Mid-week rains have brought the seasonal rainfall almost up to it’s average annual amount making last month’s drought a memory and the river levels up, too. The water is high for this time of year and a bit stained due to the tannin and silt but there is still enough transparency to fish. When wading, […]
See-saw weather continues into July making just about every day different from the previous one. From hot to cool, sunny to rainy, the weather patterns have been mixed. Despite a number of rains, the local rivers are in good shape in regards to height and color. The thirsty ground absorbed a lot of the run-off […]
As July winds down, so does the Hex Hatch. The hot weather of mid-June got the bugs going early this year and relatively steady if not predictable, then the weather changes came. With the cool downs, I suspect hatches will continue through the upcoming nights, just not heavily, and spinner falls will be similar – […]
As June continues, so do the fluctuations in weather. Thankfully the water temps have remained “safe” for trout fishing on the upper Manistee staying below 70 degrees for over a week now. Hex flies have begun on parts of the river as have the Isonychias and, some Brown Drakes are still around typically at dusk. […]
We aren’t even to the mid-June but it already feels like mid-August. In Arizona. Extreme heat (by northern Michigan standards), low humidity, and practically no rain the past month in addition to being down more than half the annual precipitation YTD, have left the rivers low, clear, and warm. And the fish are stressed. Temps […]
With June starting, so do the big bugs. Trout fishing has been the focus of most anglers recently. This time of year, folks tend to hit the river armed with a well-stocked box(s) of dry flies or get in the boat with visions of emergers, sailboat look-a-like duns and/or spinners on the water to imitate. […]
It’s match-the-hatch time for selective trout. Bugs have been fickle, but with any on the water some good fish are eating. Softer water can reveal the bulge of an emerger being eaten or a spinner being sipped, but you have to bring your best drag-free presentation and angling skills as the water is low and […]
The past couple of weeks have had some cold overnight temperatures dropping water temps which in turn made for sporadic bug emergences and negatively affected the fishing. Water temps had dropped on local rivers including the Manistee, AuSable and Boardman into the 40s. Already two days of sunshine is helping those temps stay in the […]
We finally received some rain to knock down the dust and pollen while helping things finish greening up after an early start to the process. The rivers are still low and running clearer than normal for this time of year, but that’s been the story since late February. Water temps are stable in the mid-50s […]
It seems that this year’s April showers were replaced by April flowers as vegetation and gardens are 3 weeks ahead. We still haven’t had any significant rains and the rivers look like it – low and clear. The steelhead have thinned out without many fresh fish showing up. Those that do seem to hit the […]
It’s approaching mid-April, but it feels more like the first of May with the recent weather. One could argue that it felt more like the end of May with the recent 70-degree days. Steelhead fishing has been challenging as we had not received much precipitation and more anglers show up at the river for a […]
With the start of April behind us, anglers are finding water levels on the Manistee and Betsie uncharacteristically low and clear for this time of year. The region hasn’t received any significant rain yet this year and the snow melt has been gone for over a month. Without the rivers rising and being stained, the […]
