fly Archives - Current Works Guide Service

Traditionally Trout season begins the last Saturday of April and runs through September, but some sections of rivers like the Manistee remain open year-round. Within an hour’s drive of Traverse City we have a number of trout rivers/streams, good hatches, beautiful scenery and great fishing. Here is what you can expect throughout the year.

April – May

Hatches are going in earnest by the month of May and often start earlier in April which include: Hendricksons, Little Black Stone Flies and Caddis, offering some really good dry fly fishing. Later in the month of May, expect Sulphurs, March Browns, Black Quills/Borcher’s Drakes, and others extending into June. With water temperatures rising and angling pressure low, this is a great time to be on the water for the angler willing to mix up their fishing between streamers and dry flies.

These are the months to throw streamers for some trophy fish. Streamer fishing has become common the past few years and remains a great way to cover water when the bugs aren’t on the surface. Not necessarily for beginners, we cast some big flies on sink-tip lines for big fish. There is nothing like watching a 20-plus inch fish come out of nowhere and pounce on your fly.

June

The “bug month,” June has so many different aquatic insects hatching that it can sometimes be maddening trying to determine which bugs the fish are eating at a particular time. That’s why a lot of anglers like to fish Michigan in June. Sulphurs, March Browns, Mahoganies, Tan Caddis, Borchers Drakes, Isonychias, Yellow Sallies, Golden Stones, Big Stones, Brown Drakes, Grey Drakes and of course, the Hex (Hexagenia Limbata). Looking for dry fly fishing? Then this is a great month for you.

Note: The month of June books early for guided trips. Secure your dates »
Hex fishing is the time of the year that 2-1/2″ – plus mayflies hatch in the last minutes of light and into the dark hours of our longest days. With the dark comes those wary night-time roaming brown trout feeding on the surface, often making a noise hard to accept from a fish that is typically such a nocturnal recluse. While the West is known for its Salmonfly Hatch, we have the Hex as our claim to fly-fishing fame.

July – August

Coming off of a very busy month of hatches, we look for the small Trico hatches in the morning to bring fish up to the surface. Grasshoppers and other terrestrial patterns come out of the box and on the water making for some fun and exciting fishing. Evenings typically produce some bug activity including Isonychias and others like Light Cahills and Blue Wing Olives.

Night Time

“Mousing” — the casting of big surface flies resembling mice and other surface disruptions — can bring up those nocturnal brown trout which are out in the shallow flats looking to eat big without much work. Not necessarily for beginners, mouse fishing is for anglers who are looking for a unique opportunity to fish at night with glow-in-the-dark fly lines and big flies for big fish. Find out what the allure is to this fishing and remember to set the hook on the feel, not the sound!

September – November

With kids back in school, college football on TV and the salmon and steelhead in some rivers, trout rivers in the Traverse City and northern Michigan regions are yours to claim. Water temps have dropped and streamer fishing gets going again with some good terrestrial fishing on top. Enjoy the river and the fall colors with an opportunity to catch some trout that themselves are changing color and are as vivid as the foliage. The trout fishing below Tippy Dam at the end of October and in November can be some of the best fishing of the year on both nymphs and streamers as they are coming off a diet of eggs and looking to keep the feed bag on.

Off-Season

“Off-season” is considered fall, winter and early spring. When most anglers are in pursuit of steelhead or salmon, hit the extended season rivers and have the trout water to yourself. Both the Manistee and Boardman Rivers have sections that are open all year. Sometimes we experience warm-ups throughout the winter, and often a change of a couple degrees is enough to get some fish feeding. It’s always good to get out and get some fresh air, sunshine and hopefully fish. Streamer fishing during ideal conditions can bring out the hibernating browns that are looking to eat big — some of the largest fish of the year are taken at this time — well before the traditional trout opener arrives.

Obviously, being a fly fishing guide for trout in northern Michigan can be a year-round endeavor with each of our distinct four-weather seasons which offer unique conditions to all anglers. Simply put, we don’t get bored guiding just one species, one way. And we have lots of equipment to prove it.

Rivers

Local trout waters that Current Works offers guided fly fishing trips on include both the Upper and Lower Manistee and the Boardman River, located close to Traverse City. For more information on these rivers, check out the Rivers / Hatches section of the website.

: Winter Fishing

: Brown Trout and Streamer

: Morning Trico Hatch

Check out the local Hatch Chart for additional bug details.

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This is my twist/version of the Tar Baby fly pattern which borrows elements from the Mutant Ninja Cicada originated by Emmett Heath – famed guide of the Green River in Utah. Used primarily as a cicada imitation this large terrestrial pattern offers a large profile and bright, kicking rubber legs serving as an attractor when there isn’t much on the water’s surface to bring fish up.

During warm summers in northern Michigan the loud and often obnoxious buzzing sound coming from trees is that of a Cicada. While the insect doesn’t have an abundant population in this region, they are worthy of having in your box as an attractor – if not an imitation of the bug itself.

Tar Baby – Underside

Floating high because of its foam body and elk hair wing, this fly works well as a indicator fly where a second fly is tied to the bend of the hook – either a nymph or a smaller, hard to see dry fly like a beetle or Trico. Fish it solo like any large terrestrial like a grasshopper – close to the bank, over deeper runs and all water that appears promising. A little twitch or even some skating/skittering often brings fish’s attention to it.

Consider tying the same fly using different color pieces of foam…. tan, khaki, chartreuse, or olive as it can suggest grasshoppers and play around with different leg colors. Don’t limit yourself to using this fly just for trout – it has taken its fair share of bass, too.

Tar Baby Recipe

Hook:           Dry Fly Hook – Size 10 (Gamakatsu S10)
Thread:         Uni 6/0 – Black
Body:           Black Foam – 1/8″
Underbody:    Ice Dub – Peacock
Underwing:    Pearlescent Sheet
Wing:            Elk Body
Legs:            Grizzly Barred Rubber Legs – Med – Red
Indicator:      White Foam – 1/8″

Tying Instructions

Step 1. Cut body from foam sheet approximately 1/4-inch wide 1-1/2 inch long and make a tapper on one end.

Step 2. Place hook in Vise and wrap base layer from behind eye to above hook barb. This is where
you will tie the foam down with the tapered end extending beyond the hook bend.

Step 3. Once tied down, dub the under body to provide some iridescence to the body.

Step 4. Tie the foam down again behind the hook eye with the additional foam extending forward.

Step 5. Trim the extending foam the length of the hook shank and then cut the corners off.

Step 6. Tie in a piece of pearlescent sheet on top of the foam that just extends beyond the body.
Too large of an under wing will tend to twist/helicopter thin tippets when casting.

Step 7. Clean and even/stack a sparse amount of elk hair and tie in over the
under body with the tips extending the same length as the under wing.

Step 8. Tie the rubber legs in on each side of the body forming the fish loving “X” and trim so the front legs are
shorter than the back legs. If the rear legs foul in the bend of the hook when fishing, trim streamside.

Step 9. Use a piece of white foam which should be slightly narrower than the body and tie
above the elk hair to reinforce the elk hair and keep it extending backwards
without excessive flaring. Whip finish and apply two coats of head cement.

To address any potential misunderstandings of the name Tar Baby, Wikipedia defines it as:

“The Tar-Baby is a doll made of tar and turpentine used to entrap Br’er Rabbit in the second of the Uncle Remus stories. The more that Br’er Rabbit fights the Tar-Baby, the more entangled he becomes. In modern usage according to Random House, “tar baby” refers to any “sticky situation” that is only aggravated by additional contact.”

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