Posts tagged "steelhead"

Full On Fall

Posted by Ted Kraimer - October 9, 2014

With the trees in full color and our first frost behind us, there is no denying that fall is here. What isn’t here are the usual number of fish – both salmon and steelhead in the local rivers.

With a good wind on the Lake yesterday more fish should congregate near the river mouths and start heading upstream with the solid river flows. Water levels have come down close to normal again after last week’s deluge however there is still a slight stain to the water which is a good thing.

The Manistee has the highest concentration of salmon, steelhead, and anglers right below Tippy Dam. Fish are sparsely scattered in the lower river but with enough casts in enough water you should find some fish. A few fresh salmon have shown up in the past week and the steelhead continue to trickle in. Once hooked, you will know it as these fish continue to impress as they demonstrate their jumping qualities and sometimes the color of your backing. Egg flies in #4 and #6 have been working but as the water continues to clear up the smaller #8 and #10’s should start working better – at least near and around the spawning salmon. This is the time to fish a lot of eggs as you “Match the Hatch“.

The Betsie still has salmon in it and an errant steelhead or two. Like the Manistee, the water below the dam (Homestead) is popular with fish and fisherman. Cover water and fish the slots and runs near spawning fish for fresh fish and a possible steelhead.

With archery deer season going and the full moon deer activity to and from the river has increased so be careful when driving.

Good luck,

Ted

Open dates through Mid-November: November 11 and 13

Trout – With fall here have the Upper Manistee River and its trout all to yourself.
Fall Steelhead– From now through November – this is the time of year for Steelhead.
2015 Fishing – It isn’t too early to get your dates booked for next year – now booking for all seasons.

bettsie, egg patterns, fly fishing report, manistee, river, steelhead, tippy

Too Much Rain

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 5, 2014

As salmon anglers we always hope for good rains to encourage the fish to move upstream but it appears too many of us were hoping at the same time and we received way too much rain over a short period of time.

Northwest Michigan Rivers are dealing with high water and some flash flooding, Depending on the exact location it appears that between 3 and 6.5 inches fell. The Betsie River alone came up 22 inches in less than a day. While that will bring migratory salmon upstream, it also brought a lot of silt and stain to the water making it real difficult for the fish to see your flies. Wading is also difficult especially if you are unfamiliar with the water. With no rain in the forecast, things should improve after a number days but look for the water to remain high and fishing tough until it clears up.

Fishing had been o.k. with lots of fish moving upstream but not sitting still or resting in holding water making them moving targets and frankly difficult to feed. When you did hook up the ride was short and not so sweet as they are fresh and strong. They don’t seem to be as large as last year, but they are still nice fish averaging in the mid-teens. Look for other rivers that usually start later to get a sizable run of fish in them now – especially after this rain.

To check on your favorite river – visit the USGS website for water flows.

The trout fishing on the Upper Manistee had been off a little after big rains earlier in the week and after receiving over 3 inches in the past 24 hours I imagine the fish will be focused on eating whatever is being washed downstream by this high water. It would be a good time to cast some large streamers and fish the runs and tail-outs for those larger fish looking to eat big. The water is up and stained which is far from typical this time of year.

Good luck and safe wading/boating.

Ted

The Fall 2014 Newsletter just went out – click here to read and/or subscribe.

Trout – With Labor Day behind us, have the Upper Manistee River and its trout all to yourself.
Salmon– A few great dates remain in mid-September for salmon fishing on the Bestsie River.
Fall Steelhead– From the end of September through November – this is the time of year for Steelhead.

betsie river, fishing, flooding, manistee, rain fall, salmon, steelhead, trout, upper-manistee

Cool-Down and Warm-Up Coming

Posted by Ted Kraimer - August 14, 2014

A bit of a cold front came through the region slowing the fishing a bit, but providing continued cool water temps and a bit of rain that the rivers and fish both liked. You will still find the rivers in good shape and fishable including the Manistee and Boardman.

Hatches have been pretty much limited to Tricos in mid-morning – with late morning being the case after a cold night. Attractor patterns and terrestrials (hoppers, Foam and Rubber) are bringing some fish up to the surface and more often than not they are looking for that bug to be chugging, twitching and skittering rather than dead-drifted. Below the surface, look for medium sized streamers fished on either floating lines or small sink-tip lines to tease some fish into playing our game.

Bass and bluegill fishing on the lakes is still a good bet with water temperatures staying cool. Some days are better than others and I suspect the forecast over the next 10 days will provide some stable and warm conditions ideal for getting these fish back on the feed. Surface and subsurface flies are working – it’s just a matter of which or what they want any particular day.

With the recent rains, cool down and northerly winds, a few salmon have staged at the river mouths and even a few have slipped into the local rivers. The warmer weather in store should put a hold on the migration until later but there is no doubt fall is right around the corner – what happened to summer?

Good luck,

Ted

Tricos and Terrestrials for Trout – July and August fly fishing for trout on the Upper Manistee River
Salmon– Fresh fish can enter rivers as early as mid-August and offer great fishing through September.
Fall Steelhead– From the end of September through November – this is the time of year for Steelhead.

attractors, boardman river, fishing, fly-fishing guide, manistee, salmon, steelhead, traverse city, trout

Bugs, Fish and Sometimes Both

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 11, 2014

Trout fishing continues to keep us busy chasing the unpredictable hex fly on the upper Manistee and other local rivers, but it has been fickle with swings in the air temps and other weather fluctuations. Some nights we find bugs and some of those nights the fish are looking to eat. Even the mosquitoes have been taking some nights off. Fishing remains tougher than it should be – at least in my experience but things are looking like they are improving a bit.

We have been experiencing a few more fish looking up lately and feeding on the minimal bug activity that has been occurring and some of the fish that have been missing from their typical places – it seems – are showing up and playing along. Other bugs to have in your fly box include little yellow sally stones, Isonychias, Summer Olives, Cahills, and some flying ants. Look for the transition from evening fishing to daytime terrestrial and early morning Trico fishing as we progress further into July but be prepared for hatches that shouldn’t happen as things try to catch up from a long winter, short spring and inconsistent conditions the past couple of months.

Fishing on the bay has slowed down as the carp it appears are mostly done with their spawning and have run deep again. With the long winter I expect there to be some opportunity to fish for them if you are looking to cover water. Look for them where the warm water is getting blown into shallow flats. Sun and wind direction are key as the Bay is still so cold and any turnover can shut a good flat down with one day of wind. Smallmouth bass in the bay are like the carp – offering some shots one day, and gone the next. Crayfish are your best bet right now for both species and some minnow patterns like Clousers are ideal for the bass. Darker versions of the Clouser (orange and rootbeer) is a good one for carp.

Lake fishing for bluegill and bass continues to be good and a lot of fun. With more lily pads around the bigger bass are taking up residence nearby and eating your bigger patters or the bluegill that is on the end of your line. Frogs and poppers have been working well on the bass with smaller terrestrial patterns working on the bluegill. Flies like the Turks Tarantula have been catching some larger gills when stripped under the water and fished like a slider.

Smallmouth bass fishing in the lower Manistee river is just starting as water temps warm up and more fish migrate and populate the river from the lower sections. Streamer fishing baitfish patterns and fishing crayfish on floating lines are a great way to cover water with the crayfish fishing being best near rocks. Some popper and slider action has been working on the surface but I suspect that will only improve as summer continues.

Good luck,

Ted

Terrestrials, Tricos and Trout – July and August fly fishing for trout on the Upper Manistee River
Salmon– Fresh fish can enter rivers as early as mid-August and offer great fishing through September.
Fall Steelhead– From the end of September through November – this is the time of year for Steelhead.

bass, bluegill, hex, isonychia, lakes, smallmouth bass, steelhead, terrestrials, traverse fly fishing report, upper manistee river

Warmer Weather, the Start of Summer and Fly Fishing TC

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 26, 2014

Some warmer weather recently has had an effect on getting our seasons back on schedule but they seem to still be off considering hatches, etc. The Upper Manistee and Boardman still have a lot of water in them and have a slight stain thanks to some rain last week but water temps are getting closer to where they should be. The high water – I think – had washed in a lot of food (worms) and both the streamer and dry fly bite was off making for some tough fishing.

With more warm weather in store look for Sulphurs, March Browns, Great Speckled Olives, Black Quills, BWO and little Mahoganies to offer some great dry fly fishing – most likely in the evenings. Between hatches and surface activity try streamer fishing with patterns that suggest chestnut lampreys, night crawlers and sculpins. If fishing waters with smaller brook trout and stocked brown or rainbow trout, use patterns that look similar. Below Tippy Dam the carp are starting to show up and spawn which can slow the trout fishing down. Consider nymphing right behind the carp as the trout often sit right behind them to eat their eggs.

Ponds and lakes are just starting to come on-line with fish moving into the shallows. The bass have been slightly more active as the bluegill begin their spawning. Some of the year’s largest fish are taken on the fly over the next month as the big and wise fish stay deep most of the year. Surface activity is slower than subsurface right now so try small streamers and nymphs retrieved slowly but have some dries ready should the wind lay down and fish start looking up.

Spring steelhead are pretty much all done on the Manistee and Boardman although you will find a fish or two throughout their spawning grounds finishing up their important work. 2014 was a great Spring run with a lot of fish moving through once winter let up. I already look forward to the fall season and if the steelhead eat in the lake as well as they did last summer, we will certainly have our hands full with some strong chromers.

The big sun, warm temps and lack of winds over the weekend will help warm up some of the shallow water on the flats and get the carp and smallmouth bass fishing going soon. Pre-spawn carp can offer some of the best fishing of the year, they can just be fickle and difficult to find. When you do find them, they will often be nose down and “mudding” looking to eat.

Good luck,

Ted

Hatches and Big Bugs – Few dates remain in June for the big bugs – Isos, Drakes and the Hex.
Terestrials, Tricos and Trout – July and August fly fishing for trout on the upper Manistee.
Steelhead and Salmon – While Spring is late getting here, it’s not too early to reserve your Fall Dates.

boardman, carp, carp and smallmouth bass, dry flies, fly fishing traverse, Manistee below Tippy Dam, steelhead, sulphurs, upper manistee river

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