At the mid-point of May it sure feels like we are at the end of May based on the weather and fishing conditions. The hatches are progressing with the sulphurs winding down on the trout rivers. It seems the great mahoganies are increasing in density each year and this year is no different. There are […]
With May here, it’s time for the Mayflies on the local trout rivers. This time of year can be a great time for the technical dry fly fisherman as there can be a variety of hatches ( and various stages of those hatches ) with fish keyed in on just what they want, served on […]
As April winds down, I can say I’ve never experienced one like this one before. The steelhead fishing was affected by the lack of rain and high water from a snowpack that never happened in this El Nino year. Winter was mild and so was the run of fish as they seemed to be spread […]
Not much has changed since the last report as a trickle of fresh fish move up the rivers as others spawn, while those that already have drop back to the lake. We have had some rainfall but not as much as we were hoping for to really test the hypothesis that there are a bunch […]
Steelhead fishing on the Manistee and Betsie Rivers has been slower than normal for this time of year. While we have received some rain events over the past two weeks, the fish haven’t showed up in significant numbers, but rather just a trickle of fresh fish. Because the land is dry (lack of snow pack, […]
Some rain last week gave the rivers a nice little bump in water flow and some additional steelhead moving upstream from lake Michigan. Clarity is still really good on the Manistee River below Tippy Dam, and is a little more stained on the Betsie River. Water temperatures have pretty much remained in the low 40-degree […]
With the official start of Spring this week, it seems that Winter is making up for some delinquency bringing us some cooler temps, wind and snow. Steelhead fishing continues on the Manistee River below Tippy Dam and Betsie River with water conditions near ideal. It’s been a bit since we have had rain and the […]
Significant rains after the last fishing report brought the Manistee and Betsie River levels up quite a bit and added some color which encouraged steelhead to migrate upstream. Since then, the water levels have fallen pretty much back to normal levels for this time of year. Clarity has improved, too, offering a little color and […]
The mild winter continues with some back-and-forth weather, but we are experiencing more warmer days than cold ones especially for the beginning of March. The snow we received this winter slowly melted into the ground replenishing the water table rather than creating a high-water situation to prematurely kick the run off. Without a snowpack the […]
Steelhead remain the target of anglers headed out this time of year and with the seasonal forecast calling for mild temperatures there should be windows of opportunity to get out and into some fish. Steelhead numbers remain low after a slow fall season but are slowly building. If mild temps continue, fish should trickle in […]
December has come and it seems that the big push of steelhead we are accustomed to in the fall simply did not. While it was a tough fall, reports from the lake indicate the population is healthy and the lack of rain is to blame for keeping the fish there. We had good pulses of […]
The leaves are gone, temps are dropping and it’s the time for the serious steelhead angler to go looking to hunt fish, not deer. As is typical for this time of year, the river is running clear as it’s been a while since we have had a push of water from any significant rain. When […]
