April 16, 2013 River Report

Winter is slowly lifting her blanket of cold and despair. We have seen rain and rising river levels for the past week. Personally, I have been on the Boyne River at least every other day, from the mouth to the dam. Maybe next week I can hit the Jordan or Sturgeon and see how the rivers compare. Some fresh fish have moved into the system, not in any significant numbers yet. Evening temperatures are still dancing around the thirty degree mark, daytime highs reach mid forties. We are looking forward to a sustained fifty or near sixty degree stretch with some warm rain to have a major push of steelhead in to the rivers of northern Michigan.
I saw a few pairs of steelhead on redds in late February/early March, nothing as of lately. A few polished gravel areas here and there, but nothing actually on the spawning gravel. I personally do not fish the redds, nor advocate bothering fish who are more involved in securing the next generation of silver bullets. More often than not, I am swinging ACF’s Mike’s GHB’s or Senyo Sculpin patterns in likely deep dark wooden vaults with the hopes of some high velocity and aggravated male hooked jaw chrome to come out and dance with me. I have yet to have the opportunity this season, I feel like the nerdy kid with braces at the middle school dance and all the pretty dolled up cheerleaders who are cavorting with the other macho, studly IZOD polo wearing dudes. But I too, shall blossom and have my day. I have theories about this. Not my younger years as King of the Dipshits in ‘16 Candles‘, but higher water patterns in the spring and the direct effect it has on future returning steelhead populations. Weather patterns like we have been experiencing this year should provide a beneficial spawning period for our Great Lakes Steelhead. Higher water, late melting coupled with substantial rain events and inclement weather conditions should provide for a safer than usual season for the pairs of mating steelies the proper uninterrupted privacy they should be allowed. We shall see in a few years. Get on the water, that is the only way to know if the fish are biting…