Posts tagged "bass fishing"

Mid-July Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 15, 2022

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 but since we didn’t have them, our hatches (and fishing) never quite got into the grove where hatches were dense and/or predictable. Thankfully we have mostly had cooler evenings to keep water temps safe for fishing as trout don’t like water north of 68 degrees and experience higher mortality after being caught in temps above that.

As we progress through summer, look for mornings to offer the best fishing with hatches of Tricos and some terrestrials bouncing around for feeding brook and brown trout. The number of deer flies swarming make imitations of them a good choice in fly patterns when the Tricos aren’t around. Grasshopper and beetles, too are around and are worthy of imitating the next time you hit the water. This time of year you always want some BWOs, Isonychias, Lt. Cahills and Little Yellow Sally Stoneflies in your box as they can show up sporadically.

<<More on trout fishing After the Hex Hatch>>

River smallmouth fishing continues to be good most days. These are fickle fish with weather systems that might be moving through, but typically they are only moody for short periods of time so keep fishing streamers and poppers and your fishing is likely to change without much notice. When they eat, they demonstrate why we use heavier rods; for their size the pull and fight of a smallmouth bass is impressive.

Fishing on the lakes and ponds has been good most of the spring and summer. The larger gills have mostly gone back to the depths after another round of spawning, but they will surprise you from time to time. Plenty of smaller fish are around to keep action happening if learning how to fish or just enjoying some low-key time on the water. The largemouth bass have been sassy and are eating both on the surface and below so mix it up.

Good luck.

Ted

Learn to Fly Fish – Book a half-day trip with the idea of learning the basics in how to cast and fly fish.
Tricos and Terrestrials – Start your day on a cool river fishing for trout with dry flies from July into September.
Fall Steelhead – Although the Spring Season just ended, think fall steelhead. Good dates available in November.

bass fishing, fly fishing, hex hatch, learn how to fly fish, traverse city, tricos, trout fishing

Late June Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 28, 2022

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 a while since our last rain.

Water temperatures also have been fluctuating making fishing inconsistent and having us stay home or shift to bass fishing when they approach 70 degrees. Other bugs on the water include a few brown drakes, Isonychias, bat flies and medium brown stones so you will want more than a few hex patterns in your fly box. Of course, you’ll want your headlamp and bug spray too.

For some, this is the only time of year some folks get out and fish who might not have heard of new invasive species in our local waters which include Didymo, aka Rock Snot (Manistee) and New Zeeland Mud Snails (Boardman, Manistee, PM, Au Sable). Michigan Trout Unlimited has produced a guidebook to identification and decontamination that I strongly encourage you to familiarize yourself with and practice. Otherwise, these invasives will likely show up on other watersheds you fish (rivers and lakes) before you know it. It’s also upon anglers to spread the message to other anglers to get the word out. You can read the Guidebook here.

Largemouth bass and bluegill fishing in lakes continues to offer both new and experienced anglers a lot of opportunities to bend the rod and enjoy a non-technical day of fishing on the water. Dry flies, poppers, swimming nymphs and the occasional streamer near and around structure and drop offs has been the approach. Smallmouth bass fishing has slowed down in the lakes but has been getting better in the rivers for those that like to lazily fish a streamer and feel a fish pull much harder than any trout.

Good luck,

Ted

bass fishing, brown drakes, casting lessons, fishing at night, hex hatch, invasive species, learn to fly fish, manistee, panfish, smallmouth bass

Mid-May Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 19, 2022

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 up any day now if they haven’t already on your favorite section of the river. With the fluctuations in weather, there is no telling if there will be bugs and when – just remember warmer air temps are crucial for spinner fall. And for hatches/emergences, well, they have been showing up in late mornings as much as evenings so fish all day if you can.

Between hatches, fish some smaller streamers for fish looking to eat sub-surface. It’s also not a bad time to swing a wet fly, like a diving caddis. My car is covered with black caddis and green egg sacks from driving along the rivers.

Smallmouth bass are in a pre-spawn mode on the river systems and are eating. In waters where trout and smallmouth co-exist, there is no telling which species is going to bite your streamer next – it’s like a fishing grab-bag until you get the fish on the line and in sight (Hint: the bass fight harder).

Water levels are slightly low and relatively clear for this time of year but that should change with the forecast storms and weather to roll through tonight. Although we could use some rain, it’s been nice having these recent conditions.

Lake fishing has been decent for bluegill/panfish and the occasional largemouth as we come off a full-moon phase and water temps in lakes and ponds increase. The darker bottom lakes (or coves/bays within) tend to warm up quicker than other portions of the lake. This should continue to offer really good fishing for the next 4 or 5 weeks.

Good luck.

Ted

Match the Hatch – Late May and June offer dry fly anglers some of the best trout fishing of the year.
Learn to Fly Fish – Book a half-day trip with the idea of learning the basics in how to cast and fly fish.
Fall Steelhead – Although the Spring Season just ended, think fall steelhead good dates available in November.

bass fishing, bluegill fishing on the fly, caddis, fly fishing report, hendricksons, lake fishing traverse city, manistee river, smallmouth bass, sulphurs, swinging a wet fly

Late July Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 28, 2021

After some heavy rain last weekend our local rivers came up significantly but have dropped again and are close to average flows/heights for this time of year. The clarity is still running with a bit of a stain to them but are more than fishable, for now – if the rain we get tonight occurs, we will be back to higher, stained water leaving most of the fish with full bellies from eating everything getting washed downstream making fishing a little tougher than it should be for this time of year.

The Tricos have showed up mid-morning most days but some days it’s a short and brief hatch, other days longer; both scenarios bringing up the smaller fish with the occasional surprise on the end of the line. Isonychias are still hatching very sporadically this time of year and the fish are still responding to them surprisingly well considering how few are hatching. Light Cahills are also around, but I rarely have seen a fish eat one over the years so they aren’t my first choice in patterns – they must taste bad.

This time of year is also what I refer to as the “Foam and Rubber Hatch” – that is terrestrials and attractor patterns made with foam bodies and rubber legs that wiggle, twitch and shake bringing the fish to the surface. Grasshopper fishing gets a lot of attention in this sport this time of year, but frankly put – I don’t see too many natural hoppers on waters like the upper Manistee. These bigger hoppers fished with a twitch can still be productive, just not sure they are taking them as hoppers vs. something big and gangly on the surface.

The lake fishing has slowed down on the brighter days fishing for bluegills and the bass seem to have gone deep except for the low light of the a.m., evening, or rare cloudy day. Poppers slowly and patiently twitched, gurgled or even popped with long rests afterward have had some fish near weed beds and drop offs eat. And a few gills are just finishing up what is likely to be their last spawning in the shallows on certain lakes and ponds for some surface activity.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout Fishing – July and August is Terrestrial and Trico time! Start the day off casting to brook and brown trout
and get back to the family for lunch time – it’s a great way to start the day when in Northwest Michigan.
Learn to Fly Fish – Tailor a half-day trip to learning how to fly fish –perfect for beginners.
Fall Steelhead – Some good dates remain in November and into December.

bass fishing, bluegill fishing, isonychias, manistee river fishing, traverse city fly fishing, tricos, trout fishing traverse city

Mid July Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 16, 2021

Mid-week rains have brought the seasonal rainfall almost up to it’s average annual amount making last month’s drought a memory and the river levels up, too.

The water is high for this time of year and a bit stained due to the tannin and silt but there is still enough transparency to fish. When wading, take each step with a little more caution that what you have earlier this summer. Water temps are still bouncing from the high 50s to mid-60s as overnight temps keep the water from getting too warm when the sun is out.

Hatches have been limited on the upper Manistee River and Boardman River with Tricos just starting to show up mid-mornings. The no-see-ums, too. It seems I go through more bug spray this time of year than any other time as the micro biters like to chew on you before the sun gets out. It’s still a time of year when the trout’s focus is transitioning from mayflies to terrestrials. With the high water, it’s a good time to get those smaller streamers out and work those softer edges targeting fish looking for what’s washing downstream. Twitch flies too (think old-school sized streamers often with rubber legs, fished with some twitches) are always a good bet this time of year.

Bass and bluegill fishing continues to offer the stillwater angler an option closer to home. It’s been a blast watching anglers new to the sport develop their skills with so much action as well as those with experience bend the rod even more. A few bigger fish can be found in the shallows in the lower light hours of morning, evening and even the rare cloudy day. Largemouth bass have been more shy than normal this year but they are still around, however seem a little wiser. Maybe we caught them last year and they haven’t forgotten the experience? Anyways, divers and sliders around lily pads have worked most days. Typically terrestrial patterns with rubber legs do a good job on the smaller panfish and occasional bass. Hard to beat a Turk’s Tarantula this time of year whether you are fishing trout, bass, or bluegill!

Good luck.

Ted

bass, bass fishing, bluegill, boardman river, guided fishing trips traverse city, lake fishing, learn to fly fish, michigan, river levels, streamer fishing trout, terrestrials, trico fishing trout, trout fishing guide, upper manistee river

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