Pere Marquette River Fishing Report

Here's what's happening in Northern Michigan

December 15, 2024

LIFE BELOW ZERO

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PERE MARQUETTE RIVER FISHING REPORT:
The weather on the Pere Marquette River along with the Steelhead fishing has been a roller coaster of a ride.  The beginning of last week felt like Spring and by the middle of the week it was like being in an episode of “Life Below Zero.” Surprisingly, fishing remained consistent even on Friday and Saturday when temps started in the single digits.  Saturday we saw slush and quite a bit of shelf ice.  The slush and ice made fishing a grind. With all that, we still managed to find a couple of nice Steelhead on the swing.  The Pere Marquette River has now dropped quite a bit in level with the colder days and nights.  The temperature also dropped a lot.  This coming week we could see another spike in water level, but after yesterday the river could be messy early in the week with shelf ice breaking up and slush.  Saturday it was building bad along the banks, especially where the currents were slow.  In the area, we saw rain Saturday night and rain all afternoon on Sunday making our back roads and launch sites pretty sketchy.  For Flies it was a variety of Swing patterns that worked last week. Leeches did well bigger and brighter on the low light days. On sunny days Sculpins and smaller Leech patterns worked well.   Will keep you posted on the conditions this week too. Good luck and tight lines !!!!
PIC:  (Above) Nelson with a well-earned blizzard of a Steelhead taken on the swing.  Nelson put the time in and finally capitalized on this great PM Buck as the snow was falling.  Nice Job !!!!
YOUTUBE: I’ve started a new YouTube page! Click on the link for some new videos and click the subscribe button. https://www.youtube.com/@OutfittersNorthJeffHubbard
LIVE FLY TYING WITH THE NORTHERN ANGLER:  If you missed it – I had the opportunity to head up to Traverse City to visit good friends Brian and Matt at The Northern Angler Fly Shop. Thanks to all who joined us on YouTube for the Live event. If you missed the live event, you can still watch the full video on the Northern Angler’s YouTube Page.
If you are ever in Northern Michigan stop by their shop and say “hi!” They have a great assortment of gear, tackle and fly tying materials. You can find them online at The Northern Angler

FLY OF THE MONTH

LITE-BRITE LEECH SWING FLY

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I developed this Leach pattern fifteen plus years ago. It covers all the Steelhead colors that work so well in the Pere Marquette River.
This fly works well on the swing when the water has that nice tea stain to it or has colder temperatures in the winter months.
I fish the shank version when water is high and dark in color and the Iron hook version works well when water is clear but cold.
For the head I make a nuke egg in the front using yarn . This fly works well in that it gives the fly a little kick-back when it hits the water and starts to sink.  It also works well in the slower pools in which you will find Steelhead in the winter months when the water is cold.  The yarn makes it more buoyant to float a little higher in the water column so you can fish it in slower water and over or around wood.

Recipe

Hook Daiichi 2461 Size 1
30-35 mm Shank with Size 2 Stinger Hook
Tail : Purple Marabou tied in by tip palmered towards front of hook.
Body: Simple Black Ice Dub
Collar:  Purple Marabou tied in by tip palmered towards front of hook again.
Wing : Combination of Gold, Copper, Blue and Red Flashabou
Finish with another collar of Purple or Black Schlappen tied by tip palmered to front of hook.
Head : Make a Nuke Egg with darker color for Nucleus and Lighter color at the front. If fishing in clear water, I like to do a Oregon Cheese Style Nuke and in dirtier water Chartreuse works great.
If I get time soon will tie one on my Youtube page. Any questions feel free to email me good luck and tight lines.
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Learn More About booking a trip with Outfittersnorth

I am Jeff Hubbard. I grew up in West Michigan with a real love for the outdoors. After guiding in Alaska for a few years, I returned to my favorite rivers and streams, here in Michigan. Among these, the Pere Marquette River is my favorite by far. I have spent many years next to this great river in the town of Baldwin and have a great love for this great natural scenic river. I became a professional guide in 1998, and fishing still remains a real passion to me.

I’m a licensed USFS Special Use Permit holder and State of Michigan Permit holder.  This allows me to fish the whole water shed of the Pere Marquette River.  I am fully insured and CPR Certified. I run Full and Half Day Trips, Instructional, walk and wade, or float trips.

Always feel free to drop me a note if you have any questions or ideas!  Thank you for stopping by!