This Pere Marquette guide report is provided by the fishing guides at Indigo Guide Service.

Go to the West Michigan Fishing Report to see what’s happening on our other area streams… Warmer weather and hot fishing, updated on March 16th, 2010.

Water Conditions — Temps in the mid 40’s with perfect conditions.
USGS Real-Time Data for the Pere Marquette River at Scottville, Michigan

I hate to say it but the PM River is getting a little low on steelhead.  We just went through a peak and we’re know going into the trough but don’t worry we should be heading toward a peak again soon.  The runs always cycle up and down through a spawning season.

Steelhead aside, we got into 4 suckers today.  The significance is that in the last several years, since the weir has been running, my best spring was 7 suckers caught above the weir, again we got 4 today, now that the weir is gone.  Ironically, I had a fisheries biologist in the boat today and he has been working on a Michigan study regarding trout foraging on sucker larva.  I learned that sucker larva are a valuable forage item for trout, with trout often choosing sucker larva over available insects.  They felt that some trout were consuming over 100 sucker larva per day.

I’m glad the suckers are back.  Most of us knew that they were important to the river and fishery and if nothing else they add a little excitement on days that are slow, like today.

A steelhead/rainbow from today.