Building Anglers. Catching Fish. Exceptional Service.
What makes us different.
With our experience guiding at numerous outfitters in Alaska & Michigan, including one of the #1 Orvis Lodges in the world, offering the highest level of service, education, and outdoor adventure is our speciality. Our goal as guides is for you to walk away having built up your skillset as an angler, focusing both on education and catching fish. This way the next time you’re on the water, on a guided trip or on your own, you'll be prepared for success! Whether you are a avid angler, just starting out, or simply looking for a peaceful day on the river, Vandenberg Guide Service has you covered.
Guided Rivers
Guided trips will be on the Big Manistee, Pere Marquette, White, Betsie, Au Sable, Upper Manistee, and Boardman Rivers targeting steelhead or trout. Location will be chosen based on your desired destination, guide’s recommendation, and current river conditions.
Boats:
Here at Vandenberg Guide Service we have a fleet of boats to meet the needs of our diverse river systems in Michigan. This includes an 18’ Stealthcraft jet boat, 14’ Stealthcraft drift boat, and a SmithFly 3-man raft. This way, whether we’re on the expansive waters of the Big Manistee, or traversing a small northern Michigan stream just wide enough for a raft, we have the correct boat for the job.
SmithFly Raft: This opens up river accesses that would otherwise be impossible to launch a conventional boat at. It also grants passage to sections of water other anglers may not fish as heavily. If there's a tree down blocking the river, no problem! We’ll get out of the boat and push it over. This boat prevails in the small rivers of Michigan and brings us to locations many anglers may never see.
Reviews:
“I recently visited Michigan for my 4th annual steelhead trip. Having chased them for numerous years now and coming up empty handed, (that’s fishing for you) I finally reached out to Luke to book a trip and I had an absolute blast on the river with him. He was an incredible guide and it was apparent how kind, funny and dedicated to fishing he is. You can’t control the outcome of the fishing, but you can control who you spend the day with. Even though I got cold, and started losing hope. Luke never gave up on me and I was finally able to land my first steelhead! It doesn’t always work out that way, but I’m so grateful for the experience and overall trip he provided. I can’t wait for the next one! Highly recommend him for your next Michigan fishing trip.”
— Shyanne Orvis @shyonthefly