(Colin (left) helping BJ hold his first ever King Salmon taken with a fly rod)
Here’s my new good friends Colin (left) and his friend BJ from Texas as they put it in their own words “these fresh water kings ain’t no joke.” 30 minute drag screeching runs, aerial leaps, arm busting pulls; you name it. Fighting these kings on lightweight fly gear as my new friends from Texas put it……”ain’t no joke!” Absolutely awesome fights! Battling these kings can only be described as lassoing a massive bull and holding on tight. The main objective is to keep the king hooked long enough to hopefully tire him out and have a shot getting him in the net. These relentless fights can last up to 30 minutes, just ask BJ.
The beauty of this style of fly fishing is no chuck-n-duck. It’s straight up fly fishing swinging streamer patterns in the deep pools. I give all the credit to my long time guide friend Matt Supinski teaching me this “swing for kings technique” several years ago. Skeptical at first, I soon came to realize how effective this style of fly fishing really is when salmon first enter the deep pools. The biggest misconception fly anglers have is these kings stop feeding when they enter the river system. This is totally untrue. These salmon not only strike to feed but more so strike out of aggression. The spawning hormones kick in causing these fish to become very aggressive. Whether it’s striking out of hunger or pure anger, these fish strike and when they do it’s simply awesome!
(BJ with another massive female king salmon)
Very happy to report strong movement of kings throughout the river system especially for such an early time of year on the Muskegon. It’s a great sign of whats to come. Water levels are good for this time of year and the cold wet weather in the forecast will only make conditions better on a daily basis.
If you never tried this “swinging for kings” style of fly fishing give us a call. We still have some great dates available as we get closer to October. Click here to book your trip now. You will not be disappointed.
post by: Jon Fortuna