attractors Archives - Current Works Guide Service

After some significant rains on the Upper Manistee, the water levels have receded and cleared up – it was odd to see the river like it was since this time of year the water is typically low and clear. The dry fly bite had diminished a bit with all the food being washed into the system subsurface but the Tricos most mid-mornings brought up some fish to the surface. The warmer weather in the forecast should start those hatches a little earlier in the a.m. as the forecast is calling for summer like temperatures as we near the unofficial end of Summer and August.

A variety of patterns deserve a place in your box this time of year. Besides male trico spinners, you will want terrestrials including hoppers and flying ants. It seems the fish want more action in the flies than normal – mix it up as each day’s preference is different. Other attractor patterns like mid-sized dries with foam and rubber legs give the fish a reason to eat on top, but fishing some small streamers sub-surface on a floating line can save the day.

The salmon that entered the Betsie and Manistee rivers a week ago have mostly dispersed throughout the river systems and aren’t as concentrated as we would like. Without favorable cool, n.w. winds on Lake Michigan to congregate fish near river-mouths and with warm weather in the forecast it might be a while before the number of fish improve. As “fall” and early fall-like weather approaches in September look for things to change as more fish migrate upstream.

Bass and bluegill fishing on the inland lakes have improved after last week’s cooler weather. Action around the lily pads is where once should focus on casting their flies – large poppers and sliders for the bass and smaller terrestrial patterns for the bluegill/panfish near the structure – woods, weeds, and depth changes.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout – August fly fishing with terrestrials and tricos on the Upper Manistee River.
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.

attractors, bass, betsie river, flying ants, manistee, salmon, terrestrials, trico, trout

A bit of a cold front came through the region slowing the fishing a bit, but providing continued cool water temps and a bit of rain that the rivers and fish both liked. You will still find the rivers in good shape and fishable including the Manistee and Boardman.

Hatches have been pretty much limited to Tricos in mid-morning – with late morning being the case after a cold night. Attractor patterns and terrestrials (hoppers, Foam and Rubber) are bringing some fish up to the surface and more often than not they are looking for that bug to be chugging, twitching and skittering rather than dead-drifted. Below the surface, look for medium sized streamers fished on either floating lines or small sink-tip lines to tease some fish into playing our game.

Bass and bluegill fishing on the lakes is still a good bet with water temperatures staying cool. Some days are better than others and I suspect the forecast over the next 10 days will provide some stable and warm conditions ideal for getting these fish back on the feed. Surface and subsurface flies are working – it’s just a matter of which or what they want any particular day.

With the recent rains, cool down and northerly winds, a few salmon have staged at the river mouths and even a few have slipped into the local rivers. The warmer weather in store should put a hold on the migration until later but there is no doubt fall is right around the corner – what happened to summer?

Good luck,

Ted

Tricos and Terrestrials for Trout – July and August fly fishing for trout on the Upper Manistee River
Salmon– Fresh fish can enter rivers as early as mid-August and offer great fishing through September.
Fall Steelhead– From the end of September through November – this is the time of year for Steelhead.

attractors, boardman river, fishing, fly-fishing guide, manistee, salmon, steelhead, traverse city, trout

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Summer Continues (or is it just beginning?)

Cool-Down and Warm-Up Coming

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