Northern Michigan Fly Fishing Report

October Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - October 2, 2014

[ Addendum/Update – 10/3/14: A significant amount of rain overnight and much of the day has resulted in high and dirty water in the region. Use caution and consideration if fishing. For more on the region’s river’s flow rate, click here for the USGS website ]

Another nice week of weather made for some good fishing, but marginal catching. Some days the steelhead and salmon played along nicely, other days they were simply not playing.

The Manistee has salmon in it and they are mostly on spawning gravel near Tippy Dam. There seems to have been a lull in the run as far as fresh fish moving up through the system but after an inch of rain today we are hopeful that some fish in the lake pointed themselves upstream along with some additional steelhead. Numbers of both species are less than normal for this time of year as water temps at the lake are still too warm to have fish concentrated and looking to move upstream. A lack of northerly winds on the lake the past two months – I believe – is largely behind the run being stalled. Some more seasonal weather is in the forecast which should help things get closer to normal.

The Betsie also has salmon in it and are mostly on gravel although being a smaller river it is easier to see some fish moving through the system and easier to target them. After the rain look for the water level to be up a little along with a little more of the “Betsie Stain” to add some color to it. I suspect the run on the Betsie will continue through much of October. Please keep in mind that the Betsie is a natural reproducing river and catch and release is important to a long-term and sustainable fishery.

With October comes the end of trout season on a number of rivers and sections there within. The upper Manistee and lower Manistee remain open and the fall colors have been great on the upper. With the rain today and the cooler weather, look for the streamer fishing to improve as fish are in their pre-spawn mood. Most of the Boardman is closed -check the DNR’s regulations on the other rivers for what remains open.

Good luck,

Ted

Open dates through Mid-November: November 11 and 13

Trout – With fall here have the Upper Manistee River and its trout all to yourself.
Fall Steelhead– From now through November – this is the time of year for Steelhead.
2015 Fishing – It isn’t too early to get your dates booked for next year – now booking for all seasons.

betsie river, boardman, fly fishing, manistee, tippy dam, traverse city, trout

It’s Officially Fall (but it feels like summer)

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 25, 2014

The weather the past week has been really nice making for good fishing but marginal catching. Rather than some finger-less gloves in the morning, anglers are finding that sunblock is more appropriate – and the forecast calls for more of the same.

The Betsie continues to have a trickle of fish moving up it and a mix of migratory salmon in holes and some spawning on gravel. The water is stained, is cool and as the leaves start to turn – it definitely seems like fall except it is warm out.

The Manistee has had a few more fish move into it this past week and on the upper sections below the dam where gravel is most prevalent, salmon are starting their spawning ritual. And so are the usual suspects that like to fish this time of year. Both rivers have fish in the dark water staging and waiting for the optimum conditions before they spawn – these fish are the ones to target as they are more apt to take your fly. Look for the run to be a long pro-longed one this year with water temps at the lake still being off and the fish scattered throughout the big water.

The Upper Manistee trout fishing has been slower than it should be considering the warmer weather and the increase in terrestrial activity. Look for the high sun to make conditions tough but on those cloudy days – the fishing should be really good. Brook trout are approaching their spawning time and are downright vibrant in color – just like the trees that line the river bank; the colors in the CCC Bridge area are near peak right now.

Good luck,

Ted

Trout – With Labor Day behind us, have the Upper Manistee River and its trout all to yourself.
Fall Steelhead– From now through November – this is the time of year for Steelhead.
2015 Fishing – It isn’t too early to get your dates booked for next year – now booking for all seasons.

Betsie, fall steelhead, manistee, salmon, traverse city, trout, upper-manistee

Trickle-In Effect

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 19, 2014

The nice weather is continuing to hang-on leaving us a little behind in weather and our run of migratory salmon. With the lack of consistent (or at least a few days) of North or Northwest winds to really drive the water up along the shoreline with the fish, the salmon will continue to trickle into the area rivers. It is looking to be a long run on the rivers this year.

The Betsie – with it’s cooler water (low 50s) – has fish in it but there are more to come. With the calendar advanced and the cool water temps, some fish are starting to begin their spawning while some fish remain in holes. For the bigger, brighter and fresher fish look for the deeper holes and pocket water to hold the aggressive fish – any consistent pattern this past week has been chartreuse with orange egg patterns and black stone flies but since they are salmon, sometimes you have to go through the fly box to find what might work on that particular day.

The Manistee also has some fish in it, but there are many more in the lake that need to point themselves upriver to improve the fishing. Looking at the forecast, I don’t necessarily see that happening but there are fish to be caught – just not as many as there should be for this time of year. A steelhead or two are within the river and like the salmon, these numbers will only increase with time.

Trout fishing reports have been mixed on the Upper Manistee. The higher water levels offered some good streamer fishing however it has slowed with the water dropping and getting closer to normal. Look for this weekend’s rain to change that. The nice weather in next week’s forecast should get the terrestrials back to the river’s edge and hopefully on the water to get the fish looking up – the late summer/early fall can be a great time with terrestrials on those days when the bugs are active in the warmth. This time of year you pretty much have the trout fishing to yourself – enjoy it.

Good luck,

Ted

The Fall 2014 Newsletter just went out – click here to read and/or subscribe.

Trout – With Labor Day behind us, have the Upper Manistee River and its trout all to yourself.
Salmon– A few great dates remain in mid-September for salmon fishing on the Betsie River.
Fall Steelhead– From the end of September through November – this is the time of year for Steelhead.

black stoneflies, egg patterns, fly fishing report, manistee salmon, salmon fishing, september

It’s Starting to Feel Like Fall Fishing

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 11, 2014

After last week’s heavy rain, conditions have improved but salmon numbers are still off. The water came up significantly but has also come down since and clarity has improved making it almost ideal conditions especially with bright skies. Today’s wind out of the north should help push fish closer to river mouths and get fish sniffing around looking for their native river and eventually head upstream. If anything it has been close to a month since we have had good north or north-west winds to get fish staged close which is why last week’s rain didn’t influence an abundant number of fish to migrate upstream. With today’s wind and rain it is starting to feel like fall and fall fishing.

There are some King/Chinook salmon in the Betsie and Manistee rivers but they have been hard to target as they have been on the move. Most years they stage very well but his year for some reason they haven’t been. There hasn’t been a predominate fly pattern that has been working better than another so mix it up and hold on tight when you do hook-up as they are still fresh and strong.

The trout fishing has been off a little on the upper Manistee thanks to the high volume of water. This can be a great time for the streamer angler as water temps continue to dip and the days get shorter. When the water is stained and the angling pressure is light some of those ornery browns slip out of their cover and can eat big.

Good luck,

Ted

The Fall 2014 Newsletter just went out – click here to read and/or subscribe.

betsie river, chinook, manistee river, salmon, trout

Too Much Rain

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 5, 2014

As salmon anglers we always hope for good rains to encourage the fish to move upstream but it appears too many of us were hoping at the same time and we received way too much rain over a short period of time.

Northwest Michigan Rivers are dealing with high water and some flash flooding, Depending on the exact location it appears that between 3 and 6.5 inches fell. The Betsie River alone came up 22 inches in less than a day. While that will bring migratory salmon upstream, it also brought a lot of silt and stain to the water making it real difficult for the fish to see your flies. Wading is also difficult especially if you are unfamiliar with the water. With no rain in the forecast, things should improve after a number days but look for the water to remain high and fishing tough until it clears up.

Fishing had been o.k. with lots of fish moving upstream but not sitting still or resting in holding water making them moving targets and frankly difficult to feed. When you did hook up the ride was short and not so sweet as they are fresh and strong. They don’t seem to be as large as last year, but they are still nice fish averaging in the mid-teens. Look for other rivers that usually start later to get a sizable run of fish in them now – especially after this rain.

To check on your favorite river – visit the USGS website for water flows.

The trout fishing on the Upper Manistee had been off a little after big rains earlier in the week and after receiving over 3 inches in the past 24 hours I imagine the fish will be focused on eating whatever is being washed downstream by this high water. It would be a good time to cast some large streamers and fish the runs and tail-outs for those larger fish looking to eat big. The water is up and stained which is far from typical this time of year.

Good luck and safe wading/boating.

Ted

The Fall 2014 Newsletter just went out – click here to read and/or subscribe.

Trout – With Labor Day behind us, have the Upper Manistee River and its trout all to yourself.
Salmon– A few great dates remain in mid-September for salmon fishing on the Bestsie River.
Fall Steelhead– From the end of September through November – this is the time of year for Steelhead.

betsie river, fishing, flooding, manistee, rain fall, salmon, steelhead, trout, upper-manistee

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