DESPITE THE HOT SUMMER!!!!..... TROUT, CADDIS AND FLYING ANT HATCHES , SUMMER SKAMANIA STEELHEAD AND EARLY KING SALMON HAVE FINALLY COME-IT IS AN  EXCITING TIME OF THE YEAR! ..........AND CAN ONLY GET COOLER!

AUGUST 2011     

Well..........IT HAS BEEN HOT AS HELL!!!..........OMG, BUT DESPITE THE AIR TEMPS., WE HAVE BEEN CATCHING FISH ON MANY DIFFERENT OPTIONS.

THE MUSKEGON HAS HELD ITS OWN AND THE BROWNS AND RAINBOWS ARE DOING FINE THE COLD WATER BUBBLER AT CROTON DAM SURE HELPS OUT ON RECORD HOT SUMMERS AND ARE PROTECTING OUR TROUT. LAST FEW EVENINGS WE HAD EXCELLENT CADDIS EMERGENCE (LITTLE GREENS AND CINNS.) AND HAD SOME NICE 14-19 INCH BROWNS AND RAINBOWS EATING PUPAE! THEY WERE VERY CAREFULLY FOUGHT AND RELEASED AND WERE SURPRISINGLY "VERY FAT" DESPITE THE HEAT STRESS. LAST YEAR'S HEAT, HAD THEM SLINKED -OUT AND STRESSED LOOKING - NOT THIS YEAR!-.....WHY?............THE RIVER BOTTOM IS FULL OF CADDIS LARVAE-ABSOLUTELY JAMMED PACK, WITH "NO ZEBRA MUSSELS! ".THE SAN JUAN AND GAZA SECTIONS OF RIVER THAT ARE NORMALLY PACKED WITH EEL GRASS VEGETATION IS JUST NOT THERE! THE CLARITY OF THE WATER DUE TO THE ZEBRAS IS NOW A DEEP TEA STAIN WHICH DOESN'T ALLOW FOR VEGETATION GROWTH WHICH CAN HAVE DISMAL EFFECTS ON DISSOLVED OXYGEN.

SO THE TROUT ARE FEEDING HEAVILY ON CADDIS WHICH STILL GIVES THEM A 1/2 TO INCH GROWTH PER MONTH RATE DESPITE THE HEAT. THAT IS EXCITING AND THE WAY IT WAS IN THE EARLY 90'S!!!

FISHING HOPPERS ON THE PERE MARQUETTE AND PINE HAS BEEN EXCELLENT MIKE AT BALDWIN CREEK MOTEL, WHO TAKES OUR CLIENTS IN THESE PERMIT ONLY WATERS. THE BIG MANISTEE HAS ALSO BEEN DOING WELL FROM GOOD SIZED BROWNS BELOW THE  TIPPY DAM.

AS FOR SUMMER SKAMANIA STEELHEAD , IT HAS BEEN A MIXED REVIEW. THE EARLY FISH THAT MOVED INTO THE SYSTEM ON THE ST. JOE HAVE REALLY DISSIPATED -BUT-NEW FISH SHOULD ARRIVE AS SOON AS IT COOLS OFF TRAIL CREEK IN INDIANA HAS BEEN THE BEST BET WITH ITS COLD SPRING CREEK WATERS- IT HAS PRODUCED SOME "GINORMOUS 16-18 LB FISH ALL JULY!

BUT  ALL IN ALL!- WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT A GREAT COOLER! SUMMER TO COME-HOPE YOU COULD JOIN  US!

THE TROUT AND EAGLE LODGE -THIS MOST MAGNIFICENT LOG STRUCTURE BROUGHT HERE FROM FINLAND AND PERCHED HIGH ABOVE THE BLUFFS OF THE MUSKEGON IS A GREAT SUMMER/FALL VACATION FAMILY GETAWAY OR CORPORATE RETREAT DESTINATION!

 

 


 



 

Cheers! -hope it see you!



Matt, Laurie, Peter and Camus Supinski
 and our talented new guide Drew and many years seasoned staff ( a couple of older dudes- we keep Matt,Jeff,Bob,Mike and Peter Basta around cause they catch fish!..lol) at the Gray Drake /Trout & Eagle Lodge & Outfitters
 

 

 

 
HATCHES.......HATCHES............IT'S A BUG FACTORY AS THE MUSKEGON EVOLVES!
SUMMER'S HATCH LINE-UP! CADDIS-GREENS/CINN. DOT WINGS-#16-20, MICRO CADDIS,BLACK, TRICOS, LIGHT CAHILLS,  ISOS, OLIVE AND GIANT BLACK STONEFLIES, FLYING ANTS!!!-IMAGE BELOW.....GUIDE JEFF BACON'S CLIENT CHRIS WITH MONSTER BROWN TROUT- CADDIS PUPAE IMAGE FROM JOHN MILLER

cinnamon caddis pupae-notice segmentation so vital for the pattern!
THE CHINOOK(KING) SALMON SEASON THIS FALL APPEARS TO BE HEADING TOWARDS A SPECTACULAR ONE!
!!!!!!!
!!!!!!! NEWS IS" THE ALEWIFE BAITFISH ARE EVERYWHERE"!...............AFTER SOME DISMAL YEARS , LAKE MICHIGAN IS LOADED WITH BAIT AND IS PRODUCING 20 LBERS( KINGS AND COHOS INTO THE UPPER TEENS LIKE THE OLD DAYS!) AGAIN TO THOSE FEW CHARTER GUYS GOING OUT DUE TO THE GAS,ECONOMY AND COST OF CHASING THESE FISH OUT TO DEEP WATERS. WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THE RIVER GUYS IS GOING TO BE BIG SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER RUNS OF FISH- AND TO REAL LARGE SALMON! THE MANISTEES AND P.M. WILL RECEIVE THE EARLY FISH, AND MUSKEGON STARTS TO SEE GOOD FISH BY MID SEPTEMBER IN TH HOLES- THE BEST TIME TO FISH EARLY KINGS WHEN THEY ARE AGGRESSIVE TO THE SWINGING FLY! CHECK OUT THE NEW ISSUE OF" FLY FISHERMAN', FOR A FEATURE ON EARLY KINGS........WE ARE FEATURED IN IT. ALSO, THE FALL ISSUE OF 'FLY ROD & REEL" HAS A PIECE BY MATT ABOUT FALL CADDIS HATCHES WHEN YOU ARE SALMON AND STEELHEADING, AND OFTEN FORGET THAT THE TROUT FEED GREAT ON THE SURFACE AT THAT TIME OF YEAR!!

SUMMER SKAMANIA STEELHEAD ON THE ST.JOSEPH!- THE TARPON OF THE GREAT LAKES!

JULY AND AUGUST-WE WILL TAKE YOU TO A STEELHEAD OF A LIFETIME IN SHORT SLEVE SHIRTS! - WE STILL HAVE A FEW CHOICE DATES AVAILIABLE FOR JULY/AUGUST AND EARLY SEPTEMBER......GET' EM WHILE THEY LAST!

We do great gift certificates for birthdays and special occasions!
SUMMER HATCH MATCHERS SPECIAL!
NEW!!!!!!! EXPERIENCE THE BEST TIME OF DAY-EVENING-OR MORNINGS!- WHEN THE HATCH OR SPINNER FALL OF MAYFLIES, CADDIS AND FLYING ANTS ARE ON THE WATER AND THE TROUT ARE GOING CRAZY AND ON THE HUNT! PUT A DAY IN AT THE OFFICE OR ON THE GOLF COARSE AND STILL CATCH THE PRIME DRY FLY ACTION- PRICE OF $250.00.....CALL OR E-MAIL TO RESERVE OR INQUIRE FOR MORE INFO �
Gray Drake Links
Visit Our Websites:

www.graydrake.com
 
Matt with Tom Aufiero's World Record Land Locked Atlantic Salmon
 

Matt with Tom Aufiero's
World Record IGFA
Landlocked Atlantic Salmon.
Click on image for larger view.

 

Also more news releases

We are featured in this month's issue of FLY FISHERMAN in an article on Early Run King Salmon!- ALSO............next issues of "FLY FISHERMAN' and "AMERICAN ANGLER" ,(fall 2011) will have reviews of the new "Selectivity-Trout" DVD

As for more of Matt's writings, the Fall 2011 issue of "FLY ROD 7 REEL', will have a small hatches piece on autumn caddis hatches we forget about when salmon and steelheading....bring your 5-weights!!!! 

* Matt's new 10 year anniversary revised edition of "STEELHEAD DREAMS" is coming soon from Amato Publications

* Matt's new DVD "SELECTIVITY" has just completed the final edits and the "PART 1- TROUT", is available. It is very provocative HD footage available in Blue Ray which
is based on his new book work-"SELECTIVITY- THE PROCESS OF FLY FISHING FOR FUSSY TROUT, SALMON AND STEELHEAD"-sorry for the wait, but they promise to be be very enlightening and entertaining! The footage was shot on Eastern and Midwestern tail water rivers and spring creeks and Montana-and offers an in -depth look at the micro world of trout feeding on the surface and the dynamics of the selective process!

INSECT IMAGES BY JOHN MILLER     GREEN CADDIS PUPAE

 

  
EVER THINK ABOUT CATCHING A SUMMER SKAMANIA STEELHEAD OR AN ATLANTIC SALMON-RIGHT HERE IN THE MIDWEST OF  MICHIGAN!!! WE SPECIALIZE IN THESE TWO FISHERIES
 ( WE CAUGHT THE NEW WORLD RECORD I.G.F.A. LANDLOCKED ATLANTIC SALMON LAST YEAR WITH OUR CLIENT TOM AUFIERO LAST YEAR) AND COULD PUT YOU ON A FISH OF A LIFETIME- MINUS THE BIG TICKET/AIRFARE PRICES OF REMOTE DESTINATIONS!-CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION AND SEASONS.
Gray Drake & Trout and Eagle Lodges & Outfitters | 7522 S Gray Drake Bluff | Newaygo | MI | 49337