Posts tagged "smallmouth bass"

Late July Fly Fishing Report – Traverse City / Northern Michigan

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 26, 2016

As July comes to an end, the Trico and Terrestrial fishing for trout is going strong on the Manistee and Boardman rivers. The small Tricos have been keeping the trout active in most mid-mornings as both duns and spinners are on the water’s surface. While most of the fish taking notice are small brookies and browns, some bigger fish have surprised us. Consider fishing a smaller terrestrial fly pattern as an indicator with some 6x tied to the bend and a small trico pattern on the other end. This is a great time to use that 3 or 4 weight rod sitting in your rod closet.

Terrestrial fishing has been improving with the better fishing on cloudy or overcast days. Twitch, pop and skitter “foam and rubber” patterns to elicit somebody to come up to the surface. Mix up the pattern, size and color to see if there is a daily preference. This is also a good time of the year to fish small 2-3″ streamers on floating lines.

Bass fishing on lakes and ponds remains good for those who can cast a big popper or slider. The lily pads located near drops offer a great place for your flies as you wait for their ambush. Too often anglers rush the retrieve – try waiting at least 15 seconds after the cast before putting any action in the fly.

Bluegill fishing has been fishing better than usual for this time of year. Some bigger gills have been playing along with the smaller gills which are perfect for anglers looking to learn how to fish. Sometimes the bass eat the bluegill on your line, too, so hold on to that rod

Smallmouth bass fishing in the lower Manistee River is decent for those looking to cast streamers on both sink-tips and floating lines. Crayfish patterns around rocky edges/drops are always a safe bet as are baitfish patterns. In slack water, try fishing a popper lightly twitched. While not for a beginner, this fishing is a fun way to spend a summer day and work on skills while catching fish.

Good luck,

Ted

July & August Trout – It’s that time of year to start your day on a river fishing wets, dry flies and terrestrials.
Learn to Fly Fish – This is a great time of year to learn how to fly fish. 1/2 day trips for beginners are perfect!
Salmon – Late August and September is when the Salmon start to migrate upstream – get ’em while you can.
2016 Dates – Now booking through the entire fishing season: trout, bass, salmon and fall Steelhead.

bass fishing, bluegill, boardman river, brook trout, manistee river, smallmouth bass, terrestrials, traverse city fly fishing, tricos

June Fly Fishing Report – Northwest / Traverse City Michigan

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 8, 2016

Other than a change in the weather, not a whole lot has changed on the local waters since last week’s report.

After 10 days of warm days and nights, some cooler weather moved in the past week leaving the nights cooler than ideal for hatches and spinner falls on the Trout Rivers. Surface activity and hatches has been off a little on the Manistee, Au Sable and Boardman rivers, however covering water has found some isolated “hatch zones”. You can expect a smorgasbord of bugs right now: Sulphurs, March Browns, Mahoganies, Brown Drakes, Isonychias, Blue Winged Olives, Caddis, Little Yellow Sally Stones, Medium Brown/Yellow Stones, and more have been seen on the water and in the air.

Water levels are still o.k. but clarity is an issue – it is too clear. Stealth and long presentations are required for the larger, selective fish but a good drift with the right fly can make it all worthwhile. On the bright days, seek shade and structure where fish are still approachable rather than tucked deep in log jams or undercut banks. Streamer fishing has been challenging in the clear water however smaller streamers have taken some nice fish lately.

Grand Traverse Bay is still running cool and as such the carp and smallmouth bass have been slow to get going. Often when you do find the carp they are moving and not feeding. As the water warms up on the flats, look for the pre-spawn feed to take place with some of the better fishing of the year. The smallmouth bass, too, are plagued by the cooler water. As the Smallies are in pre-spawn mode also and nomadically cruising , they will eat a fly – baitfish imitations and Gobies area great patterns to start with

The smaller lakes and ponds are fishing better for bass than the big water of the bay. Small streamers and even some smaller poppers and larger dry flies are working. Bluegill fishing has been mixed – some lakes are better than others and require some time to find those larger fish looking to bend your 3 wt. rod. Look in any weeds/bulrush in a foot of water for spawning fish. They can be hard to get when they are hidden and tucked away, but it’s also a time to get some nice hand-sized panfish/gills/sunnies before they head deep again.

Good luck,

Ted

Carp and Bass – Look for these guys on the flats of Grand Traverse Bay through the month of June.
Big Bugs – The month of June is the month of Big Bugs – Isonychias, Brown Drakes and Hex – dates available.
Salmon – Late August and September is when the King Salmon start to migrate upstream – get ’em while you can.
2016 Dates – Now booking for the entire fishing season: trout, carp, bass, salmon and fall Steelhead.

ausable, bluegill fishing, brown drakes, carp, isonychia, king salmon, little yellow sally stones, manistee river, smallmouth bass, trout fishing, trout rivers

Trout Fishing and Transitioning from Hex

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 11, 2015

Now that summer is here with the warm daytime temps, the hex hatch has mostly caught up and is winding down on local rivers including the Manistee and Boardman. The upstream portions (think cooler water) of river systems are your better bets right now if you are still looking for those nocturnal bugs that bring out some really nice fish that are typically inaccessible the rest of the year with a dry fly. Since we have had our share of cool periods the past few weeks along with some cold nights – look for there to be sporadic bugs for another week, so keep a few of those big flies in your box if you are headed out in the evenings – the spinner falls should occur just before dark through the first hour of dark should conditions be right.

Other bugs have been on the water but they too, have been light in numbers: Isonychias, BWO, Light Cahills, Little Yellow Sallies, and gray drakes have been more commonly present in the evenings, but on cloudy days there has been some daytime emergences. To learn more on fishing trout after the Hex, click here.

As we transition from the match-the-hatch dry fly fishing done the past 7 weeks, start to look to prospect and probe your favorite trout water with some smaller streamers on floating lines and consider bringing your terrestrial patterns with you for some fun surface activity – this will only get better in the weeks ahead. The Tricos should start in another week or so and typically are on the water mid-morning before the sun gets too high. Now is also a good time to swing soft-hackles again through riffle water on your lighter weight rods if you are looking for some brookies and the occasional larger brown trout.

Bass fishing on local lakes continues to be good – be sure target the lily pads and drop offs for your best bet with surface poppers and diving bugs. The bluegill fly angler will find some bigger gills at first light and evening moving to the shallows while there are plenty of smaller bluegill/panfish in the shallows for those just learning to fly fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing on the lower Manistee river is getting better with the added heat and should only continue to as summer progresses. Fishing streamer patterns on sink-tips is the norm and popper fishing can be just what the fish are looking for.

Good luck.

Ted

The Summer Newsletter just went out – click here to read and/or subscribe

Summer Trout Fishing – Terrestrial and Trico fishing in July and August on the Manistee.
Smallmouth Bass – Streamer fishing on the lower Manistee is a great way to spend a summer day.
Fall Steelhead – Late September through November is the time for sassy steelhead on the Lower Manistee.

hex fishing, isonychias, manistee river, poppers, smallmouth bass, soft hackles, tricos, trout

Fly Hatches and Trout Fishing Improving

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 23, 2015

A week with little rain fall has left the local rivers in good shape. Clarity is ideal with a little stain, while temps are in the mid-60s and water levels are not too high and not too low. Hatch activity has been varied and inconsistent but has improved since my last report with more fish looking up. Look for Isonychias to be your best bet for the big bugs in the evening and up to dark. You will want some brown drakes and hex patterns also because you never know when the bigger bugs will be out in numbers right at dark. Some sections of most rivers – Au Sable, Manistee, Boardman has had limited hex activity but we are on the early side of things. Other flies you can expect to find on the water include Bat Flies, the last of the Sulphurs, Gray Drakes, Little Yellow Sally Stones, Lt. Cahills and Mahoganies. To read more about hatches preceding the Hex Hatch, click here.

Carp fishing on the bay has been inconsistent as well with all of the weather changes. Like the hex emergence for trout, good carp fishing really relies on a few days of warm sunshine to warm up the water up. The cold water of the bay moving in and out with varying wind directions has made it challenging for those targeting both carp and smallmouth bass. Smaller crayfish patterns are working for both species as are minnow patterns for those specifically fishing for bass.

Fishing on the lakes and ponds for bass remains solid as the fish are in post-spawn mode and have the feed bag on. Streamers fished on intermediate lines have been most productive for the larger bass when the top water and divers aren’t working. It also might find you a pike along the way which tend to bite the fly off but leave you with a good story. Bluegill continue to bend the rod but mostly the smaller ones which still make for a great learning experience for beginners or someone looking to spend a few hours on the water with a fly rod in their hand.

Good luck.

Ted

The Summer Newsletter just went out – click here to read and/or subscribe

ausable, carp, fishing guide, fishing report, hex, hex hatch, isonychia, manistee, river, smallmouth bass, traverse city, trout

Early June Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 1, 2015

With June here, anglers will find that the rivers are running full after some much needed rain throughout the week. The weather has been up and down, but the forecast is calling for stable and, well, fish like stable.

On the upper Manistee there has been a smattering of bugs coming off – light Hendricksons, Sulphurs, Mahogany Drakes, March Browns and Medium Brown /Golden Stoneflies. With the increase in water flow the trout are focusing more on what’s below the surface eating worms, lamprey and their own making streamer fishing more effective than surface fishing right now. As the bugs build, the water level drops and clears, look for some of the year’s best dry fishing in the evenings. And don’t forget about the big bugs just around the corner – Isonychias and Brown Drakes – you should have some in your box just in case they show up while you are on the water. Learn more about early June Hatches here. The other bug that has emerged recently is the mosquito – make sure you have some repellent with you.

The bluegill fishing remains popular and a lot of fun for those looking to fish closer to home. With fish in shallow water on local lakes and ponds, the surface activity can be close to non-stop. It’s not always a slam-dunk so cover water and switch flies until you find fish that want to eat what you are presenting. With a lot of pollen and seeds on the surface when the wind isn’t blowing your best bet is going sub-surface so your fly isn’t gummed-up and the fish can actually see it. Have some mid-sized poppers with you if the small fish are beating the larger ones to the fly.

Carp fishing is just on the edge of kicking in. Some fish have slipped into the shallow water flats of Grand Traverse Bay but the consistent fishing is just around the corner. The carp are probably the best example of fish that like stable – not only the weather but water temps, so wind direction is imperative when deciding when and where to fish. A few smallmouth bass are cruising the flats too while in the pre-spawn stage so keep an eye and fly out for them when fishing.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout Season – June is the month of the big bug dry fly fishing on the Upper Manistee & AuSable Rivers.
Summer Fishing – Terrestrial and Trico fishing in July and August on the Manistee, Bluegill and Bass on Lakes.
Fall Steelhead – Late September through November is the time for sassy steelhead on the Lower Manistee.

bluegill, carp, fishing guide, fly fishing report, fly-fishing for carp, hendrickson, isonychia, mahogany drake, manistee, smallmouth bass, traverse city fishing guide, trout

«‹2 3 4 5 6 ›»