Fly Fishing the Pere Marquette River, Michigan: Sections, Seasons and Trip Plan
Location Details / Michigan / Pere Marquette River
Fly Fishing the Pere Marquette River, Michigan: Sections, Seasons and Trip Plan
The Pere Marquette River runs 66 free-flowing miles from the Forks east of Baldwin to US-31 near Ludington, with no dams on its mainstem. Wade the 8.5-mile flies-only water from M-37 to Gleason's Landing, float below it, and come in fall or spring for steelhead from Lake Michigan. Summer floats need a Forest Service watercraft permit.
Our Pere Marquette story comes from Andrew Steketee of FlyLab. On our October 7, 2024 episode, How to Target Big Trout, he told us his family had a cabin on the South Branch of the Pere Marquette, and as a 12-year-old he roamed about a dozen miles of river at night fishing the Hex, with the spinner fall coming at 1 or 2 in the morning and a bell on the cabin calling him home.
He also recalled tagging studies on that water showing 20-inch-plus browns sitting tight by day and moving seven to eleven miles a night. His takeaway: on the Pere Marquette the big fish are a dark-hours fish, so plan your evenings around them.
Species
Wild brown and resident rainbow trout, steelhead, chinook and coho salmon
Best months
May to July for trout and the Hex; October to November and March to April for steelhead (our reading)
Character
Free-flowing freestone; no dams on the 66-mile National Scenic River
Nearest towns
Baldwin, Branch, Scottville, Ludington
Nearest airports
Grand Rapids (GRR); Traverse City (TVC)
Rule to know
M-37 to Gleason's Landing: artificial flies only, no fish kept
Pere Marquette River Section by Section
The Forks to M-37
The mainstem forms where the Middle Branch and Little South Branch meet east of Baldwin. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists the Middle Branch from Reek Road to Switzer Bridge as Blue Ribbon trout water. The short reach from the Forks to the M-37 bridge at Baldwin is small, intimate wading water.
Flies-Only Water: M-37 to Gleason's Landing
This 8.5-mile reach in Lake County is the Pere Marquette most fly anglers come for: artificial flies only, open all year, catch-and-release for trout and salmon. Wade in from the M-37 access in Baldwin at the top or from Gleason's Landing at the bottom. Resident browns and rainbows in summer; steelhead in fall, winter and spring.
Gleason's Landing to Upper Branch Bridge
Below Gleason's the river widens through Bowman Bridge, and the rules change by date down to Rainbow Rapids, so check the digest. This is drift boat water for streamers and swung flies, and a popular canoe stretch in summer.
Upper Branch Bridge to Scottville and Ludington
The lower river runs bigger and slower past Indian Bridge toward Scottville and Ludington, where it meets Lake Michigan through Pere Marquette Lake. Fresh fall fish and spring steelhead move through here first. Fish it from a boat or the Forest Service landings.
Reading the Pere Marquette Flows
The live gauge is USGS Pere Marquette River at Scottville, well below the flies-only water. USGS monthly means from 2011 to 2025 peak in April near 1,200 cfs and drop to about 530 cfs in August and September. Because the Pere Marquette has no dams, the gauge rises with rain and snowmelt and falls back on its own.
Our reading: near the late-summer lows the flies-only water wades almost anywhere; when Scottville climbs well above the April mean, stick to the inside bends or float, and expect off-color water to move steelhead.
When to Fly Fish the Pere Marquette River
Our reading of the upper river, not agency data; steelhead timing follows rain and water temperature.
| Target | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hendrickson and early mayflies | ||||||||||||
| Hex and drakes (night) | ||||||||||||
| Terrestrials and streamers | ||||||||||||
| Chinook salmon | ||||||||||||
| Coho salmon | ||||||||||||
| Steelhead |
Intensity:LightModerateHeavy
Blank cells mean not worth planning around. Coho and chinook, introduced to Lake Michigan in 1966, now reproduce naturally in the river (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).
Pere Marquette River Rules to Know
- M-37 to Gleason's Landing: artificial flies only, open all year, possession limit of zero trout and salmon; children under 12 may keep one (Michigan DNR 2026).
- Gleason's Landing to Rainbow Rapids: rules change by date during the year; read the current digest (Michigan DNR 2026).
- Whole river: terminal gear is restricted from August 1 to November 15 (Michigan DNR 2026).
- Summer watercraft permit: every watercraft, tubes and paddleboards included, needs a Forest Service permit between the Forks and Indian Bridge from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day Monday; book one or more of the three segments on Recreation.gov.
Plan a 3-Day Pere Marquette River Trip
Day 1: Wade
M-37 Downstream
Base in Baldwin. Wade the flies-only water from the M-37 access, nymphs and small streamers by day; on a June evening, stay late for the Hex the way Steketee did.
Day 2: Float
Gleason's Landing to Bowman Bridge
Float the flies-only water's lower end and the reach below with a guide. In summer, reserve the watercraft permit first; fall and spring trips swing for steelhead.
Day 3: Pick by season
Lower River
October to April: fish below Upper Branch Bridge, where fresh steelhead and salmon arrive first. Summer: back to the flies-only water at first light.
What to bring: a 9-foot 5-weight for trout, a 7- or 8-weight with a sink tip for steelhead, egg flies, streamers, a headlamp for Hex nights and a Michigan fishing license.
Want it planned for you?
Book a Local Pro on the Pere Marquette River
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Plan a Pere Marquette River Trip with Frontiers
No Pere Marquette lodge is on our Frontiers list yet. We represent many great lodges through Frontiers International Travel, roughly 250 worldwide, so if a Great Lakes steelhead river or a wild trout week is on your list, ask anyway.
Pere Marquette River Tips from Podcast Guests
No Pere Marquette guide is in our Tips Library yet; these come from Great Lakes steelhead guests and similar trout water, all transferable.
-
Study the run before you make a cast
Transferable: the flies-only runs.
Roger Hinchcliff, Great Lakes steelhead angler, Episode 88 -
Mend upstream to sink your swung fly
Transferable: fall steelhead.
Roger Hinchcliff, Great Lakes steelhead angler, Episode 88 -
Read the invisible seams, not just the rocks
Transferable: the lower river.
Jeff Liskay, Ohio steelhead guide, Episode 90 -
Change fish, not flies, when nothing is working
Cody Kowitz, Michigan and Alaska migratory fish guide -
Wait for the pull, not the splash, before you set
Transferable: Hex nights.
Tanner Barbeau, Colorado night mousing guide
Browse every tip in the Fly Fishing Tips Library.
Hear the Pere Marquette River on the Podcast
How to Target Big Trout (with FlyLab's Andrew): Andrew Steketee on growing up on the Pere Marquette, night Hex fishing and landing big browns. Listen to the audio episode or read the episode notes.
Shop the Water: Flies for the Pere Marquette River
Adams Wulff, Size 8
Goddard Caddis, Size 16
Jigged Pat's Rubber Legs, 14 Flies
Circus Peanut Envy, Black, Size 6
Mini Sex Dungeon Sampler, Size 6
Dolly Llama Collection, 4 Flies
Hot Pink Egg, 12 Flies
Hot Chartreuse Egg, 6 Flies
Pere Marquette River Fly Fishing Questions, Answered
When is the best time to fly fish the Pere Marquette River?
For trout, May through July is the best time on the Pere Marquette River, with Hendricksons in spring and the night Hex hatch in late June and July. For steelhead, October and November and again March and April are the core windows. Chinook salmon peak in September.
Do you need a permit to float the Pere Marquette?
Yes, in summer. From the Friday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day Monday, every watercraft on the Pere Marquette River between the Forks and Indian Bridge needs a Huron-Manistee National Forests permit, reserved on Recreation.gov by segment. Outside those dates, no watercraft permit is required.
Where is the flies-only water on the Pere Marquette?
The Pere Marquette River's flies-only water runs 8.5 miles in Lake County from the M-37 bridge at Baldwin downstream to Gleason's Landing. Michigan DNR manages it as artificial flies only, open all year, with no trout or salmon kept except one fish for children under 12.
Pere Marquette or Au Sable for trout?
Choose the Au Sable for dry fly water and the Holy Water near Grayling. Choose the Pere Marquette River if you want wild trout and a Lake Michigan steelhead run in the same flies-only water at Baldwin. The Pere Marquette was also the site of the first brown trout introduction in the United States, in 1884.
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Tight lines, everyone!
By Christian Bacasa, host of the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast. Last reviewed November 2026.
Prices, availability, flight routing and entry requirements change. Every figure on this page is the starting rate published by the lodge or by Frontiers International Travel at the time of writing, per angler, and is a starting point for a quote, not a quote. Seasons, lodge capacity, charter schedules, visa and passport rules and license requirements can all change without notice. Confirm current pricing, availability and entry requirements with your Frontiers specialist before you book anything.