[DCM]

Some friends and I booked a trip for one week ( Oct.1-7 ) to Michigan for kings. Can you guys give me some advice on what to expect , and some pattern suggestions. Last year we went to Oak Orchard NY that was great, I hear this is better? I would appreciate any and all replies, thanks DCM

[Alex C.]

Be prepared for just about any kind of weather, the weather is completely unpredictable here, it might be in the 60's or it might be in the 30s 40s range. It seems like the past few years the first week of october you could expect just about anything. Last year it was pretty nice out. The year before I was out bowhunting on the first and it was snow/sleet, and freakin cold. I'm guessing you're going after salmon, if so here's some info I got from a friend. For salmon on the PM, use streamers, egg suckin leaches, with a pink or yellow head, or yarn balls( eggs). He said he likes to use a fly with a 2' leader behind it with some type of egg as a dropper. His egg sucking leaches look likel a black wooly bugger with a different color chenille at the front of the hook to imitate an egg.


Spots--

The flies only area is nice if you can put up with the crowds. Tippy Dam has some great fishing. Fish at night and you won't get the crowds. He said him and a friend would routinely hook into 50-100 salmon in a night. You won't land nearly that many but the fish are there. You won't have the crowds at night also.

Hope this helps

[steeldrifter]

I'd be happy to give ya some info but what are you going after? the normal trout season is closed on most streams by then and thats to early for steelies so i'm guessing kings?

let me know and i'll give ya some info.

SD

[DCM]

Thanks skunked that really helped.


Can anyone tell me what type of hooks I should purchase to tie on for the trip.
I had two kings last fall straighten out flies tied on store bought flies.DCM
PS. SD I edited the original post thanks.

[steeldrifter]

Well for the first week of Oct your best beat is gonna be the Pere Marquette river up towards the fly water in baldwin. The salmon start showing in good numbers in the lower PM around the last of august and will peak around 2/3rd week of september on most the river. But 1st week of Oct most of them will have worked their way up to the gravel areas in the fly water. The fly water of the PM is located in the town of Baldwin off of M-37 and US-10.

For hooks and patterns I use mustad 36890's almost 99% of the time. Patterns I use are a variety of hairwings tied in different colors, nothing fancy just skunks and plain ol' chinelle body with squirrel tail and wing in different colors.

The Big M is really a zoo during salmon season so I personaly avoid that river at all cost, I dont get into the fist fights and cops being called to break them up on the river

Heres a article I wrote last year on salmon fishing the PM that might be of intrest to you.

http://onlineflytyer.com/article_pm.asp

SD

[Alex C.]

that was a darn good article SD

[DCM]

Thanks a lot SD that article. I really appretiate it, thanks again. DCM