Posts tagged "caddis"

Early March Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - March 1, 2018

March is here and so is an early start to the spring steelhead fishing. The winter – at times – has been just that – winter, but there have been plenty of thaws along the way pretty much leaving us without any snow, ice-free rivers and a favorable forecast.

River levels on the Manistee and Betsie are up a bit with some stain but that is pretty much normal for this time of year as some run-off works its way through the river systems kick-starting things. With the rising water levels and increased water temps, combined with a few days of sunshine, the steelhead are a little restless. Fish that have wintered over are moving around throughout river systems and getting closer to gravel sections but are still hanging out in the nearby deeper holes with a little less current moving through them. Fresh fish will trickle through the systems offering a mix bag of fish – from colored up winter fish to bright chromers.

With water temps still in the upper 30s, drag-free/Indicator and bottom-bounce presentations are your best bet. As is normally the case for late winter and spring steelheading, an egg pattern fished with a nymph is a great one-two approach. Egg patterns in orange combinations along with chartreuse combinations are ideal in the stained conditions. For nymphs, look for black stoneflies, caddis and alevin to produce.

Don’t put your snow shovels away just yet, but definitely get your fishing equipment out.

Good luck.

Ted

Spring Steelhead – Now through April, get on the water for Spring’s first opportunity to bend the rod.
Trout – Reliable hatches begin in May for surface activity and it’s also a great time for fishing streamers.
Learn How – Take a 1/2 day trip with the goal of learning how to fly fish or improve, customized to your interests.

betsie river, black stone fly pattern, caddis, fishing report, fry patterns, manistee, march fly fishing, michigan, spring steelhead, steelhead, trout

Early May Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 4, 2017

++ Sorry about the delay as the website host was having technical issues. The site should be fully up and running as before within a week. ++

As May comes around it is time to think about trout!

It appears that the steelhead run has pretty much come to an end after a good spring run. Some days were better than others but overall the 2017 spring steelhead numbers were real good and better than the previous two years. A few fish will continue to trickle in and out of the rivers but for the most part with water temps in the mid-50s, it’s pretty much over as they come in and go quickly.

The warmer days of April got the trout fishing going a little sooner with sporadic emergences of Hendricksons on the favorite rivers like the upper Manistee and AuSable. These bugs should continue to emerge with good spinner falls late in the afternoon and evenings as they begin to overlap with the other mayflies that start to emerge this time of year. Caddis, too, are showing up and as waters warm up even more, fish are chasing skittering imitations on the surface. But before and after any surface activity, anglers are best suited casting sink-tips and streamers for a chance at some really nice fish.

With Trout Opener taking place this past weekend, more rivers are open including parts of the Boardman and Platte so get out and get after those unpressured fish. As always, we strongly encourage catch and release since the DNR doesn’t do enough to manage our fisheries to their potential.

Good luck,

Ted

May Fishing – Trout, late steelhead, hatches, streamer fishing, bluegill on lakes – don’t overlook fishing in May.
Trout – The hatches of late May lead into June making for some of the year’s best dry fly fishing – don’t miss out.
2017 Fishing – Plan your year around your fishing – get your dates on the calendar, life will fit in around it.

ausable, bluegill, borcher's drake, caddis, fly fishing, guided fly fishing, hendricksons, steelhead, trout

Mid-April Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 16, 2017

**** UPDATE – 4/18/17 *****

Due to significant rains over the past weekend, local rivers are running high with limited visibility. Use caution when wading or operating boats. You can gather more information on Michigan river flows/levels at the USGS Site.

****************************

With warmer temperatures around, it has felt more like the beginning of May as the grass turns greener, leaves on the tress pop out, turkeys gobble and the steelhead starting to dwindle.

The water temps are around 50 degrees which has pretty much encouraged all the early running fish to get their spawning activities behind them and return to the lake. At least the lucky ones. More fish continue to come into the Betsie and Manistee rivers but it’s like hitting a moving target with their migration as they are not sticking around long.

The Betsie has its fair share of suckers in it which is a sign that the river has seen its peak of steelhead, but there should still be fishable number of steelhead for another week or two – timing as it relates to rainfall is crucial.

The Manistee, too, is starting to see some suckers come into the system and are mixed in with the walleye. Like the Betsie, there should still be fishable numbers of fish coming and going through the river for a few more weeks with timing to rainfall and cloudy days vs. sunny days being the biggest factor leading to success. Water levels are ideal and there is a slight stain to it which has made smaller egg patterns more effective over the large, bold ones. Effective nymphs include fry, caddis, and small stone flies.

One benefit of the warmer water is the trout fishing has started a little sooner than normal. A few Hendricksons and stoneflies have been on the upper Manistee bringing a few fish to the surface. When there isn’t an emergence, cover the water with streamers to take advantage of less pressured fish wanting to eat big after a long winter. Look for the combination of streamer and dry fly fishing to be strong for the next six weeks.

Good luck.

Ted

May Fishing – Trout, late steelhead, hatches, streamer fishing, bluegill on lakes – don’t overlook fishing in May.
Trout – The hatches of late May lead into June making for some of the year’s best dry fly fishing – don’t miss out.
2017 Fishing – Plan your year around your fishing – get your dates on the calendar, life will fit in around it.

betsie river steelhead, caddis, egg patterns, fishing report, hendricksons, manistee, May fishing, small stone flies., streamer fishing, tippy dam, trout fishing

Early April Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 1, 2017

It’s April and this is the time to think steelhead if you haven’t been thinking about them already. With the mild winter and thaws, the fishing has been mostly good in March with a mix of winter and fresh fish with more to come as the days get longer, more rainfall brings water levels up and temperatures get warmer.

The local rivers all have fish in them including the Boardman, Betsie and Manistee. Fish are just beginning to spawn with more fish holding in pocket water and holes near spawning gravel waiting for optimum conditions. Water temps are bouncing around 40 degrees and clarity is good for this time of year with just a slight stain. While the cloudy days have made for cooler conditions, the fishing is noticeably better than when the sun makes an appearance.

No real game changers on successful fly patterns in the past week or so: Eggs in Chartreuse/Steelhead Orange, Rodeo Clown, Golden Nugget/Burnt Orange. Nymphs: green Caddis, fry, UPSC, small stones. With the water warming up we are starting to see some stones flutter on the surface and that means stonefly nymphs below. Also, as more natural eggs begin to drop, it might be time to start fishing the smaller, natural sized egg patterns especially with the clearer water.

With spring break taking place it’s been good to see some parents getting kids to the river for some fishing including some little guys with some real impressive skills. And they have been nice, happy, polite and friendly kids. Don’t let your kids be the ones that get away – get them outdoors when you can.

Just a reminder – new fishing licenses are required beginning April 1. And sections of certain rivers (Little Manistee and Platte) are now open for steelhead fishing.

The MI-DNR has released their trout “management” plan and are seeking comments – if interested, you can read by clicking here.

April fishing, black stonefly, boardman river, caddis, egg patterns, green caddis, manistee river steelhead. MI-DNR trout, manistee river steelhead. platte river, steelhead, stonefly

Early November Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - November 4, 2016

With November now here, we are still experiencing early October-like weather with warmer temperatures and some really hot fish.

Steelhead fishing on the Manistee has been decent with some nice steelhead playing along. But they often aren’t playing nice – that is, once hooked, they are really testing our skills with their ability to put space between you and them. The fish are scattered throughout the river system – in holes, tail-outs, seams and on the rare sunny day – in woody structure.

Majority of the fish are eating egg patterns with no one pattern, size or color outperforming another – mix it up. If fishing near the dam, go small as the fish are really keying in on eating the natural eggs left by the salmon. Just a few chinook and coho salmon remain directly below Tippy, spawning in the upper mile of water. Fishing nymphs in the past ten days is proving effective with smaller nymphs used near the dam and larger patterns like ice/steelhead buggers, hex nymphs and caddis working in the lower sections. This is the time to use that two-handed rod with streamers swung on a sink-tip.

Water temps are hovering around 50 degrees which is adding to the fish’s feistiness. Water clarity is a little too good, nudging us to use lighter lines which makes landing the fish more difficult. It appears that about half of the fish in the river had been eating really well out in the lake and they have some shoulders and girth to prove it.

The trout are continuing to appease their appetite after a heavy egg diet and are chasing a streamer when not scavenging on any remaining salmon eggs. On rivers like the Upper Manistee and Au Sable system, the streamer fishing has been decent for those looking to feed a post-spawn brown trout. Mid-sized streamers like the Autumn Offender and Ted’s Brook Trout fished on sink-tips is your best approach.

Good luck,

Ted

Trout – Target post-spawn browns with streamers on the upper Manistee or Below Tippy Dam.
Fall Steelhead – Warm weather is making for comfortable steelhead fishing. Oxymoron, isn’t it?
Late Fall Trout – After gorging on salmon eggs, streamer fishing below Tippy Dam can be outstanding.

Au Sable system, brown trout, caddis, fall steelhead, fall steelhead fishing, manistee, post-spawn streamer fishing, salmon, streamer fishing, tippy dam, upper-manistee

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