Fall Steelhead

Posted by Ted Kraimer - November 4, 2019

November greeted us with full-on fall weather – a mix of snow and rain and some wind making for classic fall steelhead weather.

Water temps have settled into the lower to mid 40’s on the lower Manistee below Tippy Dam and Betsie Rivers which are running higher than normal for this time of year, but they aren’t considered high. Clarity is mostly ideal except for the lower ends of rivers which collect run off and tributaries which affects visibility. There are good numbers of steelhead in the river however they are spread out throughout the systems – you have fresh fish moving up stream, others that have taken position behind the last of the spawning salmon and those that have been in the system a while and after being caught have become weary and are sitting in the wood/structure.

Egg patterns remain the most effective flies right now along with some beads in natural and yellowish colors. No two days have been the same so mix up size and color to find what they are looking for each day. The nymph bite is starting to pick up with caddis and steelhead buggers continuing to prove effective. The swing bite is also ideal right now for those capable of working a two-handed rod and presenting big streamers with lots of flash on sink-tip lines.

The forecast weather should help stabilize the fishing as the past week was inconsistent with the abrupt changes in weather. Going forward, it appears to be more of the same so dress accordingly, think fondly about seeing the sun shine all summer, and keep your flies where the fish should be.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Good November and December dates remain open for these prized sport-fish.
2020 Fishing Season – We are booking dates through October of 2020 – don’t miss the prime times.
Gift Certificates – As we approach the holiday season, consider asking or giving the gift of time on the water.

October is Here and so is Fall Weather

Posted by Ted Kraimer - October 2, 2019

A few trees are starting to change colors as we head to the river but they remain pretty green along the river bank. Water temps are just starting to drop below the 60 degree mark after some cooler temps and more of the same in the forecast. Another batch of rain has sent another batch of salmon upstream on the local rivers including the Platte, Betsie and Manistee. Fish continue to run big this year so bring you’re A-game and eat your spinach the night before. With a little color to the fish, lately we are finding them a little easier to move to the net, but not easy. With yesterday’s rain, look for the river to be a little higher after just dropping and also a little stained. Eggs and Caddis have been the best producers.

Trout fishing continues as we approach that time of year when the Brook Trout begin their spawning. Browns are still in a pre-spawn mode on the upper Manistee and will chase a streamer. With all the vegetation, leaves and pine needles floating downstream and decreasing water temperatures, look for the dry fly bite to basically non-exist unless a BWO hatch presents itself. Smaller streamers on smaller sink-tip lines are a great approach this time of year.

Just a reminder that trout fishing is now closed on a lot of trout streams but much of the Manistee and Au Sable are open all year round.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Good November and December dates remain open for these prized sport-fish.
2020 Fishing Season – We are booking dates through September of 2020 – don’t miss the prime times.

betsie river, brown trout, manistee river, platte river fishing, salmon, steelhead, streamer fishing, traverse city fly fishing, trout fishing

Late September Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 23, 2019

With Fall officially starting today it sure feels like we were in the middle of summer just last week with the 80-degree days. With a little color in some trees, it appears that fall is imminent.

The warm weather paused the migration of salmon on the local rivers, but the significant rains over the weekend and winds on Lake Michigan should restart the migration of King and Coho salmon as they feel comfortable moving up that increased river flow. Wading anglers will find the rivers higher and smaller rivers like the Betsie also dirty as some areas received over 4 inches of rain.

The warmer temperatures sure extended out terrestrial fishing on the trout rivers like the upper Manistee. Water temps are still around 60 degrees and the fish still looking up. Some BWOs and great olives are worth having in your box should a hatch occur, but tie on the bigger foam and rubber attractor and terrestrial patterns for what could be your last fix of dry fly fishing. The water had been too clear but with the rain there is some color to it. This is also the time that streamer fishing can be ideal for those looking to cover some water looking for the pre-spawn browns that have started to come out from cover after a long season of getting fished to.

Good luck.

Ted

betsie river, big manistee river, coho salmon, dry fly fishing, king salmon, lake michigan, salmon, trout fishing, upper manistee trout fishing

Late April Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 23, 2019

As April begins to wind down it seems we are past the peak of the steelhead run on local rivers including the Manistee and Betsie. Last week’s rain brought the water levels up some along with a few fresh fish, but the majority of fish being caught are actively spawning as well as some drop-back/post spawn fish.

Water temps are in the mid-40s and are heavily stained, however there is still some visibility for fish to see your flies – especially if they are in the 40-inch window that they often need to be in to entice a fish to eat this time of year.

Natural egg colors and sizes have been working well and with the dirtier water, a little bigger and bolder pattern is starting to regain its effectiveness. Caddis and fry patterns have been the most effective nymph patterns for a while now.

Just a reminder that trout opener is this Saturday, April 27 – good luck as you hit the water again, practice traditions on and off the water with friends, and start off what looks like a promising trout season in 2019. With the recent warm weather you might want to have some hendricksons in your fly box just in case you need to cut your streamer off and tie on a dry.

Ted

Trout – May and June offers some of the best trout fishing of the year matching the hatch and fishing streamers.
Fall Steelhead– It’s not too early to look ahead to fall run of these fish. Hard fighting and a beautiful time of year.
Booking 2019 – Reserve your date(s) and schedule life around fishing rather than trying to fit fishing into life.

betsie river, fry patterns, manistee, manistee river steelhead fishing, Platte River, steelhead, tippy dam, trout opener

Mid-March Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - March 13, 2019

To say it was a long, cold winter would be to misrepresent that past few months and the multiple polar vortexes, hours of shoveling snow and time spent indoors thinking about fishing. With mid-March, thankfully, comes some sunshine, longer days, warmer temperatures, and opportunities to shake cabin fever by fishing for steelhead.

There is still a lot of snow on land, but warmer temps, sunshine and rain will help reduce things, hopefully gradually. As the melt hits the water, look for the water temps to actually remain or even get cooler. Sunshine really helps warm the water up and help to get fish active and feed. If wade fishing, be careful of icy paths and river banks.

We are in pre-spawn mode and anglers will find steelhead in most of the local rivers and throughout the watersheds including the Manistee below Tippy Dam and the Betsie River. There is a mix of winter fish and fresh fish with the hold-over fall (winter) fish mostly sitting in the deeper holes to avoid the stronger currents. Fresh fish encouraged by additional sunlight and an increase in water flow are trickling upstream and can be found in seams as they ascend upstream.

River levels are holding steady and have a slight stain to them – look for more color to the water as more run off occurs and levels rise. Water temps are in the mid-30s and the fish are favoring a drag-free presentation often on the slower side of the current seam.

This time of year larger eggs and beads are preferred over realistic sizes and colors since there are no natural eggs we are trying to imitate. Other flies that are proven winners this time of year include hex nymphs, caddis, black stonefly and alevin.

Good luck.

Ted

Spring Steelhead – Now through April. Start the fishing seasons with some chrome! Some dates still available.
Trout – May and June offers some of the best trout fishing of the year matching the hatch and fishing streamers.
Booking 2019 – Reserve your date(s) and schedule life around fishing rather than trying to fit fishing into life.

alevin, betsie river, black stonefly, caddis, egg patterns, fly fishing guide service, hex nymphs, manistee river, spring steelhead, steelhead fishing, tippy dam, traverse city

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Posts tagged "betsie river"

Fall Steelhead

October is Here and so is Fall Weather

Late September Fishing Report

Late April Fishing Report

Mid-March Fishing Report

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