Pere Marquette trout - 12/15/12

What do they call these things?...oh yeah, trout

 

 

this resident was definitely an early Christmas gift!

Had the pleasure of fishing an entire day w/out any preconditions.   Good friend John and I spent the day probing some new water on the PM for winter trout.  What a blast!  The conditions were surreal and the fishing was good.  Picking our way though the many pockets and runs well suited for winter trout we found many takers and were occasionally gifted a shot at a real nice fish.  We fished a number of nymph patterns but found a #18-#20 blackfly larvae to be the most productive.  Other flies of note were brassies, small winter stones, scuds, and sow bugs.  While the water is quite different on the PM than on the MO solid winter nymphing skills proved to be effective when applied.  Don't miss out on this magical time of year!

Jay Allen, guide

Muskegon River Trout - 12/4/12

Fat and sassy!

John w/ a gorgeous bow taken on a Muskegon River scud

I always make sure my camera is charged and in the boat when Mr. McCarthy shows up...and today was no exception.  Fishing started out a bit slow but after covering some promising water we finally found some fish on the feed.  Fishing picked up as the morning warmed up and John managed a good number of average trout.  Then, while picking through a nice pocket, hooked into a real nice rainbow which required an "up anchor".  We definitely wanted to take a better look at this fella.  All-n-all a great day on the water!

Jay Allen, guide

Muskegon River - Nov. 8, 2012

Gary w/ a zero to sixty slam

Gary picked up a spey rod for the first time today and was quick to get in the rhythm.  After a bit of practice he was laying out nice casts.  A bit into the day and this buck gave his fly some big attitude.  One of the strikes that you don't have to ask if you got hit.  By the time he said "there's a fish" there was about 100 yards of line off the reel.  Nice job Gary.

Jay Allen, guide

Muskegon River - Nov. 7, 2012

David w/ his first fall steelhead on the swing!

Had  a great time on the river w/ John and David.  While fishing has been tough for steelhead the two pushed through and after a few tugs connected with a zinger.  David managed to keep his composure and put it in the net.  After lunch we put down the spey rods and fished for trout the remainder of the day.  Caught no real monsters but did catch quite a few trout.  What a great fall day.

Jay Allen, guide

Muskegon River - Oct. 30, 2012

Josh w/ his first spey steelie!

    Today started out with a call to make sure everyone was still planning on the trip despite the bleak forecast.  John and Josh assured me they were not the kind of men to back down so we went ahead with our plans.  Started out spey fishing which was a first for both guys but they were soon casting a good measure of line.  Fished till lunch swinging and both had their chances on steelhead.  After lunch they decided to chase trout(these guys are trout fishing fanatics) and were well rewarded for their efforts; efforts that were extensive as they pushed casts into heavy winds.  Always a pleasure fishing with you two.

Jay Allen, guide

Muskegon River - Oct. 29, 2012

Paul w/ a very nice steelie that gave a magnificent fight

Steelhead continue to show themselves to those who are willing to put in the time swinging flashy flies and covering some water.  Today yielded many good pulls and several hard fighting steelhead.  Winds were not quite as bad as predicted which was a nice change to the forecast.  Lokking forward to more fish on the swing....

-Jay Allen, guide

Muskegon River - Oct. 22, 2012

nice way to bring in the morning!

Brian had no doubt when this buck pummeled his streamer

Fished for steelhead in the morning and had some great action.  Brian and John were quick to get into fish.  Caught  steelhead and a good number of trout in the morning and then focused on salmon in the afternoon.  Its great to see steelhead showing up on a regular basis.  Another great day to be on the river.

Jay Allen, guide