Mason & Lake Counties, MI • Steelhead • Brown Trout • Coho Salmon

Pere Marquette River

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Current Conditions

Flows are around 441 cfs and holding steady, about normal for late August. Baldwin Bait & Tackle reported eggs on Aug 24. Streamers and swinging for chinook and steelhead in recent reports.

Conditions as of Aug 30, 2026 Reported by Baldwin Bait & Tackle

Pere Marquette River Fishing Report

Steelhead: World ClassBrowns: ExcellentCrowds: Moderate

The PM is fishing as well as it has all spring. Steelhead are stacked throughout the lower river. Swinging articulated streamers on sink tips has been most productive in the early morning. Evening sulphur hatches are excellent.

Live Flow Conditions

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474

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USGS Site: 04122500 • Pere Marquette River at Scottville • View full data ↗

Hatch Calendar

SpeciesJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

BWOBaetis spp.

HendricksonEphemerella subvaria

SulphurEphemerella dorothea

HexHexagenia limbata

Light CahillStenacron interpunctatum

Gear Recommendations

The PM is a world-class tailwater — powerful, wide, and demanding. Steelhead and big browns are the primary targets. Drift boat access is the standard approach.

Gear	fly Dry Fly	rod Nymphing	rod Euro Nymph	fish StreamerRecommended
Rod	9ft 5-weight	9ft 6-weight	11ft 3-weight or 4-weight	9ft 7-weight or 8-weight
Line	WF5F floating	WF floating	Euro mono rig	WF floating, intermediate, or Type 3 sink tip
Leader	10–12ft tapered to 4X	9ft to 3X	Long mono rig 20ft+	6ft tapered to 0X–1X
Tippet	4X–5X fluorocarbon	4X–5X fluorocarbon	5X–6X fluorocarbon	0X–2X fluorocarbon or 15–20lb mono
Waders	Chest waders with wading belt (mandatory — powerful current)	Chest waders with wading belt	Chest waders with wading belt	Chest waders with wading belt
Boots	Felt-soled boots with studs, or rubber with aggressive studs	Felt-soled with studs (mandatory)	Felt with studs	Felt with studs

fly Dry Fly Tips

Dry fly fishing on the PM peaks in May (Hendrickson) and June (Sulphur, Brown Drake). The river is big — fish the softer edges near the banks and slow inside seams.

Wading staff — highly recommended on the PMDry fly selection (Hendricksons, Sulphurs, Brown Drakes)Floatant

rod Nymphing Tips

Deep nymphing with heavier rigs than most Michigan rivers. The PM's powerful current requires more weight to get flies down. Swinging soft hackles through runs is highly effective for steelhead.

Large thingamabobber indicatorsHeavy split shot (multiple BB)Stonefly nymphs, egg patterns, Copper Johns size 8–14Wading staff

rod Euro Nymph Tips

Euro nymphing works well on the PM's classic pool-riffle-run structure. Focus on the inside seams of runs and the tail-outs of pools. Heavier tungsten beads needed to reach the bottom in the PM's flows.

Heavy bead-head nymphs size 10–14Tungsten bead flies for depth

fish Streamer Tips

Streamer fishing is the PM's signature — particularly for steelhead on the swing. A sink-tip line and a large intruder-style or Wooly Bugger fished on a downstream swing is the classic PM steelhead approach.

Large articulated streamers size 2/0–4 (Zoo Cougars, Drunk and Disorderly)Stripping basket for drift boat fishingHeavy-duty tippet

Find Your Guide

Pere Marquette River Lodge Guide Service

Orvis Endorsed

📍 Baldwin, MIFloat (Hyde drift boat)

The PM's most celebrated lodge-based guide service. Guides include Jeff, Casey, Westley, and Jory — each with a decade+ on the river.

Specialties

PM steelheadBrown troutSalmonDry fly and nymph

Baldwin Bait & Tackle Guide Service

Fly Shop

📍 Baldwin, MIFloat (McKenzie drift boat) and wade

The PM's most trusted local shop — guided trips for all skill levels on all species year-round. All flies and lures included in trip cost.

Specialties

Pere Marquette all speciesDry flyNymphingFloat fishing

Outfitters North — Jeff Hubbard

Independent

📍 Baldwin, MIWade and float

25 years guiding the Pere Marquette full-time. Jeff has appeared in fly fishing television and magazines — a true PM veteran.

Specialties

Pere Marquette steelheadWalk and wadeFloat tripsInstructional

Guide listings are researched and updated periodically. Contact guides directly to verify current availability and pricing.

Local Fly Shops

Baldwin Bait & Tackle

Baldwin's long-standing PM River shop — steelhead and brown trout guides, gear, and river reports updated daily.

Visit website ↗

Pere Marquette River Lodge Fly Shop

Lodge-based fly shop steps from Gleason's Landing — full guide service on the PM's best runs.

Visit website ↗

Public Access Points

True-traced river course, M-37 → Indian Bridge · flies-only M-37–Gleason’s ·accessbridge

1M-37 Bridgemi 0.02Claybanksmi 4.63Gleason’s Landingmi 8.14Bowman Bridgemi 11.75Rainbow Rapidsmi 18.96Sulak Landingmi 22.07Walhalla Bridgemi 35.18Indian Bridgemi 40.0

🎣 MDNR Regulations 💧 USGS Gauge 📋 Fishing License

River History & Character

The Pere Marquette River was designated one of America's first Wild and Scenic Rivers in 1978. Named after French Jesuit missionary Father Jacques Marquette, it flows through Ottawa National Forest and Baldwin State Forest. The river is celebrated for its world-class steelhead fishery and exceptional brown trout habitat. It has been a destination fishery since the late 1800s when wealthy anglers from Chicago built private fishing clubs along its banks. The PM runs cold and clear year-round thanks to abundant spring seeps throughout its watershed.

Did you know

The PM is widely regarded as the single best steelhead river in Michigan — it has produced state records and attracts fly fishers from across North America who make annual pilgrimages.

Did you know

Ernest Hemingway fished the Pere Marquette and nearby rivers extensively in the early 1920s, which partly inspired his Nick Adams fishing stories set in northern Michigan — most famously "Big Two-Hearted River."