Posts tagged "bluegill"

Mid-May Fly Fishing Report – Northwest Michigan

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 12, 2016

Mid May fishing has anglers headed to their favorite trout stream and river with spring-like weather and good water conditions.

Hendricksons are still around but seem to be winding down; those armed with rusty spinners either late morning or in the evening might find themselves in a fun dry fly situation as the Hendricksons drop to the water to lay their eggs. Other bugs to have with you include: tan caddis, black quills, mahoganies and with the season being off – one never knows when sulphurs might just start coming off so have some of those with you, too. This is an ideal time to have Borchers Drakes or Emergers with you as they imitate a number of different mayflies commonly found on the Manistee, AuSable and Boardman Rivers this time of year.

Without any surface activity, try fishing a streamer on a sink-tip or even a floating line if wade fishing. If fishing from a boat, try some of the larger streamers to get something big to come out and play, otherwise, if wading try some mid-sized streamers like my Brook Trout and Lamprey Leech patterns. There is no shortage of effective and innovative streamer patterns on the market today so be sure to mix them up if you aren’t having success. Don’t discount big wet flies that can be twitched and stripped just because everyone is fishing streamers – sometimes being different is good.

Bluegill/Panfish are just starting to hit the shallow water on some of the warmer lakes and ponds. This can be a lot of fun whether you are experienced or a beginner. It’s always more fun having them come up to the surface, but you might find large nymphs and small streamers fished sub-surface could be the ticket to a slab-sized bluegill and a bent rod.

Good luck!

Ted

May Fishing – It’s a great month for streamer and dry fly fishing for Trout.
Big Bugs – The month of June is the month of Big Bugs – Isonychias, Brown Drakes and the Hex – got dates?
2016 Dates – Now booking for the entire fishing season: trout, carp, bass, salmon and fall Steelhead.

ausable, bluegill, boardman, borchers drakes, hendricksons, manistee, mayflies, streamer

August Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - August 5, 2015

With August here the trout fishing continues to be more of the same – Tricos and terrestrials. The upper Manistee received an inch of rain with the weekend’s storm but the river is in good shape – it has a slight stain to it and the level is ideal for this time of year. Fishing on the Boardman in the upper stretches is best in mid-mornings and evenings when kayaks, canoes and tubes are less likely to be out.

The cool nights are keeping the water temperatures in the low 60’s and as the sun warms up the air mid-mornings look for the Tricos to gather in good numbers before falling to the water. If you are struggling to see your small fly pattern consider tying it to a larger dry fly as a dropper to serve as an indicator. Most of the fish playing along are brook trout and some small browns with some bigger fish thrown in the mix from time to time – a perfect time for your lighter rods.

The terrestrial fishing is getting better with the smaller bugs (beetles & ants) being more consistent but the larger patterns increase your probability for the larger fish. Fishing mouse patterns well into the dark is producing some bigger browns for those who prefer to fish the dark side of things. Other bugs to have in your fly box include: Light Cahills, Tan Caddis, Blue Wing Olives and smaller Isonychias.

Bass fishing on the lakes continues to be fun when targeting the structure of lily pads and drop-offs with poppers. Bluegill remain active but mostly the smaller ones, providing great fun for those learning the sport with plenty of opportunity to set the hook and bring in fish. Every once in a while your hooked bluegill becomes live bait for big bass that seem intent on removing the fish from your hook for you – hold on tight.

Good luck,

Ted

Summer Trout Fishing – Terrestrial and Trico fishing through August on the Manistee.
Smallmouth Bass – Streamer fishing on the lower Manistee is a great way to spend a summer day.
Fall Steelhead – Late September through November is the time for sassy steelhead on the Lower Manistee.

bass, bluegill, boardman, terrestrials, traverse city, tricos, trout, upper-manistee

Tough Trout Fishing

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 15, 2015

Lots of rain has fallen over the past 10 days and the rivers look like it.

The Upper Manistee river continues to be challenging with high water, sporadic bug emergences and fish that are mostly uncooperative. Finding times when both the bugs and fish are active has been rare with the occasional good day to keep us coming back. Even the streamer fishing – under ideal conditions – has been off. Give the river 4 or 5 days to drop to normal levels and clear up and by then Isonychias should be emerging more steadily – typically in the evening and up to dark if temps stay warm. In the meantime if you are headed there you will want the following flies: mahoganies, sulphurs, little yellow stones, epeorus, brown drakes, isonychias, big golden stones, BWO’s, small black caddis and a lucky rabbit’s foot. I’ve often been accused of telling it like it is.

The Boardman has been tough to fish the past couple of weeks with the higher water, but Brown Drakes and Gray Drakes have been around with a few sulphurs and caddis in the evening. The AuSable, too, hasn’t been fishing up to its reputation with bugs and fish being off. Lots of water in that system also has had its impact on the river as the fish are able to eat well sub-surface with the higher water.

Carp fishing on the bay has improved as fish are starting to show up a little more in the shallow water as they near their spawn cycle. The water in the bay is still pretty cold so wind direction, intensity of sun light and overnight temps have a significant impact on the fishing the shallow flats. A few smallmouth bass have moved into the shallows but look for the smallmouth bass season to be spread-out and focus on cruisers and darker water for your best biting fish.

Bluegill fishing on the lakes has slowed down some for the large gills as they have abandoned their beds and moved back deep. Some lakes and ponds tend to run behind while others spawn over a protracted period and with some searching you should find those fish. By now the fish that spawn tend to really protect themselves in the structure with bigger predatory fish looking to eat them. On the up-side, the largemouth bass fishing has improved with more fish eating sliders/diving frogs and poppers. Same routine – look for fish in and around the lilly pads and drop offs for your best action.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout Season – June is the month of the big bug dry fly fishing on the Upper Manistee & AuSable Rivers.
Summer Fishing – Terrestrial and Trico fishing in July and August on the Manistee, Bluegill and Bass on Lakes.
Fall Steelhead – Late September through November is the time for sassy steelhead on the Lower Manistee.

bluegill, brown drakes, carp fly fishing, carp on the fly, grand traverse bay, isonychia, michigan, smallmouth bass fishing, upper manistee river

Hatches and Dry Flies – More of the Same

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 8, 2015

The bugs continue to be mixed and varied on the Upper Manistee, Au Sable and Boardman rivers. March Browns, Sulphurs, Black Quills, BWOs, and Mahoganies have been around with some Brown Drakes on the Au Sable and a few Isonychias just starting on the Manistee. And some nights, no bugs – much depends on the weather. This is the time of year to have Borcher’s and Robert’s Yellow Drakes in your fly box in a number of sizes to match the many bugs that hatch this time of year in the evenings up until dark.

The trout fishing below Tippy Dam has improved with lots of the spawning carp leaving this past week. Soft hackle and caddis fishing in the evenings has been productive after streamer fishing and nymphing during the brighter times of the day.

Carp fishing on Grand Traverse Bays has also been inconsistent with weather being the biggest factor. The week of solid weather forecast with moderate night time temps should help bring those fish into the shallows in better numbers as they feed while in pre-spawn mode. The same with smallmouth bass – they are still deep however a few are cruising the flats looking to eat your crayfish and goby patterns – cover water and keep you eye’s out when not fishing blind to deeper water or other likely structure.

Bluegill and Bass fishing continues, however it appears that the really big gills have either slipped back deep or left on stringers. Some really good fishing remains for both species. Nothing new here….. small poppers and spiders for the gills and smaller bass where the small nymph suspended over fish will out fish just about most bluegill flies – consider using a small indicator to detect that delicate take before they spit it out. Bass have been responding more to streamers like natural sculpins and crayfish fished on a floating line and the occasional slider on the surface.

Good luck,

Ted

bluegill, brown drakes, carp, carp fishing grand traverse bay, goby patterns, isonychias, lower manistee, manistee, sulphurs, tippy dam, trout, trout fishing

Early June Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 1, 2015

With June here, anglers will find that the rivers are running full after some much needed rain throughout the week. The weather has been up and down, but the forecast is calling for stable and, well, fish like stable.

On the upper Manistee there has been a smattering of bugs coming off – light Hendricksons, Sulphurs, Mahogany Drakes, March Browns and Medium Brown /Golden Stoneflies. With the increase in water flow the trout are focusing more on what’s below the surface eating worms, lamprey and their own making streamer fishing more effective than surface fishing right now. As the bugs build, the water level drops and clears, look for some of the year’s best dry fishing in the evenings. And don’t forget about the big bugs just around the corner – Isonychias and Brown Drakes – you should have some in your box just in case they show up while you are on the water. Learn more about early June Hatches here. The other bug that has emerged recently is the mosquito – make sure you have some repellent with you.

The bluegill fishing remains popular and a lot of fun for those looking to fish closer to home. With fish in shallow water on local lakes and ponds, the surface activity can be close to non-stop. It’s not always a slam-dunk so cover water and switch flies until you find fish that want to eat what you are presenting. With a lot of pollen and seeds on the surface when the wind isn’t blowing your best bet is going sub-surface so your fly isn’t gummed-up and the fish can actually see it. Have some mid-sized poppers with you if the small fish are beating the larger ones to the fly.

Carp fishing is just on the edge of kicking in. Some fish have slipped into the shallow water flats of Grand Traverse Bay but the consistent fishing is just around the corner. The carp are probably the best example of fish that like stable – not only the weather but water temps, so wind direction is imperative when deciding when and where to fish. A few smallmouth bass are cruising the flats too while in the pre-spawn stage so keep an eye and fly out for them when fishing.

Good luck.

Ted

bluegill, carp, fishing guide, fly fishing report, fly-fishing for carp, hendrickson, isonychia, mahogany drake, manistee, smallmouth bass, traverse city fishing guide, trout

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