Fly Fishing for Salmon and Steelhead of the Great Lakes [Paperback]

Kenn Filkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1997

Finally, a book that shares the whole truth on Great Lakes fly fishing techniques with refreshing honesty.

Fly Fishing for Salmon and Steelhead of the Great Lakes is the first book to present a complete panorama of fly fishing strategies for locating, hooking, and landing the migrant salmon and steelhead of the Great Lakes tributaries.

This comprehensive, entertaining guide casts light on opportunities and techniques for the fly fishermen lured to rivers in Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ontario, New York, and Ohio. Fly Fishing for Salmon and Steelhead shares insightful stories and comments from many experienced fly fishing guides. It is the first book to cover the non-traditional-but tremendously successful-Great Lakes fly fishing techniques. Each chapter contains charts, photographs, and anecdotes to clarify the methods described.

Editorial Reviews

Review

SAULT STE. MARIE -- Pay attention, everybody. Class is in session. No talking, pushing or name-calling. And, yes, there will be a test on this material later. Out on the St. Marys River, professor Kenn Filkins beams as student Tim Porter sets the hook on a big male pink salmon that puts a deep bend in his 9-foot, 8-weight fly rod. The fish has a No. 8 orange and black nymph in the corner of its mouth, a fly that Porter tied himself for trips out West "and never caught anything on it out there. This is the first fish I've taken on one." It is the first of perhaps 25 pinks that Porter, a visitor from Larchmont, N.Y., hooks in less than four hours, landing about a third of them. And with Filkins' tutelage, his ratio increases dramatically as the afternoon passes, ending with about two fish landed and released for each lost.

Filkins literally wrote the book about this kind of fishing, a big paperback called "Fly FIshing for Salmon and Steelhead of the Great Lakes." It covers everything from tackle to flies, from which rivers to fish to how and when to fish them. The book is especially relevant now as Michigan's stream salmon fishing swings into high gear from the Indian summer streams along the Indiana border to the icy waters of Lake Superior.

Filkins, a Sault Ste. Marie minister, jumped at a chance to get out on the Canadian side of the St. Marys rapids to demonstrate some of the techniques he writes about.

He says: "I try to get out here two, three times a week when the salmon are running," a time that begins with pink salmon in September, sees the powerful chinooks arrive in fishable numbers by Oct. 1, and closes with a run of high-jumping cohos in November (usually during the firearms deer season, which results in this run being largely ignored by Michigan outdoors types).

Unlike some fly snobs, Filkins won't hesitate to modify his fishing techniques if it means a chance to get a hookup. He and Porter found a dozen huge chinooks, several of them larger than 25 pounds, in the clear green waters of a 15-foot-deep pool 100 yards below the spillway.

The water was still very fast, so Filkins added another slinky to get the woolly bugger lure down to the fish. But he also added a tiny Colorado spinner blade and a red plastic bead above the fly to increase the odds of provoking a strike.

On this day, it didn't work. The big fish lay like logs in the cool, dim waters near the riverbed, moving just enough to hold their positions in the current. "They aren't in a mood to strike anything yet," Filkins said. "It's pretty rare they'll take a fly when they're holding in deep water like that, but sometimes adding a spinner and a bead that makes the lure look like an egg-sucking fly will get them going. Give them another week or so and they'll be up in the rapids, and they'll really be aggressive."

The majority of Michigan stream anglers fish salmon with spinning rods and spawn bags or spoons such as Cleos. They work, but my experience has been that a double wet fly rig will draw far more strikes over the course of the season -- and it's more fun to use, especially on shallow-water fish you can see and stalk.

Mentioning stalking brought to mind the need for caution not just in the way a fisherman moves but in how he or she dresses. Like many experienced anglers, Filkins believes bright clothing - orange hats, white T-shirts, so on -- can spook fish, especially those that have been cast at a lot. European anglers, who probably face the most line-shy fish in the world, often wear camouflaged clothing when they fish. While he doesn't espouse that extreme, Filkins believes drab clothing that blends into the background is an important part of any stream angler's bag of tricks.

One of the keys to the effectiveness of the double wet fly rig is the fly rod, which lets anglers cast the weighted outfit effectively, if a bit crudely. The second key is using flies that mimic the natural food that fish see in the river -- stonefly, mayfly and caddis larvae in sizes 6-10 and colors ranging from tan to black, and small salmon egg imitations about the size of a pea.

Finally, the double-fly rig also depends on a small tube of split shots called a slinky that keeps the fly at the fish's eye level. When the angler feels the slinky "tick, tick, tick" on the bottom as the flies drift through the run, he has the right amount of weight. If he has too much weight, the rig hangs up in the rocks constantly. Too little and the flies don't get down to the fish-eye level when they are most effective.

Doing an unscientific test, I tried drifting a double wet fly setup on a spinning rod, using split shots pinched directly on the line as weight. Over three hours I got three or four strikes but caught no fish, while the three anglers I was with hooked about 20 each.

When I borrowed Filkins' fly rod, I hooked eight pinks in 30 minutes and landed four. And while it wasn't a scientific test, it was as dramatic a demonstration of the effectiveness of the fly technique as I've seen. -- Detroit Free Press 9/24/98; BY ERIC SHARP, Free Press Outdoors Writer

About the Author

A native of Michigan, Kenn Filkins has fished all over the Great Lakes region, and has caught steelhead in every month of the year. He has spent the past six years researching the most productive fly fishing techniques of successful guides throught the Great Lakes rivers. Filkins has written extensively about fly fishing in regional and national magazines, including American Angler, Flyfishing, Sports Afield, and Michigan Out-of-Doors.

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Wilderness Adventure Books (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0923568425
• ISBN-13: 978-0923568429
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,966,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kenn Filkins, of Sault Ste. Marie, MI, has written five books, and edited (and wrote for) the award-winning hardcover book, Bond with the Wild: A Celebration of American Falconry. His other books include: Comfort Those Who Mourn: How to Preach Personalized Funeral Messages, A Comforting Word, Fly Fishing for Salmon & Steelhead of the Great Lakes, Characters of Calvary, and Seven Sayings One Friday.
Kenn as been a pastor for over 30 years, serving churches in Indiana, Iowa, and Michigan. He is in his ninth year of pulpit ministry at the Donaldson Church in the Sault. Filkins graduated with honors from Great Lakes Christian College in 1979, where he won the "Dracma Award" for Biblical language studies.
For 10 years, he has been the editor of the daily newspaper for the eastern third of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He is currently the editor the North American Falconers' Association's Hawk Chalk three times a year. He has written hundreds of magazine articles on hunting, fishing, falconry and a wide variety of Christian topics. He has won writing and photography awards. Kenn and his wife, Marti, own a high-tech, action photography business.
Kenn lives in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. He has two sons, Micaiah Filkins, of San Francisco, CA, Andrew (and Holly) Filkins of Mancelona, MI, one grandson, Jack Filkins.

Kenn's Published Articles and Books:
"Why Fast?" a poem, Christian Standard, October 27, 1981
"The Falconer's Psalm," NAFA Journal, Vol. 21, 1981
"The Bay Window Mew," Hawk Chalk, December, 1981
"Of Anklets and Leashes," Hawk Chalk, August, 1982
"Squirrel Hawking," NAFA Journal, Vol. 22, 1983
"Her First Year," Hawk Chalk, April, 1984
"A Cast of Harris' Hawks," NAFA Journal, Vol. 23, 1984
"Hawking Lamar Jacks, Harris' Style," Hawk Chalk, April, 1985
"The Arab Jess System -- Revisited," Hawk Chalk, April, 1985
"A Celebration," Christian Standard, October 20, 1985
Hawk Cover-Photo, Christian Standard, November 3, 1985
"On Eagles Wings," Christian Standard, November 3, 1985
"Out Of Joint," Christian Standard, November 24, 1985
"On Eagles Wings," (Reprint), Herald-Argus, December, 1985
"Mushrooms," 1985 Anthology of Poetry, 1986
"On Eagles Wings" (Reprint), Vista, Vol. #0727, 1986
"Sarah Kedar -- A Memorial," NAFA Journal, Vol. 25, 1986
"Sonnett To A Lost Love," NAFA Journal, Vol. 25, 1986
"Dialogue 101," Hoosier Hawker, 1987
"Imported Treasure," Hoosier Hawker, 1987
"Tale of a Mexican Falconer," Hoosier Hawker, 1987
"Memoirs of the 1986 NAFA Meet," Hawk Chalk, April, 1987
"Khan of the Sky," NAFA Journal, Vol. 26, 1987
"The Pit," The Wittenburg Door, April/May, 1987
"A Coach's Delight," NAFA Journal, Vol. 27, 1988
"From Fishermen to Followers," Christian Standard, January 1, 1989
"1989 Kearney NAFA Meet," Hawk Chalk, April, 1989
"NAFA Book Proposal," Hawk Chalk, August, 1989
"Fence Jumping," NAFA Journal, Vol. 28, 1989
"Home-Spun, Home-Fun," Lookout, October 8, 1989
"Fueling the Fire," Christian Standard, November 5, 1989
"Gifts for the Season," Lookout, December 3, 1989
"Innkeeper -- Villain or Hero?" Christian Standard, Dec. 10, 1989
"Storm Lake Walleyes," Iowa Game & Fish, March, 1990
"Open Season in Trout Paradise," Iowa Game & Fish, April, 1990
"Fly High for Iowa Bluegills," Iowa Game & Fish, May, 1990
"Bluegills on Fly," Michigan Sportsman, June, 1990
"Iowa Smallmouth..." Iowa Game & Fish, June, 1990
"LAUGHTER Is No Joking Matter," Lookout, July 1, 1990
"On The Trail For Steelheads," Indiana Game & Fish, July, 1990
"Animal Rights..." Christian Standard, July 22, 1990
"Making Of An Iowa Bowhunter..." Iowa Game & Fish, July, 1990
"Summer Catfish Action," Iowa Game & Fish, August, 1990
"Central Iowa's Fall Bronzebacks," Iowa Game & Fish, Sep. 1990
"Clare Area Deer Hunting," Michigan Sportsman, November, 1990
"Block Permits," Michigan Sportsman, November, 1990
"The Vise-Grip Fly/Jig Vise," Sports Afield, November, 1990
"Hoodwinking," NAFA Journal, Vol. 25, 1990
"Iowa's Ice-fishing Triangle," Iowa Game & Fish, January, 1991
"Southern MI's Panfishing..." Michigan Sportsman, January, 1991
"Trouting In The Cold," Petersen's Fishing, February, 1991
"The Pit," Christian Nurse International, January, 1991
"Spring Steelhead," Michigan Sportsman, March, 1991
"NAFA Book Update," Hawk Chalk, August, 1991
"Goodnews Tent Open..." Clare County Review, August 26, 1991
"Parable Of The Pit," - Christian Standard, October 27, 1991
"Plugs for Steelies," - Michigan Sportsman, December, 1991
"Iowa Ice Trout," - Iowa Game & Fish - January, 1992
"Michigan Steelheading," - Flyfishing - January/February, 1992
"Site Celebrates 16th," - Clare County Review, January 12, 1992
"Ogalalla Canal Trout," - Great Plains Game & Fish - February, 1992
"Pentwater Ice fishing," - Michigan Sportsman - February, 1992
Newaygo Docks -- AD-Copy, - NEWAYGO DOCK COMPANY - February, 1992
"Seniors Sing For CBS," Clare County Review - March 16, 1992
"Talking Turkey (Outlook)," - Michigan Sportsman - April, 1992
"Talking Turkey," - Iowa Game & Fish - April, 1992
"Block Permits Evaluated," - Michigan Sportsman - April, 1992
"Pere Marquette Steelhead," Michigan Out-of-Doors - May, 1992
"Targeting the Outdoor Market," Byline - June, 1992
"Undercover and No Way Out," - Live - October 4, 1992
"St. Mary's River Flyrod Pinks," American Angler - Sep/Oct, 1992
"Michigan's Flyrod Pinks," Michigan Out-of-Doors - September, 1992
Woodcock Cover-Photo, Michigan Out-of-Doors - October, 1992
"Loafers Went To Glory," Clare County Review - October 19, 1992
"Elevated Farwell Seniors," Clare County Review - October 19, 1992
"The Cat's Meow," Morning Sun Senior Magazine, Dec. 7, 92
"Christmas Crafts And More..." Morning Sun Senior Magazine, Dec. 7, 92
"Senior Needs In '90s," Morning Sun Senior Mazagine, Dec. 7, 92
"Seniors & Christmas Past," Morning Sun Senior Magazine, Dec. 7, 92
"Clare Icefishing," Morning Sun Senior Magazine, Dec. 7, 92
"Project Kids Christmas," Morning Sun Senior Magazine, Dec. 7, 92
"Home-Delivered For Temple," The Marion Press, January 13, 1993
"View From The Balcony," WPRJ Radio--101.5 FM, February, 1993
"To Dangerous A Witness," WPRJ Radio--101.5 FM, February, 1993
"Saved By An Overcomer," WPRJ Radio--101.5 FM, February, 1993
"Something Beyond Our Lives," WPRJ Radio--101.5 FM, February, 1993
"The Door," WPRJ Radio--101.5 FM, February, 1993
Comfort Those Who Mourn, COLLEGE PRESS PUBLISHING - February, 1993
"Heart Healing At Heart-Break," WPRJ Radio--101.5 FM, March, 1993
"Stories That Heal," Leadership - Spring, 1993
"Summer Steelhead," Outdoor Indiana - May/June, 93
"Senior Sites -- Source of Health," Clare Senior Edition - May, 1993
"Older American's Month," Senior Issues - May, 1993
"A Single Voice," WPRJ Radio--101.5 FM, May, 1993
"To See My Daughters," WPRJ Radio--101.5 FM, May, 1993
"Parable Of The Pit," WPRJ Radio--101.5 FM, May, 1993
"John's Amazing Grace," WPRJ Radio--101.5 FM, May, 1993
"A Fishing Pole," WPRJ Radio--101.5 FM, May, 1993
Fishing Cover-Photo, Michigan County Lines, May/June 1993
"Good-Bye," Michigan Country Lines, May/June, 1993
"Manistee Browns," Flyfishing - July/October, 1993
"Pinks -- Honestly Unbelievable," Michigan Hunting & Fishing - Aug, 93
"Mid-west Flyrod Kings," Salmon, Trout, Steelheader - Aug/Sep, 1993
"Volunteers Honored," Clare County Review - October 3, 1993
"Personalized Funerals," - Proclaim - October-December, 1993
"Innkeeper -- Villain or Hero?" (Reprint), Evangel, December 19, 1993
"Prodigal," A Bond With The Wild -- An Anthology -- October, 1993
A Bond With The Wild, -- Editor -- October, 1993
"Senior Help -- Just a Phone Call Away," Clare Review -- February 27, 1994
"Two Helps For Seniors," Clare Cleaver -- February 22, 1994
"Double Your Fun," Michigan Hunting & Fishing, March, 1994
"Educational Labels," Clare Review -- March, 1994
"Peanut Butter Soup?" Clare Review -- March, 1994
"Meeting Needs of 90's," Clare Senior Edition -
A Comforting Word: Encouraging a Mourning Friend -- April 11, 1994
"Fall Salmon On Flies," Michigan Hunting & Fishing, September 1994
"Writing Personal Profiles," The Preacher's Magazine, Winter '94-'95
"Planting Seeds Or..." Advance, April 27 (May 27, 92)
"Weedline Pike," Iowa Game & Fish, August, 1995
"Someone to Love Me," The Lookout, September 24, 1995
"Someone to Love Me," Group Magazine, March/April 1996
Seven Sayings on Friday -- April 14,1996 College Press Publishing House
"Someone to Love Me," Spirit Alive, July, 1996
Flyfishing For Salmon & Steelhead - September, 1996 Wilderness Adventure Books
Characters of Calvary -- May,1996 College Press Publishing
"Funeral Humor?" Preaching, January-February, 1994.
"Fine Day for Squirrels," Dec. 24, 2009 on Kindle books.
"Seven Sayings One Friday," Jan. 1, 2010 on Kindle books.

Just released on June 29, 2010
"Preaching Personalized Funerals In The Digital Age."
Get your copy at https://www.createspace.com/3461730

Coming soon...
"A Sophisticated Form of Hawk Watching: A Collection of Falconry Stories," coming in August, 2010.
"The Parable of The Pit - And Other Stories" coming in 2010 on Kindle books.
"Fun and Funny Fishing Stories," coming in 2010.

The above list will be updated soon.

Kenn has also published hundreds of articles in The Evening News....
www.sooeveningnews.com

Marti and Kenn's photography website is www.filkinsfoto.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hooked on Steelhead, June 22, 2000

By 

John R. Saylor "maiinkan" (Indiana,USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fly Fishing for Salmon and Steelhead of the Great Lakes (Paperback)

I bought this book to improve my luck on the St. Joe River. I loved it , cover to cover. Flies for the fish, not for display or to store in another flybox. This is a guide to practical, easily tied fish getters and how to present them. I felt included as I read about the rivers I have fished here in the midwest. The author gives a clear, common sense explanation covering tackle from rods to tippets. I enjoyed his stories which put me back on streams I had fished long ago. I'm hooked!

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book for Michigan Anglers, May 31, 2010

By 

Ray L. Kunik Jr. (Bitely, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fly Fishing for Salmon and Steelhead of the Great Lakes (Paperback)

I have had this book for a very long time and have read it a few times over the years and still learn something new by reading it. I would agree that the "chuck and duck" method used with a fly rod is not respected by many fly fishing purest especially outside of Michigan. That said, the technique when used properly in deep runs (not sight fishing on beds) can be extremely effective if not the best method of choice many times pending river conditions etc. I have been able to use Ken's techniques and catch many Steelhead and Browns with flies in the mouth with hard takes. If you live in Michigan and want to learn an excellent technique for Steelhead (Trout) fishing, I would highly recommend Ken's book to increase your success. Best of luck - Ray

4.0 out of 5 stars It's all in the details, March 21, 2006

By 

Pat (Upper MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fly Fishing for Salmon and Steelhead of the Great Lakes (Paperback)

I picked up this book to learn the techniques of Chuck-n-Duck fishing. It explains the rigging, structure, casting, etc... It's a great help to get started, but it doesn't make up for time on the water.

It covers Great Lakes steelhead and salmon fishing and not the NW. There's a big difference between the two mindsets and techniques.

I would definately buy it again.
Tight lines.