Late September Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 29, 2024

With Fall officially starting last week and September coming to an end, it still kind of feels like summer with temperatures in the 80s. I guess, the summer of 2024 continues.

With salmon being a migratory species looking to get upstream to spawn, they have a biological clock that sometimes can’t wait for conditions to be perfect before they run upstream. The water is warm and the lack of any significant rain the past 7 weeks has rivers running low and clear.

There has been a steady trickle of fish in rivers like the Manistee and Betsie with many of the slower moving pools and holes holding pre-spawn fish as they look for water temperatures to drop before hitting the spawning gravel in earnest. Some spawning has taken place as has the migration of salmon fisherman and all that comes with it.

There is a mix of size classes – some small and some that are big. Seems that when you find big fish, they are just that – well over 20 lbs and become a real slug fest on the end of the line.

With the extension of this warm weather, trout fishing has continued to be decent for this time of year. Terrestrial fishing is still bringing fish to the surface but as heat stressed tress drop their leaves early and pine needs fall to the water’s surface on breezy days, it can be difficult for the trout to see a dry fly with all the debris on the water.

It’s a great time to fish a small to mid-sized streamer on either a floating line or clear sink-tip line for pre-spawn browns and even the aggressive brook trout that are all marked up with vibrant colors. With the trees changing colors and most anglers occupied elsewhere, you’ll pretty much have the river to yourself.

Keep in mind that a lot of the smaller trout rivers and streams in the region close to fishing on October 1.

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.

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September Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 11, 2024

The 4th month of summer continues with some warm temperatures. The forecast calls for even more.

Water temperatures on the upper Manistee are in good shape with the cool nights and sometimes, they drop too low, and you need to wait until the sun warms it up a little for fish activity. The problem is, the water is about as clear as I have ever witnessed and, well, sunlight, clear water, and trout aren’t always a good combination in Michigan.

Hatches are mostly non-existent but you should have some blue winged olives, caddis (#14 tan), and brown/cinnamon flying ants (#14) for surface activity just in case. Terrestrial/attractors are always a good approach this time of year. Below surface, try the real small streamers fished on floating lines or intermediate tip lines. Fishing pressure has been light but after a long season of fishing to them, the trout are getting even wiser so adapt you approach and offerings.

The lake fishing for bass and bluegill has gone quiet and likely will remain that way until next spring.

Salmon have entered the local rivers, but with the warmer water in the bigger river systems, lack of rain in the region and warm weather, the fish are staggered as they prepare to move upstream to continue their lineage. As with salmon come salmon anglers – keep the peace and don’t take the fishing that serious as they are just fish.

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.

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Mid July Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 13, 2024

Trout fishing on the local rivers continues but with a more casual approach as we aren’t matching hatches in low light to finicky fish. Instead head to the river with a mix of general dry flies that imitate mayflies since they have been eating them regularly for the past 10 weeks. Beyond fishing those natural dry flies, tie on attractors and some terrestrials.

Larger flying ants have been more noticeable lately than any other, but the deer fly and beetle imitations have been fooling fish reliably. Look for Tricos to start emerging and falling in the mid-mornings any day now. It’s also a great time to fish a swung wet fly as is a “micro streamer” – those subsurface flies that look more like a nymph, but fished with twitches and strips.

The smallmouth bass fishing on the lower Manistee has been varied – some days they play our game, other days it seems like they take their ball and go home. The softer streamer approach is the most productive most days fished on clear sink-tip lines. The popper and dry fly fishing hasn’t been as productive but I suspect with the dog-days of summer coming, that should change as it usually does this time of year.

Bass and bluegill fishing on the local lakes continues to be our favorite venue for those trying / learning to fly fish with all their eagerness to come to the fly and provide action as the skills are developing. Those more experienced can fish a streamer or diving bug near the weed beds and drop offs for those bigger largemouth bass.

Good luck!

Ted

Trout, Tricos & Terrestrials – July & August offer fun dry fly fishing on the upper Manistee river.
Smallmouth Bass – Fish the lower Manistee with streamers & poppers this summer for fish that can pull.
Learn To Fly Fish – 1/2 Day trips are perfect for beginners! Learn how to cast before hitting the water to fish.

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Late June Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 25, 2024

The warm weather of last week made for some hot and heavy hex fly action on local rivers that has tapered off due to cooler (not cool) temps and significant rainfall.

While water temperatures in rivers like the Manistee and Au Sable were reaching the high 60s and in some sections – into the 70’s, they have moderated as air temps and sunlight have eased. A significant rain on Saturday has left us with a lot of water in the rivers and most of them running high and remarkably stained. Levels have begun dropping however the clarity is taking a little longer to take affect.

In addition to the hex flies coming off at dark, look for Bat Flies in the evening hours as well as some Isonychias on the cloudy, cooler days. When surface activity isn’t happening, try going sub surface with some smaller streamers or twitch flies. A lot of the fish have been gorging themselves on one of the densest hex hatches we’ve experienced in recent history so they aren’t overly eager to chase down too much. Kind of like us after eating a big meal.

Smallmouth bass fishing on rivers is starting up again, but there, too, the water is stained (which isn’t a bad thing). Fishing smaller streamers on intermediate sink tips or slow sinking lines has been the approach, but with the recent molting of crayfish, fishing weighted crayfish patterns on a floating line near rocks has yielded some good fishing.

The lake fishing has been good for bigger bluegill and panfish as they finish up their second round of spawning. The largemouth bass offer a nice blend of what we are catching and it’s not uncommon for the bigger bass to eat the bluegill we hooked with the fly really putting a bend into the rod.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout, Tricos & Terrestrials – July & August offer fun dry fly fishing on the upper Manistee river.
Smallmouth Bass – Fish the lower Manistee with streamers & poppers this summer for fish that can pull.
Learn To Fly Fish – 1/2 Day trips are perfect for beginners! Learn how to cast before hitting the water to fish.

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Mid-June Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 18, 2024

The recent and ongoing hot weather has only accelerated our fishing and seasons.

With the lack of rain and high temperatures, our trout fishing is experiencing warp speed hatch cycles. It seems that most hatches condensed and have taken place with the exception of the annual Hex hatch which started last week – a good week early and remains going strong. These nocturnal bugs bring out the big fish and more anglers so be sure to share the water. With the forecast, I don’t suspect they will go very long as the hatches have been relatively dense with all the sunshine and heat.

As water temperatures increase and get above 68 degrees, the fish get lethargic and playing any hooked trout as temps near 70 can be very lethal. While a fish may swim away, they may end up dead soon after due to the lactic build up from the experience. Take the night off when water temps are high – it is what sportsman do. We need these fish to survive for future generations and since MI DNR continues to manage our cold water fisheries so poorly we need to do our part.

<< You can monitor local river temps through these links:
Upper Manistee near CCC Bridge and various Great Lakes basin tributaries >>

Alternatives this time of year include fishing lakes for bass and bluegill. Weed growth, too, has accelerated and have created some good weed lines and structure for fish as water temps increase. Add a depth change to the equation and you have a formula for some good fishing. Surface activity remains strong especially in the mornings and evenings. Small streamers for sub-surface presentations and bigger fish seems to be the advantage.

Smallmouth bass in rivers is an increasingly popular species to chase when summer comes around. Fishing streamers and/or poppers in daylight seems to be the antithesis of technical match the hatch trout fishing, however, you still need some experience to make the most of this fishery. Watching these fish eat your fly, then pull on your 6 or 7 wt. makes folks wonder why they haven’t done this before.

Good luck & stay cool.

Ted

Trout, Tricos & Terrestrials – July & August offer fun dry fly fishing on the upper Manistee river.
Smallmouth Bass – Fish the lower Manistee with streamers & poppers this summer for fish that can pull.
Learn To Fly Fish – 1/2 Day trips are perfect for beginners! Learn how to cast before hitting the water to fish.

brown trout, fly fishing, fly fishing report, hex hatch, learn to fly fish, manistee river, smallmouth bass, traverse city fly fishing, trout

Posts tagged "manistee river"

Late September Fishing Report

September Fishing Report

Mid July Fishing Report

Late June Fly Fishing Report

Mid-June Fishing Report

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