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Posts tagged "steelhead 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.

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Early April Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 1, 2024

Some rain last week gave the rivers a nice little bump in water flow and some additional steelhead moving upstream from lake Michigan.

Clarity is still really good on the Manistee River below Tippy Dam, and is a little more stained on the Betsie River. Water temperatures have pretty much remained in the low 40-degree range as overnight temps and a lack of sunlight have kept things stable. With some significant rain in the forecast this week, water levels and clarity are likely to change.

The steelhead are mixed: from fresh fish moving upstream to spawning fish and drop-backs – all stages are within the river systems and be found in all kinds of water.

Smaller, natural color egg patterns and beads continue to be the first choice in the clear water. Shades and tones of yellow, gold nugget and steelhead orange have been productive. Fry patterns are starting to increase in effectiveness as salmon fry are starting to develop and swim making them prey to the steelhead as are the smaller stoneflies when the sun warms up that water just a bit and induces an emergence.

Good luck,

Ted

— PS: New, 2024 fishing licenses are required April 1 —

Trout Season – Mid-May into July offers some of the best match-the-hatch dry fly fishing of the season.
2024 Fishing – Get your dates secured to ensure your time on the water. Booking all seasons thru September.

betsie river, egg patterns, fishing michigan, fry patterns, guided fishing trip, manistee river, steelhead fishing, stoneflies, tippy dam fishing, trout season

Early March Steelhead Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - March 4, 2024

The mild winter continues with some back-and-forth weather, but we are experiencing more warmer days than cold ones especially for the beginning of March. The snow we received this winter slowly melted into the ground replenishing the water table rather than creating a high-water situation to prematurely kick the run off. Without a snowpack the steelhead run will be dependent on rainfall (or, more snow and its ensuing melt – keep your shovels on the porch as winter isn’t over).

The Manistee and Betsie are approaching 40 degrees which seems to be the threshold to spur activity. There are fish in both systems and they seem to be spread throughout. Some spawning by fall fish that wintered over and were pressured for months has already taken place; with the light run of fall fish there should be plenty of fresh fish to come up. The pre-spawn fish that have trickled upstream this winter are staged near gravel sections waiting for conditions to be just right.

The little black stoneflies have been out most days when the sun warms things up and with the clear water, the fish are noticing the smaller nymph patterns. Other nymphs to try are caddis and hex nymphs. Egg and bead rigs work too with smaller, more natural looking patterns working better than the big, bold varieties which usually work better in low light and low visibility conditions.

Good luck.

Ted

Spring Steelhead –  A few dates remain available in March and April if you want to get out.
Trout Season – 
Mid-May into July offers some of the best match-the-hatch dry fly fishing of the year.
2024 Fishing – 
Get your dates secured to ensure your time on the water. Booking all seasons thru September.

betsie river, egg patterns, guided fly fishing, hex nymphs, manistee river, steelhead fishing, steelhead fly fishing, trout fishing

Twenty Inch Chubby

Posted by Ted Kraimer - December 14, 2023
Twenty Inch Chubby

Twenty Inch Chubby Stone Fly

Large stoneflies are common throughout our local rivers, just not of the same density found in most western rivers. That said, the nymphs are large, and their alien-like appearance gets noticed by fish – particularly steelhead, but don’t dismiss them for trout. 

In late winter stonefly nymphs get active, which could simply be the result of getting flushed downstream as river flows increase with seasonal runoff. Later in mid-fall once the leaves have fallen off the trees, sees another round of activity as the nymphs chomp on decaying leaves making the Twenty Inch Chubby a fly to use during both spring and fall steelhead seasons.

Trout fisherman here in the Midwest and out west will find this pattern effective, especially in June when they are most active, crawling out of the river to emerge into adults.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Natural

Twenty Inch Chubby and natural stonefly nymph

If fishing them for trout, you can alternatively wrap a lead underbody in the middle of the hook shank.

The Twenty Inch Chubby blends elements of two great stonefly nymph patterns that have been around and catching fish for years – Ed Engle’s Twenty Incher and Hogan Brown’s Chubby Cousin. The rubber legs give movement and add to the profile, while the lighter thorax region exaggerates the difference between it and the abdomen. Lastly, peacock always seems to offer that natural iridescence that looks good in the vise, fly box and water. It looks best in a fish’s mouth.

 

Recipe

Twenty Inch Chubby - Steelhead

Steelhead eat more than small, black stoneflies

Hook: Daichi 1720 #6
Thread: Uni 6/0 – Black
Tail: Barred Sexi-Floss Copper Medium
Dubbing: AZ Synthetic Peacock Dubbing
Abdomen: Peacock Herl
Rib: Holographic Flashabou – Copper
Wingcase: Thin Skin – Mottled Bustard Natural
Legs: Barred Sexi-Floss Copper Medium
Thorax: Senyo’s Fusion Dub – Tobacco
Antennae: Barred Sexi-Floss Copper Medium

 

Tying Instructions

 

Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 1Step 1. Place hook in vice and wrap a thread base from behind the eye above the hook point and barb.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 2Step 2. Dub a very small amount of the peacock dubbing.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 3Step 3. Tie in the tail along the shank and up against the dubbing ball on both sides to help splay the material.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 4Step 4. Tie 7-9 strands of peacock herl by the tip and wrap down to the tail tie in.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 5Step 5. Tie in the ribbing like you did the peacock.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 6 Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 6.5Step 6. Wrap the herl around the thread to strengthen it.
Then, wind it forward stopping about a hook gape’s distance from the hook eye.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 7Step 7. Wrap the rib in the opposite direction that you wound the peacock.
Be careful not to pull too hard and stretch/thin the flashabou.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 8Step 8. Cut a strip of Thin Skin about 3/16-1/4” wide and tie in at thorax area.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 9Step 9. Tie in a Hen Saddle or Grouse Feather by the tip and upside down on top of the Thin Skin tie in. Then, tie in the antenna on each side of the shank forming a forward facing loop that extends beyond the hook eye.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 10Step 10. Tie in two strands of leg material – perpendicular to the shank and evenly spaced apart.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 11Step 11. Dub the thorax area which will help you position the legs where you want them.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 12Step 12. Pull the feather over the thorax and tie off.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 13Step 13. Pull the Thin Skin over the thorax to create the wingcase.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 14Step 14. Whip Finish the thread.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Step 15Step 15. Cut the loop of Sexi-Floss to create antennas and trim to the even and appropriate size.

Twenty Inch Chubby - Side ProfileTwenty Inch Chubby Side Profile

 

Twenty Inch Chubby - UndersideTwenty Inch Chubby Underside

 

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Mid-April Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 14, 2023

The water levels from last week’s rain has pretty much moved through the system and have returned to normal level. Clarity remains good, but still has a stain to it on both the Betsie and Manistee Rivers, which is usually a good thing.

The abnormal July-like weather with temps in the 80s and bright sun has made fishing very difficult the past week as steelhead hate the combination of high sun and stained water. Add the normal angler pressure that comes with this time of year along with a few extra folks taking advantage of the nice weather and, well, let’s just say I am looking forward to next week’s fishing with more seasonal temps and possibly some rain. (I will probably complain about that, too, when it happens but likely not as much as I did this week’s weather).

Eggs were working with orange hues being the leading color and chartreuse a close second. The better nymphs have been fry patterns and a few fish came on green caddis.

It’s been a mix of fish – fish are spawning hard with the increasing water temps and drop backs are headed back to lake Michigan. A few new/fresh fish are moving through the system, but it’s usually in the low light of mornings before the sun gets too high and they go hide until evening to resume their seasonal commute.

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.

betsie river, caddis, egg patterns, fishing report, guided steelhead trips michigan, manistee river steelhead fishing, steelhead, steelhead fishing
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