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Posts tagged "manistee trout fishing"

Early August Fly Fishing

Posted by Ted Kraimer - August 1, 2024

July ended with some hot weather and it appears the start of August will continue with more of the same.

With this heat, the water temperatures in the trout rivers are getting too warm at mid-day and through the evening making for dangerous conditions for the fish. Until water temperatures drop (thanks to cooler night-time air temps) fish the early mornings for best conditions. Once the water temperature gets to 68 degrees, put the fly rod down or change species to target.

The Trico hatch has been taking place in the mornings. Clouds of spinners are falling to the water mid-morning on cooler days but when it’s warm to start the day, look for the bugs to be on the water closer to 8 a.m. With the lack of rain, the water is clear and the fish are spooky so make sure that 6 and 7 x tippet is fresh and you are light with your hook set.

Terrestrials and attractors are working most days and the small (less than 2 inch) “streamers” twitched rapidly are picking up some fish. Soft hackles swung in riffles keep fishing light and fun if you are looking to pick up some fish while keeping the technical aspects of dry fly fishing mostly out of the process.

Smallmouth bass fishing in the lower Manistee has been decent for those looking to cast some streamers for fish that mostly play by the rules. Smaller baitfish patterns seem to be out-fishing attractors and poppers, but we still have them in the box just in case.

Bass and bluegill fishing continues to be decent in the small lakes. With more weed growth, target the edges and lower light times of the day; cloudy days are best. Fishing big poppers for largemouth is always fun and seems perfect for August fishing when we get back to basics and enjoy the time on the water.

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.

guided fishing, manistee trout fishing, smallmouth bass fishing, steelhead fishing, traverse city fly fishing, tricos, trout fishing

Early June Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 4, 2019

June is one of the most popular times on the local rivers for trout fishing. The technical dry fly fishing of May eases up as the bugs get a little bigger and the fish tend to look up more making for a little easier dry fly fishing when bugs and feeding fish coexist.

The upper Manistee is in good shape and the Au Sable levels are dropping back to normal levels. Water temps are in the low 60’s making for ideal conditions. Streamer fishing has been tougher this year than normal but it’s still a great way to cover water when waiting for some bugs and fish to appear on the surface.

This time or year you will want a lot of different flies in your fly box to have you covered for likely hatch scenarios. Sulphurs, Great Mahoganies, Little Mahoganies, a few remaining light Hendricksons, Black Caddis, Tan Caddis, Stones (little yellow & medium brown), March Browns, Grey and Brown Drakes, and some Isonychias could show up any evening. With the cooler nights/evenings, sometimes the heavier bug densities (spinners) occur at the warmest time of day, but it’s difficult to predict. A fly box with various sizes of Borcher’s Drakes and Robert’s Yellow Drakes will cover a number of bugs right now.

[You can read more about some of the bugs that emerge this time of year by reading, Trout Fishing Before the Hex Hatch.]

Local lakes have had a lot of the spawning bass and bluegill finish up sooner than expected considering the water temps are still a bit behind, but fish in post-spawn mode are still the shallow and transition water depths that are approachable to the fly angler.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout– Match-the-Hatch fishing through June including the big bugs. Terrestrial & Tricos in July and August.
Father’s Day – Get dad on the water this year with a gift certificate for either a half and full-day trip.
Fall Fishing – Salmon begins in September which leads to Steelhead in October and November.

brown drakes, isonychias, manistee river, manistee trout fishing, sulphurs, trout, trout fishing, upper-manistee

Early June Fly Fishing Report – Traverse City Region

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 7, 2017

The trout fishing and matching-the-hatch has kept smiles on angler’s faces when they figure out what flies the fish want. This time of year on the upper Manistee, AuSable and Boardman River a lot of different bugs can be found on the water making for some technical dry fly fishing.

If headed to the river, be prepared to see: Sulphurs, little yellow sallies, medium brown stoneflies, Isonychias, the last of the light Hendricksons, caddis, Mahoganies, GSO/Basale, Gray Drakes and more. In addition to having precise imitations of the duns/adults, it’s a good idea to have a selection of Robert’s Yellow Drakes for duns and Borcher’s drakes for the spinner falls as they both do a great job of imitating many of these mayflies in those stages. Have some Brown Drakes, too. Check the batteries in the head-lamp and be prepared to fish up until dark as with the warmer weather the spinner falls have been going late into the evening. And definitely have some bug spray for the mosquitoes and ticks – it’s that time of year.

To learn more about the various bugs you are likely to see on the water over the next couple of weeks, read, “Trout Fishing Before the Hex Hatch.”

River conditions are close to ideal and already in the low to mid-60s but running a little too clear on those sunny days.  The streamer fishing has slowed a little except when it’s overcast, then present your favorite array of streamers – as long as they are olive, baitfish, and/or brown.

The carp on the Grand Traverse Bay are just starting to expose themselves to the shallow waters but with the cooler spring, they just aren’t in shallow and eating much just yet. With a forecast of warmer weather look for the waters to warm further and provide some good but challenging angling for these mysterious fish. A few smallmouth bass have been in shallow on pre-spawn maneuvers so keep your eye out for these guys cruising as well as fishing any heavy structure that looks worthy of a cast.

Bluegill fishing continues to offer some really good fishing in the shallows and near breaks with protective males and hungry females coming to the fly. While top water spiders/terrestrials are a lot of fun, the swum nymph and very small streamer can produce some bigger fish. The largemouth bass fishing, too, has been good with a mix of presentations working.

It’s a great month to fish – don’t miss out.

Good luck,

Ted

Lost and Found: I found a fly rod and reel at 4 Mile Bend Access on the Upper Manistee June 9th. If you are the owner, contact me to identify the make and model and I will see to it that it gets returned.

Trout, Tricos & Terrestrials – Through July and August. A half-day trip on the river is a great way to start the day.
Fall Steelhead – From late Sept. through November, these fish will bend your rod like no other – get your dates.
2017 Fishing – Plan your year around your fishing – get your dates on the calendar, life will fit in around it.

bluegill fishing on the fly, borcher's drake, brown drakes, carp fishing grand traverse bay, fishing guide traverse city, hex hatch, manistee trout fishing, roberts yellow drake, smallmouth bass fishing, sulphur hatch

September Salmon and Trout Fly Fishing

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 7, 2015

With Labor Day behind us and school in session look for the local trout rivers and streams to be vacant as most anglers this time of year are focusing on salmon as they move upstream from Lake Michigan.

The run of fish has been scattered due to various cycles of weather the past two weeks. The cool, rainy and windy weather sent some fish into most rivers including the Manistee and Betsie, but last week’s heat has them spread out and a little stale.

Some fresh rain last week and an improved forecast should help get things back on track.  Look for fish to be mostly in holes, but I actually have seen some fish spawning on gravel – historically 10 days earlier than I have ever witnessed before. Pocket water near the gravel sections can be good to target as the fish transition from migrating to spawning.

King salmon numbers remain down from the epic run experienced two years ago but so far, there seems to be more than last year. Egg patterns, leeches, buggers, sparrows, green caddis and hex tend to be the perennial favorites, but those with sink-tips and some salmon streamers can get the fresh fish to go if they put their time in on the right days in the lower sections of rivers.

Trout fishing often turns on this time of year with the cooler nights and little angling pressure. As brook and brown trout recognize their upcoming spawning requirement, the pre-spawn bite can be pretty good for those looking to fish big terrestrials and streamers. As fall further approaches, look for hatches to be limited to mostly blue winged olives and terrestrials; flying ants this time of year – while hard to predict – can offer some awesome fishing so be sure to have some in your fly box.

Good luck.

Ted

Late Trout –  Brown trout fishing into late December can be some of the best streamer fishing of the year.
Salmon/Steelhead Combo – Late September & early October offers a mixed bag of both species with fall colors.
Fall Steelhead – Late September, October, November & into December is the time for  steelhead on the Manistee.

 

betsie river, brown trout, egg patterns, manistee river, manistee trout fishing, nymphs, salmon, sparrow, steelhead
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Ted Kraimer • Current Works, LLC • PO Box 333 • Traverse City, Michigan 49685 • (231) 883-8156

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