These past few months have been quite frustrating to say the least when looking for open water to fish. With below average temperatures for most of the winter and many sections of river being locked up, the future is looking warmer. Our 30 day forecast for West Michigan is predicated to be in the mid - upper 30's for temperatures in the early March timeframe but jumping to the mid 40's to mid 50's by late March. Snow and ice melt from these warmer temperatures will hopefully give us good bumps in water levels triggering our spring migration of Steelhead coming from Lake Michigan. Water temps have been in the mid to low 30's for quite some time now, making these fish very lethargic. These warmer air temperatures will increase water temps making our steelhead much more active. As these steelhead start to come out of their winter slumps their metabolism will increase forcing them to go back on the feed. March can offer some of the best steelhead fishing of the year with good numbers already in the river as well as new fish entering the systems on higher water events. This time of year is a fantastic time of year to target pre-spawn fish throwing indicators and swinging flies.
Give the shop a call to get your dates down for March steelhead fishing, or if you need some pointers on where to fish or whats going on in our West Michigan rivers.
Tight Lines,
Max Werkman