Winter Mode – Steelhead Fishing and Fly Tying

Posted by Ted Kraimer - January 20, 2013

Winter is bouncing back and forth between mild and severe offering decent windows of opportunity when the temps are comfortable. There are steelhead in the local rivers with a mix of fresh and winter fish in all systems including the Manistee, Betsie and Boardman. The thaws and rains over the past couple of weeks helped bump water levels up which mixed the fish a little bit moving them around as well as inspiring a few fresh fish to enter the rivers.

Water levels are normal for winter steelheading and rather than typical gin-clear water, there is just a little color to it which is good. Since the fish in the systems are mixed, you will find that the increases in water shuffled the deck so to speak and this will help to keep the fish from being overly stale which can be a problem this time of year as they tend to hibernate in the deep, slow water. Water temps are running in the mid-30s. The drag-free drift is most important this time of year as the fish are demanding. Egg patterns this time of year do a decent job of catching fish and their attention so if heading out be sure to fish a tandem rig with very realistic looking nymphs like hex, caddis, and small mayflies. Presentations under an indicator/float is a good idea this time of year to help with the subtle take but also to help you suspend your flies above structure. Look for the inside of seams to be more productive throughout the winter.

The forecast isn’t calling for any warm-ups and should the weather service remain true to its prediction you might find the cold of January is a great time to tie some flies or read a book on fishing. Some old and new favorite books of mine include: Mayflies – Top to Bottom by Shane Stalcup, Dynamic Nymphing by George Daniel, The River Home by Jerry Dennis and Bonefishing by Randall Kaufman. Check your local fly shop, club or group for fly tying classes this winter – it’s a great way to spend a cold, dark night thinking about fish, filling your fly box and learning more about flies and fishing.

Good luck,

Ted

Winter Special: Take advantage of warm-ups this winter! 5 hours of fishing and lunch – $250
Gift Certificates: Ask for or give the gift of a guide trip or casting lesson. It’s a quick and easy gift! Click here.
Spring Steelhead: Mid-March isn’t that far away – get your dates secured and reserve your place in the boat.
– – Currently Booking for all 2013 Seasons – –

current works, fly tying, hex, indicators, manistee, manistee river, michigan, nymph, nymphing, steelhead, ted kraimer

It’s Officially Summer (and it feels like it)

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 21, 2012

Its been warm for the past 10 days and it has sped up the hatches on local rivers. The big hex bugs at night that tend to bring out the big fish have ramped up but with the rest of the season, there have been some nights with more bugs than others and not much rhyme or reason to it. After some decent rains and overall wet month, the local rivers (Manistee, Boardman, Au Sable, etc.) are full and have some color to them – not necessarily a bad thing considering the big bright sun. Other than the hex spinners that fall right at dusk, look for big stones, isonychias, a remaining brown drake or two, epeorus, bat flies and blue winged olives. Water temps are high so land your fish quickly and please practice catch and release – our trout are too valuable to only catch once. Besides, brown trout simply don’t taste very good.

Carp fishing on the bay has been decent as long as the winds aren’t blowing too strong. Lots of fish are spawning but a lot have already done so and are in post-spawn mode and tend to be more willing to eat the fly. Smallmouth bass continue to offer shots, but it seems that the bigger fish have moved deep again with smaller fish in shallower where fly anglers can still reach them. Look for any type of cover and structure to provide a shot at smallmouth. Good carp flies have been hex patterns, crayfish and black wooly buggers while the smallmouth are liking crayfish, baitfish/Clouser Minnows, and goby/sculpin looking patterns.

Good luck,

Ted

Trout: Fishing with streamers and dries. Don’t forget the Big Bugs – Drakes, Isonychias and Hex.
Terrestrials & Trico hatches in the Months of July & August – start your mornings off on a cool, quiet trout stream.
Salmon: The end of August begins our salmon season extending through September. Limited dates available.
Steelhead: The end of September means it’s time to focus on fall steelhead – extending though November
Booking for all 2012 Seasons and through June 2013 – reserve your place in the boat.

boardman, carp fly fishing, hex, manistee, river, trout

Early June Fly Fishing – Lots Going On

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 7, 2012

After last weekend’s rain, river levels are full and returning to normal levels. The Upper Manistee is in good shape, the Lower Manistee is still on the high side with an ideal stain, the Boardman is running full and the Au Sable is back to normal. The flush of water made for good streamer fishing and with the forecast heat, the dry fly fishing should ramp up after a cool period with very sporadic hatches.

Look for Isonychias to build in numbers as well as a mix of other bugs including: Brown Drakes, March Browns, the last of the Sulphurs, Yellow/Golden Stone Flies (#10), Bat Flies and Mahoganies. When the days are hot and temps stay warm into dark, look for the hatches to be condensed into a short window near dusk. In other words, bring your headlamp and walk back to the car in the dark after fishing until dark. Because of our mild winter, warm March and otherwise odd weather this Spring – the timing and predictability of hatches has been off. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a few hex and gray drake patterns in your box should this warm weather inspire a few bugs to show up early.

{A few years ago I wrote an article pertaining to trout fishing in the weeks leading up to the Hex hatch – you can read it by clicking here.}

Carp fishing on the bay has been very mixed as the fish haven’t been nearly as predictable as they normally are this time of year. With a few fish showing signs of spawning the past few days, look for this warm weather to ramp up fish numbers and spawning activity in the shallow flats. Plan to cover a lot of ground to find fish willing to play along and be armed with the usual patterns: hex nymphs, crayfish, Clouser minnows and b.h. black wooly buggers. While the carp fishing hasn’t been up to par, the smallmouth bass fishing has been solid with small minnow/baitfish patterns working well.

Bass and Bluegill fishing continues on the smaller lakes and with a lot of the spawning done, males protecting nests have brought aggressive behavior as well as from the females looking to eat, too. Look for deeper breaks and drop offs to produce the bigger bluegills/panfish. The popper fishing has improved however the small streamer and nymph/dry combo has been most effective mostly because it allows us to fish deeper water.

Good Luck,

Ted

– Upcoming Fishing Seasons –

Trout: Fishing with streamers and dries. Don’t forget the Big Bugs – Drakes, Isonychias and Hex.
Carp and Smallmouth Bass on Grand Traverse Bays – find out why this has become a favorite of many anglers.
Terrestrials & Trico hatches in the Months of July & August – start your mornings off on a cool, quiet trout stream.
Booking for all 2012 Seasons – Some Fall Salmon and Steelhead Dates Remain Open

ausable, bass, bat flies, boardman, brown drakes, fly fishing, grand traverse bay, hatches, hex, hex hatch, manistee, manistee river, smallmouth bass, streamer fishing

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Posts tagged "hex"

Winter Mode – Steelhead Fishing and Fly Tying

It’s Officially Summer (and it feels like it)

Early June Fly Fishing – Lots Going On

– Upcoming Fishing Seasons –

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