Posts tagged "traverse city"

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

Tricos and Terrestrials for Trout

Posted by Ted Kraimer - July 30, 2014

Our cooler summer is keeping water temperatures nice and cool and the fish sassy. Ranging from the upper 50s to low 60s and with a good flow, the upper Manistee and Boardman look a little different for this time of year.

Mid-morning hatches of Tricos have been taking place but vary a little based on how long it takes for the air to warm up; some mornings it takes a little longer for those small bugs to hit the water and the fish to look up. There aren’t many other bugs on the water right now except for a light hodge-podge of mayflies – including Cahills, BWOs and Isonychias. More on <<Fishing After the Hex Hatch>>

With fewer bugs on the water and hatch to match, now is a good time to transition into the terrestrial fishing – that is hoppers, ants, beetles, cicadas and most patterns tied with foam and rubber legs. As the summer extends these land-loving bugs find themselves on the water and vulnerable to trout. Fish them dead-drift with the occasional twitch and if that doesn’t work, put a lot of twitch and motion in them (not necessarily drag) for some reaction. More on <<Terrestrial Fishing>>

Small streamers, too, are working when the surface activity isn’t taking place. Work the structure with weighted patterns on a floating line and see if you can’t tease some fish out of their bunkers.

The lake fishing remains good for largemouth bass and bluegill fishing. The bigger poppers and sliders have been fooling the larger bass where the small spiders, swimming nymphs and streamers are working for the bluegill/panfish. Weed growth and lily pads have been a great place to start as is structure near breaks in water depth. More on <<Largemouth Bass Fishing>>

Smallmouth fishing in the lower Manistee remains an option for those looking to fish streamers for these fun fish. While they aren’t as big as the fish in the Bay, these bass keep it visual and are often eager to please. This is not the ideal species for the beginner but for the angler who has the basic skills and looking for a fun way to further develop your skills.

Good luck.

Ted

bass fishing, boardman, fly fishing, fly-fishing guide, lakes, manistee, panfish, rivers, smallmouth, terrestrials, traverse city, tricos, trout

Fly Fishing Traverse City for Trout, Carp, Bass & Bluegill

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 10, 2014

Trout fishing has been improving now that water temps are where they should be for this time of year and the various mayflies, stoneflies and caddis flies seem to be closer to being on schedule after a slow start to the season. The rivers are in good shape – they aren’t too high, or too low. Clarity is beginning to become an issue with the high sun and lots of it.

On the Upper-Manistee a handful of bugs can be found – typically in the last hour or two of light offering some technical but rewarding dry fly fishing: sulphurs, grey drakes, little yellow stones, caddis, great mahoganies, little mahoganies, medium brown stones and a few isonychias. This menagerie of bugs will keep you working through your fly box as each day – and even at times of day – they often have a distinct preference on which one they want to eat. Spinners have been collecting in the evening and falling to the water providing the most consistent flow of bugs – dark brown or rusty spinners in a variety of sizes from 12 – 16 are a must in your box right now and are a good place to start when tying on your first fly.

To learn more on the dry fishing over the next couple of weeks read “Trout Fishing Before the Hex Hatch.”

Pond and lake fishing for bluegill/panfish has been really good now that the fish have moved up into the shallows. Look for water near breaks and cover the structure – that is docks, fallen in trees, weed lines, etc. Some pike and bass will play along too, so either target those bigger fish with larger rods and flies or hold on when they eat the bluegill you are trying to land. Surface flies have been the most fun and productive, but the small streamer and nymph have been most effective on the larger panfish.

Carp and smallmouth bass fishing is still sputtering in Grand Traverse Bay as water temps are much lower than normal for this time of year. One day they are around and eating, the next day not to be found. Weather is crucial as the sun warms the water up and wind direction blows warm or cold water into the shallows – the fish like the warmer water. Some crayfish are moving around and work better on cruising fish as they are easy to see by moving fish, however the smaller: crayfish, swimming hex nymphs, black b.h. buggers do better when the fish are nosing around in the shallows and focused on eating. Smallies are still cruising the flats but have largely remained pretty elusive so far this year for the wading angler.

Good luck,

Ted

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

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 River.
Steelhead and Salmon – While Spring is late getting here, it’s not too early to reserve your Fall Dates.

bluegill, caddisflies, carp, fishing report, fly fishing traverse city, grand traverse bay, isonychias, manistee, rusty spinners, stoneflies, sulphurs, traverse city

Mid-November Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - November 14, 2013

After a change in the weather the past week it appears that mother nature has made up for the mild fall we experienced in the beginning. After some snow, rain, temperatures below freezing and lots of wind, it appears most anglers are looking to pick their days based on the weather. Traffic on the water is down with plenty of steelhead around to play with. With the dropping water temps, fish are starting to act a little lethargic when hooked, but not all of them. Look for the steelhead to start to move into the transitional water between the quick runs and the soft side of the seam and some of the larger holes. A little sunlight can make a big difference as it warms up the water a degree or two and can help trigger more activity.

Eggs continue to be the primary diet of fish as the millions of salmon eggs continue to drift down stream even though the salmon are pretty much gone. Pale colored egg patterns like nuke and rags seem to be working best: egg/steelhead orange, Oregon cheese/burnt orange, tetra yellow/light roe have been good color combos lately. Smaller natural nymphs are starting to have their effect on both steelhead and trout in waters like the Manistee below Tippy Dam – caddis, pheasant tails, and scuds are great candidates. Olive and copper streamers have been the effective pattern colors when swinging flies. Look for the streamer bite for trout on the Manistee to get going as the fish drop back into their lies after a fall of having their noses close to the spawning salmon.

More fresh fish continue to move up the Betsie and Manistee rivers thanks to the rains which have provided fish throughout the river systems. Water is slightly stained and running a little higher than normal for this time of year but is generally in good shape. Be prepared to fish a few ways – drift fishing, indicator fishing over structure and even swinging a fly on a sink-tip.

Friday Nov. 15 th is opening day of firearm deer season. Be careful and respectful of hunters and wear a some blaze orange to be safe while fishing. The season extends through Nov. 30th.

Good luck.

Ted

Steelhead -Fall fishing continues through winter and it’s not too early to book your Spring 2014 Steelhead dates.
Trout – Late fall trout fishing can be some of the best streamer and nymph fishing now that the salmon are gone.
2014 Fishing – It’s not too early to start booking your 2014 dates – reserve you place in the boat today.

betsie river steelhead, fly fishing report, manistee, nymphs egg patterns. swinging flies, steelhead, tippy dam, traverse city

The Unofficial Start of Fall

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 2, 2013

Now that Labor Day is behind us, the kids are in school and the salmon are in the rivers, it’s time to look forward to a long fall season of fly fishing.

While summer-like temps are usual throughout September, the cool summer brought the salmon closer to river mouths and into rivers much earlier this year. The Betsie, Mansitee, Bear and Pere Marquette all have fish in them and should throughout mid-October. The salmon – so far, have been on average a few pounds bigger than years past but the past week we have started to see some smaller fish swimming with the big ones. The big ones – while fresh, were hard to hold onto! We are a ways from spawning so look for fish to be in the deeper holes and eating nymphs and eggs and the occasional streamer fished on a sink-tip. Being salmon, some days they just don’t want to eat anything – mix up your fly patterns and put in your casts – it only takes a fish or two to make it a great day – more than that, even better.

There has been no shortage of anglers with this year’s early start and with the big fish come less than desirable anglers and their methods used to “catch” the salmon – program your cell phones with the DNR’s RAP Hot line (Report All Poaching) and report any violators you see: 1-800-292-7800. It only takes the word of a few tickets issued to curb some of the activity so your call can make a difference.

The warm weather over the past few weeks has warmed the trout waters but they will start to drop again with the cool down and cooler evenings. The Manistee and Boardman are running very clear right now but still have trout fishing going on. Terrestrials like hoppers, flying ants and beetles are a good bet as are some attractors. Sub-surface, try your bead head nymphs in the runs and slots and a small streamer twitched will keep you in the game. Look for the brook trout to get feistier as their spawning season approaches later this month and their colors become even more vibrant. You should have the trout rivers pretty much to yourself so enjoy the solitude and some technical fishing – there has been a decent BWO hatch on the upper Manistee in the early evenings and some remaining trico spinner falls in late morning.

Good luck,

Ted

– Sorry, at this time all salmon dates are booked. Be sure to act early next year to reserve your dates –

Steelhead -Just a few fall steelhead dates remain and it’s not too early to book your Spring 2014 Steelhead dates.

Trout – Late fall trout fishing can be some of the best streamer and nymph fishing once the salmon leave.

2014 Fishing – It’s not too early to start booking your 2014 dates – reserve you place in the boat today.

Betsie, DNR, fly fishing, guide, manistee, michigan, Pere Marquette, Rap Hotline, salmon, traverse city, trout

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