Pere Marquette River Fishing Report- August 2026; Salmon Season Update and Fishing Conditions. Baldwin MI

2026 Salmon Season Guided Fishing Trips:

Are you on our calendar for the 2026 Salmon Season? If not, call us today at 616-295-8373, we still have some dates left available. Our current open slots are for early season (last week of August/First week of September), we have a good handful available. During mid/late September our dates available are: Sept 15, 16, 18, 19, 23, 26 and 27. We do still have plenty of availability in October as well.

Pere Marquette Salmon Fishing Conditions:

At Northern Rivers Outfitters, we adjust our approach throughout the salmon season. As water temperatures change and salmon move into different sections of the river during their annual migration, so do we!  The fishing tactics, locations, timing, and presentations change dramatically. This is why we suggest going with a guide. Come spend a day or two out on the waters with us so that you can come to simply enjoy the fishery while we do the hard work for you and consistently put you on the fish.

Early Season Salmon Fishing:

The Pere Marquette River gets the earliest push of fall salmon coming out of the lakes and moving into the river systems. We see salmon pushing into the rivers as early as the 3rd week of August! These early dates End of August to the 1st week of September are usually the most fresh! We use a lot more spinning gear during early season to target these fish while they are aggressive and territorial. Getting a salmon on a thunderstick is a RIOT! The smaller, baitfish profile of hot and tots and thundersticks help provoke a feeding pattern for these migrating fish. The wobble  and vibration are important for the fish to help locate their prey while the fish are more spread out. Early season tactics include:

• Trolling or casting aggressive plugs
• Covering different depths and current seams
• Adjusting lure speed as water temps change
• Focusing on deeper holding waters
• Using brighter lure colors in deeper/low visibility stretches

Peak Salmon Season:

Tactics change quite dramatically when we get into more ‘peak season’ of the salmon spawning. By Mid September the salmon are on gravel actively spawning in the rivers. This is when we use more traditional fly fishing tactics. Tactics such as nymphing and chuck and ducking are used most commonly. For our anglers during this time that still want to use spinning gear-no problem! The fish are still very aggressive so throwing a thunderstick into a hole with piles of salmon, gets the fish moving around and biting out of aggression. We then use a lot of beads under a bobber- can do done on the fly rod or the spin rods/baitcasters! Let us know your preference if you have one and we are happy to accomidate you.

Successful peak season tactics include:

• Drifting natural presentations
• Targeting current seams and structure for holding patterns
• Fishing during low light periods
• Changing lure size as water temps and lighting changes
• Fishing spawning runs

Peak season brings more anglers, and more fishing pressure. Finding less obvious holding water and adjusting your presentations are KEY!

Late Season Salmon Fishing:

Late season, getting into the 2nd week of October also brings something different! This is when you can start targeting both Salmon and fall steelhead! Steelhead start pushing into the rivers the 2nd to third week of October and stay in the river systems until they spawn in the spring.

Late season tactics include:

• Slower presentations
• Finding deeper holding waters again
• Downsizing presentations
• Carefully approach holding runs as these fish have been targeted for a while now
• Use more natural colors

Book your Michigan Salmon Fishing Trip

Contact Northern Rivers Outfitters today to inquire about dates, your preferences, and which rivers you may be interested in! Northern Rivers Outfitters services the Pere Marquette River, the Big Manistee River, and the Muskegon River during salmon season- ask which fits you best and let us help pair you with our best guides! Contact: 616-295-8373