The Jordan

The Jordan is an absolutely beautiful, crystal-clear, fast-flowing river that empties into the South Arm of Lake Charlevoix at the town of East Jordan.  If I could figure out how to consistently catch even a few small trout while daytime fishing on the Jordan, I'd never leave this river.   But alas, the Jordan is filled with big brown trout, and big brown trout feed at night.  The Jordan essentially has two different sections - the upper, narrow water above Graves Crossing  Campground that can only be waded, and the floatable water below Graves.  The Upper Jordan is very tight, and the water is not only clear but shallow.  It's somewhat challenging, technical casting and fishing, but there is a high population density of trout per linear mile.  This is also where most of the brook trout are concentrated.  The lower, floatable Jordan has fewer fish, but if you encounter one, it's likely to be a bruiser.  In the floatable water, the Jordan often changes its mind about what it wants to be.  It vacillates among tight, unfishable cedar-lined tunnels to fast gravel runs to wide, flat water with barely any current.  If your goal is a trophy brown trout, and you don't mind fishing in the dark, the Jordan is your river.  I suppose it's true on all of the rivers I guide, but on the Jordan you might catch the fish of your summer and you might catch nothing at all.  It's also a good river for spring and fall streamer fishing for both steelhead and big brown trout.  The coho and chinook salmon runs are fun to experience, even if the chinook aren't real game on hitting flies.  They're still pretty special to see in late September and throughout most of October.   And if your main goal is to simply catch a big brown trout, steelhead or coho, using spinning tackle with Rapalas can often be more productive than fly fishing.