Last week’s rain has pretty much come and gone, returning river levels pretty much close to normal and leaving just a little color to it which is good considering the long-term forecast calls for a fair amount of sun.

The hatches on the upper-Manistee, Boardman and Au Sable Rivers have been offering some good dry fly fishing  when hatch conditions are ideal. This time of year there is an assortment of bugs hatching including: light hendricksons, sulphurs (pale evening duns), golden stones (#10), mahoganies, march browns and black quills. Good flies to have include Robert’s Yellow Drakes in #14-16 and Borcher’s Drakes in #12-16. With overcast days, look for the sulphurs to hatch early – often during the day with  most mayfly spinner falls returning to riffle sections late morning as the sun warms things up or evenings on the warmer nights. Since some of these bugs are small, look for small, dimple-like rises for rising fish – even the big fish can make a small appearance. Hatches will only become more consistent with sunny/warm weather.

When not fishing dry flies, streamer fishing has been good with all of the water in the rivers the past week. Big, bright patterns with a fair amount of flash had been working best in the stained water but look for the streamer bite to revert to more natural looking patterns now that water has cleared up. The nymph and wet fly fishing has returned below Tippy Dam on the lower Manistee with the return of normal water levels. This is a great fishery this time of year and as carp build in numbers to spawn, look for the trout to really key in on their eggs. Streamer fishing with sink-tips is a standard and can really bring some nice fish to hand.

The bluegill on local ponds and lakes are just getting started on their spawning and are moving into shallows.  Be sure to fish both on the surface and with small, natural looking nymphs for the bigger fish.

A few carp are starting to be found in the shallow water of the bays but with cold nights and unfavorable winds, it is pretty sparse. Again, look for the sun to change fishing conditions for carp as well.

Good Luck,

Ted

The Adams Chapter of Trout Unlimited is hosting their annual fund-raising banquet Saturday, May 12 – 2012 – 7:00 pm, doors open 5:00 at  The Williamsburg Dinner Theatre . Tickets are $45 and are available for purchase at The Northern Angler, Nolans, Apache Trout Grill,  Streamside Orvis, or at the door. This is a fun event sponsoring an organization that promotes our regional coldwater fisheries. Raffle, auction and door prizes are just part of the  evening’s events.

The Spring Newsletter just went out – click here to read.

– Book a Trip for the Upcoming Fishing Seasons –

April: Steelhead and Trout fishing on the Manistee River
April-May: Trout – Streamers & Dry Flies. Hendricksons & Early Bug Hatches on the Upper Manistee
June: Trout -Big Dry Flies – Drakes, Isonychias and The Hex.
Booking for all 2012 Seasons – Some Fall Dates Remain Open