Welcome to fall, our favorite time of the year to fish. From smallmouth and pike to salmon and steelhead, just pick what you want to target and we’ll get you on the fish. Here’s the latest from the frontlines of the Grand River and its tributaries
Smallmouth & Pike
It’s transition time for smallmouth and you’re going to want to cover a lot of water. This time of year, when the water temps get into he 60’s, the smallmouth start to move from their predicable summer water to their winter water. Fish the transition zones and the deeper parts of the river but don’t forget to hit the summer spots as well. They can be in any of it.
For line, when fishing the Grand, we like to get a little more aggressive and start to mix in dredging with our program. Depending nohow deep we’re fishing, we like Scientific Anglers I 3,5,7 or I 2,3. For flies, we’re using crayfish patters, leaches and circus peanuts.
With that said we’re still using Scientific Anglers full intermediate, when fishing the transition water and their summer water. We continue to find success on “The Fat Baby”, “The Swinging D” and gobies patterns.
The pike are becoming more active as the waters temp begin to drop. Try fishing the “frog water”, weed lines, submerged logs and other ambush points. They will also be in shallow water as the baitfish move to find the warmer water.
Salmon
Salmon are starting their annual migration from Lake Michigan into the rivers. The recent rain we had, along with cooler temps, will help push fish into area systems. Right now, they’re in the Grand River in the lower section and up to Sixth Street Dam, with some pushing to Lansing.
We really don’t start fishing for them until October, when they’re further up in the area rivers, as we’re still running smallmouth and pike trips this month. With that said, the salmon that anglers are landing are big, some are in the 30 lbs range. Here are a few pictures of the salmon clients landed from last year.
Come and escape the day to day grind and experience all that fall has to offer in Michigan with us. We still have openings in October and into November and December.
It’s simple, just send us an email to guides@werkmanoutfitters.com or call us at 616-502-4899 and we can get you on our calendar. You won’t be disappointed.