It’s mid-August and it feels like it’s the end of a lot of seasons. This time of year the months of long days, prolonged fishing pressure and water temperatures that are often elevated, can make the fish hard to find and/or engage. Trout fishing continues to be more challenging than normal on the local rivers. […]
The trout fishing has been decent lately with a mix of Tricos hatching in the morning and mostly smaller trout rising; it’s a lot of fun with a lighter weight rod. Other times when bugs aren’t on the surface, terrestrials will bring some fish up and sometimes decent sized fish so, having a little bigger […]
It’s mid-July and the major hatches have come and gone on the Manistee and Boardman Rivers. With the lack of rain the past two months, river levels are low, and so is the water table, resulting in significant daily river temperature fluctuations. Our spring-fed rivers need a supplied water table to moderate our water temps […]
As June winds down, the Hex Hatch winds up. It has been sporadic with the fluctuations in the weather for both the emergences and spinner falls so there is no telling when you will have good bugs on the local rivers including the upper Manistee. Water levels are low and clear since it has been […]
With the dog days of June upon us, the trout fishing has been tougher than we have come to expect for this time of year. The big bugs of June have been fickle – as have most hatches so far this year with the spastic and erratic extremes in weather and conditions. On top of […]
Sorry for the lapse in fishing reports. Fishing has been mixed, especially on the trout rivers like the upper Manistee. Bug emergences and spinner falls have been fickle and spotty as the weather has been bouncing around. Some days there are some bugs with the fish looking up and eating, other days leave you wondering […]
After two days of Spring it seemed like we went right to Summer with last week’s temperatures and weather. Hatches are kind of jumbled on the trout streams (Manistee and Au Sable rivers), but if headed out, be sure to have Hendricksons and Caddis. Pack some Sulphurs and Mahoganies, too, because they will start showing […]
It feels like May. And Spring. Finally. Its time to transition from steelhead to trout and take advantage of the streamer fishing and hatches of Mayflies on the local rivers like the upper Manistee, Au Sable and Boardman. The rivers are running full but are clear with temps mostly in the mid to upper 50s […]
Finally, some warm weather is helping us forget about the cold spring we have had so far. With temps in the 70s this weekend the water temperatures should climb a little and get things to where they should be for this time of year. Steelhead fishing is winding down on local rivers (Manistee, Betsie and […]
Water levels and clarity have improved a lot in the past week with that lack of any appreciable precipitation on the local watersheds. There is still a stain to the Manistee and Betsie rivers, but that isn’t out of character for mid-April and steelhead fishing. Water temps have passed the 40-degree mark which is what […]
The local rivers are all running high with recent rains. The good news is we have a few days without any rain (or snow) in the forecast. Higher water has meant dirty water. A flood gate was lifted on Tippy Dam yesterday which always frees up mud and algae while increasing the flow. The ice […]
April has come but the snow hasn’t gone. The transitional weather usually found in March is continuing as we get into April with a mix of rain, snow, mud, and ice. We did see the sun twice last week which, could be a sign of things to come. With the rain and snow, water levels […]
