Please meet my great friend Todd from Pueblo, Colorado with an absolute “bull in a china cabinet” hell of a steelhead taken out of a log jam on the Muskegon river with his fly rod.
Okay Todd, I know he’s in there. All you need to do thread the needle with a 30-foot cast over that brush pile, past the rock, and high stick your drift into him……etc. Think you’re up for it? Wanna give it a shot?
With a pin point cast, smooth slow drift, into the strike zone the size of a basket ball hoop, Todd placed the cast in harms way of this massive 30″, 17lb crimson red double stripe steelhead!
Todd not only hooked this beast, he finessed him out of a log jam, though a rocky shoal, and into the net 100 yards down river with a fight on the fly rod that can only be described as an pure adrenalin rush like jumping out of an airplane. Incredible fight only a natural born Muskegon river steelhead can produce!
Congrats Todd! One in a million cast drift and hook set. You earned this one my friend! This is exactly what spring steelhead fishing on the fly rod is all about on the Muskegon river. Doesn’t get any better and never gets old!
I warned Todd when he got in the boat, “fishing has been tough.” Not a lot of them around compared to years past. Might not want to expect too much today. Without hesitation, Todd assured me…. “Jon, this is gonna be a great day!”
And great day it was with several beautiful steelhead brought to the net throughout the day with these being some of the best! Great job today Todd! Man, you opened my eyes to appreciate the work you put into it and how much fun it is to catch these steelhead during tough conditions. To stick with it and remain positive because at the end of the day it’s all about the experiences you share during the trip verses the sheer numbers.
Steelhead remain in the river system in pockets. One day they are in one location the next they show up in other spots throughout the river system. Despite the low numbers of steelhead, new chrome hens continue to show up keeping the big male steelhead around.
post by: jon fortuna