Late March Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - March 20, 2024

With the official start of Spring this week, it seems that Winter is making up for some delinquency bringing us some cooler temps, wind and snow.

Steelhead fishing continues on the Manistee River below Tippy Dam and Betsie River with water conditions near ideal. It’s been a bit since we have had rain and the recent snowfall wasn’t enough to really affect levels. The mild winter brought water temperatures up to over 40 which has encouraged some early spawning in the rivers. There are still a lot of fish to come up stream over the next few weeks and these migratory fish are weather and condition dependent.

Fish are near gravel sections and others are slipping up the watersheds from the lake, preferring those soft seams to travel. The steelhead not quite ready to spawn – or those that are, on bright, sunny days – can be found in the pocket water and holes near spawning gravel.

Eggs and beads are often fished in tandem with a nymph. With the clearer water, smaller eggs have been working better and in natural shades to imitate the natural eggs in the water. Other days they take big, bright egg patterns that look like nothing in nature – that’s just the nature of steelhead fishing. Effective nymphs have been caddis, small stones, steelhead buggers and the alevin and fry bite are just starting to turn on.

Good luck.

Ted

Spring Steelhead – Just a few dates remain available in April – get your Spring fishing started right!
Trout Season – Mid-May into July offers some of the best match-the-hatch dry fly fishing of the season.
2024 Fishing – Get your dates secured to ensure your time on the water. Booking all seasons thru September.

caddis, egg patterns, fly fishing steelhead, fry patterns, mansitee river, spring steelhead fishing michigan, steelhead, steelhead buggers, tippy dam, trout fishing

Early March Steelhead Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - March 4, 2024

The mild winter continues with some back-and-forth weather, but we are experiencing more warmer days than cold ones especially for the beginning of March. The snow we received this winter slowly melted into the ground replenishing the water table rather than creating a high-water situation to prematurely kick the run off. Without a snowpack the steelhead run will be dependent on rainfall (or, more snow and its ensuing melt – keep your shovels on the porch as winter isn’t over).

The Manistee and Betsie are approaching 40 degrees which seems to be the threshold to spur activity. There are fish in both systems and they seem to be spread throughout. Some spawning by fall fish that wintered over and were pressured for months has already taken place; with the light run of fall fish there should be plenty of fresh fish to come up. The pre-spawn fish that have trickled upstream this winter are staged near gravel sections waiting for conditions to be just right.

The little black stoneflies have been out most days when the sun warms things up and with the clear water, the fish are noticing the smaller nymph patterns. Other nymphs to try are caddis and hex nymphs. Egg and bead rigs work too with smaller, more natural looking patterns working better than the big, bold varieties which usually work better in low light and low visibility conditions.

Good luck.

Ted

Spring Steelhead – A few dates remain available in March and April if you want to get out.
Trout Season – Mid-May into July offers some of the best match-the-hatch dry fly fishing of the year.
2024 Fishing – Get your dates secured to ensure your time on the water. Booking all seasons thru September.

betsie river, egg patterns, guided fly fishing, hex nymphs, manistee river, steelhead fishing, steelhead fly fishing, trout fishing

Early November Steelhead Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - November 10, 2023

The leaves are gone, temps are dropping and it’s the time for the serious steelhead angler to go looking to hunt fish, not deer.

As is typical for this time of year, the river is running clear as it’s been a while since we have had a push of water from any significant rain. When we have had an increase in water, a small wave of steelhead ran up the Manistee and Betsie rivers, but fish numbers remain uncharacteristically below normal as they have been all fall.

Water temperatures remain in the mid-40s which is more than ideal for more fish to migrate up and as we have found out, they are active once hooked.

It’s been a while since the healthy run of king salmon naturally chummed the water with eggs from their annual spawning cycle, and as such we are starting to fish more nymphs in tandem with our egg patterns for the steelhead. It’s also a great time of the year to swing a big fly on a two-handed rod as it covers a larger portion of water and the flash of the patterns tends to get their attention.

With firearm deer season beginning on November 15 consider wearing hunter’s orange for safety – hunters, deer, firearms and adrenaline are an unpredictable mix.

Good luck,

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Just a few dates in November remain available – finish the fishing season strong.
Spring Steelhead – Most of the season is booked – get your dates for March and April while you can.
2024 Fishing – Get your dates secured to ensure your time on the water. Booking all seasons thru September.

Betsie, egg patterns, fishing guide, manistee, manistee river, steelhead, steelhead fishing michigan

Late October Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - October 22, 2023

As October winds down, so has the salmon fishing. There seemed to be more salmon this year in the Manistee and Betsie rivers than in recent years as their population builds back up thanks to an increasing baitfish population in the lake.

With so many salmon laying eggs in the river, it makes for a great “protein drip” for the steelhead to feed on. So far this Fall, the steelhead numbers have been quite low for adult fish, but with a great number of skippers (15-22” steelhead). Time will tell if the low return is a matter of low water that most rivers on the west side of the State are dealing with, warmer water temps, or a lack of fish population, but it sure feels great when that adult jumps on and reminds us of what a great sport fish they are. It’s also a reminder not to take them for granted and that catch and release is crucial for the future of our fisheries.

Some fresh coho have been around, too, which are always a fun bycatch.

Most of the fish are being caught on eggs and beads with so many eggs in the water. Natural looking colors and sizes are still the first choice but on days when the leaf drop is heavy, sometimes fishing an egg pattern that’s a little larger and/or bolder can help bring some attention to it. You can read more on fishing egg patterns here.

As a seasoned veteran guide now retired recently shared with me – “Keep the faith, they have a way of just showing up”. We look forward to that.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Just a few dates in November remain available – finish the fishing season strong.
Spring Steelhead – Most of the season is booked – get your dates for March and April while you can.
2024 Fishing – Get your dates secured to ensure your time on the water. Booking all seasons thru September.

betsie river, egg patterns, fishing steelhead, guide, guide trip, manistee river, salmon fishing, steelhead

Early October Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - October 7, 2023

Summer-like weather has come to an end after a few extra weeks of it which continued well into October.

The local rivers have been really low from a lack of rain, however today’s rain along with the rain in the forecast should really help get the local rivers into shape and get the fish moving. I am not sure I have ever seen the rivers this low at this time of year. Water temperatures, also, should get into seasonal form and drop into the 50s.

Salmon are all over the place in the local rivers (Manistee, Betsie, Platte). Because of the date/time of year and the warm water, the fish are pretty dark and busy doing their spawning ritual. It seems that there are a few more salmon around this year than in recent years which is a good thing. The more salmon in Lake Michigan usually means less pressure on the steelhead from the lake anglers which helps to bolster steelhead population. And more salmon in the river means more scent and eggs to coax steelhead upstream. A few steelhead have been moving up the river but mostly the juvenile skippers on their first return up the river.

Trout fishing was extended for those looking to fish some terrestrials thanks to the warm weather but now it’s time to pull out that 6 or 7 wt rod, sink tip lines and box full of streamers. It’s pre-spawn for the brown trout on most rivers and the fish can have an attitude and chase down a fly. Because our trout population is meager and mostly dependent on natural reproduction, please leave any visible spawning brown trout alone to help ensure a future fishery. Some rivers closed on October 1 so make sure your favorite section of water is still open before fishing it.

Regardless of where you are fishing or for what, you’ll find the trees well decorated in fall colors making for a great backdrop as you fish and wind down the season.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Just a few dates in November remain available – finish the fishing season strong.
Spring Steelhead – Most of the season is booked – get your dates for March and April while you can.
2024 Fishing – Get your dates secured to ensure your time on the water. Booking all seasons thru August.

Betsie river fly fishing, caddis, egg patterns, fall steelhead, fly fishing guide, lake michigan, manistee river, Platte River, salmon fishing, salmon fly patterns, steelhead, tippy dam, traverse city, trout fishing, trout fishing with streamers

Posts tagged "egg patterns"

Late March Fishing Report

Early March Steelhead Fishing Report

Early November Steelhead Fishing Report

Early October Fly Fishing Report

Ted Kraimer • Current Works, LLC • PO Box 333 • Traverse City, Michigan 49685 • (231) 883-8156