Located in the middle of Michigan’s 100 mile Century Circle, which has some of the best Salmon, Trout and Steelhead fishing in the lower 48 states. I invite you to share the fishing and learning experience within this circle.
Big Manistee River
The Big Manistee offers superb runs of Salmon and Steelhead, with an existing Trout fishery below Tippy Dam. Flyfishing the lower sections in the fall for Steelhead can offer some exceptional days.
Pere Marquette River
The Pere Marquette offers a unique year round fishery without a dam. The Catch and Release section downstream from M-37 offers some of the best Trout, Salmon, and Steelhead fishing in the Century Circle. We fish all water between M-37 and Scottville, depending on the season.
Muskegon River
The Muskegon River is a tailwater fishery that is constantly changing due to stabilization of the flows of Croton Dam near Newago. It offers a year round fishery for trout, with excellent runs of migratory Salmon and Steelhead.
White River
We fish the White River downstream from Hysperia primarily for migratory Salmon and Steelhead. Because of it’s smaller size it is often the first river to turn on in the Spring for Steelhead.
River Fishing Seasons
Fall and Winter Steelhead
We start to fish Fall Steelhead from October 1st through the Winter, Peak dates are October 15 until December 15th and on mild Winter days. Trips start around 7am or earlier if it is warm.
Spring Steelhead
“Springers” start trickling in in February depending on weather. We fish them until early May. Peak times vary depending on water levels. Trips start around 7am or earlier if it is warm.
Streamer Fishing for Trout
This time period offers some excellent streamer fishing during the Salmon smolt out migration, where we fish sink tip lines and minnow imitations to catch bigger fish that will not become insect oriented until the peak of the dry fly season. Streamer fishing is the most productive method in Michigan to catch large trout on a regular basis all day long. On some occasions we catch drop back Steelhead are feeding heavily in the pools on the way back to Lake Michigan. Typical start time 8am.
Salmon Season
Salmon enter the rivers as early as late June on some of the rivers in West Michigan but late August offers more consistent fishing as the water temperatures cool down. From late August to late September we use heavy spinning tackle and cast crank baits for the Salmon. Salmon are used to feeding on Aielwives and smelt (baitfish) in Lake Michigan and do not always respond well to flies early in the year. We also will fly fish sinking lines and larger streamer patterns to early Kings, but do not have the results of crank baits. For early kings when the crank bait bite slows down mid morning we fish skein under bobbers with level wind reels and have good results. Fish respond better to flies in late September when the water cools down more and they become more aggressive before and during spawning. typical start time 6 am.
Dryfly season for Trout
Grey Drake and Hexigenia hatches are the main trout fare! After they are over and the summer is in full swing, we can have daytime dry fly fishing with a variety of terrestrial patterns. Typical trips start at 2pm or later depending on the hatches.
Guided River Fishing Trips:
Full Day Guided Fishing includes:
- Transportation to and from the river.
- Use of Orvis or Sage fly rods and tackle.
- Lunch is included in full day trips only, half days will include only snacks and beverage.
- Full day trips are 8 hours on the water. Half day trips average 5 hours start to finish.
Suggested items to bring
- Fishing License
- Waders
- Raingear
- Polarized Sunglasses
Guided River Fishing Rates
| Half Day Fishing Trip | Full Day Fishing Trip |
| 1-2 Anglers $100 per additional angler up to 3 total | 1-2 Anglers $150 per additional angler up to 3 total |
| $350 | $550 w/Lunch, $525 no Lunch |
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