Early November Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - October 31, 2018

As we flip the calendar to November it is full-on steelhead season. Almost all of the salmon are gone in rivers like the Manistee, Betsie and Platte but there are a few remaining chinook and coho salmon around providing an egg drop to help keep the steelhead focused on eggs. Northwest Michigan hasn’t received significant rainfall in weeks leaving the rivers with fewer fish than we are used to for this time of year and the water low and extremely clear. Thankfully the sun hasn’t been out much giving us a chance at these hot fish.

With the clear water, water temps in the upper 40’s and well-informed anglers, the fish have scattered throughout the systems and where they are holding. Runs and holes directly below any last spawning salmon are a great places to focus on, but when those don’t produce, it might be time to look for fish hunkered in structure but still in position to collect the drifting eggs. Bottom bouncing rigs, fishing indicators and fishing flies on the swing are all ideal right now. Natural sized eggs and beads continue to take their fair share of fish but a nymph bite is starting to build. The leaves are at a minimum, the days are getting shorter, the sun is at a lower angle – it’s all about the deep-bodied steelhead of 2018.

Trout fishing on the upper Manistee is pretty much a streamer game as the brown trout are mostly in a post spawn pattern. As the salmon continue to drop off below Tippy Dam, look for the trout to not only look for eggs, but start to chase streamers as they have an appetite after gorging on a steady diet of eggs the past 5 weeks.

Good luck

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Fall colors include chrome Steelhead until Winter gets here.
Fall Trout Combo – Target both steelhead and trout (streamers) on the lower Manistee
2019 Fishing – It isn’t too early to get next year’s fishing dates secured – booking through October

Betsie, egg patterns, eggs, fall steelhead, manistee river, Platte River, salmon, steelhead, streamer, tippy dam

Mid-October Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - October 20, 2018

It definitely feels like Fall on and off the river. The recent winds have really put a lot of leaves into the river leaving a number of trees bare and anglers putting on an extra layer.

Cooler temperatures have dropped the water temps significantly the past week as they hover around 50 degrees. Between the lack of significant rainfall, drop in water temps and all of the leaves drifting through the river, the steelhead fishing has been more challenging than it had been, but yet there are fish around and still playing the game and every day is different.

The salmon are pretty much wrapping up their spawning run on the local rivers including the Manistee, Betsie, and Platte and those eggs are what the chrome steelhead are keying in on. Natural egg patterns and/or beads have been working well, however when the leaf-drop is heavy, jumping up in pattern size can help the fish see your fly. Target the holes behind remaining spawning salmon and the end of runs bellow gravel sections. Since there are fewer salmon (Chinook and Coho) right now and therefore fewer eggs, a nymph bite is beginning – caddis and steelhead buggers have been starting to produce. With less of an egg bite look for the swing-bite to start soon as the leaves are no longer fouling the presentation/flies.

Good luck.

Ted

Schedule changes have left a few dates available this fall: November 21, 23-27

Fall Steelhead – Fall colors include chrome Steelhead until Winter gets here.
Fall Trout Combo – Target both steelhead and trout (streamers) on the lower Manistee
2019 Fishing – It isn’t too early to get next year’s fishing dates secured – booking through October

betsie river, big manistee, caddis, egg patterns, manistee river, salmon, steelhead buggers, tippy dam

Early October Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - October 7, 2018

With a week of October behind us it’s looking and feeling like fall.

Trees have started to turn color and so have the salmon. There are still a number of salmon in the local rivers – Betsie, Manistee, Platte, but its safe to say we are past the stage of bright, fresh fish. Most of the fish are either on gravel or near it doing their spawning ritual. Fresh fish will continue to trickle into watersheds as fall advances but I’m thinking we are past the peak of the run.

As the salmon migrate upstream to spawn, so do some early fall steelhead looking to eat as many of their eggs as possible. Realistic egg patterns and beads are fished effectively directly below spawning fish or in the runs downstream. With the moderate water temperatures, the steelhead have been difficult to land as they are zig-zagging up and downstream when they aren’t jumping. There is no mistaking when a steelhead is on vs. a salmon.

More on tying and fishing egg patterns can be read here.

More on rigging for steelhead/salmon here.

Trout fishing continues to offer alternatives for anglers wanting the upper rivers to themselves. Small streamers are taking some nice fish pre-spawn browns when fished on floating lines and small sink-tips. With the warm up in the forecast this week, I think another round of terrestrials and terrestrial fishing might present itself so make sure you have a box of both small and large terrestrials for what could be the last of our dry fly fishing of the year.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Fall colors include chrome Steelhead from Early October into December
Fall Trout – Fish the upper Manistee or combine steelhead and trout on the lower Manistee
2019 Fishing – It isn’t too early to get next year’s fishing dates secured – booking through September

beads, Betsie, egg patterns, manistee river, Platte River, salmon, steelhead fishing, trout fishing streamers

Late September Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 25, 2018

As we approach the end of September the weather is transitioning to what we should have had the past few weeks – cooler nights, some precipitation and some color in the trees to let us know that fall is here. More fish, too.

The extension of summer has kept a trickle of chinook/king salmon moving upstream on the Betsie and Manistee rivers but not to the level we expect for this time of year. The lack of consistent winds on Lake Michigan has the fish scattered off shore which is in part why only a trickle of fish are ascending the rivers. If the forecast proves accurate, fall fishing should kick-in fully very soon.

Fish are starting to post up near gravel sections and a few fish have even started to spawn. As eggs drift downstream look for more fish to follow upstream including the first wave of steelhead and more coho salmon.

The upper Manistee is clear, cool and beautiful with a number of trees already showing their fall color. Some brook trout are spawning and others are still coming to the surface for terrestrials thanks to the warm weather. Small streamers fished on floating lines are taking some brown trout as are short sink-tip lines. The river is pretty vacant of anglers and will remain that way for the rest of the fall – its a great alternative to the rivers that experience migratory fish.

Please keep in mind that fishing on a number of trout rivers and streams come to a close on October 1 as trout season closes.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Fall colors include chrome Steelhead from Early October into December
Fall Trout – Fish the upper Manistee or combine steelhead and trout on the lower Manistee
2019 Fishing – It isn’t too early to get next year’s fishing dates secured – booking through September

betsie river, brook trout, chinook salmon, fall steelhead, king salmon, manistee river, steelhead, terrestrial fishing, trout fishing, upper manistee river

Mid-September Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 16, 2018

At the mid-point of September, it has felt more like the middle of summer.

After a lot of rain the first part of the month the rivers came up and have since come down. The Betsie still has the “Betsie Stain” to it but reveals that there just aren’t as many salmon around as we are accustomed to this time of year. Temps in the 80s, bright skies and no wind has put the run of fish on hold while the fish already in the system are spread out. After a drop in temps, some wind and rain, look for things to change – there are more fish to migrate upstream based on the reports from the big lake. The Manistee has fish spread throughout it, too, with most of the fish holding in pools and waiting for water temps to drop.

Trout fishing continues and offers solitude not typically found on the salmon rivers. The upper Manistee is in good shape with clarity and temperatures making for decent terrestrial and small streamer fishing. The brook trout are vibrant in their colors and they will remain that way for another month until their spawning is complete later in fall. The bigger browns are starting to feel a little more comfortable and show themselves with the decrease in angling pressure. This time of year BWOs can give you a shot at some dry fly activity, but until then, go with the bigger “foam and rubber” bugs that not only suggest terrestrials but also serve as attractors.

Good luck.

Ted

betsie river, manistee river, salmon fishing, streamer fishing, terrestrrial fishing, trout fishing, upper-manistee

Northern Michigan Fly Fishing Report

Early November Fishing Report

Mid-October Fly Fishing Report

Schedule changes have left a few dates available this fall: November 21, 23-27

Early October Fishing Report

Late September Fly Fishing Report

Mid-September Fishing Report

Ted Kraimer • Current Works, LLC • PO Box 333 • Traverse City, Michigan 49685 • (231) 883-8156