Posts tagged "bluegill fishing"

June Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 11, 2025

We are in the thick of trout fishing on the local rivers. This is the time of year where we can have various hatches (or none) and some decent streamer fishing when the fish aren’t looking up.

The weather has been fluctuating a lot and has been a tad cooler than normal, but the forecast promises of some warmer weather ahead. When stable temperatures keep water temps stable, hatches become more predictable and fly fishing – it seems – is at its best with feeding fish on the surface.

If headed out, Brown Drakes, Isonychias, Yellow/brown Stones, Sulphurs and Mahoganies belong in your box. If those don’t work, don’t be afraid to cast the mid-summer attractor foam and rubber creations to get their attention. You can read more on the hatches that occur this time of year in this article.

Subsurface – the smaller streamers and twitch flies have catching some nice fish when fished with the quick twitch and pause presentation. Baitfish and sculpins patterns (smaller than 3 inches) are doing a good job with the clear water we have been experiencing the past month.

The lake fishing for bluegill and bass has turned the page on most small lakes with the spawning cycle behind them and the fish coming out of the post-spawn funk. With the full moon the bluegill/panfish have moved shallow for a second round of spawning and those fishing smallmouth in both lakes and rivers should be using crayfish patterns in a light tan color as they tend to molt in this moon phase making them attractive to smallmouth bass (and trout).

Good luck.

Ted

Father’s Day – Get dad the gift of getting on the water! Gift Certificates available.
Trout Fishing – June offer’s some of the best technical dry fly fishing as we chase bugs and browns.
Fall Steelhead – After a strong Spring Season look to the Fall Season – just a few dates remain available.
Smallmouth Bass – Now through Mid-August, come fish this rod bending species as an alternative to trout.

Late June Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 25, 2024

The warm weather of last week made for some hot and heavy hex fly action on local rivers that has tapered off due to cooler (not cool) temps and significant rainfall.

While water temperatures in rivers like the Manistee and Au Sable were reaching the high 60s and in some sections – into the 70’s, they have moderated as air temps and sunlight have eased. A significant rain on Saturday has left us with a lot of water in the rivers and most of them running high and remarkably stained. Levels have begun dropping however the clarity is taking a little longer to take affect.

In addition to the hex flies coming off at dark, look for Bat Flies in the evening hours as well as some Isonychias on the cloudy, cooler days. When surface activity isn’t happening, try going sub surface with some smaller streamers or twitch flies. A lot of the fish have been gorging themselves on one of the densest hex hatches we’ve experienced in recent history so they aren’t overly eager to chase down too much. Kind of like us after eating a big meal.

Smallmouth bass fishing on rivers is starting up again, but there, too, the water is stained (which isn’t a bad thing). Fishing smaller streamers on intermediate sink tips or slow sinking lines has been the approach, but with the recent molting of crayfish, fishing weighted crayfish patterns on a floating line near rocks has yielded some good fishing.

The lake fishing has been good for bigger bluegill and panfish as they finish up their second round of spawning. The largemouth bass offer a nice blend of what we are catching and it’s not uncommon for the bigger bass to eat the bluegill we hooked with the fly really putting a bend into the rod.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout, Tricos & Terrestrials – July & August offer fun dry fly fishing on the upper Manistee river.
Smallmouth Bass – Fish the lower Manistee with streamers & poppers this summer for fish that can pull.
Learn To Fly Fish – 1/2 Day trips are perfect for beginners! Learn how to cast before hitting the water to fish.

au sable, bat fly, bluegill fishing, fishing report, fly fishing, fly fishing guide traverse city, hex hatch, manistee river, manistee river fly fishing, smallmouth bass fishing, streamer fishing, traverse city, trout

Late May Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 30, 2024

With May coming to an end, the Mayfly hatches and trout fishing continues.

This time of year it’s often time for headlamps and evening spinner falls at dusk when the mayflies drop to the surface to feed the fish. Hatches have been sporadic and with the weather, they can emerge at various times of day. It’s the spinners that typically collect in the evening to form decent numbers that anglers get excited about.

The upper Manistee has had it’s share of Great Mahoganies the past ten days and this is a hatch that seems to build in density each year. Sulphurs have been sporadic but are winding down, and those small #14 black caddis continue to feed a lot of the smaller fish. There are a handful of other bugs that can show up this time of year which can be intimidating when we try to match the hatch, but you can get by with a nice assortment of Borcher’s Drakes, Robert’s Yellow Drakes and Adams patterns to do a good job representing what you are imitating. And a drag-free presentation is just as – or even more important – than the pattern itself. Some medium brown/yellow stones belong in your box as do Isonychias and if it’s a warmer evening, stay till dark with some Brown Drakes – they should be starting if they haven’t already.

A fair amount of rain on Sunday and Monday brought the upper Manistee river level up while leaving a significant stain to the water. Those looking to get some streamer fishing would be best to do that before things clear up again.

Bass and bluegill fishing is mixed depending on the body of water you are fishing. Some bluegill have moved back into the shallow water for their second round of spawning thanks to a mild winter and early spring. The largemouth are in a post-spawn funk and the smallmouth bass are mixed but in the inland lakes, they are packed up and have mostly have moved deep again, only to hover around the breaks and drop offs. Weed growth in the past week has been remarkable and only helps anglers look for ideal spots to target fish.

Good luck.

Ted

Smallmouth Bass – Fish the lower Manistee with streamers & poppers this summer for fish that can pull.
Learn To Fly Fish – 1/2 Day trips are perfect for beginners! Learn how to cast before hitting the water to fish.
Trout, Tricos & Terrestrials – July & August offer fun dry fly fishing on the upper Manistee river.

bluegill fishing, fishing guide, fishing traverser city, fly fishing, grayling, hatch chart, smallmouth bass fly fishing, terrestrials, tricos, upper manistee

Mid-May Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 19, 2024

At the mid-point of May it sure feels like we are at the end of May based on the weather and fishing conditions.

The hatches are progressing with the sulphurs winding down on the trout rivers. It seems the great mahoganies are increasing in density each year and this year is no different. There are some of the smaller mahoganies (paraleps.) intermixed and around, too. Caddis continue to flutter on the surface with some fish noticing, but the real star of the surface fluttering is a smaller than normal (#12) medium brown/yellow stonefly. I suspect more bugs will be a part of the conversation over the next couple of weeks as this keeps the gear bag filled with fly boxes to match-the-potpourri-hatch situation that comes with this time of year.

Streamer fishing has been almost a bust in the low, clear water. If you are fishing subsurface, choose and use your smaller patterns wisely (less than three inches (and closer to two)). Fishing a weighted streamer on a floating line isn’t a bad approach in these conditions as it’s stealthy and allows you to easily switch to fishing dries when the emergence/spinner fall takes place.

Lake fishing for bass and bluegill is in full swing. This is the best time of year for the big bluegill as they move shallow enough and become accessible for the fly angler. Largemouth are keeping it interesting, too, as they are both in pre-spawn and post spawn depending on the lake you are fishing. It seems, for me at least, the occasional pike encounter hasn’t been there this year.

Smallmouth bass fishing in the lakes, is happening, too. Typically liking deeper water much of the year, you can find the hard pulling smallies in shallow water or on the edges/drops eager to eat a slow dropping baitfish streamer pattern or even a popper.

Good luck.

Ted

bluegill fishing, fly fishing, guided fly fishing, match the hatch, smallmouth bass fishing, streamer fishing, sulphurs, traverse city, trout fishing

Late July Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 21, 2023

As July starts to wind down, fly anglers find themselves in the middle of summer and summer fishing conditions.

The Upper Manistee is running low and clear – which isn’t unusual for this time of year. The lack of rain has been offset by the cooler evening temps to keep the water temps in the mid-60s and safe for the trout. Most of the hatches are done with the exception of the Tricos. Theses little flies make dry fly fishing fun as the brookies and browns provide rising targets. Every once in a while we are surprised by a bigger fish that eats the little fly and test’s the strength of the 6x tippet. Mostly, it’s simply a fun time to use that lighter dry fly rod.

Without hatches or latter in the day, we find ourselves fishing terrestrials and attractors or what I refer to as the “foam and rubber hatch”. Foam bodied flies with rubber legs – drifting, skittering or twitched on the surface makes it fun. It’s not overly technical fishing, just fun covering some water and fooling some fish.

The smallmouth on the lower Manistee River has mostly been good. Once in a while we find the fish are in a mood where they just kind of look but aren’t eating. Classic “window shopping” behavior. Don’t give up, a slight change in the weather can get them eating your ever-changing streamer pattern again. The popper bite is just starting so make sure you have your favorite popper/big foam and rubber legged patterns on a floating line next to your clear sink-tip rod.

Bass and Bluegill remain our favorite target for beginners learning fly fishing. These fish keep it fun and action packed. Some bigger bluegill are in the shallows early in the day or on those rare cloudy days. The largemouth are loving small streamers fished near lily pads and drop offs. Or my personal favorite – diving frog patterns.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout – July and August is time for Ticos and Terrestrials on the Upper Manistee – an ideal half-day on the river.
Smallmouth Bass– Spend a half or full-day on the lower Manistee fishing smallies – through Late August.
Fall Steelhead – November still has some dates available in 2023 – finish the fishing season strong.

bass fishing, bluegill fishing, fishing guide, fly fishing traverse city, july fly fishing, learn to fly fish, streamer fishing smallmouth bass, terrestrail fishing, trico fishing

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