Spring Steelhead Fishing Reports - Bead Fishing 101

One of the newest, most innovative techniques for Michigan Spring Steelhead has definitely been bead fishing, or Trout beads. Bead fishing replicates perfectly, the age old, number one spring steelhead food, Chinook Salmon eggs.   Any color can be matched. and beads are round.

   As yarn egg patterns are cartoons of the 1970's, Trout Beads are now the Blue ray DVD of today. 

Trout beads can match any color selection of salmon or steelhead roe, they are perfectly round, transparent, and beautifully match salmon eggs to perfection.  They are Egg-actly a perfect salmon egg representation for steelhead fishing.

A selection of trout beads for Steelhead fishing. Any color can be matched.

Fresh eggs, milky eggs, dead eggs. Perfect eggs.

Beads are easy to fish. 

Because Trout Beads are made of hard plastic, it's best that when rigged for steelhead or trout. the bead should be pegged about 3" above the hook.  I prefer Raven specialist #6 hook,  however and up turned octopus hook should work well.  Sharp is the key, like, tacky sharp!  Pegging can be achieved with a tooth pic, basting brush spoke, or actual Peg-its by Trout Bead.   Pegging holds the bead in its place.

Notice in this photo, the fish is hooked well, bead is 3' from the mouth. 

Matching the Hatch:  Salmon eggs change color...

Muskegon River Guide - Michigan Steelhead

Over the past several weeks,  Steelhead fishing has been outstanding!  Warmer than normal temperatures and higher water levels have made for great migrations this season on the Muskegon and Manistee Rivers. This year class of steelhead and salmon has been nothing short of spectacular, with an abundance of alewives, the fish have put on the feed bag! 

So what's working best to catch them?

Floats - Spawn - Beads.  Without a doubt, floats and spawn has been working best, producing a lot of steelhead and fat trout.  Covering water with technique has been key.  Great Lakes Steelhead Company - Beads have also been working great!  Trout beads match a single egg perfectly. Their colors are nothing short of amazing!  I usually peg the bead about 2.5" from the hook.   A snelled hook seems to work the best, as it always lays straight on the leader.  It looks like a weird set up but, actually it works perfectly. The fish is always hooked well inside the corner of the mouth.   

 

Back Bouncing Spawn.  Back bouncing spawn has also been another deadly technique for winter and early spring steelhead.  With this style of technique, a heavy drift sinker, ( 1oz or more) is "walked" along the bottom in a hop, hop motion.  It very much resembles a jigging motion.

Large spawn sacks tied with steelhead skein the size of a quarter with 4-5 bright orange floaters help keep the eggs off the bottom.    This technique is so deadly  because it offers a lot of scent and the bait is always right in the fishes face. 

Back bouncing is an easy technique to master. The angler needs to keep close contact with the bottom and feel the weight hitting the boat. With back bouncing, you can actually feel the texture of the bottom, (sand, rock, gravel) and the bottom depth, and hidden pockets and lies that may not be seen.
Hits range from rip the rod out of your hand, to soft, subtle heavy feeling.  Winter Steelhead can be light biters especially when the water is very cold. 

 

 

 These two techniques will help you have a better time on the river, and land more steelhead
We are available for guided trips on the Muskegon & Manistee Rivers year around.  Visit our new website for accurate Daily Steelhead fishing reports.  

 

Fishing Report Forecast -  August - September Muskegon River

King Salmon -  As summer winds to an end and the leaves begin to change, our focus changes toward the annual migration of Chinook salmon on the Muskegon River. Cooler nights and colder water temperatures bring Chinook salmon into the lower ends of the river near Muskegon Lake, Mill Iron and Giles rd. Throughout the lower sections near Anderson Flat to Bridgton offer some excellent Thundersticking for Kings! Casting crankbaits for Kings is a great way to cover water in search of vicious head shakers! Best colors for salmon usually have some sort of kelly green, Fire Tiger or clown colors are excellent choices.

    Kings are running much larger this season due to a bountiful Alewive populations. We typically spool spinning rods with 30lb Power Pro Braided lines, or 15lb Berkley Big Game clear monofilament, 9' med- heavy spinning rods, and reels with a smooth drag. Remember to save your salmon skein for upcoming steelhead in November.

Resident River Trout - Trout follow the salmon throughout the river as though in search of mother's milk! Trout key big time on the spawning Chinook salmon. As salmon dig gravel, vast amounts of nymphs, larvae, and eggs are kicked up. Trophy Brown trout and nice rainbows are often caught at this time along with the occasional skipper steelhead, hanging behind the salmon. Light spinning or fly rods are the preferred tackle, fishing with small spawn sacks, egg patterns, or caddis nymphs all work well. Finding spawning salmon equals great trout fishing!

   Smallmouth Bass - Smallmouth & Walleye also put on the feed bag during late summer and fall. Casting crayfish colored crank baits or soft plastics is a sure way to get bit. Number 5 Shad raps in pearl or perch colors for the walleyes. Perch fishing can also be great. Minnows also begin to school this time of year so bait balls produce big catches of walleye and smallmouth.

Capt. Chad Betts
BettsGuideService.com
(231) 519-7348

Spring Steelhead on the Muskegon River - Muskegon River Fishing Reports

In the up coming weeks, we should start seeing a fair amount of brighter, chrome spring fish. I guided down low, Bridgeton down, last week and there were good numbers of chromers to be had. I know there are good numbers of fish in the lower section of the Muskegon River. Water levels were up this morning, also with warmer temps. Day light is getting longer, Spring Steelhead fishing should start in earnest in the next week or so. There also seems to be a fair number of stone fly nymphs. The activity of Michigan Winter Stone flies usually my cue to start fishing hard down lower for bright chromers closer to Muskegon Lake.

Muskegon River Steelhead and Salmon fry - During the late winter months,early Spring, Chinook salmon fry and lake run brown trout fry begin to hatch out of the gravel into the "Fry" or "Alevin" stage.

These young fish are the perfect food source for larger steelhead and trout during this time of year. Egg patterns with a pronounced "blood dot" or bright red dot mimic the fry at this time. Also patterns such as the "Ice Man Minnow" or other fry or parr patterns also work well. Steelhead and trout during winter are now relying less on salmon eggs and focusing more on case caddis, stone flies, scuds, sowbugs, other macro invertebrates. Stone flies and fry patterns begin to really work well at this time of year when temperatures are cold and food is limited.

Muskegon River Spring Steelhead - Spring Steelhead Fishing Report

Spring Steelhead: In late February, Steelhead move up river and begin their migration to their spawning areas. Steelhead feed heavily on stone flies, caddis larvae, and Chinook fry. During March, April and May, Steelhead begin to polish gravel and begin to spawn.

During this time, Fly Fishing Steelhead is at it's absolute best!! Anglers can visually seek steelhead and make casts to the spawning Spring Steelhead. Sight fishing to Steelhead on gravel and watching them take the fly makes this an exhilarating experience!!

We have guided trips available for fly fishing for Muskegon Steelhead. Guide trips with sink-tips or chuck & duck are available. We also specialize in fishing with floats and spawn during the winter months. Not only do these fish bite.. They about rip the rod out of your hand!

Muskegon River Winter Steelhead - Float Fishing the Chrome!

I spent the afternoon centerpin fishing with Jim and found the weather to be great and the Steelhead whiling to bite! We fished the upper sections of the Muskegon River and found a decent number of fish in each area that we floated. Most of the Steelhead from today were located in the deeper portions of the runs and deep tailouts. They seemed to fight hard and several of them even managed to jump. Water temps are still in the high 30's - low 40's keeping Steelhead aggressive to the correct offerings.


Our technique today was one of our favorites, Centerpin float fishing with floats and spawn. We also landed several fish on tiny Little Nipper jigs and waxworms. Long, extended drifts, light tippets, and different offerings paid off big time as the water levels remain low and clear. I feel there is a great number of Steelhead throughout the river system. These fish are wise and may have been caught and released before. A quiet approach and a clean drifts certainly helped to bring fish to hand.

Muskegon River Fall Steelhead

Muskeon River Steelhead fishing has been outstanding the past few days. John display a gorgeous Steelhead landed while fly fishing with a peach clown egg pattern. Egg flies have played a huge role in landing Salmon and Steelhead as Chinook roe or spawn has been the primary food source. November is the best month for Fall Steelhead as numbers begin to improve!

Manistee River King Salmon - Salmon Fishing Report- (231) 519-7348

Now offering Manistee and Pere Marquette River Thunderstick trips for early Season King Salmon. Full day trips are 8 hrs and begin early morning around 6am and finish around 3pm. Afternoon half-days are also available from 4pm till just before dark. $250 for two anglers.
Do you want to learn to catch trophy Chinook Salmon and Steelhead and Pere Marquette or Manistee Rivers? Do you enjoy bone jarring strike or fish that about jerk the rod out of your hand? Well come join us on Northern Michigan rivers for early season Salmon. Manistee River Fishing Report
We also offer guided float fishing trips with floats (bobbers) and Skein salmon eggs under a float. This is a very fun day on the water with limits of salmon landed daily. The Manistee River is also home to the World-Record Brown Trout landed bt Tom Healy and Tim Roller. Who knows, you could land the next world record Salmon or Steelhead!

Manistee River Fishing Report: Salmon are just now entering the river is good order. The lower sections near Insta-Launch and Matson's Campground are beginning to produce some really nice fish. Cooler northeast winds have been the key to more salmon. Cooler night and and rainfall have also helped the bite. Some Skamania Steelhead (Summer-Run Steelhead) have also been landed along with Fall Steelhead and Coho. Best baits have been floats and spawn. Casting crankbaits or Thundersticks have also worked well.

Pere Marquette River Report: The lower sections of the Pere Marquette River are also fishing well for early Chinook Salmon. Indian Bridge, Custer, Scottville, and Iris Rd are all producing some nice fish. Ludington Charter boats are also doing well in Pere Marquette Lake. Stinger spoons producing the most fish. There should be very good numbers of both Salmon and Steelhead in the Pere Marquette River through September-October.