brighter colored egg patterns have been the choice because of the high dirty water. The illusive Fall Steelhead have also made their presence known in the last week of fishing! Congrats to Jon R. on this fine Fall Run Steelehead! Your Fall chrome is waiting, late October dates available!

09-29-05

The leaves are beginning to change, the mornings are quite chilly, and the days are getting shorter. Sounds alot like Salmon season to me!! The last week has seen fish on the move, on gravel & in the holes. The latest rainfall has brought a fair amount of fish in that have spawning on their mind right away. These fish that have just entered the river are aggresive towards bigger patterns (woolies, egg suckers, ect.). The warmer than average lake temp's have kept plenty of fish still out @ the river mounts so surf casting is still very productive. Hopefully this cool weather patterns with plenty of rainfall continues throughout this fall so a good push of fall Steelhead will show up to keep the winter interesting!

09-21-05

Cold nights & locally heavy rainfalls have pushed a few salmon into the rivers finally! 2 inches of rain feel on Monday which raised the rivers quite substantially & put them in prime shape for our fall run of fish. Surf casting has still been productive as most of the fish are still staging & should be in the river within the next 2 weeks. Brook Trout fishing is entering a transition phase as fish are getting very ready to hit the gravel. Only a couple days left in the Trout season so get out & because the Saturday in April is a long wait!

09-10-05

From the looks of things we are going to have another September like we did last summer, basically another month of summer! We have been receiving very cool clear evenings which has been keeping water temps at a reasonable level but unfortunately we have had minimal precipitation. Brook Trout fishing has still been very productive as the resident fish are moving into the shallower gravel area's to do their annual fall spawning. On the Salmon side of things we haven't really had a substantial "push" of fish yet into the rivers. There are a few fish in the streams but the majority are still out in the lake due to the warm water temp's. If you are interested in silver Salmon these next two weeks are the time to be out wading into the surf! Big Fish +Big Water = Big Fights!!!

08-26-05

Cold clear nights have water temp's right where they should be for this time of the year! This means that the arrival of the fall salmon isn't too far off in the future! Our first fish of the year came the other night & it was quite the fight! Nothing beats a dime bright Chinook hooked in open water, quite the tackle testing fish. We still have quite some time before the run is "officially" started but if you want a fight you won't forget try your hand at these early fish! Trout fishing has been very productive as well lately also. Attractor patterns have spawning colored Brook Trout interested in rising quite frequently. The U.P. in the fall; the reason they call this "god's country"!

08-22-05

Fishing is a way of escaping & enjoying time with friends that truly make you happy. When I was just a young fisherman i met a man by the name of Ernie Slessman. Ernie was a charter captain operating out of the port of St.Joseph, MI. Being young & very excitable about fishing I was always harassing Ernie about new techniques & how the fishing was. Now that I am older I can see how a young kid could maybe be a bit annoying time to time hanging around the dock frequently! Ernie could have easily brushed me off & paid no attention to my interest. Instead he would sit at the picnic table & tell stories of the day on the water getting me way to excited to work rest of the day! As I look back I can say that Ernie & everyone associated with him made a very direct impact upon my choices in life. He lived to see others smile & enjoy the life on the water. This weekend Ernie was taken to fish in a better place. Thank you for being yourself & we will miss you Ernie...

08-13-05

Cool nights have been keeping water temp's at levels that are quite better than what we have been used to this summer! Earlier in the week we received quite the "soaker" of a rainstorm that helped the rivers get up a little to better flow. This has helped the fishing quite a bit, terrestrials have been bouncing around in the weeds providing a easy meal for some trout. Evening fishing has been seeing a few White Flies which can cause some very nice fish to rise that haven't broke the surface in quite some time! Not much of the summer left, go fish & relax!

07-29-05

After a VERY long drought relief is finally here! The last few nights have been very cool with some well needed rainshowers. This cooling is shaping up the river for a prime White Fly hatch here very very soon! Mid August is great fishing here in the U.P., we still have some great dates available for the White Fly if you are interested! Lately dry fly fishing has been good in the early mornings and late evenings with spinners, attractors, and ephorns making up the menu. This time of the summer in the U.P. is a time to relax. Go seek out that secluded camping spot along Lk. Superior, enjoy the serenity of having a private beach to yourself, or cast a flyrod with no one else in sight! So much to do & so little time to do it here in the U.P.!

07-14-05

Summer in the U.P., is there anything closer to heaven? The weather we have received this year has me questioning that! Sunny, hot days have created warm water conditions so the trout fishing has been still a early morning or late evening bite. Cahills & Caddis are the majority of the meals of the trout currently. On the east end of the U.P. the Hex hatch is going strong and the fishing i would rate as fair/good! The mass amount of insect activity makes for some tough conditions at times, your pattern is like a needle in a hay stack! But persistency in conditions like that pays off when you feel a leaper on the end of the line!

07-03-05

Sunshine, rising Trout and leaping Salmon!! Life is good here in the U.P. right now. Cool nights have been keeping water temp's stable so fishing has been productive! Cahills have been coming off right before dark and the fish have been keying in on them in the very twilight hours, otherwise small rusty spinners have selective fish interested. This time of the summer is when we travel east to visit one of our favorites, the Atlantic Salmon! Looking up at a fish jumping six feet in the air is enough to smile on anyone's face! We had a very productive week fishing pretty much everything in the flybox! Water temps are around the 60 degree mark and from the looks of the forecasts they should be climbing steadily throughout this next week. Summer fishing is on!

06-21-05

Evening dry fly fishing has been very productive here this last week for us! A mixed bag of mayflies (Brown Drakes, Sulphurs, Iyso's, and Cahills) have been coming off about an hour before dark into the evening making for some very late fishing. Water temps have been very up and down this year with the strange weather patterns we have been receiving. If the water stays cool for a couple days the hatches have been very strong with the trout looking up! This year fishing is ahead of schedule from where it should normally be @ this point of the summer. Let's hope for some cool weather! This last week of fishing was very rewarding as we landed some big trout. Congrats to George & Neil on a couple quality wild U.P. Brown Trout!

06-10-05

Ladies & gentleman the dry fly that makes the largest trout of the season rise here in the U.P. has been making its journey upstream! The Brown Drake emergence has been happening right before dark the last few evenings very heavy. The warm air/water temps have caused this hatch to happen quite earlier than most seasons. I am hoping for some cold evenings so that our water temps can get back to normal. When the Drakes are dropping the fish have been rising very steadily, making for some exciting evenings. The photo below of the fawn was quite the interesting story. After spotting the boat trailer we were driving out when a screeching noise came from right next to the truck in the woods. We got out to take a quick look around & from down the road came a curious adult doe. Hummm... Upon closer inspection off the two track we saw the little guy that mom was looking for standing there questioning why chris had been driving 55 mph down a rutted out two track! So after a couple quick photo's we let mom & fawn go about their way. Our float for that evening was topped off by Ms.Starr landed her first Brook Trout on a dry fly! Hopefully she doesn't get too good & start outfishing us on a regular basis! Sharing experiences like that make for great memories! That's what fishing is all about....

06-06-05

After a this tropical blast of heat we received we finally got a nice cold rain last night to hopefully cool our quickly heating water temp's down. We have moved from a late afternoon rise to a just before dark summer trout fishery in a matter of three days! Sulpurs have still been popping and I have spotted some Brown Drakes flying around. Brook Trout seemed to be the majority of the rising fish but in the last few days the Browns have started rising quite a bit! The next three weeks of fishing will be the very best dry fishing fishing of the entire summer! Check out the photo of the new marquette resident/yearling moose posted below the report. This moose has been hanging out in town for about a month now! Seems very content eating lilly pads & drinking water while onlookers snap photo's! Only in the U.P.! Don't delay much longer to call/email us if you are interested in getting out in the driftboat or wading the river!!

05-27-05

The last week of fishing here has been simply epic! When the BIG Brook Trout are hungry it makes for some very exciting fishing and happy people! Streamers have been producing in the early mornings and late evening for these aggressive fish on our inland Trout lakes. Rivers are a bit high right now but the clarity levels are good with water temps around 58-60 degrees. Late afternoons have been fair for dry fly activity as of lately because it seems as if we are in between hatches. Last night was the first time this year that I have seen a substantial number of sulphurs. There was not enough for fish to key in on them, but it shouldn't be too much longer! Size 14&16 Caddis have been present all day but they haven't been strumming up much interest. From the sounds of the upcoming weather we are going to be in a midst of cold/rain for a while, so our water levels should be perfect for the upcoming month of dry fly fishing! Enjoy the holiday weekend !

05-20-05

Rising Brook Trout!!! Finally after a long awaited off season the resident Brook Trout of the U.P. are looking towards the surface to grab a quick easy meal! The last week has been fairly productive for dry fly fishing depending upon what the sun/wind is doing. We have been seeing good #'s of BWO's when the temps are right and the skies are cloudy. Once the bugs have been on the water for a while the fish are keying in and rising. The clear days when the sun is out has been productive as well because caddis have been coming off in the midafternoon hours as well. Water temp's are in the high 40's right now so it shouldn't be too much longer till the sulphurs start showing up! Dry fly season is upon us my friends.....

05-13-05

Fishing here in the U.P. has been very interesting in the last week to say the least. One day it can be 70 degrees out and then the next be 28 degrees and snowing sideways! Depending upon the day we have been steelhead fishing in the morning, then in the early afternoon switching over to trout to see if we can get some dry fly activity. The Steelhead are rapidly getting their spawning done and heading back to the lake while the Trout are still just starting to look up to grab the occasional BWO from the surface. Water temp's hit the 58 degree mark on Wednesday but have plummeted back to the 40's once again after this bitter cold front arrived. Looks like next week we should get back to normal again. We would like to give a "farewell" to a good friend of ours who is making his way north to Alaska for who knows how long? He presence on the river will be missed as well as all his antics that make us smile! Good luck Billy & Allison! Congrats to Eric W. on his first Lake Superior Steelhead on the fly! A great reward for persistency/patience!

05-06-05

Snow, rain, sleet, ect.. That pretty much sums up our last week of weather here in the Upper Peninsula! Looks like finally though we are going to be getting back to normal in the weather department. Forecast calls for normal temps and maybe some very needed rain as water levels are at early summer time levels currently. Trout Opener was a little slow on the Steelhead side of things, but the Trout fishing was a bit more rewarding. Steelhead fishing right now consists of a mixed bag of drop-back fish and new arrivals. The water temps are around 40-44 degrees still, which is good for another shot of fish in my opinion if we receive some rain. The low/clear conditions have us fishing extremely small patterns and thin leaders. The Trout fishing has been very exciting in the last week! We have caught our first Trout of the season on the dry fly! The Blue Winged Olive has a few Trout looking up for their meals versus having to swing a streamer all day. Sure is nice after months of nymphing to be able to cast the dry fly! As water temp's creep up so will the Trout to the surface, plenty of good dates left for dry fly fishing trips!

04-27-05

Steelhead fishing continues to be fair/good here in the U.P., but we are in dire need of some rainfall. Rivers are currently low for this time of the spring because of the lack of precipitation we have receive this month. The warm weather had fishing really good for a while but then this artic blast of air we received has kind of made for a little tougher conditions. From the sounds of things we should be getting rain/snow for the next couple days which may help our water issue out a little bit. The familiar sound of spring drumming of the Grouse has us thinking about Trout fishing, how about you? Good luck to everyone this Saturday on the hallowed "Trout Opening Day"!

04-13-05

After a long cold March it finally looks like spring is here in the U.P.! Meltoff continues but there is very little snow left in the woods as of today. We have flood levels on lots of rivers around the area. The unseasonably warm weather we have been receiving as of lately has water temp's in around the 40 degree mark. If this weather pattern keeps up we are going to have an early spring here for a change. Steelhead fishing is fair right now with fresh fish entering the rivers everyday. Egg patterns, Headbangers, and Stoneflies have been the best patterns so far. If you are sick of the crowds on your river, give us a call/email for a peaceful day of steel!

03-29-05

Spring is arriving here in the U.P. from the looks of the rivers & woods here in Marquette County. The last few days have been downright hot for our standards in March! Today the temperature reached 63 degrees but all the meltoff and sunshine still hasn't warmed the streams above the 32 degree mark. We have been hooking a few Steelhead and Browns but all this fish we have taken in my opinion are winter fish that have been in the systems for quite some time. We are supposed to receive some rainfall in the next few days so that could help us get rid of some of the snowpack. There is still a good 3 feet of snow in the woods all all north facing slopes and lots of shelf ice in the rivers. The good side to all the snowpack is that we will have plenty of water this summer for our trout floats! Last years dry fly trout fishing was phenomenal all summer long because of the cool air/water temperatures. This should directly lead to another outstanding season of Trout fishing here in the U.P.! We have some great dates available this summer still for dry fly fishing, this is a very popular outing for us so if you are interested please don't delay and email/call us for details. brad

03-15-05

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth @ the MFFC Show in Warren the last weekend! We always enjoy talking fishing and U.P. stories for a couple days with everyone. It was really nice to see green grass for a change versus all this white stuff we still have on the ground. It was kind of a shock to the system when we got home to realize that we still have another few weeks of snow and cold left before our first signs of spring show. Despite all the snow on the ground fishing has been fair for as low as the water temps are right now. We have been hooking enough fish to keep us really excited for the big spring push of Steelhead to come. Check out the photo of the Brook Trout. I caught this fish on Monday, first Brook Trout of the year for us! Can't wait to get these guys on the dry fly this summer! If you are interested in booking a spring steelhead trip now is the time.

02-16-05

Fishing has picked up a bit since the warming trend we received over the last week or so! The sunshine is always a very welcome sight this time of the year here in the U. P. The sunshine is a nice re-charge for the old batteries that see nothing but clouds &snow all winter!! Tiny nymphs and egg patterns have still been key because even though the sun melted a little snowpack the water levels/temps did not rise at all. Nothing cures cabin fever like the headshakes of a Steelhead or a nice Brown Trout! If you are interested in curing your's, email us for available spring Steelhead dates or summer driftboat dry fly fishing! Also we will be attending the MFFC fly fishing show once again in Warren this year. Please stop by our booth and say "hi"! This years dates are March 12&13.

01-30-05

Not many changes up here since the last report! Still haven't been receiving much snowfall for this time of year which makes for a little easier walking on the river! Looks like this week should be a little warmer than the past weeks so hopefully it will spur a little more activity in the trout's diet! Lately cold, clear water conditions have made for some really tough fishing. Small patterns have been best along slow current seams. Fish don't like to move much out of their way to grab a quick bite to eat. Persistency is key when fishing during the cold winter months!

01-13-05

Winter fishing is in full swing here in Marquette County! Water temp's are a blistering 32 degrees presently! Iced guides and cold fingers make for shorter outings. Presentation is key this time of the winter. We have not been receiving much snow this season for a change, but it looks like after this severe cold snap we are about to receive things may change. A few browns and steelhead are present in the rivers but you REALLY have to work for them. Small egg patterns, hex, and stoneflies have been the ticket. If you are interested in getting in the prime dates for spring steelhead and summer trout floats now is the time to book! Feel free to shoot us an email riversnorth@yahoo.com or call 906-458-8125 with any questions you may have!!
Brad