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Posts tagged "manistee fishing"

Late April Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 23, 2023

As we approach the end of April, it appears that spring steelhead season is also winding down.

It has been a strange spring with back-and-forth weather, following a relatively mild winter. It appeared that a lot of fish spawned much earlier this year than normal which is good as they were able to get the job done to make up for a year of fish not stocked (2021). We are still kind of waiting for another push of fish, but that might be wishful thinking.

The rivers are still in good shape with a little stain to them. Sunny days are making it hard, but there are spawning fish, drop-backs heading back and a few fresh fish trickling in. Smaller natural egg patterns and fry patterns have been working best. Most of the walleye have left the Manistee and just a few suckers have come in. It sure seems that the sucker population has been diminishing over the past decade which could indicate ecosystem issues (not to mention that trout feed heavily in sucker fry).

Trout fishing is just starting in its infancy. A few bugs have been witnessed on the upper Manistee and AuSable, but it is still early and the forecast indicates that not much will change in the week ahead including the opener (April 29). With the lack of bugs, head to the water with your streamer box but have a box of dries that include BWO and Hendricksons just in case.

Good luck.

Ted

2023 Fishing – Get your dates secured to ensure your time on the water. Booking all seasons.
Trout – May’s streamer & dry fly fishing turns to the big bugs of June. Good dates to choose from.
Fall Steelhead – Just a few prime steelhead dates remain available in 2023 – finish the fishing season strong.

au sable, egg patterns, manistee fishing, opening weekend, steelhead season, streamer fishing trout, trout fishing

Mid-October Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - October 16, 2019

Mid-October finds the weather and fisheries in-line with the calendar.

The river banks are popping with color as the leaves and salmon change color while some chrome steelhead show up. The salmon run is past the peak however a fresh one shows up occasionally. With the erratic weather patterns since late August, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few fresh fish trickle in for the next month on the Betsie and Manistee Rivers.

The steelhead – like the salmon – are running larger this year. Combine their size with warmer than normal water temperatures (upper 50’s) and folks have found them to be more than a handful when hooked; I have never witnessed steelhead behavior like this before. With the recent and forecast cooler overnights, the water temps are dropping, and this should help “tame” the fish a little.

As the salmon continue to spawn in the river, the steelhead are on a heavy diet of salmon eggs. The runs below spawning salmon have the steelhead below them taking full advantage of the protein drip. As such, egg patterns and beads have been the go-to, however some green caddis and steelhead buggers are an honorable mention and worth having in your box.

<<More info on fishing egg patterns can be found here>>

The ardent steelhead angler will still find the salmon angler and the accompanying trash on the river bank so be prepared to share the water for a few more weeks. Beer cans are lighter when empty but sadly they still don’t make it back to the parking lot once consumed – let their behavior of littering and questionable angling techniques inspire you to be a sportsman rather than assimilate and be a slob.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Good November and December dates remain open for these prized sport-fish.
2020 Fishing Season – We are booking dates through October of 2020 – don’t miss the prime times.

beads, egg patterns, fishing egg patterns, guided fly fishing, manistee fishing, michigan steelhead, salmon eggs, salmon fishing, steelhead, tippy dam

Mid-March Steelhead Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - March 17, 2016

Steelhead remain the primary target for anglers hitting the water right now. Really nice weather last week warmed the water temps up just a bit and that along with an increase in water volume moved some fish throughout the river systems.  With water temps hovering around 40 degrees, the fall steelhead that wintered over and the fish that moved upstream throughout the winter have  repositioned themselves upstream and are starting to stage in some of the deeper water/holes near spawning gravel waiting for ideal conditions to begin that process.

Some fresh steelhead from Lake Michigan have also moved upstream in both the Manistee and Betsie rivers – these fish can be scattered throughout the system as well as the water they are holding in. Look for seams/bubble lines for these migrating fish as well as traditional holding water like holes. With the volume of water, the fish are pulling pretty hard when hooked.

When the sun shines and the water warms up some, the little black stoneflies have become active making it an ideal fly pattern to tie on.   Other flies that have been working lately include caddis, bold mixed-colored egg patterns and steely buggers.

Good luck,

Ted

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

Spring Steelhead – Good dates for March Steelhead fishing are still available.
May Fishing – It’s not far away and it’s a great month for streamer and dry fly fishing for Trout.
2016 Dates – Now booking for the entire fishing season: trout, carp, bass, salmon and fall Steelhead.

betsie river, black stone fly, caddis, lake michigan, manistee fishing, spawning, steelhead, steely bugger
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Ted Kraimer • Current Works, LLC • PO Box 333 • Traverse City, Michigan 49685 • (231) 883-8156

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