March 29, 2026
Fishing has been good as the rivers have been stable the past 10 days. While they were running high, the have slowly receded and with all that water, a good number of fish could be found in the Betsie and Manistee rivers.
Water temperatures have been hovering just below 40 degrees which has helped keep spawning to a minimum and more fish staging, making for a solid week of fishing. Tail-outs and soft seams have been providing a corridor for migrating fish to slip up stream in the stained water and the deeper holes near spawning gravel providing a mix of both fresh and winter fish.
Egg patterns and beads in orange shades have been our first choice with chartreuse versions taking a respectable number of fish on cloudy/overcast days. If not fishing two egg patterns, we will fish one egg in tandem with a nymph.
Fry patterns have been effective with all the salmon fry that are starting to hatch from last fall’s run. Caddis patterns are working too (they are chartreuse and are also effective on the overcast days) and with a little bit of warmth a few small stoneflies have been fluttering on the water. As water temps increase and water clarity improves, the small black stones should be even more productive.
Just a reminder that fishing licenses expire March 31 as do boat registrations.
Good luck,
Ted
Trout Fishing –Streamer fishing and Matching the Hatch with dry flies is at its best May through June.
Smallmouth Bass – Lakes or Rivers, these eager to please fish bend the rod and continue to put smiles on faces.
2026 Season – Now booking for all seasons: Steelhead, Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Salmon & Learn to Fly Fish trips.