Posts tagged "brown drakes"

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

Traverse City Fly Fishing Report : Hex to Terrestrials

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 19, 2014

The trout fishing continues to improve on the upper Manistee as it seems more bugs are around than they were when they were supposed to. Or at least there are a few more fish looking up to eat. Water temps are ideal as are the levels and the clarity is maybe a little too good right now making the lower light of morning and evening your best opportunity.

Some Hex bugs are still around in sections but are most likely unpredictable – have some with you if you are fishing into the evening and consider staying past dark. It seems the bugs are showing up just a little before dark rather than the typical after.

Other bugs to have include great Olives, Isonychias, Brown Drakes (yes – still one or two around) Cahills, little yellow sallies and golden stones. If fishing in the morning – tricos have been starting to congregate offering some fun fishing for some of the smaller fish.

Terrestrial fishing (foam and rubber leg) patterns have been starting to get some attention from the fish as summer progresses. Small streamers fished on light sink-tips or floating lines are a good way to tease out some fish this time of year. More on Terrestrial Fishing >>Click Here<<.

A few smallies are still around on the flats but they are hard to find because of the ever changing water temps. The same is kind of true with the carp – they have mostly returned to the deep. It was a decent year for these “golden bones” despite the water changing temps constantly.

Bass and bluegill fishing continues to be good on local lakes. Poppers and sliders are working well on the bass and the small terrestrials with rubber legs are doing a number on the gills/panfish. This is a fun way to spend a summer day – as either an experienced angler tricking bass out of the lily pads or a beginner learning the basics of fly fishing on the bluegill/panfish.

Smallmouth bass in the lower Manistee continues to be an option for the streamer angler or those that just like river smallmouth fishing. This should only improve as the summer continues.

Good luck,

Ted

Terrestrials, Tricos and Trout – July and August fly fishing for trout on the Upper Manistee River
Salmon– Fresh fish can enter rivers as early as mid-August and offer great fishing through September.
Fall Steelhead– From the end of September through November – this is the time of year for Steelhead.

bass, bluegill, brown drakes, hex, isonychias, mi, smallmouth bass, terrestrail, travese city, trout, upper-manistee

Tough Trout Fishing in Traverse City

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 25, 2014

The trout fishing has been tougher than it should be in Traverse City and the surrounding area. Frustrating too. The upper Manistee has been very fickle with bugs – all the emergences that lead up to the hex have been spotty at best and there have been no signs of the highly anticipated hex mayflies. As the lack of heat continues, I don’t expect much to change until the temperatures do. The future looks good when looking at the forecast but until then, we might be in for some “tough sledding”.

The water is in good shape – ideal conditions as far as clarity, level, etc. – it’s just that the fish haven’t been looking up and the streamer fishing has been decent at best. If you head to the river, you could see: golden stones, little yellow sally stones, gray drakes, brown drakes, little mahoganies, and isonychias. Have some bat flies and hex patterns in your box just in case and don’t forget the bug spray as the mosquitoes have been the only consistent bug this year.

The Boardman, too, has been off as far as bugs. It won’t take long before that gets going but I think its that warm air and hot sun that will kick things off.

Regardless of where you are fishing every day is different and you never know when the bugs will be out and the fish active. For what it is worth, the cloudy days have offered some of the better days on the water as far as fish playing.

Fishing on Grand Traverse Bay has improved over the past week. The carp are in the shallows in better numbers as the spawning is beginning. Look for the trailing fish behind the “ball of carp” to be the ones looking to eat – that’s what they often are doing – eating what the chaos kicks up. Still, these fish are picky and a good presentation is required. With Mayflies coming off of East Bay having some hex nymphs and crayfish is a great place to start. The smallmouth bass on the bay, too, have been playing a bit more although they can be there one day, gone the next. Some fish are spawning, others are cruising and some males are protecting nests. Crayfish, goby, and minnow variations/patterns should cover you in fly selection.

The lakes and ponds in the area are offering some really good fishing right now. Panfish/Bluegill continue to please both surface and sub-surface anglers while the largemouth Bass are eating bigger patterns subsurface and from time to time, diving flies. Pond fishing is perfect for those looking to spend an afternoon or evening on the water or if you are introducing a friend to the sport.

As the rivers get crowded with those once-a-year anglers seeking the hex try to be respectful and courteous to one another and remember to practice catch and release. Good luck.

Ted

Terestrials, Tricos and Trout – July and August fly fishing for trout on the Upper Manistee River
Salmon– Fresh fish can enter rivers as early as mid-August and offer great fishing through September.
Fall Steelhead– From the end of September through November – this is the time of year for Steelhead.

boardman, brown drakes, carp, goby, grand traverse bay, hatches, hex, hex mayflies, smallmouth bass, upper manistee river

Variety – In Fish and Weather

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 6, 2013

Some cooler temps have made fishing comfortable and sometimes cool, but fishing has mostly been good for the variety of species anglers can chase this time of year in the Traverse City region.

The trout streams are looking good and fishing decent thanks to some good dry fly hatches. The cooler weather- it seems is creating emergences and spinner falls a little earlier in the evening to help see what is going on. Small bugs and fish dimpling the surface in low light can be frustrating so the early emergence is a treat. There are a number of bugs that can be found on the water – Sulphurs, Mahoganies, March Browns, Little Yellow Sallies, Med-Brown (Mattress Thrashers) Stones, BWOs, and a few others like Isonychias that are just starting. A Borcher’s Drake seems to do a pretty good job right now of imitating a lot of the spinners and a number of the duns on the water whereas the Robert’s Yellow Drake in 14-16 is starting to take a number of fish on top. Look for brown drakes to pop on the Manistee and Boardman any day now. The rivers are full, have good clarity and the fish have been chunky from all the subsurface feeding they have been doing making for some inconsistent streamer fishing. Remember, you are only one cast away from making a slow day a great day so keep at it. It’s a great time of the year to dry fly fish the Manistee and Boardman.

Carp fishing has been up and down because of the weather – cold nights, strong winds from different directions each day and the lack of a hot sun are all contributing factors. One day they are in shallow, the next they are not. Some days they eat, some days they don’t. In other words, they are acting like carp which helps add to the challenge of carp fishing on the flats. The smallmouth bass on Grand Traverse Bay tend to be a little more stable near rocks guarding beds in shallow water, but it seems that in the popular areas, they have seen a lot of flies. Mix it up and fish off less pressured waters if you can.

The lakes and ponds have been fishing well – some lakes have had a lot of shallow water bluegill fishing with some fish being done with the spawn and others just getting going. The deep “kettle lakes” are examples of the latter. Top water flies/poppers/spiders and small nymphs swum subsurface have been working. Largemouth bass are in the shallows too and are eating both flies on top and below – swim a diver for the best of both worlds.

Please practice catch and release.

Good luck,

Ted

Father’s Day – Ask for or give a gift certificate to dad this Father’s Day – June 16 2013
Hex Fishing – Just a few ideal dates are still available for the big bugs and big fish in mid/late June.
Fall Steelhead – Its not too early to start thinking about fall’s best fishing. Late Sept. – Nov.
2013 Fishing Season – Now booking for all 2013 seasons – don’t miss out on this year’s fishing.

boardman, borchers, brown drakes, carp, fly-fishing guide, grand traverse bay, guide, hatches, manistee, streamers, traverse city, upper-manistee

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