Posts tagged "fly-fishing guide"

Tricos and Terrestrials for Trout

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 30, 2014

Our cooler summer is keeping water temperatures nice and cool and the fish sassy. Ranging from the upper 50s to low 60s and with a good flow, the upper Manistee and Boardman look a little different for this time of year.

Mid-morning hatches of Tricos have been taking place but vary a little based on how long it takes for the air to warm up; some mornings it takes a little longer for those small bugs to hit the water and the fish to look up. There aren’t many other bugs on the water right now except for a light hodge-podge of mayflies – including Cahills, BWOs and Isonychias. More on <<Fishing After the Hex Hatch>>

With fewer bugs on the water and hatch to match, now is a good time to transition into the terrestrial fishing – that is hoppers, ants, beetles, cicadas and most patterns tied with foam and rubber legs. As the summer extends these land-loving bugs find themselves on the water and vulnerable to trout. Fish them dead-drift with the occasional twitch and if that doesn’t work, put a lot of twitch and motion in them (not necessarily drag) for some reaction. More on <<Terrestrial Fishing>>

Small streamers, too, are working when the surface activity isn’t taking place. Work the structure with weighted patterns on a floating line and see if you can’t tease some fish out of their bunkers.

The lake fishing remains good for largemouth bass and bluegill fishing. The bigger poppers and sliders have been fooling the larger bass where the small spiders, swimming nymphs and streamers are working for the bluegill/panfish. Weed growth and lily pads have been a great place to start as is structure near breaks in water depth. More on <<Largemouth Bass Fishing>>

Smallmouth fishing in the lower Manistee remains an option for those looking to fish streamers for these fun fish. While they aren’t as big as the fish in the Bay, these bass keep it visual and are often eager to please. This is not the ideal species for the beginner but for the angler who has the basic skills and looking for a fun way to further develop your skills.

Good luck.

Ted

Tricos and Terrestrials for 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 fishing, boardman, fly fishing, fly-fishing guide, lakes, manistee, panfish, rivers, smallmouth, terrestrials, traverse city, tricos, trout

Autumn Offender Streamer Pattern

Posted by Ted Kraimer - December 16, 2013

Autumn Offender Streamer – Fish it year round

While the name of this trout streamer pattern suggests it’s only effective in the fall, it catches fish all year -round and not just here in northern Michigan. While imitating nothing in particular, it suggests a number of common food sources including sculpins, creek chubs, and juvenile trout – staples to most trout’s diet.

This easy to tie fly incorporates colors and materials which often work when proven patterns in the fly box aren’t — making it a go-to pattern when fishing is tough. The long rabbit strip combined with the marabou and cone-head provides nice movement on the pause after a strip. With a bit of flash and a number of natural colors also incorporated, this pattern has just enough attention-getting characteristics and “bling” when the water is stained. But since the colors are relatively muted, it fishes well in clear water, too – which is often the water’s condition come fall.

Fish the Autumn Offender on a sink-tip or floating line depending on the water and time of year, and strip it back with a rod twitch and a pause. This streamer pattern has also caught steelhead when swung with a two handed rod and heavy sink-tip. To learn more about streamer fishing techniques read my article, “Tips for better streamer fishing“.

Not into tying streamers? This pattern is available from Rainy’s Flies and can be bought in stocking fly shops.

Recipe:

Hook:
Thread:
Tail:
Weight:
Body:
Wing:
Over Wing:
Collar:
Head:

Gamakatsu S11-4L2H #4
Uni 6/0 – Camel
Rabbit Strip – Black Barred Sand Variant or Brown Barred Tan
Large Cone – Copper
Krystal Hackle – Olive Brown, Large & UV Polar Chenille Rusty Copper
Marabou Blood Quill – Golden Brown & Yellow
Flashabou – Kelly Green and Holographic Copper
Mallard Dyed Wood Duck Flank feather
Ice Dub – Golden Brown

Tying Instructions

Step 1. Slide cone onto hook by inserting small end through point first. Put hook in vise.

Step 2. Wrap a base layer of thread to above barb.

Step 3. Tie in a section of rabbit that is a little longer than hook’s length.

Step 4. Tie in Krystal Hackle and Polar Chenille and at the same time, palmer towards cone
while stroking fibers backwards and stopping 3/8” behind eye.

Step 5. Tie in a yellow marabou feather by its tip and wrap two to three times.
Too much feather results in bulk which has less motion so fewer can be better.

Step 6. Repeat Step 5 but with a golden brown marabou feather.
Tip : A little saliva on your fingers stroked through the marabou
helps manage the materials, making the following steps easier.

Step 7. Tie in two strands of each color flashabou and tie on top as a wing, not extending
beyond the rabbit strip. Also, keep the ends staggered rather than trimmed to one length.

Step 8. Take the Mallard flank and tie in by the tip. “Fold” the half of the feather on the other side of the
step from you by using your scissor’s edge to crease the fibers. Holding the feather taught, run your
scissors in your other along the feather to “break” the fibers allowing them to flow backwards.

Step 9. Wrap the flank collar two or three times depending on coverage, tie down and trim.

Step 10. Dub a loose “trigger” ball of ice dub between flank and cone and the whip finish.

Finished Fly – The Autumn Offender

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autumn offender streamer, fly-fishing guide, how to tie streamers, manistee, michigan trout fishing, Northern Michigan, rainys flies, sculpin, sink-tip, streamer pattern

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

Rain, Snow, High Water and Steelhead

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 10, 2013

With recent rain showers and hopefully our last significant snowfall of the season anglers will find the water running high, dirty but with a silver/chrome lining to it – steelhead. Fresh fish continue to move through the Manistee and Betsie River systems while the winter and early spring steelhead have hit the gravel to spawn. The fresh fish are in both deep holes and the pocket water near gravel and the water conditions will most likely spread the fish into some unusual places as well as the usual.

Water temps are hovering around 40 degrees and with decreasing visibility, your flies should include big egg flies in bold colors, and your nymphs also should be big and either bright or dark – natural tones might just go unnoticed. Bump up your tippet size and hold on tight to the rod as the fish are even stronger as they use the increased current against you.

To check on your favorite river’s water level, click on the USGS Website.

Good luck and be safe.

Ted

The Spring newsletter just went out – click here to read and/or sign up for delivery.

Steelhead – Spring is already booked but it’s not too early to get your fall dates secured. Late Sept. – Nov.
Trout Fishing – May & June offer some or our best streamer fishing & great hatches – its closer than you think!
2013 Fishing Season – Now booking for all seasons in 2013 – Don’t miss your place in the boat.

bright egg patterns, egg glies, flies, fly-fishing guide, guide trips, manistee, steelhead

Fall To Winter Steelhead & Trout Fishing

Posted by Ted Kraimer - November 26, 2012

It didn’t take long for mother nature and conditions to go from a lingering fall right into winter mode. Temperatures have become more seasonable and so has the water temps slowing fish down a bit. It has been a while since we have received any significant precipitation so most of the steelhead in local river systems have been there a while and have been settling into their cold-water behaviors and lies. Water clarity is a little too good right now coupled with the low water levels so a little lighter line/tippet highly recommended.

Look for fish to be near wood structure in the slower moving water just and often just on the inside of a bubble line. As water temps drop these fish become a little more lethargic but they are still eating, albeit often selectively. Fishing with floats and suspending flies through bubble lines (fly pinning) is an effective method from now until spring as it helps with the drag-free drift and keeps your flies out of the wood. The swing bite for those looking to cast two-handed rods remains decent as this method can encourage some fish out of the wood to eat something big and flashy; target the soft water on the inside off the bubble line just like the nymph and egg angler and let the fly hang-down a little longer as this time of year the fish seem to get curious about big streamer/spey flies dangling in the current.

Trout fishing remains a viable option for those looking to catch some browns and bows. Streamer fishing in some of the bigger water this time of year requires a lot of casts but often with big rewards when you hit. Fishing below Tippy Dam offers both streamer and nymph fishing as there is a higher concentration of trout in the first couple of miles of downstream of the dam. Small, natural looking (pale and/or translucent) eggs are a great pattern to fish in tandem with either a scud/sow bug or bwo nymph under an indicator. While it appears that our warm summer had an effect on the trout population in this water, there are still plenty of fish to target.

Firearm deer season ends 11/30/12 so wearing a little blaze orange isn’t a bad call as hunters tend to get anxious to fill unused tags the last few days of the season.

Good Luck.

Ted

Late Fall Steelhead: Target angler’s favorite sport-fish through December – Stay active this Holiday Season.
Late Season Trout: Fish the Upper or Lower Manistee and have the river to yourself. Nymph & Streamer fishing.
Gift Certificates: Ask for or give the gift of a guide trip or casting lesson. It’s a quick and easy gift! Click here.
Booking for all 2013 Seasons and through September – reserve your place in the boat.

current works, fall steelhead, fly-fishing guide, manistee, manistee river, steelhead, ted kraimer, traverse city, upper-manistee

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