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Welcome to RiverQuest Charters/Muskegon River Lodge
Greetings!
Spring Steelhead fishing is kicking into high gear. Do you have your dates yet? Our booking calendar is filling, but we have some excellent dates still available. Call us at 616.293.0501 or email us to schedule a date.
Looking for a place to hold your Spring sales or planning meeting? Look no further than the recently completed Muskegon River Lodge conference room. Also, be sure to check below to see guide-tested gear from outfitters we trust. And, if you are a Facebook user, please read on how you can become a fan of ours! |
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RiverQuest Charters
As the angle of the sun increases and we head into Spring, the numbers of steelhead making their way upstream toward their spawning grounds progressively increase. Hen steelhead, their bellies swollen with roe, along with thick-girthed bucks slip into the dark, soft water--just yards below the shallow gravel bars of the Muskegon River.
Deep water nymphing, variable depth indicator fishing, and the classic, wet fly swing all present flies well to the migrating steelhead. Our RiverQuest Charters guides can put you on these most beautiful migratory trout. A new experience for you? No problem; our guides supply premium fly tackle and enjoy introducing people to the sport we love. By the end of the day on the water with us, you will be well on your way to becoming a fly fisherman.
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Muskegon River Lodge
Spring is on the way! Just take a look at one of the many 'toms" that strut our lower river bank during the Spring breeding season.Won't be long and their calls will echo through the woods.
With Spring can also come a need for venues for Spring sales meetings and strategic planning sessions, product launches, and, of course, stretching one's legs after a long Winter.
The Winter months have enabled us to enhance the lodge; our recently completed conference room is ready to go. Complete with a 10 person conference table, white board, and projector, the spacious, natural wood finished room is a great place to think and plan. For more information on how you can hold a sales meeting or conference with us, please drop us a note or call 616.293.0501.
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What's in Your Guides Box? Eight Patterns Not to Forget This Season! 
The days are growing longer, and the snow is slowly losing its grip on the woodlands. Spring steelhead fishing is upon us! Depending on how the snowmelt goes, there are a few patterns that the Spring steelhead fly fisherman would do well to carry with him. So long as the water remains fairly clear, these eight fly patterns are must haves!
1. Little black Neon Stone fly
2. Green Caddis Larva
3. Antron Bug Stone
4. Bear Andrew's Crossdresser Fry
5. PM Stone
6. Schmidt's STS Steelhead Bugger
7. Clown Egg
8. Bear Andrews Crossdresser Hex (pictured)
While there are certainly other patterns that we guides keep close to our vests, these eight patterns are sure-fire bets anytime you encounter normal water conditions on your favorite Spring steelhead water. Of course, size and color variations of these patterns may change as you head away from the western Great Lakes. Then, too, if your rivers are prone to blow out in the Spring from the snowmelt or rain, don't wait around for the water to drop. Just dig out dime and nickel-sized egg patterns along with big black leeches and hit the water!
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Introducing Allied Photographic Lab.
For the last three years, our team has had the pleasure of working with the professionals at Allied Photographic Lab in Grand Rapids, MI.
Why Allied?
Allied Photographic and Imaging is one of the nation's largest portrait and commercial photographic labs. Established in 1952, we offer high quality printing of photographic images by investing in the most advanced technology and by employing industry qualified technicians. Allied is proud to service portrait and commercial clients from around the world. If you have any suggestions for products or services that Allied does not offer at this time, we will be happy to listen to your thoughts and ideas.
We want to be your photographic partner and we appreciate your business. Toren Prawdzik
Whether it has been slide film, banners and booth graphics, gallery wraps for the lodge, or just a simple enlargement, the Allied professionals have rendered our projects a home run!
As we head into Spring, we are excited to announce a new "Galleries" section, soon to be added to the toolbar of our RiverQuest Charters website. This new gallery will host photos we've taken of you and your catch and will give you the opportunity to have your photo developed into any product Allied Photo has to offer, all of which may be viewed on the Allied Photographic website. Our traveling customers will find Allied Photographic Labs global shipping extremely beneficial. I am proud of our partnership with Toren and his crew; they are simply the best!
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Looking for a New Stick?
Headed down to Andros Island or perhaps Belize in search of your double-digit bonefish? Or maybe you're just looking to get a new streamer rod to chase that brown trout that has eluded you for the past season. The new Sage Xi3 fly rod has taken an already sweet platform (Xi2) and tweaked it to perform like no other. Whether tight to the boat or out there in another zip code, the Sage Xi3 will track like no other and deliver the fly with precision! To test drive this sweet stick, visit one of our regional partners: Great Lakes Fly Fishing Co., Chicago Fly Fishing Outfitters, Fly Masters, or ReelFlyRod.com and see what the Xi3 has in-store for you this season!
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New from Rio Products
As the fly fishing community contines to embrace the ever- growing world
of spey casting, manufacturers continue to impress with new and improved
products. In my river boat office, Skagit fly lines continue to be my primary lines for the "swinging customers." These lines with their simple
delivery make spey casting seem like nothing new to anyone
who has swung a wet fly or streamer. The newly designed Skagit Flight Head only
improves on an already great product. If you are interested in learning
to spey cast or are a seasoned angler, this line is sure to please! For
more information regarding this or other great Rio Products, please
visit Rio Products online. These lines are available nationwide at your local fly shop or by visiting our affiliates: Great Lakes Fly Fishing Co., Chicago Fly Fishing Outfitters, Fly Masters, or Reel Fly Rod.com.
New for 2010
The new Skagit Flight Shooting Head is the very ultimate design in
Skagit lines for maximum flight time, effortless casting strokes and
the tightest and sweetest of loops. Based on the extraordinarily
successful AFS head, the line features a back end that loads rods
deeply and easily and a long, subtle front taper that ensures the
energy flows smoothly to the tip, generating gorgeous loops and long,
long flight times and distance. The front end has a thick tip that
packs a big punch and easily lifts out heavy tips and large flies with
supreme ease. The heads vary in length between 24 ft and 31 ft,
depending on the size, and the range of weights ensures that even the
most fastidious of casters will be able to tune their rod to
perfection. Attach a shooting line to the ultra strong welded
loop at the back end and one of RIO's 15 ft tips or a piece of T-11,
T-14 or T-17 (sold separately) to the exceptionally neat, bullet proof
front loop.
Skagit Flight Head · Length: 24-31 ft (7.3-9.5 m)
Sizes: 425, 450, 475, 500, 525, 550, 575, 600, 625, 650, 675, 700 and 750 gr
Color: Pale Orange
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Become a "Fan" on Facebook 
Most of you have heard about Facebook by now.Some of you undoubtedly have your own Facebook page. RiverQuest Charters and Muskegon River Lodge both appreciate the fun and benefit of offering "Fan" pages to our clients. The fan pages offer discussion, forums, photo albums, and, of course, a place for you to share that experience or fish tale with fellow fans. To join one or both of our fan pages, please click on the above links and give it a thumbs up! If you are not a Facebook subscriber, you will be prompted to open an account to join the fun. These accounts are free!
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Life's Extras
All I can say is "wow!" If you are a fan of the Padrón cigar brand and haven't had a chance to experience the cigar that celebrates 45 years of business, you owe it to yourself to see why Cigar Aficionado and others rate this cigar top honors for 2009! Rated #1 for 2009 by Cigar Aficionado Magazine The Padrón Family Reserve No. 45 Maduro first reached cigar shops on
September 8, the 45th anniversary of the creation of Padrón Cigars Inc.
by José Orlando Padrón. The 83-year-old Cuban émigré is the embodiment
of the American dream, having come to the United States in the early
1960s with nothing more than a few hundred dollars, a solid work ethic
and the burning desire to make cigars that tasted as good as the ones
he smoked as a young man in Cuba. The image of a hammer on this special
release commemorates a most precious gift given to him by a friend when
he was virtually penniless-the tool allowed him to eke out a living as
a carpenter, money he saved to form a small cigar company. The cigar
smokers of the world owe that benefactor a great debt, for the Padrón
family continues to give us one brilliant cigar after another.
No company has dominated our ratings in the way Padrón Cigars has. This is the third time it has been named Cigar Aficionado's
Cigar of the Year, an honor that has only existed for six years. The
No. 45 is stronger than typical Padróns and is an intense smoke jammed
with rich, hearty, coffee notes and a heady amount of spices. The
Padróns are tobacco hoarders, keeping stocks of tobacco for years, and
this cigar is made with some of their oldest leaves. Company president
Jorge Padrón says the leaves inside are as old as 10 years.
The first of the Padrón's Family Reserves were torpedos made from
very old tobaccos, served only for special occasion dinners and never
sold at retail. While the 45 shares the original's old tobacco, it's a
slightly different blend and an entirely different shape, being a
severely pressed parejo. While the majority of Padrón Family Reserve
No. 45s are made with maduro wrappers, some are wrapped in natural
leaves. The cigars come in tidy boxes of 10, the cover of which bears
the signature of the Padrón clan. "This is something you carry in your
blood," says José Orlando Padrón about making cigars. "I was born in
the middle of all that and that is why I love it so much."
MADE BY: Padrón Cigars Inc.
FACTORY LOCATION: Nicaragua
WRAPPER: Nicaragua
BINDER: Nicaragua
FILLER: Nicaragua
PRICE: $25.00
RING GAUGE: 52
LENGTH: 6"
RATING: 95
For information on ordering this cigar please contact
D Schuler's and ask for Jim.
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