Nothing gets me excited like the thought of being out on a nice piece of water waiting, anticipating a good emergence.  First one bug, then two go by, followed by an increase of hatch activity.   Then you see it...the first rise, knowing there will be many to follow if all goes well.  I'm not alone. I'm not the only one who wakes in the night in a cold sweat, hoping it was more than a dream.

That said, this month is paramount to fly-fishermen on the Muskegon River.  We should see our first real hatches, and the water should be in good enough shape to get trout sipping.  It is hard to imagine this right now as the water just crested at about 10,000 cfs.  Be comforted, though; the water will eventually recede, and with the lower levels, we should see more stones and midge, along with sulphurs, cahills, and the beginning of the gray drakes.  It may be later in the month, but be prepared.

For the stones (#14-#18) make sure to carry soft-hackled nymphs and adults to skitter.  Both stone imitations should be black to dark brown in color.  Look for major flights of stones to be concentrated in the warmer parts of the day.  Midge pupae and adults may be of location specific importance.  Most of the midge (#18-#24) emerging should be olive pupae and have a black body as adults.

For sulphurs (#14-#18), look for emergences to be in the late afternoon.  Make sure to carry nymph, emerger, adult, and spent patterns as they can all be called for as the hatch progresses. Sulphurs live in and emerge out of fast to medium fast riffles so concentrate on those areas of the river.  One very important, and often overlooked, stage is the nymph/emerger stage fished prior to and through the first part of an emergence. Start fishing nymph imitations (#14-#16 pheasant tail or similar) early in the day, keeping an eye out for signs of the first duns.  When you spot the first couple duns (or even sooner as you grow accustomed to the hatch timetable) switch over to an emerger pattern.  Fish the emerger pattern (#14-#16 soft-hackled patterns or un-weighted pheasant tail) in fast riffled areas and don't neglect even very shallow areas as fish will migrate into skinny water to gorge on the emergers.  I've had some of my best Ephemerella emerger fishing in water that barely covered my wading boots.

This month we should also see gray drakes (#10-#12 2XL).  The spinner pattern is the only pattern that you should need.  Look for mating clouds to congregate above fast riffled areas. Position yourself in an area where the water transitions from fast water to slower moving runs in order to find the best feeding activity. The spinners will lay eggs and die, and, based on the air temperature, sometimes in the early evening.  Look for feeding fish to start at around 8:00 pm and be armed with plenty of gray drake spinners.  Over the years, I have seen many anglers call it a day just a half an hour or so before the drakes show up.  Don't make that mistake. 

If you want to experience some of the great hatch matching action we will see on the Muskegon, make sure to book a trip with one of the RiverQuest guides.  We are on the water daily and keep track of where and when the best hatching activity is taking place.   For further details about the hatches referenced in this column pick up a copy of The Orvis Vest Pocket Guide to Mayflies by Dick Pobst.

Jay Allen, RiverQuest Guide         

Fly Box by Michael Schmidt

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. Here is a review from a recent speaking engagement in Chicago--

 For information on booking Captain Steve for a presentation, please call 616.293.0501 or simply email.