Dog Days – Warm Weather & Water Fly Fishing

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 18, 2013

Some hot weather has been with us all week making the mornings and evenings the best time to be on the water – river or lake. The lack of cloud cover has really made a difference on the trout rivers making the low light periods the best time to fish. It also happens to be cooler making it more comfortable. The forecast is calling for a return of cooler temps over the weekend and I doubt anyone will complain.

The Manistee and Boardman have a few bugs on them including Isonychias, Light Cahills, BWOs (#16), and some Tricos. Look for Trico numbers to build over the next month providing a lot of rising fish – albeit smaller ones, making for some fun fishing with lighter rods. The Tricos are typically found in the mornings while the other bugs listed tend to be present in the evenings. The terrestrial program is taking shape and bringing up a few nice fish – hoppers, ants, beetles, and those attractor patterns that suggest big, awkward things twitching on the water and easy to eat – have all been producing.

Lake fishing for largemouth bass and bluegill continues to offer some great fishing. Some big bass are just off of the drop offs near weed beds looking to eat sliders, swimming divers, and the realistic streamers that look like perch and bluegill. During high sun, go to the lilly pads with a weedless popper and/or frog imitation and watch what comes out from underneath to eat. Bluegill/panfish are in the shallower water staying away from the bass on the drop offs and have been a lot of fun for those casting small dries, poppers and spiders.

The lower Manistee is improving for smallmouth bass as water temps further increase. The most consistent fishing has come from casting mid-sized streamers and crayfish patterns but diving sliders and poppers are producing fish on top in the slower water often on the inside bends, typically around weeds.

Good luck,

Ted

The Summer Newsletter just went out – Click here to read and/or sign up for future delivery

Trout Fishing – Evening hatches should transition to morning trico s and terrestrial fishing as July sets in.
Bluegill & Bass – Lake fishing for both species is a great way to spend some time on the water over summer.
Fall Steelhead – Its not too early to start thinking about fall’s best fishing fish. Late Sept. – Nov.

Transitional Trout Fishing, Bass and Gills on Local Lakes

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 12, 2013

The trout fishing is in a traditional period right now – it is no longer matching the hatch in the evening and into darkness. There are some bugs emerging on the Manistee and Boardman rivers but sporadically – look for Isonychias, Light Cahills, Little Yellow Sallie Stones, BWOs, Gray Drakes (Boardman). The best hatches seem to be occurring in the evening and some in the morning. The cool evenings have been inspiring the bugs to do their thing long before darness. While the majority of bugs on the emergence schedule are beyond us, there are still plenty of flies to cast to fish that either imitate a natural mayfly or terrestrial. To read more about fishing in the weeks following the Hex Hatch, click here.

Look for terrestrial fishing (ants, beetles, grasshoppers, foam and rubber-legged creations) to only get better in the weeks ahead. Have a Hex pattern in your fly box for those late bloomers/radicals and if you’re going to be on the water in the morning bring your tricos as they should start bringing up fish any day now. Small and weighted streamer patterns fished on a floating line can be a good alternative to the heavy handed approach of sink-tips and large patterns this time of year.

Bass fishing has been really good this summer. Weed growth has been ideal on most local lakes and ponds with the fish taking residence under and nearby the vegetation. Poppers, sliders and diving baitfish are fun to fish on top with crayfish and small baitfish patterns working sub-surface. Bluegill, too, are playing along nicely with us when casting various patterns – both dries and subsurface. Spiders and beetles on top and small streamers and big nymphs fished sub-surface. A popper with a nymph dropper has been real effective in determining their daily preference.

The Carp and Smallmouth bass in the Grand Traverse Bays are mostly done, however the colder water of Lake Michigan and its flats have been providing some opportunity – cover lots of water and if unsuccessful, start thinking about next May already. On GT Bay, look for early and late in the day fishing near drop-offs to be a good place for the fly angler and smallmouth bass as they move into shallow water to eat under low-light conditions.

Smallmouth bass fishing in rivers is getting better as river temperatures warm up and they will only improve as the dog days of summer continue to warm up the lower sections of the Manistee.

Good luck,

Ted

The Summer Newsletter just went out – Click here to read and/or sign up for future delivery

Trout Fishing – Evening hatches should transition to morning trico s and terrestrial fishing as July sets in.
Bluegill & Bass – Lake fishing for both species is a great way to spend some time on the water over summer.
Fall Steelhead – Its not too early to start thinking about fall’s best fishing fish. Late Sept. – Nov.

It’s July but some of June’s Fly Fishing Remains

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 6, 2013

The late start and odd month of bugs and weather of June is spilling over in to July and we are still experiencing some bugs on the water and match-the-hatch dry fly fishing. The Upper Manistee and Boardman both have some Hex bugs coming off on them but the section of river and even bend makes the difference of whether there are bugs or not. Being the holiday weekend the rivers are seeing lots of use by canoes, tubes and kayaks making the morning and evening the best times to fish.

The recent cooler evenings have dropped water temps below the 70 degree mark on the Manistee and the Boardman has been running much cooler this year now that Brown Bridge Pond is gone. Other bugs that can be found on the water include Little Yellow Sally Stones, Isonychias, Brown Drakes, Light Cahills, BWO/Drunellas, Gray Drakes (Boardman). Bead Head nymphs fished in riffles and tail outs can be a good way to cover water when wading this time of year.

Carp and smallmouth bass are still around in the flats of Grand Traverse Bay but the smallmouth bass tend to be smaller this time of year as the big fish have slipped into the deeper water. The carp are still doing their thing but have been hard to find some days – crayfish and hex nymphs are ideal flies to have tied on. Plan to cover a lot of water and look for fish where boat traffic and pressure is low. This time of year the mornings can make for some great carp fishing.

Bass fishing on local lakes is getting better with the warm water and their tendency to hammer sliders and mid-sized poppers. With good weed growth look for the fish in the middle of lilly pads, off of breaks/weed beds and other forms of structure. Bluegill continue to be in both shallows and along the edge of weeds and drop offs.

Good luck,

Ted

The Summer Newsletter just went out – Click here to read and/or sign up for future delivery

Trout Fishing – Evening hatches should transition to morning trico s and terrestrial fishing as July sets in.
Bluegill & Bass – Lake fishing for both species is a great way to spend some time on the water over summer.
Fall Steelhead – Its not too early to start thinking about fall’s best fishing fish. Late Sept. – Nov.

bass fishing, boardman, carp fishing, grey drake., hex fishing, hex hatch manistee

Summer is Here and so are the Hex

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 27, 2013

It took a while but some big hex flies can be found on local rivers. The hatches have been sporadic and very isolated – each bend in the river is different so if you don’t have success in one place, go around the next bend and see if there are bugs and fish. Then again, it is the time of the year where the “Annual Angler” makes his pilgrimage to the river so you might not have the ability to cover water. Duns and Spinners have been the mix and most nights the duration – at least on the Manistee, has been relatively short. Fish fast.

While waiting for the hex bugs, the Isonychia fishing has been pretty solid sometimes providing the best shot at fish as there is still some light out and good fish eating them. Fishing a hex emerger is a good way to spend an afternoon as is swinging an oversized hex nymph near the muddy banks to kill some time before the hatch. In addition to hex and Isos, have some Brown Drakes, Little Yellow Sallies, Sulphurs and Bat Fly patterns in your fly box.

Please practice catch and release and with the water being so warm (70 degrees) – get the fish to net quickly and revive them a long time before letting go. The Upper Manistee, Boardman and parts of the AuSable are not stocked with trout so the fish’s survival is paramount to future fishing.

Carp fishing on Grand Traverse Bay continues with a lot of fish in post-spawn mode and in shallow eating the hex and drakes in the silt beds. Spawning fish are still around, but each day is different which makes this fishing so fascination and frustrating at the same time. The heat and sunshine of the week has really warmed things up and is pushing this season closer to the end. The smallmouth bass can be found from time to time in the shallows but they have mostly moved out into deeper water. Fish that are still around have gotten pretty wise to the fly angler but a well presented fly (crayfish and hex) for cruising fish and around rocks should find you a fish or two.

The lakes are still fishing good for bluegill and largemouth bass are becoming more active especially on sliders and poppers – a fun way to spend some time on the water. Work the lilly pads, weed beds and drop offs for your best chances.

Good luck,

Ted

The Summer Newsletter just went out – Click here to read and/or sign up for future delivery

Trout Fishing – Evening hatches should transition to morning trico s and terrestrial fishing as July sets in.
Bluegill & Bass – Lake fishing for both species is a great way to spend some time on the water over summer.
Fall Steelhead – Its not too early to start thinking about fall’s best fishing fish. Late Sept. – Nov.

bass, boardman, grand traverse bay carp fishing, hex, hex hatch, iso, isonychia, manistee, river

As Summer Starts, Fishing Remains the Same

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 20, 2013

Not a whole lot has changed with regards to fly fishing the Traverse City region over the past week. Trout, Carp, Bass and Bluegill are some of the choices anglers have in respect to what to fish for and what body of water – it’s nice to have options.

Trout fishing hasn’t been as good as it usually is for this time of year on the Manistee. Typically there are great evening hatches and eager to please trout but I think (and admittedly I’m no entomologist) the cool evenings and often breezy conditions are keeping bugs from emerging and the spinners from falling that last hour of day light. With the bright, cloudless skies the fishing has been tougher than normal for both the dry fly and streamer angler, but with a warmer forecast, the bugs should get back on schedule and on the water’s surface in better numbers. Bugs that have been witnessed lately includes: sulphurs, Light Cahills, March Browns, Mahoganies, Isonychias, little yellow sally stones, and a few brown drakes. The same is true on the Boardman with a few Gray Drakes spinners collecting in the evenings; the river is running cooler with the removal of Brown Bridge Dam . If you see a warm, cloudy day – get to the nearest river with your rod in hand.

After being spoiled the last few years with early hatches, it seems that the bug cycles are a little more in line of “the old days”. On the Manistee, it wasn’t uncommon to celebrate the 4th of July on the river with Hex bugs – it looks like the Hex will start much later this year than the previous years. I never thought I would say this, but bring on the heat – it appears that with summer starting Friday, we will start to get some summer temperatures and in time – the big bugs.

Carp fishing has improved this past week with more fish in the shallow flats on both East and West Grand Traverse Bay. Crayfish and hex patterns have been the most reliable for the ‘golden bone’ angler but other days they require a lot of fly changes. Spawning has kicked in pretty good in some of the flats as the fish congregate in large “balls” and come in pretty shallow making them great targets for the wading angler. Smallmouth bass are still around and playing along nicely – baitfish patterns have been working well.

Bluegill continue to be a lot of fun on the local lakes. Some big fish are still in shallow eating everything from dries and micro poppers to small nymphs and streamers. Flat, calm water is the best for fishing on top as it’s tough to beat watching a big “bull-gill” porpoise on a fly. The bass fishing remains active in lakes – mostly for largemouth, and will only get better as July and August get here offering great top-water fishing.

Good luck,

Ted

Open June dates: 30th

The Summer Newsletter just went out – Click here to read and/or sign up for future delivery

Trout Fishing – Evening hatches should transition to morning trico s and terrestrial fishing as July sets in.
Bluegill & Bass – Lake fishing for both species is a great way to spend some time on the water over summer.
Fall Steelhead – Its not too early to start thinking about fall’s best fishing fish. Late Sept. – Nov.

bluegill, boardman, carp, fly fishing, grand traverse bay, grand traverse bay carp fishing, hatches, hex bugs, isonychia, manistee, smallmouth bass, traverse city

Northern Michigan Fly Fishing Report

Dog Days – Warm Weather & Water Fly Fishing

The Summer Newsletter just went out – Click here to read and/or sign up for future delivery

Transitional Trout Fishing, Bass and Gills on Local Lakes

The Summer Newsletter just went out – Click here to read and/or sign up for future delivery

It’s July but some of June’s Fly Fishing Remains

The Summer Newsletter just went out – Click here to read and/or sign up for future delivery

Summer is Here and so are the Hex

The Summer Newsletter just went out – Click here to read and/or sign up for future delivery

As Summer Starts, Fishing Remains the Same

Open June dates: 30th

The Summer Newsletter just went out – Click here to read and/or sign up for future delivery

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