Mid October Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - October 13, 2024

It’s starting to feel like fall with lots of color in the trees but also cooler air temperatures.

The salmon fishing is past its peak on local rivers that continue to run low and clear and warmer than it should for mid-October. The rain is falling as I type and hopefully continues all day and we can add some color to the clear conditions, but also encourage the last of the salmon to head up and some more steelhead to realize they can enjoy all the salmon eggs that they can eat upstream. There has been no shortage of salmon this year and they are spawning heavily.

For those targeting the steelhead, it’s been egg patterns and beads with an occasional fish on nymphs like hex and steelhead buggers when fishing runs not directly below spawning salmon. If fishing below salmon, realistic egg patterns and bead colors have been working best. With more leaves likely to be in the river over the next week, look to increase the size of your flies so they stand out a little from everything drifting downstream.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Finish the season with steelhead on the lower Manistee. Good dates in November remain.
2025 Fishing Season – It’s not too early to look ahead to the next year and get your dates planned and secured.
Gift Certificates – Available for Half or Full Day Guide Trips or a Casting Lesson making perfect gifts for anglers.

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December Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - December 4, 2023

December has come and it seems that the big push of steelhead we are accustomed to in the fall simply did not.

While it was a tough fall, reports from the lake indicate the population is healthy and the lack of rain is to blame for keeping the fish there. We had good pulses of fish move upstream after the rains we did receive and the light fall run bodes well for a good spring run as they move upstream for annual spawning migration as the days get longer again and rivers get a bit higher. If the long-term forecast of a mild winter holds true, look for fish to trickle through the river systems all winter long.

If you are looking to get out on the water, pick your days wisely based on the forecast as we go from late fall to winter conditions and weather. Snow is more common and run off can drop the water temp a couple degrees. A little sun not only makes it comfortable for anglers but also helps bump the water temps a little.

The steelhead that are in the system can be just about anywhere as long as it isn’t a hard current. The softer side of current seams and cross overs and those with some structure have been more reliable the past two weeks. As the water temperatures start to stay below 40 degrees, we mix up our presentation using indicators, floats, swung flies and duck and chuck.

Water clarity on the Manistee has been remarkably clearer than normal so, dropping down in tippet size is a good approach as is using some stealth. When hooked, the fish are starting to do more of that alligator roll through the fight allowing you to get away with lighter line. Smaller, less obnoxious patterns seem to be out fishing the big, bold and bright with these conditions.

Good luck.

Ted

Gift Certificates– Give the gift of time on the water this Holiday Season. Half or Full Day trips.
Spring Steelhead – Most of the season is booked – get your dates for March and April while you can.
2024 Fishing – Get your dates secured to ensure your time on the water. Booking all seasons thru September.

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Early November Steelhead Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - November 10, 2023

The leaves are gone, temps are dropping and it’s the time for the serious steelhead angler to go looking to hunt fish, not deer.

As is typical for this time of year, the river is running clear as it’s been a while since we have had a push of water from any significant rain. When we have had an increase in water, a small wave of steelhead ran up the Manistee and Betsie rivers, but fish numbers remain uncharacteristically below normal as they have been all fall.

Water temperatures remain in the mid-40s which is more than ideal for more fish to migrate up and as we have found out, they are active once hooked.

It’s been a while since the healthy run of king salmon naturally chummed the water with eggs from their annual spawning cycle, and as such we are starting to fish more nymphs in tandem with our egg patterns for the steelhead. It’s also a great time of the year to swing a big fly on a two-handed rod as it covers a larger portion of water and the flash of the patterns tends to get their attention.

With firearm deer season beginning on November 15 consider wearing hunter’s orange for safety – hunters, deer, firearms and adrenaline are an unpredictable mix.

Good luck,

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Just a few dates in November remain available – finish the fishing season strong.
Spring Steelhead – Most of the season is booked – get your dates for March and April while you can.
2024 Fishing – Get your dates secured to ensure your time on the water. Booking all seasons thru September.

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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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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.

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Posts tagged "manistee"

Mid October Fishing Report

December Fishing Report

Early November Steelhead Fishing Report

Mid-June Fishing Report

Early May Fishing Report

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