Posts tagged "fishing"

Late December Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - December 23, 2024

As December winds down, so does the year. Thanks to all of you who got into the boat this past year and spent some time fishing for the so many different species we luckily have in our watersheds – it was a privilege to guide you and spend some time together on the water.

For those still looking to get out, you might find the warm-up in this week’s forecast will give you the excuse to get away from the visiting in-laws and chase after some steelhead on the local rivers.

Conditions remain ideal for this time of year. With the cold weather the past week, water temperatures are in the mid to upper 30s. Look for fish to be on the inside of the bubble line or even tail-outs of runs if there is some sun out. Deeper, slow holes with structure from wood and or ledges are classic winter spots worthy of fishing thoroughly.

I’m always a fan of fishing an egg or bead with a nymph this time of year and as long as the water is clear my first choices are pale orange or even bleached patterns like Oregon cheese. Nuke eggs and rag style eggs tied in subtle colors are more natural looking. Size 8 eggs and 8 mm beads would likely be your best bet. Nymphs would include green caddis in #10, hex nymphs and steelhead buggers.

Happy Holidays and all the best to you on and off the water in the New Year!

Ted

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Spring Steelhead – A few dates remain available for Spring 2025 in March and April – “think Spring”
2025 Fishing Season – It’s not too early to look ahead to next year and get your dates planned and secured.
Gift Certificates – Available for Half or Full Day Guide Trips or a Casting Lesson making perfect gifts for anglers

fishing, fishing guide, fly fishing, gift certificates, green caddis, hex nymph pattern, nuke egg pattern, steelhead fishing, traverse city

Mid April Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 14, 2024

Not much has changed since the last report as a trickle of fresh fish move up the rivers as others spawn, while those that already have drop back to the lake.

We have had some rainfall but not as much as we were hoping for to really test the hypothesis that there are a bunch of steelhead ready to migrate once conditions ripened with warmer, higher and dirtier water. Temps on the Manistee are mid to upper 40s while the Betsie is hovering around 50 degrees.

While the Manistee hasn’t yet had the push of suckers to swim upstream, the Betsie has a lot of them below the old Homestead dam site. These help as indicators of the steelhead run. Typically (and this no typical year) a second, smaller run of steelhead occurs after the sucker run on both rivers.

Successful patterns have been smaller eggs, small caddis, fry and small black stones, however, the latter are starting to diminish in density when hatches do occur which should reduce the pattern’s effectiveness going forward. With water temperatures what they are, it isn’t a bad time to swing a small streamer looking for aggressive fish headed upstream or one putting some weight back on as they return to the lake.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout Season – Mid-May into July offers some of the best match-the-hatch dry fly fishing of the season.
Learn To Fly Fish – 1/2 Day trips are perfect for beginners! Learn how to cast before hitting the water to fish.
2024 Fishing – Get your dates secured to ensure your time on the water this year. Booking all seasons/species.

Betsie, black stoneflies, caddis, fishing, fishing report, learn to fly fish, manistee river, steelhead, tippy dam, traverse city fly fishing

December Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - December 4, 2023

December has come and it seems that the big push of steelhead we are accustomed to in the fall simply did not.

While it was a tough fall, reports from the lake indicate the population is healthy and the lack of rain is to blame for keeping the fish there. We had good pulses of fish move upstream after the rains we did receive and the light fall run bodes well for a good spring run as they move upstream for annual spawning migration as the days get longer again and rivers get a bit higher. If the long-term forecast of a mild winter holds true, look for fish to trickle through the river systems all winter long.

If you are looking to get out on the water, pick your days wisely based on the forecast as we go from late fall to winter conditions and weather. Snow is more common and run off can drop the water temp a couple degrees. A little sun not only makes it comfortable for anglers but also helps bump the water temps a little.

The steelhead that are in the system can be just about anywhere as long as it isn’t a hard current. The softer side of current seams and cross overs and those with some structure have been more reliable the past two weeks. As the water temperatures start to stay below 40 degrees, we mix up our presentation using indicators, floats, swung flies and duck and chuck.

Water clarity on the Manistee has been remarkably clearer than normal so, dropping down in tippet size is a good approach as is using some stealth. When hooked, the fish are starting to do more of that alligator roll through the fight allowing you to get away with lighter line. Smaller, less obnoxious patterns seem to be out fishing the big, bold and bright with these conditions.

Good luck.

Ted

Gift Certificates– Give the gift of time on the water this Holiday Season. Half or Full Day trips.
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.

fishing, gift certificates for fly fishing, guide trip gift certificates, manistee, manistee river, spring steelhead, steelhead, tippy dam

Salmon

Posted by Ted Kraimer - January 10, 2023

King / Chinook Salmon

Salmon start running upstream on our rivers as early as mid-August on the Betsie River and the season extends into October on the Big Manistee River.

Spending their “growing years” in the big water of Lake Michigan, the King (Chinook) and Coho (Silver) enter our rivers to spawn. After staging in holes and pools waiting for conditions to be ideal the fish move to gravel sections to spawn. In both pools and around gravel, salmon are often visible while fishing, which helps fuel an angler’s excitement.

Averaging 12 -16+ pounds (depending on the year), these fish do climb well into the 20-pound range making for more than a handful of fish. Landing these fish on fly rods is fun and often challenging at the same time in the smaller confines of a river. Angler’s love it so book early.

Methods

Double Header

Nymph fishing with either floating lines or the most effective “duck and chuck” method gets our flies to the river bottom, where the fish are typically holding.

Also known as drift fishing, this is an easy-to-learn technique for beginners; experienced anglers just get better and more efficient with this method.

When fresh fish move into the river, these salmon can be caught throwing big streamers with sink-tip lines on 9- and-10 weight fly rods. Much like trophy streamer fishing for trout, this can be exciting as you never know when a fish is going to materialize and try to pull the rod out of your hand on the take.

To realize success, anglers interested in fishing with this method must be able to cast a fly rod proficiently prior to booking a guide trip.

Spawning Salmon

Betsie River Coho Salmon Fly Fishing Northern Michigan

Coho / Silver Salmon

Rivers

Most of the rivers in the Traverse City and northern Michigan regions that flow into Lake Michigan have a “run” of salmon. Typically starting as early as mid-August, fish begin to school up at the river mouths and/or pier heads and swim upstream when ideal conditions occur, usually after a decent amount of rainfall. Join us on a guided fishing trip on the Betsie, Manistee or Platte Rivers.

To learn more about the rivers we fish salmon, click on the links below.

• Manistee River below Tippy Dam • • Betsie River •

–To preserve our fisheries all trips are catch and release —

: Coho Salmon on the Manistee

: Fly Fishing The Betsie

: Bright and Fresh Salmon

Betsie river salmon fishing, betsy, current works, drift boat, duck and chuck, fishing, fly-fishing guide, manistee fly-fishing guide, manistee river below tippy dam, platte, river, salmon, september, streamer, ted kraimer, tipy

Mid August Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - August 19, 2022

It’s mid-August and it feels like it’s the end of a lot of seasons. This time of year the months of long days, prolonged fishing pressure and water temperatures that are often elevated, can make the fish hard to find and/or engage.

Trout fishing continues to be more challenging than normal on the local rivers. The Trico hatches of mid-morning have been inconsistent the past month not providing the reliability of fun surface activity we expect this time of year. Terrestrial fishing has been o.k. but most days have been bright and sunny that combined with low water tends to drive fish to deep and/or dark places and not looking up at our flies.

If you hit the water on a cloudy or overcast day – you have picked a good day as the fishing tends to be much better with fish out and looking to eat. The foam and rubber legged patterns have been working with various size and colors, but the real big ones haven’t been working; like streamer patterns, word is out that the big ones hurt. A few flying ants have been around and are always worth tossing whether alone or as a dropper behind a larger, easier to see pattern.

The smallmouth bass fishing on rivers has gotten a little slower, too. We are still finding fish, it’s just not as consistent. The full-moon could be the reason why they aren’t eating as much but in rivers like the lower Manistee, it could be the presence of some early running salmon that have them off the bite as the smallies are no longer feeling like they are the top of the food chain. Classic baitfish streamers in white/gray have been most consistent, but yellow is a good back-up color to have in your box.

The lake and pond fishing, too, has slowed some. More so than ever, seek out the structure of weed beds and drop offs for your best chance at both bluegill/sunnys and largemouth bass. A very small weighted streamer fished on a floating line with a slow retrieve has been productive when the surface bite isn’t happening.

Good luck.

Ted

Learn to Fly Fish – Book a half-day trip with the idea of learning the basics in how to cast and fly fish.
Trout and Terrestrials – Start your day on a cool river fishing for trout with dry flies into September.
Fall Steelhead – Finish the season with what started the season – Steelhead! Good dates available in November

bass fishing, fishing, learn to fly fish, salmon, streamers, terrestrial fishing, traverse city, trout

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