Posts tagged "bass fishing"

Mid-July Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 16, 2018

With Mid-July comes mid-July fishing conditions. With the warmer weather and bright sun we are finding the best trout fishing to be in the morning or late evening when the sun isn’t so bright and the fish are out looking to eat. Mid-mornings are offering good hatches of Tricos and BWOs with fish looking for them. While the big fish aren’t out eating these small mayflies, we sometimes are surprised by some nice fish. It’s a great time to fish with your favorite 3 or 4 wt rod.

Beyond Tricos, look for Isonychias and Light Cahills to be the other flies on the water and more so in the evening. This time of year we move from matching the hatch to fishing terrestrials and attractor patterns with rubber legs. Cover the water – hit the banks, the wood, the cross-over currents and twitch those flies a little to conjure up a strike. Water temps on the upper Manistee and Boardman rivers remain in the mid to upper 60’s so get the fish in and back to the water quickly.

Bass and bluegill fishing on the local lakes continues to fish strong especially when fishing in the shallows near drop-offs. Bass are loving the poppers and deer hair divers above and around submerged and surface weeds. Fishing tends to be better in the low light hours but the bass aren’t as picky as the trout and often play nice all day long.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout – Trico Hatches and Terrestrial fishing has begun – it’s the perfect way to start the day on the river!
Stillwater- Bluegill and Bass fishing remains a favorite for beginners and experienced anglers through August.
Fall Steelhead – It’s Summer which means it’s time to think about getting your Fall dates. Oct. thru Dec.

Mid-August Fly Fishing Report Traverse City Region

Posted by Ted Kraimer - August 17, 2017

As we hit the August mid-way point, the fishing does too. After a long summer, the fish are starting to get wise to what we are trying to do and have been getting good at discriminating our presentations and angling attempts. In other words – they are getting wise, smart and elusive.

The Trico hatch on the upper Manistee and Boardman rivers is winding down after five weeks of relatively consistent match-the-hatch dry fly fishing for mostly smaller fish, but some nice surprises along the way, too. The water clarity has been commensurate with this time of year creating limited chances on the trout – one or two presentations before they get wise to our intentions and stop rising.

The terrestrial and attractor bite has slowed a bit too but is still a good way to cover the water and get some fish to rise to the surface. Smaller hoppers, obscene foam and rubber patters and smaller ants and beetle patterns have all been working most days. Smaller streamer patterns fished on floating lines and less aggressively than the heavy-handed streamer approach have taken some nice fish, too.

The largemouth bass and bluegill fishing remains decent for those looking for some still water fishing and it’s a great way to start or end the day in when the sun isn’t so bright. The typical water and smaller patterns (think rubber legs and X) have been working on the smaller fish while mid-sized poppers and divers have been taken some nice bass along weed lines and structure. Diving/swimming frogs are a favorite of mine (and the bass) and are a lot of fun to fish. If you are using a lighter weight rod, consider using a large Turk’s Tarantula to get a similar diving action without the wind resistance.

Good luck.

Ted

Salmon/Steelhead Combo – Late Sept. through early October offers a chance at both species on the Manistee.
Fall Steelhead – October, November and into December, these fish will bend your rod like no other – experience it.
Trout/Steelhead – The lower Manistee offers some great streamer fishing for trout in late Fall as another option.

bass fishing, boardman river, fly fishing report traverse city, manistee river, salmon, steelhead, streamer fishing, terrestrial fishing, trico, trout fishing, trout fishing traverse city

Late June Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 27, 2017

The recent cool-down and rains have had an effect on all of our fishing – some of it for the better, some not.

While this time of year is considered the “High-Holy Days” of trout fishing with the Hex emergence, the bugs have been fickle. Once they started to get going, the moderate weather turned them off again. Look for bugs to come off and spinners to fall sporadically but better when the sun is out warming up their muck banks and evening temps don’t drop too fast. Last year’s 12 days of solid, warm weather and ensuing consistent hatch spoiled us.

The upside to the higher and cooler water (upper 50’s) is that daytime fishing has been better than usual for this time of year. Dries (Isos, BWO, Bat Flies, Little Yellow Sally Stones, Golden Stones), attractors and twitch flies all have been working as have hex emergers fished along hex beds for fish looking for the mayfly that resembles a floating porterhouse. Mid-sized streamers fished on floating lines and short sink-tips too have had an impact when covering the water waiting for an emergence. It can be a busy time of year on the water as the once a year angler makes his way to the river so give others some space and share the water to help make it fun for everyone.

The lake fishing continues to provide a lot of good surface action on some nice bluegill as they enter a second spawning period in the shallows. The bass, too, are lurking around and are getting aggressive with some larger flies but also the bluegill that you are trying to bring in. Weed growth is a little behind this year so targeting fish has been easier as there are less weeds for them to hide in.

Carp fishing continues, not so much catching. With all the changes in weather – cool nights, winds, etc., the carp have been more elusive than we would prefer. The smallmouth bass however are still cruising some of the flats that have the cooler water offering some action as we look for he carp. It’s a good time to have a fly tied on that both species like for when either species presents themselves: crayfish and swimming hex are good bets as the hex are starting to emerge on East Bay.

Good luck,

Ted

Lost and Found: I found a fly rod and reel at 4 Mile Bend Access on the Upper Manistee June 9th. If you are the owner, contact me to identify the make and model and I will see to it that it gets returned.

Trout, Tricos & Terrestrials – Through July and August. A half-day trip on the river is a great way to start the day.
Fall Steelhead – From late Sept. through November, these fish will bend your rod like no other – get your dates.
2017 Fishing – Plan your year around your fishing – get your dates on the calendar, life will fit in around it.

bass fishing, carp fishing, crayfish, fly fishing traverse city, golden stones, hex hatch, isos, smallmouth bass, streamers

Late May Fly Fishing Report Traverse City

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 28, 2017

Trout fishing has been good for those looking to test their skills with matching the hatch and presenting dry flies and emergers to selective fish. Lots of bugs right now on the Manistee, Boardman and AuSable Rivers and this time of year it’s a pretty good idea to have them all in your box because there is no telling what the fish will want from one day to the next.

Sulphurs, March Browns, Blue Winged Olives, Mahoganies, Light Hendricksons, Little Yellow Sally Stones, Medium brown stones and caddis are the usual suspects and having some brown drakes with you might not be a bad idea either – just in case. To learn more on the hatches this time of year, click here.

Evenings have been best for emergences and spinner falls but with cloudy conditions and cooling temps, things can happen earlier rather than later. Surface activity with bugs can be isolated from one bend to the next so move if you aren’t seeing much happening. Until bug activity occurs, cast a streamer – especially after the rain that we received today. Brown and copper or Olive and copper seem to have been working well, but each day is different so mix it up until you find their daily preference.

Bluegill and bass fishing on local lakes/ponds continues to offer some great fishing as the fish have moved into the shallows. While spiders, beetles and small poppers have been working on top, slowly swimming damsel nymphs and small leeches tend to catch some bigger, more selective fish.

Good luck,

Ted

Trout – The hatches of late May lead into June making for some of the year’s best dry fly fishing – don’t miss out.
Fall Steelhead – From late Sept. through November, these fish will bend your rod like no other – get your dates.
2017 Fishing – Plan your year around your fishing – get your dates on the calendar, life will fit in around it.

bass fishing, bluegill, brown drakes, fly-fishing guide traverse city, hatches, hendricksons, manistee river, traverse city fly fishing

August Fly Fishing Report – Traverse City

Posted by Ted Kraimer - August 11, 2016

The dog days of summer are upon us and the heat has mostly been keeping our fishing to the low light hours of morning and evening.

Trout fishing has been decent for brook and brown trout on the upper Manistee and Boardman Rivers. The Trico mayfly hatch has been very reliable for about a month now but it appears they are winding down – look for these size 18 and 20 flies to be around in the morning anywhere from 8 until 10:30.

Despite the warm days the water temperatures have remained in the mid-60s. Even though we have experienced a significant lack of rain, the river levels surprisingly are in good shape.

One advantage of our dry conditions has been the presence of terrestrials on the water – that is ants, beetles, grasshoppers and even cicadas. Attractor patterns that suggest large terrestrials – foam and rubber-legged patterns – have been bringing some nice fish to the surface and very small streamers fished on floating lines around submerged wood has produced too. August isn’t necessarily a time to catch the big trophy trout, however it’s a great time to lighten your rod up and have some fun with the fish that do want to play. And those big fish will surprise you from time to time and show themselves – even on your line testing your 3 and 4 weight rod’s ability.

Bass fishing has been good on the lakes but the better times are before noon and after 5. Focus on weed beds/lily pads and play with some poppers – it’s fun when the largemouth sip a popper only to have the next one crush it. The bluegill fishing that had been really good has is now good but like the bass, fish the gills/panfish when the sun isn’t the highest.

Bass fishing on the lower Manistee has been a little tougher than it should be. Not sure if it is the heat or clear water, but they haven’t been playing nice. With a full-moon around the corner look for crayfish to become an important part of their diet so focusing on rocks piles and edges with a crayfish pattern as a place to target.

Good luck,

Ted

August Trout – Start your day on the river fishing wets, dry flies and terrestrials.
Learn to Fly Fish – This is a great time of year to learn how to fly fish. 1/2 day trips for beginners are perfect!
Salmon – Late August and September is when fish start to migrate. Good reports coming from Lake Michigan.
2016 Dates – Now booking through the entire fishing season: trout, bass, salmon and fall Steelhead.

bass fishing, boardman river, grasshopper fishing, mansitee, salmon, terrestrials, tricos

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