Pere Marquette River · hatch chart
Two seasons in one river: fall steelhead from October, and spring steelhead through April
By month
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
| Month | Insect | Stage | Size | Time | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr | Hendrickson (Ephemerella subvaria) | Dun | #12-14 | 13:00-16:00 | |
| May | Sulphur (Ephemerella invaria) | Dun | #14-16 | 19:00-21:30 | |
| Jun | Brown Drake (Ephemera simulans) | Dun at dusk | #10 | 20:30-23:00 | |
| Jul | Trico (Tricorythodes) | Spinner fall | #22-24 | 08:00-10:30 | |
| Sep | Blue-Winged Olive (Baetis) | Dun | #18-20 | 13:00-16:30 | |
| Oct | October Caddis (Dicosmoecus) | Adult | #8-10 | 18:30-21:30 | |
| Nov | Steelhead egg drift (spawn) | Eggs in the drift | #10-14 | All day |
Flow and visibility
This river rises fast and drops fast because much of its catchment is sand and pine forest. A 25 mm rain in October can move it from 300 to 1,000 cfs overnight and bring a fresh push of steelhead with it; the water then clears in about 48 hours. Fishing it on the drop, as the colour goes from tea to green, is the single most productive window of the year.
The insect plate
