# pere marquette questions



## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

Ok so like ive said in other post i just got my first fly rod not even a month ago and just planned a trip to the pere marquette with a few other beginners. 1. does anybody by chance know if the whispering oats campground in baldwin michigan is a good place to camp at from sept 28th - oct 2nd? will the salmon be in the river around that campground or should i look for one a little bit more upstream? I think i should have everything i need for the trip but please post if im missing something, i would greatly greatly appreciate any tips. i have my 8 wt rod n reel, big flashy streamers, big n small wooly buggers, egg flies, and lots of nymphs, also have my chuck and duck set up, three of 0x and 1x each leaders with 16 lb flourocarbon tippet line, and finally my lake erie walleye net (oh and of course my camping grill for hopefully dinner at the end of each day ). Is there anything else i should know and or pack for this trip??

Thank you all so much for the help, being a first timer in anything is always nerve wrecking until you done it once.


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## flytyer (Jan 3, 2005)

Big Ugly Stick, I have never camped at Whispering Oaks campground, but if it's the one I'm thinking about it looks like a nice place. Check it out on the web. I don't know if you are staying in a cabin or a tent. If you're tent camping check out the national forest campgrounds on the web. They will be primative camping with no electric and hand pumps for water and no showers, but you can be closer to the river that way. You will need a permit. Call one of the fly shops mentioned above and they can tell you who to cantact. 
There should still be plenty of salmon in the river when you go. Make sure to stop at Baldwin Bait and Tackle or the Orvis shop and pick up a map of the river. BBT usually handed them out for free and would tell you where to go get into some salmon. Just make sure you pay them back by buying something in the store some flies or something for the imfo. It's also a good idea to pick up a county map at one of the local gas stations to help get around on the back roads (I think around $8.00).
I usually used 8 or 10 lb. for tippet material and had very few break offs! Take a lot of flies, they (the salmon) like to hang out in the most snag infested holes in the river and when hooked head for the closest snag so hold on!
One other thing check the gap between hook point and shank. I beleive it cannot exceed 1/2 ''. Check it with a peice of 1/2 in dowel rod. 
A couple things to take and not on your list.
1) Rain Gear!!!
2) Long Underwear You never know what the weather will be up there.


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## 1mecheng (Jul 28, 2009)

I didn't see insulated waders on your list. The fishing is hot, but the water is very cool!
I'd also pack a pair of polarized glasses. The water is clear, and the sun early and late cause pretty good glare.

Have fun!
Dan


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## Gills63 (Mar 29, 2012)

If you need a secondary place to check look up Bowman Lake just outside Baldwin. Its national forest land so all you pay for is a parking permit. About a mile hike back to the sites on Bowman Lake. I don't know if you can access the river from there, but its an awesome place to camp. One of my favorites.


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## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

haha whoops forgot to add i do have my neoprene waders and also polarized glasses from the walleye run each year lol. thank you guys very much for the info!!!!!!!!!!! i ended up booking my lot at the whispering oaks campground earlier today just to make sure i had a place to stay, i dont know how crowded it gets there. ill check out bowman lake definitely while im down there, sounds like a real fun place to camp for future trips. as for flies go im just a beginner so i dont have a "Great" amount of flies right now so i think the people at either orvis or bbt will end up knowing my name by heart by the end of the 4 days after probably having to go there after every day haha


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## dstiner86 (Jun 5, 2012)

If you never been to that part of Michigan i will suggest that one thing i always remember in the years going up is bring warm clothes!! remember back in July that 100degree weather.. I was up in pentwater (20 min south of ludington) and by night i was in pants and a hoodie while all my Ohio friends suffered! haha ..good luck tho and have fun!! next year i plan to fish for salmon for my first time too!

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## flytyer (Jan 3, 2005)

Big Ugly Stick, If at all possible take a couple dozen wooley buggers with you. I can just about garauntee you they wont have the size you want. They sell out as quick as they get them in. The larger sizes, that is they will probably have size 8's but nothing bigger.


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## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

that makes sense, good looking out!!! what size should i start stocking up on? i have a few 4's now and a few 6's. and mine are mostly weighted, shouldn't i start looking at the non weighted ones because they prefer to be up on the gravel areas and just add a small split shot a bit up on the tippet?


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## flytyer (Jan 3, 2005)

I usually use sz. 6, but 4 will work too. The weighted ones will work, but have some unweighted ones too. Like you said you can add shot to the leader. Remember to be dredging the bottom in the holes, that's where the fly does the most good.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

I've been up there a few times and can give you this advice.
If you are using an 8wt, maybe your max tippet strength should be 8# or even 6#. Those monsters can break your 8wt. I was using 10# stuff and an 8wt my first trip, by the end after battling 4 or 5 salmon, my rod was freying at the butt section and had to be replaced. Now I use a 9wt. 

That river is beautiful and has much more current than our Ohio rivers. Weighted flies are a must even in shallow water. Fly selection is much less important than presentation. BBT sells some black stones with yellow or pink bug eyes, these flies work for me when swinging on a sink tip. Zonker flies work for me when bouncing, and stripping through the tailouts and gravel. 

Also, level your expectations with the learning curve to catch these fish. You may foul hook more fish than you catch in the mouth. It happens with so many fish in the smaller areas. One year we got a group of salmon to turn on to our smaller steelhead nymphs, sizes 12 and 14. In 3 years going up there, that is truely the only time I have seen multiple fish take the same fly. I guess I'm just trying to say stay patient and pay attention to your drifts, and you can have success.

I hope to get up there this year as well. We usually go up the next weekend and find plenty of fish available. Good luck and remember your manners when it gets crowded. Most people up there treat each other well if they see you doing the same. I've never had an incident up there similar to the stories I hear on the NY rivers.


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## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

Thanks for all that information! sorry it took so long to apply, i got super busy in school and didnt have time to get on here. does flourocarbon to nylon tippet make any difference for them like it does for steelhead? and are we allowed to take any salmon home to cook up in the pere marquette? ive heard many different answers and have no clue which one is true. i know its fly only but not sure if i can take at least 1 home a day.


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## flytyer (Jan 3, 2005)

The whole river is not flies only! The stretch from the M-37 bridge to I think it's Gleason's landing is flies only, C&R only. Other than that regular regs apply. 
Stop in at BB&T or the Orvis shop and they will give you a map of the river and tell where it's flies only and C&R only.
Some people will say use only Floro, I always used nylon and did good!
Good luck and have fun!


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## Ducky (Feb 1, 2009)

Definitely check out the local shops to get an idea of what is working where. A local map helps out a lot but what they call an "avenue" is actually a washbouard dirt road. 

And don't forget Edie's Log Bar


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## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

ok that makes sense on why im hearing so many mixed things on where to fish and what i can keep. awesome im so pumped for this trip, my first fishing trip i have been on for a longggg time! thanks for all the help everybody. 

ducky good call on the bar!!! i was hoping there would be something up there i can get some beer at. we'll be there for 5 days and was hoping to have a night around town one night. ill 100% check out eddies lol


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## landarcjedi (Mar 20, 2011)

I have been up there the last two years. One thing I would watch is the length of the net handle. You cannot have a long handle net anywhere on the river. 

Bring night fishing gear, you don't want to miss the morning or early evening bite no matter what. I would base my days according to those hours. If your shore fishing you want to get down there super early so that you have a spot. 

This is the one of the greatest places in the world. (I don't get out much)

If you see naked women dancing on the other side of the river, bad news, you have died and went to heaven. Have a great time. Wish I was there.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

The river itself is just beautiful. Some of the most beautiful trout water in the East IMHO. I cannot go this year but I'm still having daydreams about those big submarines swimming around those holes. If you want to get into some of the biggest fish up there, anchor or stop at the middle of a hole with current and swing through all the tail out of the pool. Also try the bends of any pool. There are monsters down there that will pull your arm off. 

Maybe I should just go this year. I've heard they need more water to really turn them on but, Damn its been 3 years ago for me and I just miss it.


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## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

thanks everybody for all the help! if you EVER have the chance to visit the pm river DO SO!! it is an absolute gem of america, me and my friends will be going back for a week every year hopefully. the river, fish, trees, and everything there is just absolute gorgeous. i now have a new understanding on fly fishing and why it is so popular on trips like this. ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING! thanks again everybody for all your help. here is a few pictures i have to show


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## 1mecheng (Jul 28, 2009)

Awesome pics! I've been only once, but I can't wait to go back.

Dan


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

Nice pics. Looks like an awesome place to go.


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## flytyer (Jan 3, 2005)

It looks like you had a good time. Those salmon sure put a nice bend in the rod, don't they! 
That is a very pretty place to spend some time away.
That's an awesome brown too!


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## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

words cant describe how awesome of a time we all had up there. the brown was 18" and just perfect skin on it. and your not kidding those salmon put a bend in the rod. soon as there hooked your just about into your backing lol. i caught one at night on the edge and had to jump into the river because it was already taking off around the bend lol. luckily the water was only knee deep. thought it was a lot deeper and its so hard to tell how clear the water is there


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