Fun Before the Flood
As I write this, nearly all of our river systems in Northern Michigan are in a severe flood stage. Epic rainfall this past week made for apocalyptic river conditions. Many roadways have been washed out, dams threatening to fail, and other river-side homes and structures flooded to terrible damage.
All of this comes after what has been our best spring steelhead season in recent memory. Prior to the flood, we enjoyed consistently fantastic angling across multiple river systems throughout March and April. It has been so fun out there, and I can’t thank my guests enough this spring for joining me on the river. The people I share my boat with keep me in love with this profession. I don’t know how I’ve lucked into such a dedicated, enjoyable, and downright fun crew of clientele to chase fish with.
To all of our disappointment, this week we are largely rescheduling trips for future dates. As long as the forecast holds, things could be fishable by the weekend in select rivers. I suspect our steelhead fishing will remain quite good into the first week of May this year given the extremely late and persistent winter we experienced in combination with this flood event.
Recent steelhead trips have been great across all of our local rivers. Depending on guest’s preferences, water conditions, and fish abundance, we’ve fished the Big Manistee, Betsie, and Pere Marquette Rivers - finding excellent success in each. Staying flexible in the ever-changing conditions of spring is critical to staying on top of migratory fish. High, stained, water has been a consistent factor most of the spring. Larger egg patterns in the 10-12mm size have been our bread and butter. When the water has cleared, stonefly nymphs and salmon fry patterns have had their days to shine.
Looking forward, we’re playing our cards cautiously. As soon as our waterways become safe to navigate, we’ll be back after it to finish the steelhead season strong. Safety on the water is priority number one in flood conditions. Small mistakes can become catastrophes with raging fast water, large floating debris, and flood-altered river obstructions changing hourly. As wonderful as they are to catch, no fish is worth the health and safety of any angler.
Soon we’ll be transitioning to trout season. Late April and May are really special times to chase brown trout. With warming water temperatures combined with higher flows, opportunities to throw streamers to hungry fish are excellent. We have abundant availability for trout floats in May on the Upper Manistee and Pere Marquette Rivers, as well as a few smaller systems.
2026/2027 Guide Trip Rates
For the upcoming 2026 & 2027 season, we will have a new price structure for full and half-day trips:
Full Day Trip for 1 or 2 Anglers (8-9 Hours) ~ $550.00
Half Day Trip for 1 or 2 Anglers (4-5 Hours) ~ $425.00
Until May 1st, 2026, anyone interested in booking a guided trip for the upcoming 26/27 seasons may do so at current rates ($450.00-full day, $325-half day). A 50% deposit is required to book any trip.
My Alaska season in Katmai National Park is creeping up. With just a little over a month left in Michigan, I’ll be making the most of my days on the water in this incredible state. The warm days of spring have felt so good after the last few months of winter. We’ll get through this funky stretch of flood soon enough and back to the rivers we love. Best wishes to anyone who’s property or business was affected by this act of Mother Nature, hopefully she eases up on us soon. There’s too many photos from the last month to post here, but everything below is a little snapshot from our steelhead season lately.
Cheers,
Cole DeVault
