Early June Fly Fishing – Lots Going On

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 7, 2012

After last weekend’s rain, river levels are full and returning to normal levels. The Upper Manistee is in good shape, the Lower Manistee is still on the high side with an ideal stain, the Boardman is running full and the Au Sable is back to normal. The flush of water made for good streamer fishing and with the forecast heat, the dry fly fishing should ramp up after a cool period with very sporadic hatches.

Look for Isonychias to build in numbers as well as a mix of other bugs including: Brown Drakes, March Browns, the last of the Sulphurs, Yellow/Golden Stone Flies (#10), Bat Flies and Mahoganies. When the days are hot and temps stay warm into dark, look for the hatches to be condensed into a short window near dusk. In other words, bring your headlamp and walk back to the car in the dark after fishing until dark. Because of our mild winter, warm March and otherwise odd weather this Spring – the timing and predictability of hatches has been off. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a few hex and gray drake patterns in your box should this warm weather inspire a few bugs to show up early.

{A few years ago I wrote an article pertaining to trout fishing in the weeks leading up to the Hex hatch – you can read it by clicking here.}

Carp fishing on the bay has been very mixed as the fish haven’t been nearly as predictable as they normally are this time of year. With a few fish showing signs of spawning the past few days, look for this warm weather to ramp up fish numbers and spawning activity in the shallow flats. Plan to cover a lot of ground to find fish willing to play along and be armed with the usual patterns: hex nymphs, crayfish, Clouser minnows and b.h. black wooly buggers. While the carp fishing hasn’t been up to par, the smallmouth bass fishing has been solid with small minnow/baitfish patterns working well.

Bass and Bluegill fishing continues on the smaller lakes and with a lot of the spawning done, males protecting nests have brought aggressive behavior as well as from the females looking to eat, too. Look for deeper breaks and drop offs to produce the bigger bluegills/panfish. The popper fishing has improved however the small streamer and nymph/dry combo has been most effective mostly because it allows us to fish deeper water.

Good Luck,

Ted

– Upcoming Fishing Seasons –

Trout: Fishing with streamers and dries. Don’t forget the Big Bugs – Drakes, Isonychias and Hex.
Carp and Smallmouth Bass on Grand Traverse Bays – find out why this has become a favorite of many anglers.
Terrestrials & Trico hatches in the Months of July & August – start your mornings off on a cool, quiet trout stream.
Booking for all 2012 Seasons – Some Fall Salmon and Steelhead Dates Remain Open

ausable, bass, bat flies, boardman, brown drakes, fly fishing, grand traverse bay, hatches, hex, hex hatch, manistee, manistee river, smallmouth bass, streamer fishing

Another Week

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 23, 2012

Not much has changed from last week’s report other than river clarity has become a major issue – the rivers are running very, very clear and there is virtually no rain in the forecast – stealth and lighter tippet/leader is pretty much a necessity.

The Manistee, AuSable and Boardman are all running low and clear making it easy for the fish to see bugs on the surface, when they are out. Dry fly fishing has been mixed with lots of bugs to chose from but often at odd times. Look for Sulphurs, March Browns, Mahoganies, and caddis to continue and with all this heat in the forecast – have some Brown Drakes in your box . These warmer evenings should make for consistent evening hatches and spinner falls.

Streamer fishing has been tough with water low and clear, but is still a good way to get some of the bigger fish to come out and play. Look for low light times of the day or the rare, cloudy day to provide the best opportunity for success. There hasn’t been a secret fly working better than another lately – mix them up and fish them closer and deeper to wood than normal – be prepared to lose some flies, but also have better luck.

The ponds and lakes are really warming up and so is the fishing. Bass and bluegill continue to build in numbers and provide good fishing for the fly angler. Small nymphs suspended under poppers or buoyant dry flies make for a great duo and a small weighted streamer cast on a long leader can provoke aggressiveness from even the most discerning bluegill. Bass are coming up and eating poppers from time to time while the streamer and nymph fishing seems to be more effective.

Grand Traverse Bay – east and west, are warming up with all of this sun and the carp and smallmouth have taken notice. Numbers of smallmouth bass have increased as they go into spawning mode and feed in the shallows while the carp are a little more selective on water temperature and can be fickle on when and where you can find them. Often when you find them there will be a lot of them. Pay real close attention to water temps affected by wind direction and overnight temperatures to select the best places to fish. Crayfish and hex nymphs are working on both species and additionally minnow patterns for the smallies.

Be safe this weekend, share the water and bring bug spray. Good luck!
Ted

– Upcoming Fishing Seasons –

May & June: Trout fishing with streamers and dries. Don’t forget the Big Bugs – Drakes, Isonychias and Hex in June.
June: Carp on Grand Traverse Bays – find out why this has become the favorite early Summer fishing of so many.
Booking for all 2012 Seasons – Some Fall Dates Remain Open

ausable, brown drakes, carp, fly fishing, grand traverse bay, hatches, manistee, smallmouth bass, streamer fishing

Steelhead and Trout Limbo/Combo

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 18, 2012

We finally received some rain, but with the ground so dry, most of it went there rather than into our rivers having little impact on river levels and the much anticipated re-start of the Spring Steelhead run.

Some fresh fish continue to trickle in on the Manistee, but not as many as there typically is for this time of year. Look for the fish to be on the spawning gravel with a number of dark, males accompanying the female doing her thing. With the clear water conditions, be prepared to be stealthy and go light with line and flies – the males are becoming cranky and are taking leeches and fry patterns pretty good as they are fending for their territory. Other flies that have been working include small (#10 and 12) and realistic egg patterns, caddis and stones – not much new here. Targeting drop-back steelhead remains decent as the fish are putting their feed bag back on after a few weeks of not eating as they head back to the lake.

The trout fishing below Tippy dam is picking up for those targeting the dark water with nymphs where as streamer anglers working the cover are finding some better fish – mostly when the sun isn’t high and bright. The trout have been planted below the dam so you might have to increase your streamer size a bit to keep the stockers off your line to help with their survival and success rate. Look for conditions to improve as warmer weather sets in with warmer water and more aquatic life making for a good combo approach – steelhead in the morning and trout in the afternoon.. With the stocked fish in the river, consider fishing a big fly pattern like the Fin Clip to emulate the “natural” food source of some really big trout – it’s not a numbers thing, but the fish you get tend to be big.

Trout fishing on the Upper Manistee is pretty good for those who hit the right day – that’s when it’s warm enough for bugs to emerge or when the shade offers ideal streamer fishing as the water is still quite clear. Hendricksons have been emerging in the afternoons on the warmer days and the fish are starting to expect them. Be sure to have some stone flies and BWO in your box, too.

Good Luck!

Ted

The Spring Newsletter just went out – click here to read.

– Book a Trip for the Upcoming Fishing Seasons –

April: Steelhead and Trout fishing on the Manistee River
April-May: Trout – Streamers & Dry Flies. Hendricksons & Early Bug Hatches on the Upper Manistee
June: Trout -Big Dry Flies – Drakes, Isonychias and The Hex.
Booking for all 2012 Seasons – Some Fall Dates Remain Open

fin clip, hendrickson hatch, late spring steelhead, manistee, streamer fishing, tippy dam, trout, upper-manistee

“Well, We’re Waiting”

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 13, 2012

A classic quote from the movie Caddy Shack comes to mind as we wait for some rain to inspire the remainder of the steelhead to move upstream. While we have had some rain and some snow, no significant amount has fallen and the steelhead run remains stagnate, stale and otherwise unprecedented. The forecast is calling for some this weekend and the lack of hot days has pretty much put water temps in check with normal readings for this time of year. Surf/Pier fishing reports indicate that fish are there -also waiting.

There are some steelhead in the Manistee and other area rivers with spawning taking place as water temps hover around 50 degrees. By no means are there as many fish around as there typically is this time of year but still some are around. As a few fresh females slip in, they are quickly attended to by dark males looking to do their part. With water clarity a little too good right now, they are pretty easy to see. Look for more respondent fish to be in the darker slots and holes near the bright gravel and cover a lot of water. Drop-back steelhead continue to play the game as they head back to the lake making for some spirited fights since their minds are back to eating and not spawning. Smaller, natural looking egg flies in smaller sizes are choice as are smaller nymphs like caddis, stones and fry when fishing near the gravel and hex, fry, buggers and leeches are working in the runs.

Trout fishing is well under way on the Upper Manistee with some hendricksons, bwos and black stone flies emerging as the day gets warmer in the afternoons. Water clarity is dramatically clear so stealth goes a long way with the fish being in all sorts of water – not just bunkered in the deep, woody holes. Streamer fishing smaller streamers with slower retrieves is working well with the cold water temps, but be prepared to mix it up if you aren’t getting the results you are looking for. Shaded water should demand your attention, but don’t overlook featureless water. Look for the bugs to continue to build in density with time and warmer conditions – it’s sure is a good to see trout rising again.

Good luck!

Ted

drop-back steelhead, hendickson hatch, manistee, steelhead, streamer fishing

«‹8 9 10

Posts tagged "streamer fishing"

Early June Fly Fishing – Lots Going On

– Upcoming Fishing Seasons –

Another Week

– Upcoming Fishing Seasons –

Steelhead and Trout Limbo/Combo

The Spring Newsletter just went out – click here to read.

– Book a Trip for the Upcoming Fishing Seasons –

“Well, We’re Waiting”

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