Posts tagged "sulphurs"

3rd Week of June Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 20, 2021

As June continues, so do the fluctuations in weather. Thankfully the water temps have remained “safe” for trout fishing on the upper Manistee staying below 70 degrees for over a week now.

Hex flies have begun on parts of the river as have the Isonychias and, some Brown Drakes are still around typically at dusk. Other flies on and above the water include medium brown stones, bat flies, the last of the Sulphurs and even a great mahogany or two.

The weather forecast is calling for a significant cold front which should interrupt the cycle of emergences for a bit until normal temps come back again later in the week. Fishing will be challenging for most as you can’t hide in the cover of darkness when fishing in daytime when bugs are likely to be on the water. As it has been the case all season, really good presentations are required to fool these wise, educated and pressured fish.

Bass and bluegill fishing remains good on the smaller lakes. The bass are in a post spawn mood and hanging in the structure looking to eat, while the bluegill have gone shallow again. Weed growth is where it should be for this time of year giving you a great place to target both your dries/poppers and slider/divers.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout Fishing – July and August is Terrestrial and Trico time! Start the day off casting to brook and brown trout
and get back to the family for lunch time – it’s a great way to start the day when in Northwest Michigan.
Learn to Fly Fish – Tailor a half-day trip to learning how to fly fish –perfect for beginners.
Fall Steelhead – Some good dates remain in November and into December.

Early June Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 3, 2021

With June starting, so do the big bugs.

Trout fishing has been the focus of most anglers recently. This time of year, folks tend to hit the river armed with a well-stocked box(s) of dry flies or get in the boat with visions of emergers, sailboat look-a-like duns and/or spinners on the water to imitate. Lots of different bugs can be bring trout to the surface this time of year which is why it is a favorite time to spend an evening on the water on the Manistee or other local rivers.

Sulphurs, Mohaganies, Yellow/brown stones, and Gray Drakes are of primary consideration. But beyond those (since aquatic bugs haven’t used logic or followed schedules the past 8 years), have Isonychias and Brown Drakes with your because you never know when they might start to emerge on the Manistee. (Some Brown Drakes have begun on the Au Sable system). The hatches have been light, if not sporadic with fluctuations in the weather and some cool nights, but one has to be prepared. Evenings are still the best bet under normal circumstances, so make sure your head lamp has fresh batteries.

More on early June hatches and fishing this time of year can be read here.

With the lack of any significant precipitation, the mosquitoes most nights have been non-existent. The lack of rain has also kept the river running low and clear for far too long. Stealth in your presentation is paramount and a good presentation is required – these fish are demanding. Streamer fishing has waned with the low water and increase in bug activity. With some significant warm weather in the forecast, likely the last few hours of the day should offer the best fishing in the foreseeable future, unless a cloudy day comes along.

The lake fishing has been good for those looking to cast to some fat and sassy bluegill. The bass have been playing along, too, depending on which lake you are fishing. The typical surface flies have been working but with the full moon behind us, we are getting into post spawn grumpy behavior.

Good luck

Ted

TEMPERATURE ALERT: With the hot weather and warm nights, monitor temperatures on trout rivers. Once the water hits 70 degrees, you should stay off the water to prevent mortality and help preserve the resource.

au sable river, brown drakes, drakes, fishing guide traverse city, fly fishing guide, fly fishing report Michigan, isonychias, stoneflies, streamer fishing, sulphurs, trout fishing

Late May Fly FIshing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 23, 2021

It’s match-the-hatch time for selective trout.

Bugs have been fickle, but with any on the water some good fish are eating. Softer water can reveal the bulge of an emerger being eaten or a spinner being sipped, but you have to bring your best drag-free presentation and angling skills as the water is low and clear and when combined with angling pressure, the fish are pretty skittish. I often say you need two things to be successful this time of year: 1. The luck of bugs/rising fish and 2. The technical skills to present to them. Sorry, just one of these isn’t enough.

Sulphurs are just starting up and should build over the next week. Mahoganies and Great Mahoganies belong in your box too, as do caddis just in case our Michigan trout key in on them. I think the last of the Hendricksons have come and gone but have been replaced with some stones. Overwhelmed with pattern choices? This time of year you can often get by with Borcher’s Drakes and Robert’s Yellow Drakes in a range of sizes. Change the batteries in your headlamp and pack the insect repellent – it’s that time of year.

Streamer fishing has been tough– practically having 1/3rd of the precipitation YTD is leaving the roads dusty, the river low and the water clear. Try downsizing your streamers and consider fishing them on floating lines.

Bass and bluegill fishing has taken off with the recent heat. There are fish in shallow and willing to eat your dries, although the bass tend to like sub surface patterns this time of year. Don’t be overly surprised when a pike eats your streamer as they have a post-spawn hunger right now. Fishing a pond or lake is a great way to spend an evening and perfect way to introduce someone to the sport.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout Fishing – May and June offer some of the best streamer and dry fly hatches of the year.
Learn to Fly Fish – Tailor a half-day trip to learning how to fly fish –perfect for beginners.
Fall Steelhead – Some good dates remain in November and into December

bluegill, bluegill fishing, borchers drake, dry fluy fishing, fly fishing guide, fly rod bluegill, mahoganies, manistee, roberts yellow drake, streamer fishing, sulphurs

Mid May Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 13, 2021

The past couple of weeks have had some cold overnight temperatures dropping water temps which in turn made for sporadic bug emergences and negatively affected the fishing.

Water temps had dropped on local rivers including the Manistee, AuSable and Boardman into the 40s. Already two days of sunshine is helping those temps stay in the mid-50s with more sun and normal night time temps forecast ahead which should help stabilize temps, improve emergences, and make for better trout fishing. Trout hate drops in water temps, especially when under 60 degrees so time of day and sunshine can make a difference on when to likely experience a hatch.

Already we are seeing the last of the dark Hendricksons (mostly spinners that didn’t freeze), light Hendricksons, caddis, and brown stones. Look for more bugs to show up including Sulphurs, black quills, Mahoganies, and more. This time of year can offer some really good dry fly fishing, but it’s technical fishing with clear water and educated fish – bring your A-game and a lot of different mayfly imitations including an assortment of Borcher’s Drakes.

The clear water is making streamer fishing a little tougher, too. Between hatches/emergences, fish the smaller patterns low and slow and cycle the colors until you find one that works for the day’s conditions. And the fish’s preference.

Lake fishing hasn’t been on fire but like the trout rivers, this warm weather will get those fish into the shallows any day if they haven’t already.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout Fishing – May and June offer some of the best streamer and dry fly hatches of the year.
Learn to Fly Fish – Tailor a half-day trip to learning how to fly fish –
perfect for beginners or those looking to dial in a new technique.
Fall Steelhead – Some good dates remain in November and into December

au sable, Black Quill, caddis, fly fishingreport, hendricksons, manistee river, sulphurs, traverse city fly 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

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