Absolutely love this time of year when the big game fly rods get changed up for the beloved 9 foot 5 weight dry fly rods. This beautiful Muskegon river brown trout absolutely smashed my cinnamon caddis dry fly. Nothing beats that first take top water from a big brown gorging in it’s feeding lane when your dry fly drifts over its head and the trout decides to “look up!”
Patience seems to be key in stalking the sips of these big browns in their top water feeding spurts. What seems to be total nothingness in spots on the river all the sudden seem to magically transform into big brown trout actively feeding within striking distance! Sometimes with feeding lasting hours other times these big browns seem to just feed for minutes. Regardless, the key seems to be patience waiting for these big browns to rise and not casting until they show where they’re at.
Caddis fly hatches have started to explode on certain parts of the river at certain times triggering these big browns to “look up!” Pockets of steelhead are still around but the majority / peak of the run is done. Streamer fishing has also been very strong with active trout in their feeding mode smashing streamer patterns on the swing!
post by: jon fortuna