Michigan Fishing Guides
Michigan invented American trout conservation. Trout Unlimited was founded on the Au Sable in 1959, and the river still sets the standard for what a managed wild-trout fishery can be. Pair that with the Great Lakes tributaries — the Pere Marquette, Manistee, Muskegon, Little Manistee — for salmon and steelhead, and the Upper Peninsula's brook trout streams for genuinely wild fishing, and Michigan is among the great freshwater fishing states.
Top waters in Michigan
Au Sable River (Holy Waters)
Brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout
9-mile 'Holy Waters' flies-only catch-and-release section between Burton's Landing and Wakeley Bridge. The hex hatch in late June is the single biggest annual event in Michigan fly fishing — night fishing for trophy browns.
Pere Marquette River
Steelhead, chinook salmon, brown trout
World-class steelhead river. Fall chinook run, winter and spring steelhead. Flies-only section holds wild fish that migrate from Lake Michigan. November and March are peak.
Manistee River
Steelhead, chinook salmon, brown trout
Between Tippy Dam and Lake Michigan — one of the most productive steelhead fisheries in the Great Lakes. Spring and fall runs are both strong. Trophy wild brown trout above the dam.
Muskegon River
Steelhead, chinook salmon, walleye
Below Croton Dam. Large river, drift-boat water. Prolific salmon and steelhead runs. Walleye fishery in the lower sections. Accessible from Grand Rapids.
Michigan fishing by season
Spring
Peak steelhead run on the Pere Marquette, Manistee, and Muskegon. Hendrickson hatch on the Au Sable in early May. Suckers and walleye in the Lake Michigan tribs. Best all-around fishing month is April.
Summer
Hex hatch on the Au Sable late June — the biggest mayfly in the east draws anglers from everywhere. Night fishing for trophy browns. Upper Peninsula brook trout streams at their best. Lake-run smallmouth in the bays.
Fall
Chinook salmon runs peak late September. Steelhead begin entering the tributaries in October. Brown trout pre-spawn on the Au Sable. Best fall fishing window in the Great Lakes.
Winter
Steelhead fishing on the Pere Marquette and Manistee continues through winter. Ice fishing on the inland lakes. Grand Traverse Bay for lake trout through the ice. Hardcore but productive.
Michigan's Au Sable, Manistee, and Pere Marquette rivers produce more trophy Great Lakes steelhead and brown trout than any other state. The hex hatch on the Au Sable is a singular angling event — large mayflies emerging after dark drawing 20-inch browns out of cover on a short-season window. Upper Peninsula brook trout streams hold populations that haven't been stocked or messed with for decades, flowing through country that is still genuinely wild.
The Pere Marquette in mid-November is the single best shot at a double-digit steelhead in the Great Lakes. Book a drift-boat trip with a spey-casting guide — the wild fish haven't been hammered yet and the runs have just arrived. Weather is cold but the fish are fresh. It's the Michigan equivalent of the BC fall steelhead run.
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