It’s that time of year when fly anglers head to the river in search of the big hex flies and the bigger trout that come out looking to eat them. The big bugs have just started on most rivers, with some rivers that have backwaters and ponds nearby in full swing. Yesterday’s storm dumped a […]
We are in the thick of trout fishing on the local rivers. This is the time of year where we can have various hatches (or none) and some decent streamer fishing when the fish aren’t looking up. The weather has been fluctuating a lot and has been a tad cooler than normal, but the forecast […]
As May comes to an end, it seems the dry-fly fishing is just starting to fall into a groove. The cool weather and wind last week seemed to keep the hatches unpredictable. With some stable weather forecast, evening hatches should be more regular with spinner falls typically occurring at dusk. Without the stagnant heat of […]
Trout season is underway on the Manistee with a smattering of hatches that can be present at any time of the day. It’s been a while since we have had any rain and the rivers are running clear with levels ideal for both floating or the wading angler. This time of year there can be […]
With April coming to an end, so does our Spring Steelhead season. The run for this spring was a strong one the past 8 weeks and despite a week of high water in early April that made fishing tough – if not unsafe to get out, it provided a lot of fish and was a […]
After a week of high and highly stained water, the river levels have returned to normal flows for this time of year and still have a bit of a stain, which also is normal for this time of year. Water temperatures are in the low 40s thanks to some cold nights and the lack of […]
UPDATE 3/31/25 The region received far more rainfall than forecast over the weekend leaving the rivers running very high and dirty. If you are headed to your favorite river, you are likely to find it un-wadable and boat handling risky. Use caution until water levels come down. For more on regional water flows, you can […]
The longer days, return of sunshine and the installation of frost law speed limit signs on the shoulders of highways are indications that it’s Spring Steelhead season. A late arriving but “old school” winter with lots of snow and cold temps kept winter enthusiasts happy in N.W. Michigan, but the slow thaw these past weeks […]
As December winds down, so does the year. Thanks to all of you who got into the boat this past year and spent some time fishing for the so many different species we luckily have in our watersheds – it was a privilege to guide you and spend some time together on the water. For […]
Winter has come in hard with some sustained lake effect snow like we haven’t seen in some time. Thankfully the ground isn’t frozen and some of this snow will slowly seep into the water table to replenish an aquifer that was parched from last summer’s and fall’s drought. Steelhead fishing has slowed down with water […]
The unseasonably mild fall weather continues to make for comfortable fishing. While we have had some rain in the past, the river levels have only experienced moderate increases in levels before dropping back to the low-levels we have had for months. Still, the steelhead have been showing up as they move upstream from the Lake […]
October is winding down and water levels remain low. The lack of any significant precipitation has kept local rivers low and running clear. Still, some steelhead have moved into rivers and have been hard to hold onto once hooked with the water being warmer than normal. Larger rivers and their volume of water have been […]
