With Mid-July comes mid-July fishing conditions. With the warmer weather and bright sun we are finding the best trout fishing to be in the morning or late evening when the sun isn’t so bright and the fish are out looking to eat. Mid-mornings are offering good hatches of Tricos and BWOs with fish looking for them. While the big fish aren’t out eating these small mayflies, we sometimes are surprised by some nice fish. It’s a great time to fish with your favorite 3 or 4 wt rod.
Beyond Tricos, look for Isonychias and Light Cahills to be the other flies on the water and more so in the evening. This time of year we move from matching the hatch to fishing terrestrials and attractor patterns with rubber legs. Cover the water – hit the banks, the wood, the cross-over currents and twitch those flies a little to conjure up a strike. Water temps on the upper Manistee and Boardman rivers remain in the mid to upper 60’s so get the fish in and back to the water quickly.
Bass and bluegill fishing on the local lakes continues to fish strong especially when fishing in the shallows near drop-offs. Bass are loving the poppers and deer hair divers above and around submerged and surface weeds. Fishing tends to be better in the low light hours but the bass aren’t as picky as the trout and often play nice all day long.
Good luck.
Ted
Trout – Trico Hatches and Terrestrial fishing has begun – it’s the perfect way to start the day on the river!
Stillwater- Bluegill and Bass fishing remains a favorite for beginners and experienced anglers through August.
Fall Steelhead – It’s Summer which means it’s time to think about getting your Fall dates. Oct. thru Dec.