Posts tagged "hendricksons"

Early May Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 10, 2025

Trout season is underway on the Manistee with a smattering of hatches that can be present at any time of the day. It’s been a while since we have had any rain and the rivers are running clear with levels ideal for both floating or the wading angler.

This time of year there can be a handful of different bugs on the water including caddis (Mother’s day caddis – right on time), Hendricksons, Black Quills, some #8 and 10 yellow stone flies, BWOs, and more. With the forecast ahead calling for some above normal temperatures, I wouldn’t hesitate having some Sulphurs and Mahoganies in your fly box, too. Another bug that is unpredictable this time of year (aren’t they all anymore?) but worth having is the March Brown – some days the fish key-in on this meaty bug if they are around.

The streamer fishing has been off a little again this spring with the lack of color to the water, but smaller streamers fished on floating lines or even intermediate tip lines is a good alternative the the bigger patterns and heavier lines.

Smallmouth bass are starting to move where we can target them with flies as they are going into their pre-spawn binge. These fish continue to impress anglers when they play along and bend the rod giving an alternative to the technical match-the-hatch trout fishing.

Some smaller, dark bottomed lakes have had some bluegill fishing begin and it will only get better in the days ahead with the full moon phase on a small lake near you. It’s always fun having them come to the surface but if they are reluctant, micro streamers and larger swimming nymphs work well.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Spring season is all booked, but a few dates remain available for the Fall Steelhead.
Trout Fishing – May and June offer some of the best technical dry fly fishing as we chase bugs and browns.
Smallmouth Bass – Now through Mid-August, come fish this rod bending species as an alternative to trout.

fishing report traverse city, fly fishing, guide trips, hendricksons, match the hatch dry fly fishing, mothers day caddis, smallmouth bass, streamer fishing, traverse city fly fishing, trout, trout fishing northern michigan, upper manistee river

Late April Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 25, 2025

With April coming to an end, so does our Spring Steelhead season. The run for this spring was a strong one the past 8 weeks and despite a week of high water in early April that made fishing tough – if not unsafe to get out, it provided a lot of fish and was a remarkable improvement over 2024 Spring Season’s fish numbers which was concerning.

There are still fish in the rivers, but in a week’s time, it went from a lot of fish to, not so many. Smaller rivers will have a few fish in them for a bit while larger rivers and their volume of water will continue to tease fish into the system, just as they have for years, resulting in late spawners which contributes to a longer season in years ahead.

Water temps are in the upper 40s and levels are about right for the time of year, but still running a bit stained which is still from the high water even we had over three weeks ago. Small natural eggs are catching more fish as they imitate the natural eggs drifting downstream and the salmon fry bite has been our best performing nymph over the past week.

Saturday is the traditional trout opener (walleye, pike and other species, too) and has a lot of folks swapping the heavy steelhead rods for their favorite trout rods. The timing of this year’s opener and the weather the past 2 months has been ideal. And because we had a “real” winter, it seems that conditions are now just building with only better days ahead as water temperatures climb into the 50s and create consistent conditions for hatches. In other words, after the hard winter and slow start of spring, the season is just starting where in recent years it has already been on and off again by the time opener arrived.

Hendricksons have started emerging and will only build in numbers especially with the forecast of warmer days ahead. BWO’s are always a staple in your fly box but this is a time of year you should expect to use them. Small stones are also fluttering on the surface some days when the sun is out, but most of the time a respectable sized trout won’t chase them on the surface unless there are a lot of them.

There are more hours on the water when bugs aren’t out than when they are emerging making an alternative presentation like streamer fishing a good way to cover water until bugs and rising fish present themselves. The fish haven’t been overly pressured but the water is still cold, so slow your presentation/retrieve and enjoy the start of a new trout season.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Spring season is all booked, but a few dates remain available for the Fall Steelhead.
Trout Fishing – May and June offer some of the best technical dry fly fishing as we chase bugs and browns.
2025 Season – Now booking the entire season for trout, bass, steelhead and salmon – get your dates planned

fishing guide, hendricksons, manistee river, steelhead, steelhead fishing, streamer fishing, trout fishing michigan

May Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 8, 2024

With May here, it’s time for the Mayflies on the local trout rivers.

This time of year can be a great time for the technical dry fly fisherman as there can be a variety of hatches ( and various stages of those hatches ) with fish keyed in on just what they want, served on a drag-free drift.

You can expect the Hendricksons which are winding down, but also mahogany duns, Sulphurs, March Browns, and some caddis. BWO’s always belong in your box, but they might get used more now than other times of the fishing season. For the next 6 weeks, it’s a good time to have an assortment of Borchers Drakes and Robert’s Yellow Drakes as they will get you through a lot of hatch situations.

Between hatches, cover the water with streamers. The Upper Manistee and Boardman are running at good levels – they are full, not high, and have a nice tint to it for good streamer fishing. Fishing from a boat with a sink-tip is the most effective, but if wading, shorter, less dense sink-tip lines with a weighted fly is an effective approach.
More on streamer fishing can be read here.

Some of the local lakes are just now starting to see some bluegill/panfish start to move into the shallows but a lot of them are hanging at the drop offs. A little bit more warm weather and some moon phase and it should be game on – especially the smaller lakes and ponds with a dark, silty bottom.

It’s still a good time to fish those lakes for the pike that are still milling around in the shallow water where we can easily get to them with a fly. Like most fish, they like structure to hide in before pouncing on prey.

Lastly, the smallmouth bass fishing is going on lakes and some on rivers. Baitfish patterns fished sub-surface either on floating lines or intermediate tip fly lines in those magic areas when structure and depth combine should be your target.

Good luck.

Ted

baitfish patterns, bass fishing, borchers drakes, fly fishing michigan, guide, hatches, hendricksons, smallmouth bass fly fishing, traverse city, trout

Late April Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 21, 2024

As April winds down, I can say I’ve never experienced one like this one before.

The steelhead fishing was affected by the lack of rain and high water from a snowpack that never happened in this El Nino year. Winter was mild and so was the run of fish as they seemed to be spread out over 3 months without any noticeable peak. I suspect the trickle of fish will continue but it will be even lighter as we approach May.

There are still some fish to be found in the Betsie and Manistee but with water temps in the low 50s, they seem to come and go quickly with some males hanging around in out for their next date to show up.

Here in Traverse City the Boardman has some fish in it for close to home fishing or in my case – fun observation from the bridge as I go to the post office. It actually offers a good opportunity to watch steelhead behavior…. like fish sitting in the deep holes behind the gravel, how a stable, solo fish in a hole changes its attitude when another fish moves in, or fish moving into the shadow of the bridge when the sun gets overhead. Anyway, there are fish around in our rivers but it is winding down.

With the warmer weather and trout season officially opening this Saturday, it might be time exchange your steelhead rod for your favorite dry fly and streamer rods. Some rivers are open all year, others extended seasons and most closed until the last Saturday in April – check the MI-DNR Regulations if you aren’t sure.

Hendricksons have been spotty but showing up most days when conditions are right. Fish this time of year aren’t overly selective, but they do need some bugs on the surface to get them to look up. When an emergence isn’t around, cover the water with a streamer. Water clarity of the upper Manistee, AuSable and Boardman is a little clearer than we expect for this time of year so a mid-sized streamer likely will be a better pattern rather than the large ones.

Good luck.

Ted

betsie river, hendricksons, manistee river, steelhead, steelhead guide, tippy dam, traverse city, trout fishing, trout fishing traverse city

Early May Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 2, 2023

The first of May has me thinking its like the first of March – cold, windy and snowy.

Like most weather events, this won’t last, but this weather halted the progression into spring trout fishing. Some Hendricksons and BWOs have been seen on the upper Manistee and Au Sable Rivers but much of the time on the water is spent fishing streamers with water temps still in the mid-40s.

By the end of the week, warm weather returns and so should the warming of water and promise of mayfly and surface activity. But don’t leave that streamer rod at home for all that time when the fish aren’t looking up.

Fishing lakes for smallmouth bass in the spring provides an alternative to trout especially in times when the weather shifts and fluctuations shut down hatches. Mostly streamer fishing along structure as these fish bulk up in a pre-spawn feeding mode, then dry flies/surface bugs when water temps increase.

Spring steelhead season is pretty much done. It was a strange season with so many fish in the river early and water temps a little higher than normal in March. However, it was also a long, spread-out season without any major surge of fish running upstream providing opportunity through March and April. In just five months, we will be chasing them again as the leaves start to turn and snow threatens, kind of picking up where we are leaving off.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout – May’s streamer & dry fly fishing turns to the big bugs of June. Good dates to choose from.
Smallmouth Bass– Spend a half or full-day on the lower Manistee fishing smallies – June through Late August.
Fall Steelhead – Just a few prime steelhead dates remain available in 2023 – finish the fishing season strong.

au sable, dry fly fishing, hendricksons, manistee

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