Posts tagged "terrestrial fishing"

Mid August Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - August 19, 2022

It’s mid-August and it feels like it’s the end of a lot of seasons. This time of year the months of long days, prolonged fishing pressure and water temperatures that are often elevated, can make the fish hard to find and/or engage.

Trout fishing continues to be more challenging than normal on the local rivers. The Trico hatches of mid-morning have been inconsistent the past month not providing the reliability of fun surface activity we expect this time of year. Terrestrial fishing has been o.k. but most days have been bright and sunny that combined with low water tends to drive fish to deep and/or dark places and not looking up at our flies.

If you hit the water on a cloudy or overcast day – you have picked a good day as the fishing tends to be much better with fish out and looking to eat. The foam and rubber legged patterns have been working with various size and colors, but the real big ones haven’t been working; like streamer patterns, word is out that the big ones hurt. A few flying ants have been around and are always worth tossing whether alone or as a dropper behind a larger, easier to see pattern.

The smallmouth bass fishing on rivers has gotten a little slower, too. We are still finding fish, it’s just not as consistent. The full-moon could be the reason why they aren’t eating as much but in rivers like the lower Manistee, it could be the presence of some early running salmon that have them off the bite as the smallies are no longer feeling like they are the top of the food chain. Classic baitfish streamers in white/gray have been most consistent, but yellow is a good back-up color to have in your box.

The lake and pond fishing, too, has slowed some. More so than ever, seek out the structure of weed beds and drop offs for your best chance at both bluegill/sunnys and largemouth bass. A very small weighted streamer fished on a floating line with a slow retrieve has been productive when the surface bite isn’t happening.

Good luck.

Ted

Learn to Fly Fish – Book a half-day trip with the idea of learning the basics in how to cast and fly fish.
Trout and Terrestrials – Start your day on a cool river fishing for trout with dry flies into September.
Fall Steelhead – Finish the season with what started the season – Steelhead! Good dates available in November

bass fishing, fishing, learn to fly fish, salmon, streamers, terrestrial fishing, traverse city, trout

Early August Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - August 9, 2021

UPDATE August 11: Two heavy rainfalls in the region the past two days have increased river flows significantly. Anglers will find the rivers high, moving fast, and dirty. To monitor your favorite river, use these sites:

Upper Manistee/M72 Upper Manistee Near CCC Lower Manistee/Tippy Boardman Platte
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River conditions on the Manistee and Boardman are pretty much in step with the season – running slightly clear and low making mornings and cloudy days the best approach to fishing this time of year.

Hatches on the river are pretty much limited to Tricos in the evenings and Trico spinner falls in the a.m. Some days these last for a while giving you multiple targets to cast to, other days it is short lived with a brief window of spinners falling and feeding fish. The occasional Isonychia is coming off, more likely in the evening and they are getting smaller in size (#12 & 14) as the summer continues.

When bugs aren’t around, it’s time to cast “Foam and Rubber” – attractors and terrestrial patterns which have rubber legs. Somedays they want big patterns dead-drifted, other days twitched, or sometimes it’s a smaller pattern that looks more natural. Good brook trout and decent brown trout are coming up but the bigger fish – it seems – have mostly gone on summer vacation which is normal; look for them to start showing up again when school starts, water temps cool, and fishing pressure drops.

Lake fishing, too, has slowed with more bluegill playing along than the bigger bass. If looking for the bass, go sub surface with small streamers fished slow on either an intermediate line or small sink-tip.

Smallmouth bass fishing on rivers has been a good option for those looking to cast a larger fly on sink-tips, slow sinking lines, and the occasional floating line with a dry fly for fish that tend to pull pretty hard.

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.

fly fishing guide, fly fishing report, manistee, manistee river fly fishing, michigan fly fishing, smallmouth bass on streamers, terrestrial fishing, trico fishing

Early July Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 8, 2021

See-saw weather continues into July making just about every day different from the previous one. From hot to cool, sunny to rainy, the weather patterns have been mixed. Despite a number of rains, the local rivers are in good shape in regards to height and color. The thirsty ground absorbed a lot of the run-off keeping the rivers fishable.

The Upper Manistee has been fishing o.k. Like the weather, it has been different from one day to the next. Bugs/hatches have mostly been non-existent save for some Isonychias, Light Cahills and some remaining Hex. A few stones have been around as well, but mostly the two months of match-the-hatch dry fly fishing is behind us leaving the options for patterns to a select handful of dries. It’s nice to have room in my gear bag again. In addition to patterns imitating the bugs noted above, it’s time to think about transitioning into terrestrials and “twitch” flies.

To learn more about fishing the trout rivers this time of year, check out “Fishing After the Hex Hatch”.

On local lakes the largemouth bass fishing has picked up whereas the bigger bluegill/panfish have slipped back into deep water. They likely will be back up for another spawn soon. Nothing new here – fish the structure (weeds, docks, fallen in trees, drop-offs, etc.) for your best success. While top water is the most fun, something fished sub-surface on an intermediate line can fool those particular bass that are wary of fly patterns that float.

Good luck.

Ted

bass fishing, bluegill, boardman river, fly fishing guide, fly fishing lessons, learn how to fly fish, manistee triver, terrestrial fishing, tricos, trout fishing traverse city

End of September Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 26, 2020

A lack of significant rain this month has local rivers running lower and clearer than normal and prolonging the salmon run.

The upper Manistee river provided visibility like I had never seen before – it was a unique opportunity to see the water in greater detail as far as structure but also the number of big fish. With the lack of pressure on this side of Labor Day those wiley brown trout roam a bit more giving you a chance to feed them a fly.

With the dry weather and warmer temps, the terrestrial fishing has been pretty good, especially on cloudy/overcast days although bright days have been tough. Smaller, realistic streamers too have been effective and having both in your arsenal is a great approach. It’s still not easy fishing – the longer, well placed cast most days outperforms the bad presentation; that’s a given no matter what season/conditions. Fall colors along the river banks usually get started there earlier than other places in the region and this year is no different. Oh yeah, and there is pretty much no one else around.

Those looking for salmon will find fish in the local rivers as well as plenty of people fishing for them. The Betsie, Platte, Manistee, Boardman – they all have fish in them but some days you wonder if the fishermen outnumber the fish. As more people have more time on their hands this fall, it seems that the busy fall salmon season has been busier this year. Spawning has just started but there are enough fish in the holding water that are more likely to eat a well-presented fly (and give you a better fight) as they wait for conditions to change. With the lack of rain, consistent wind direction to organize water temps (and fish) in the lakes, and warmer air and water temps, the salmon run is likely to be drawn-out again this year. But with all things in 2020, who knows what will happen.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout/Steelhead Combo – Late fall can offer a combined chance at both species on the lower Manistee.
Fall Steelhead – Some good dates are available in November – a great way to finish a fishing season.

betsie river, boardman river, manistee, michigan fall trout fishing, salmon, salmon fly fishing, streamer fishing, terrestrial fishing, trout fishing fall

End of August Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - August 29, 2020

With August coming to an end it is apparent that the Trico hatch on the local trout rivers has also come to an end. This time of year typically is a transition time where fish start focusing on subsurface presentations and streamer patterns but it’s still summer-like and the fish are still looking up and taking terrestrials, attractors and even mayfly impressions (great olives, small Isos). Some flying ants have been around and they are always a safe bet to have in your fly box for the next 5 weeks if headed to the upper Manistee or Boardman rivers.

Fishing pressure has been light and once we get on the other side of Labor Day, anglers will have the trout water pretty much to themselves and the wildlife. Take some smaller streamers and fish sub-surface on floating lines should the fish not be looking up or there is too much debris floating on the surface as winds blow pine needles, dead grass and more into the river. If you never fished your favorite trout river in September, you should try it.

Many anglers think that with September comes the salmon. This year the salmon run is running late because of the hot summer, warm water temperatures at river mouths, and lack of rain, cool nights and favorable winds. Eventually as the season starts to act a little more typical for this time of year, fish should be showing up in better numbers. The forecast calls for more of the same so look for the run to get a slow start.

Bass fishing on the local lakes has been good for those that can cast the larger patterns and covers some water. Big foam/hard shell poppers and diving deer hair sliders/divers have all taken some good fish near structure – weed beds, wood and drop offs. Bluegill fishing has slowed down but I suspect that should pick up again as water temperatures in local lakes begin to cool off.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout Fishing – Late fall can offer some really good trout fishing for those willing to fish streamers.
Or consider a trout/steelhead combo in November on the lower Manistee.
Fall Steelhead – Some good dates are available in November – a great way to finish a fishing season.

Betsie, fall steelhead, salmon, steelhead fishing, streamer fishing, terrestrial fishing

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