Pere Marquette River Fishing Report

Here's what's happening in Northern Michigan

MARCH 8, 2026

RIVER IS ON THE RISE

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PERE MARQUETTE RIVER FISHING REPORT:
Steelhead fishing on the Pere Marquette River is still up and down with the weather.  Early in the week we had single digit temperatures at night. This kept the river temperatures pretty cold. The river levels dropped quite a bit and started to clear. This made sunny day fishing tough. However, we weren’t complaining too much. It felt great to get some Vitamin D after the winter we had. The better fishing was early morning when the light was low, or in the evening when the water temperature started to warm.  By mid-week, the spring-like air temps brought up water temps and water levels with the remaining snow run-off.  With warmer water and some cloud cover, the bite was pretty good.  The river now is back on the rise and getting dirty due to the intense storm that came through the area early Saturday morning.
Flies that worked well last week were included natural egg flies in Oregon Cheese, Apricot and Steelhead Orange with the low water.  Hub’s hex worked well along with small, olive Wooly-Buggers on the sunny days.  When the river bumped up at the end of the week, my P.M. Parr and Walts Fry pattern worked good on Steelhead and sparked good interest in the resident trout too.  I am seeing a few Salmon fry along the banks now. As the water warms, we will see more start to hatch.  We swung flies at the end of the week. The River had a great stain to it and we had some decent cloud cover.  Black leeches with a good amount of flash was the ticket to success.
PHOTO: (Above) Brad fished hard and was rewarded with this nice Steelhead on the swing.
On a sad note, I lost a good friend and client, John Dekker last week.  Some of you may have bumped into John on the river over the years. He loved to fish the PM!  John was one of my first regular clients back in the late 90’s at the Orvis Lodge.  John was a great Angler, Fly Tier, and most of all, a good friend. He became more like the older brother I never had!  He was such a great guy.  He was there to lend a hand or just an ear.  He will be missed dearly. RIP JD! I hope you’re swinging up some big chrome Steelhead up there. We’re sending our deepest sympathies to John’s family and friends.
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Check out my YouTube page for an awesome Fry pattern my good friend and guide of many years, Walt Grau tied up. Walt is one of the most creative Fly Tyers you will ever meet. Please don’t forget to subscribe.
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

HUB'S HEX

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HUBS HEX
As the Pere Marquette River temps start to drop in the winter months, fishing nymphs can be productive.  A staple in my fly box this time of year, is my Hex/Wiggler imitation. This fly works well when the river is cold and clear. It’s a subtle, natural looking fly which can be fished under a float or bounced off the bottom. Checkout the Hub’s Hex on my YouTube page and please like and subscribe.
Tight Lines !!
  • Thread:  140 ultra strong thread in Black.
  • Hook:  1x strong 2x long down eye size 6 or 8.
  • Tail:  Tan Grizzly Marabou. Tie in don’t cut.
  • Body:  Brown Ice Dub taper body so dubbing gets thicker toward eye of hook.
  • Collar:  Tie in smaller Mallard flank by tip and wrap towards front.
  • Eyes:  Medium Black Plastic Eyes.
  • Head:  Yellow UV Ice dub wrap in front and around Plastic Eyes.
  • Wing:  Pull rest of stem of Grizzly Marabou and tie off at eye of hook. Make thread wrap and whip finish and go fish it. 😁
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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!