Mid-October finds the weather and fisheries in-line with the calendar.

The river banks are popping with color as the leaves and salmon change color while some chrome steelhead show up. The salmon run is past the peak however a fresh one shows up occasionally. With the erratic weather patterns since late August, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few fresh fish trickle in for the next month on the Betsie and Manistee Rivers.

The steelhead – like the salmon – are running larger this year. Combine their size with warmer than normal water temperatures (upper 50’s) and folks have found them to be more than a handful when hooked; I have never witnessed steelhead behavior like this before. With the recent and forecast cooler overnights, the water temps are dropping, and this should help “tame” the fish a little.

As the salmon continue to spawn in the river, the steelhead are on a heavy diet of salmon eggs. The runs below spawning salmon have the steelhead below them taking full advantage of the protein drip. As such, egg patterns and beads have been the go-to, however some green caddis and steelhead buggers are an honorable mention and worth having in your box.

<<More info on fishing egg patterns can be found here>>

The ardent steelhead angler will still find the salmon angler and the accompanying trash on the river bank so be prepared to share the water for a few more weeks. Beer cans are lighter when empty but sadly they still don’t make it back to the parking lot once consumed – let their behavior of littering and questionable angling techniques inspire you to be a sportsman rather than assimilate and be a slob.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Good November and December dates remain open for these prized sport-fish.
2020 Fishing Season – We are booking dates through October of 2020 – don’t miss the prime times.