Mid-June Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 12, 2023

Mid June’s trout fishing has been decent considering the bugs have been fickle.

The days of reliable hatches in the evenings and spinner falls at dusk seem to be something of the past. I can’t help but think it’s weather related and in the past couple of weeks its been bright sunny and hot days and cool evenings. This week, it’s a cold front. I’d say the best time to hit the trout rivers is any time you can, especially early or later in the day when the sun is lower and shadows offer the fish some security and anglers, hope. Or, take advantage of cloudy days.

On the Manistee the Brown Drakes are wrapping up, as are the Mahoganies and an errant Sulphur can be seen if you look closely. Medium Brown Stones are bopping around along with some Little Yellow Sally Stones. A Borcher’s Drake will cover you through various mayflies as will Robert’s Yellow Drakes – both in size 10-14. The bug savvy anglers are anticipating the most this time of year are the Isonychias. These once prolific mayflies have been hard to find the past few years but when you do, the fish only want them so have them in your box.

<<You can read more on fishing hatches prior to the Hex Hatch here.>>

Smaller streamers have been fished on floating lines or intermediate tip lines to cover water between hatches and have been reliable for those that can fish them effectively.

Bass and bluegill on local lakes are still fishing well with a number of the bigger gills still up shallow. The bass are in a post-spawn feed which seems to be different from the smallmouth bass that tend to go on a post-spawn diet. As such, the smallmouth fishing hasn’t been as good as it had been since mid-May. Look for the river fishing for smallmouth to start up again after another week – these fish like to eat and they don’t stay on the diet too long.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout – It’s Match-the-Hatch time on the trout rivers through June. Tricos and Terrestrials in July and August.
Smallmouth Bass– Spend a half or full-day on the lower Manistee fishing smallies – June through Late August.
Fall Steelhead – November still has some dates available in 2023 – finish the fishing season strong.

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Late July Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 28, 2021

After some heavy rain last weekend our local rivers came up significantly but have dropped again and are close to average flows/heights for this time of year. The clarity is still running with a bit of a stain to them but are more than fishable, for now – if the rain we get tonight occurs, we will be back to higher, stained water leaving most of the fish with full bellies from eating everything getting washed downstream making fishing a little tougher than it should be for this time of year.

The Tricos have showed up mid-morning most days but some days it’s a short and brief hatch, other days longer; both scenarios bringing up the smaller fish with the occasional surprise on the end of the line. Isonychias are still hatching very sporadically this time of year and the fish are still responding to them surprisingly well considering how few are hatching. Light Cahills are also around, but I rarely have seen a fish eat one over the years so they aren’t my first choice in patterns – they must taste bad.

This time of year is also what I refer to as the “Foam and Rubber Hatch” – that is terrestrials and attractor patterns made with foam bodies and rubber legs that wiggle, twitch and shake bringing the fish to the surface. Grasshopper fishing gets a lot of attention in this sport this time of year, but frankly put – I don’t see too many natural hoppers on waters like the upper Manistee. These bigger hoppers fished with a twitch can still be productive, just not sure they are taking them as hoppers vs. something big and gangly on the surface.

The lake fishing has slowed down on the brighter days fishing for bluegills and the bass seem to have gone deep except for the low light of the a.m., evening, or rare cloudy day. Poppers slowly and patiently twitched, gurgled or even popped with long rests afterward have had some fish near weed beds and drop offs eat. And a few gills are just finishing up what is likely to be their last spawning in the shallows on certain lakes and ponds for some surface activity.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout Fishing – July and August is Terrestrial and Trico time! Start the day off casting to brook and brown trout
and get back to the family for lunch time – it’s a great way to start the day when in Northwest Michigan.
Learn to Fly Fish – Tailor a half-day trip to learning how to fly fish –perfect for beginners.
Fall Steelhead – Some good dates remain in November and into December.

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Late June Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 29, 2021

As July winds down, so does the Hex Hatch. The hot weather of mid-June got the bugs going early this year and relatively steady if not predictable, then the weather changes came. With the cool downs, I suspect hatches will continue through the upcoming nights, just not heavily, and spinner falls will be similar – sporadic and light. Then again, there is no telling.

Northern Michigan finally got the rain it so desperately needed and not too much of it like downstate. The local rivers (upper Manistee and Boardman) did come up, but not terribly, nor are they considered high. A little stain entered the river, too, as the increase in flow pulled some of the silt off the banks and pushed it down river. Water temps range from upper 50s in the a.m. to mid-60’s most evenings.

The cloudy weather has made for better trout fishing in daylight hours and some of the weather has encouraged some Isonychias to emerge; it’s been good to see these bugs show up again after a few years of sparse emergences. A smattering of other bugs are around including medium yellow/brown stoneflies (mattress thrashers) BWOs, Little Yellow Sallies, and Bat Flies. Because the hatches have been so sporadic this year, having your early June dry fly boxes in your vest would be prudent because you never know when an outlier might make an appearance. Some smaller streamers fished on a floating line can yield some nice brown and brook trout this time of year, too.

Bass and bluegill fishing remains strong on the area lakes. The largemouth bass are becoming more aggressive in their post spawn phase and the bluegill continue to feed both sub-surface and below. Weed beds near drop-offs and structure should be where you focus your casts.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout Fishing – July and August is Terrestrial and Trico time! Start the day off casting to brook and brown trout
and get back to the family for lunch time – it’s a great way to start the day when in Northwest Michigan.
Learn to Fly Fish – Tailor a half-day trip to learning how to fly fish –perfect for beginners.
Fall Steelhead – Some good dates remain in November and into December.

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3rd Week of June Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 20, 2021

As June continues, so do the fluctuations in weather. Thankfully the water temps have remained “safe” for trout fishing on the upper Manistee staying below 70 degrees for over a week now.

Hex flies have begun on parts of the river as have the Isonychias and, some Brown Drakes are still around typically at dusk. Other flies on and above the water include medium brown stones, bat flies, the last of the Sulphurs and even a great mahogany or two.

The weather forecast is calling for a significant cold front which should interrupt the cycle of emergences for a bit until normal temps come back again later in the week. Fishing will be challenging for most as you can’t hide in the cover of darkness when fishing in daytime when bugs are likely to be on the water. As it has been the case all season, really good presentations are required to fool these wise, educated and pressured fish.

Bass and bluegill fishing remains good on the smaller lakes. The bass are in a post spawn mood and hanging in the structure looking to eat, while the bluegill have gone shallow again. Weed growth is where it should be for this time of year giving you a great place to target both your dries/poppers and slider/divers.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout Fishing – July and August is Terrestrial and Trico time! Start the day off casting to brook and brown trout
and get back to the family for lunch time – it’s a great way to start the day when in Northwest Michigan.
Learn to Fly Fish – Tailor a half-day trip to learning how to fly fish –perfect for beginners.
Fall Steelhead – Some good dates remain in November and into December.

bass, bass fishing, bluegill fishing, brown drakes, fishing, fly fishing guide, fly fishing report traverse city, hex flies, hex hatch, isonychias, manistee, streamer fishing, sulphurs

Mid June Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 11, 2021

We aren’t even to the mid-June but it already feels like mid-August. In Arizona.

Extreme heat (by northern Michigan standards), low humidity, and practically no rain the past month in addition to being down more than half the annual precipitation YTD, have left the rivers low, clear, and warm. And the fish are stressed. Temps on the upper Manistee have been in the upper 60s for a week and some days going beyond the 70-degree mark.

While you might think that makes for ideal wet-wading, it has made for tough conditions for trout survival. Just because you catch and release a fish and watch it swim away doesn’t ensure it survives the experience. Watching a dead trout tumble down the river from someone upstream is confirmation that another business partner has been lost and it’s one less fish any of us can catch in the future. It sucks. And most of the time, it can be prevented by not fishing in those conditions.

Please monitor water temps and when it nears the 70 degree mark, leave the trout alone. Instead, consider fishing a lake for other species, get caught up on house projects, catch a ball game or fix those leaky waders. Our un-stocked and often mis-managed fisheries just can’t handle an angler-inflicted blow caused by warm water and catch-and-release mortality.

To help you monitor temps, you can check out these links which will give you an idea on conditions:

Upper Manistee
Lower Manistee
Most rivers in the State of Michigan

With that said, I haven’t been on the water this week as trips have been cancelled or refocused to other sections of water or species. Not being there to witness hatches, experience tells me that often in warm conditions like this, bug activity tends to be condensed to the last hour of light, if it happens at all. Sometimes mid-morning can provide a spinner fall, but spinners are the most unpredictable stage of mayflies.

So, for the good news. The overnight temps are forecast to drop into the 50s for a while which will help our spring fed trout streams and rivers cool off. There might even be some rain to add some color to the water and keep the dust managed on the roads. More good news: with the lack of rain, mosquitoes have pretty much been non-existent.

When the rivers cool off, look for Isonychias, Stone flies, Bat Flies, and Brown Drakes to occupy the air space above your favorite pool and/or on the water itself.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout Fishing – July and August is Terrestrial and Trico time! Start the day off casting to brook and brown trout
and get back to the family for lunch time – it’s a great way to start the day when in Northwest Michigan.
Learn to Fly Fish – Tailor a half-day trip to learning how to fly fish –perfect for beginners.
Fall Steelhead – Some good dates remain in November and into December.

brown drakes, catch and release mortality, fly fishing guide, fly fishing report, isonychias, michigan trout fishing, warm water

Posts tagged "isonychias"

Mid-June Fishing Report

Late July Fly Fishing Report

Late June Fly Fishing Report

3rd Week of June Fly Fishing Report

Mid June Fly Fishing Report

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