With a week of October behind us it’s looking and feeling like fall.
Trees have started to turn color and so have the salmon. There are still a number of salmon in the local rivers – Betsie, Manistee, Platte, but its safe to say we are past the stage of bright, fresh fish. Most of the fish are either on gravel or near it doing their spawning ritual. Fresh fish will continue to trickle into watersheds as fall advances but I’m thinking we are past the peak of the run.
As the salmon migrate upstream to spawn, so do some early fall steelhead looking to eat as many of their eggs as possible. Realistic egg patterns and beads are fished effectively directly below spawning fish or in the runs downstream. With the moderate water temperatures, the steelhead have been difficult to land as they are zig-zagging up and downstream when they aren’t jumping. There is no mistaking when a steelhead is on vs. a salmon.
More on tying and fishing egg patterns can be read here.
More on rigging for steelhead/salmon here.
Trout fishing continues to offer alternatives for anglers wanting the upper rivers to themselves. Small streamers are taking some nice fish pre-spawn browns when fished on floating lines and small sink-tips. With the warm up in the forecast this week, I think another round of terrestrials and terrestrial fishing might present itself so make sure you have a box of both small and large terrestrials for what could be the last of our dry fly fishing of the year.
Good luck.
Ted
Fall Steelhead – Fall colors include chrome Steelhead from Early October into December
Fall Trout – Fish the upper Manistee or combine steelhead and trout on the lower Manistee
2019 Fishing – It isn’t too early to get next year’s fishing dates secured – booking through September