“Break in the Weather! Let’s Go!”

When Mother Nature calls “Time Out!” from her daily entree of winter’s big nasties, if you love  fly fishing for steelhead and if you can pry yourself away from the desk, you’ve got to drop everything and get out on the river! So, no surprise, RiverQuest guide, Captain Don Graham, and I couldn’t missing hitting the Muskegon River today and glad we were that we did!

As we’ve mentioned repeatedly in our 2017 RiverQuest Fishing Report posts, our steelhead are larger and better conditioned than we’ve seen in years. And yet, the buck I pose here took even Don and me aback with its length and girth. We didn’t weigh this special fish, but we agreed it would have easily blown past the 12 lb. hash mark on the Boga grip had we done so. Two of the other steelhead, both winter fish, that I hooked were also heavy, albeit not as large is this guy. The fourth fish, a fresh arrival, which I lost, was markedly smaller. The winter fish were all males. Don’s fish that was on and then off was also bright so perhaps some of the spring run steelhead are starting to ease their way up the MO.

Don and I flat-out love winter steelhead fishing. Per usual, we had the river to ourselves and were blessed with abundant wildlife all day long: geese, a heron, four eagles, one hawk, multiple deer, turkeys, a mink and best of all—willing steelhead! Catch a day with temperatures in the high twenties or above, light winds, some sunshine and wear layered clothing, a beanie hat, and insulated boots, and you’ll be surprised how comfortable you will be. So it was for Don and me and can be for you, too!  In short, a glorious, memorable experience both of us will long remember.

Captain Tom Kuieck