Wearing the clothing typically worn in July is definitely strange for steelhead fishing, but it beats fishing in gloves and fleece jackets.
The water levels have come down a bit in the Manistee and more on the Betsie River with clarity improving however it’s still pretty stained. Water temps are in the mid to upper- 40’s which is rare for this time of year. With conditions right for spawning, the fish are working gravel while the fresh fish are staging near gravel waiting for their opportunity to progenerate future steelhead runs. A number of the fall and winter fish have already completed their mission and are dropping back with more fresh fish dribbling in.
There hasn’t been a “silver bullet” fly pattern lately, but flies to keep in your rotation include black stoneflies, hex nymphs with a little flash (crossdresser), caddis, fry/alevins, and lots of eggs in big, bright colorations in low light conditions and mid-sized, natural looking patterns when the sun is out.
Look for the streamer fishing on the upper water to be better than normal for this time of year for those looking to cast streamers for trout. This weather is promising to make for some great early season trout fishing with dry flies in April and anyone headed out there now will want some small black stonefly dries.
Have Fun!
Ted