The Benthic Buzz by Jay Allen

Just when you thought winter had no end in sight, spring is finally on the brink.  We all let out a sigh of relief.  No doubt the insects in the Muskegon River are ready for the change as well.  In April, we should see good hatches of both stoneflies and midge: both of which should, if conditions are right, produce good fishing.  Understanding the basics of their lifecycles and habitat requirements can go a long way in finding trout and steelhead while they are feeding on these hatches.

          We should get a good dose of black/grey midge (#18-#22) throughout the month, but finding fish feeding on them takes some time and observation.  Fishing pupae patterns on the bottom will take good numbers of trout when the flies are active but to find surface feeding fish look for slow pockets and runs adjacent to heavily riffled areas.  When ready to hatch, the pupae attach themselves to the surface film and crawl out, dry their wings, and fly off.  When concentrations of midge are strong enough, trout will take notice and feed primarily on these floating pupae just before they break free from the surface of the river.  Trout feeding on midge often go unnoticed by anglers not looking for them.  It can be very challenging and yet rewarding to catch a 12" trout sipping pupae in the film.

          The early black stoneflies (taeniopteryx) will be a major bug to keep tabs on this month.  These dark brown stoneflies are about a size 12.  Both trout and steelhead will take notice of these bugs and at multiple stages.  Knowing their habits will put you into some great fishing.  Dead drifting the nymphs will produce well most of the time, but the other stages of emergence are what I want to focus on.  When these nymphs are ready to hatch they make their way out of the fast riffles and runs they live in to hatch near the banks of the river.  This means that trout and steelhead will move to the side margins of the river during a heavy emergence to take advantage of these migrating nymphs.  A soft hackled imitation can be cast down and across stream swinging it towards the bank to simulate this stage.  Also, as we get river fluctuations from snow melt and rain, many of these nymphs are flushed from the streambed and drift helplessly in side eddies and become easy targets for trout. On sunny days you will notice many of these feeble swimmers struggling near the surface of the river as they migrate to the banks.  One last stage to look for is the female adults returning to the river to deposit their eggs.  If the water is clear enough for the trout to see them, then expect some incredible fishing.  A black stimulator #10-#12 will imitate these well.  In the midst of the great steelhead fishing,make sure to take time to look for these exciting hatches.-Jay Allen  

Fly Box by Michael Scmidt

The Voodoo Squatch 

Spring in the air with the water up a bit and stained...perfect time to get out and throw meat for big browns.  At over five inches the Voodoo Squatch is a fairly beefy fly that fits the bill perfectly.  I generally fish this fly on a 6WT throwing 200gr SA Streamer Express Long. Overload the forward cast to smack it down right at the bank or cover, let it sit for a second as the line starts to belly, then as the fly starts to swing out retrieve with hard six inch jerk strips; the fly will practically dance through the retrieve. The fly maintains a wet width of three quarters of an inch, even through a fast retrieve, giving this fly a great profile from any angle.

Need Speaker or Presentation

As some of you who follow us on Facebook have read, Captain Steve Kuieck of RiverQuest Charters and the Muskegon River Lodge is now offering presentations promoting Michigan fly fishing opportunities.The talks, complete with a Power Point slide show, feature times and places to fly fish, techniques, entomology, and insights about fly fishing Michigan.For information on booking Captain Steve for a presentation, please call 616.293.0501 or simply email.