Posts tagged "traverse city"

August Fly Fishing in Traverse City

Posted by Ted Kraimer - August 1, 2013

Now that August is here, it is full-on terrestrial fishing for trout. Water temps are cooler than normal for this time of the year on the Manistee and Boardman River and the fish are happy. The clear water and bright skies are making it tougher than normal, but there are still some trout around to play our game; look for overcast and cloudy conditions to provide your best opportunities.

When not casting terrestrials – hoppers, ants, beetles and other attractors, the most consistent insect on the water is the Trico – small mayflies that typically hit the water in mid-morning. Look for little dimples and mostly smaller fish to be out eating but always be ready to coax a larger fish to the net on the light tippet that might surprise you. Since these flies are so small, try fishing them behind a larger dry fly to serve as an indicator. Small beaded or coned streamers fished on floating lines and some bead head nymphs have been working in the deeper slots and holes with shade and/or wood.

Smallmouth bass fishing on the lower Manistee fishing is good for those looking to fish streamers, crayfish and the occasional popper. While they aren’t as big as the fish in the bay, they are a lot of fun and will make you a better streamer angler for other species including trout.

Bass and Bluegill fishing remains solid on the smaller lakes and ponds around Traverse City. If you haven’t gotten in on the bass fishing this year, it has been one of the better years we have experienced. While the larger bluegill are pretty deep most of the day and migrating into the shallows in the evenings, the largemouth bass have been accessible to the fly angler through poppers, streamers and diving baitfish. Small gills are almost always in shallow and offer beginners and kids a great opportunity to learn the basics and have fun doing it.

Good luck,

Ted

Trout Fishing – Morning Trico s and fishing terrestrials is a great way to start a day in August
Bluegill & Bass – Fishing for both species is a great way to spend some time on the water over summer.
Fall Steelhead –Few dates remain for these chrome favorites – act quick. Late Sept. – Nov.

bass, boardman river, lower manistee, smallmouth bass, terrestrial fishing, traverse city, tricos, trout fishing

As Summer Starts, Fishing Remains the Same

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 20, 2013

Not a whole lot has changed with regards to fly fishing the Traverse City region over the past week. Trout, Carp, Bass and Bluegill are some of the choices anglers have in respect to what to fish for and what body of water – it’s nice to have options.

Trout fishing hasn’t been as good as it usually is for this time of year on the Manistee. Typically there are great evening hatches and eager to please trout but I think (and admittedly I’m no entomologist) the cool evenings and often breezy conditions are keeping bugs from emerging and the spinners from falling that last hour of day light. With the bright, cloudless skies the fishing has been tougher than normal for both the dry fly and streamer angler, but with a warmer forecast, the bugs should get back on schedule and on the water’s surface in better numbers. Bugs that have been witnessed lately includes: sulphurs, Light Cahills, March Browns, Mahoganies, Isonychias, little yellow sally stones, and a few brown drakes. The same is true on the Boardman with a few Gray Drakes spinners collecting in the evenings; the river is running cooler with the removal of Brown Bridge Dam . If you see a warm, cloudy day – get to the nearest river with your rod in hand.

After being spoiled the last few years with early hatches, it seems that the bug cycles are a little more in line of “the old days”. On the Manistee, it wasn’t uncommon to celebrate the 4th of July on the river with Hex bugs – it looks like the Hex will start much later this year than the previous years. I never thought I would say this, but bring on the heat – it appears that with summer starting Friday, we will start to get some summer temperatures and in time – the big bugs.

Carp fishing has improved this past week with more fish in the shallow flats on both East and West Grand Traverse Bay. Crayfish and hex patterns have been the most reliable for the ‘golden bone’ angler but other days they require a lot of fly changes. Spawning has kicked in pretty good in some of the flats as the fish congregate in large “balls” and come in pretty shallow making them great targets for the wading angler. Smallmouth bass are still around and playing along nicely – baitfish patterns have been working well.

Bluegill continue to be a lot of fun on the local lakes. Some big fish are still in shallow eating everything from dries and micro poppers to small nymphs and streamers. Flat, calm water is the best for fishing on top as it’s tough to beat watching a big “bull-gill” porpoise on a fly. The bass fishing remains active in lakes – mostly for largemouth, and will only get better as July and August get here offering great top-water fishing.

Good luck,

Ted

Open June dates: 30th

The Summer Newsletter just went out – Click here to read and/or sign up for future delivery

Trout Fishing – Evening hatches should transition to morning trico s and terrestrial fishing as July sets in.
Bluegill & Bass – Lake fishing for both species is a great way to spend some time on the water over summer.
Fall Steelhead – Its not too early to start thinking about fall’s best fishing fish. Late Sept. – Nov.

bluegill, boardman, carp, fly fishing, grand traverse bay, grand traverse bay carp fishing, hatches, hex bugs, isonychia, manistee, smallmouth bass, traverse city

Variety – In Fish and Weather

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 6, 2013

Some cooler temps have made fishing comfortable and sometimes cool, but fishing has mostly been good for the variety of species anglers can chase this time of year in the Traverse City region.

The trout streams are looking good and fishing decent thanks to some good dry fly hatches. The cooler weather- it seems is creating emergences and spinner falls a little earlier in the evening to help see what is going on. Small bugs and fish dimpling the surface in low light can be frustrating so the early emergence is a treat. There are a number of bugs that can be found on the water – Sulphurs, Mahoganies, March Browns, Little Yellow Sallies, Med-Brown (Mattress Thrashers) Stones, BWOs, and a few others like Isonychias that are just starting. A Borcher’s Drake seems to do a pretty good job right now of imitating a lot of the spinners and a number of the duns on the water whereas the Robert’s Yellow Drake in 14-16 is starting to take a number of fish on top. Look for brown drakes to pop on the Manistee and Boardman any day now. The rivers are full, have good clarity and the fish have been chunky from all the subsurface feeding they have been doing making for some inconsistent streamer fishing. Remember, you are only one cast away from making a slow day a great day so keep at it. It’s a great time of the year to dry fly fish the Manistee and Boardman.

Carp fishing has been up and down because of the weather – cold nights, strong winds from different directions each day and the lack of a hot sun are all contributing factors. One day they are in shallow, the next they are not. Some days they eat, some days they don’t. In other words, they are acting like carp which helps add to the challenge of carp fishing on the flats. The smallmouth bass on Grand Traverse Bay tend to be a little more stable near rocks guarding beds in shallow water, but it seems that in the popular areas, they have seen a lot of flies. Mix it up and fish off less pressured waters if you can.

The lakes and ponds have been fishing well – some lakes have had a lot of shallow water bluegill fishing with some fish being done with the spawn and others just getting going. The deep “kettle lakes” are examples of the latter. Top water flies/poppers/spiders and small nymphs swum subsurface have been working. Largemouth bass are in the shallows too and are eating both flies on top and below – swim a diver for the best of both worlds.

Please practice catch and release.

Good luck,

Ted

Father’s Day – Ask for or give a gift certificate to dad this Father’s Day – June 16 2013
Hex Fishing – Just a few ideal dates are still available for the big bugs and big fish in mid/late June.
Fall Steelhead – Its not too early to start thinking about fall’s best fishing. Late Sept. – Nov.
2013 Fishing Season – Now booking for all 2013 seasons – don’t miss out on this year’s fishing.

boardman, borchers, brown drakes, carp, fly-fishing guide, grand traverse bay, guide, hatches, manistee, streamers, traverse city, upper-manistee

Memorial Day Weekend Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 23, 2013

Up and down weather this week has provided everything from hot and humid to cool and rainy. While the dry, warm days provided good hatches on the Manistee and Boardman Rivers, the other days were ideal for the streamer angler fishing below the surface and covering water looking for trout.

The potpourri of bugs lately have included: Hendricksons, March Browns, Mahoganies, Black Quills, and a few Sulphurs. Inconsistent weather has broken the mold of evening-exclusive spinner falls and they can be found at all times of the day including late mornings – one just never knows so it’s good to be prepared and be flexible. Look for the warmer weather to return this weekend and for the bug emergence to become a little more reliable and stable. If heading out, you will find that the most prolific hatch lately has been the mosquitoes; be sure to take some bug spray – not having any isn’t an option right now. To read more about the various mayflies that emerge over the next month, click here.

Streamer fishing has been decent as the water conditions are ideal with a slight stain, overcast skies and good temps. With chestnut lampreys active right now and the rain washing worms downstream, streamer patterns resembling such are catching some fish. Other successful patterns are those with lots of movement and orange/brown color schemes looking like crayfish and/or juvenile brook trout – at least that seems to have been a recent preference. As always, mix it up, donate flies to deep structure and keep moving for that rewarding brown or rainbow trout.

The Bluegill/Panfish have moved into shallow water on most of the local lakes and are making for some great fishing. Targeting the “bull-gills” on light rods is a blast. Fish have been taking both dries and nymphs with dries being best when the water is calm. Fish small nymphs by swimming them or try a real small streamer slowly striped.

Some carp have been moving closer inshore from the Grand Traverse bay’s depths but they are far from where they should be in regards to numbers and ideal depths. These weather changes – I think, negatively affect carp more than any other fish we fish for. Smallmouth bass, too, are starting to move towards shallow water to do their spring spawning ritual. The fly fishing in the bays surrounding Traverse City will only get better over the next month.

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day. Good luck.

Ted

Trout Fishing – May & June offer some or our best streamer fishing & great hatches!
Bluegill – Experience great fishing on the ponds and lakes in mid-May and June
Father’s Day – Ask for or give a gift certificate to dad this Father’s Day – June 16 2013
Hex Fishing – Some ideal dates are still available for the big bugs and big fish in mid/late June
2013 Fishing Season – Now booking for all 2013 seasons – don’t miss out on this year’s fishing

bluegill fishing, carp fishing, chestnut lamprey, fishing, fly fishing, hendrickson, manistee, report, streamer fishing, sulphurs, traverse city

Fall To Winter Steelhead & Trout Fishing

Posted by Ted Kraimer - November 26, 2012

It didn’t take long for mother nature and conditions to go from a lingering fall right into winter mode. Temperatures have become more seasonable and so has the water temps slowing fish down a bit. It has been a while since we have received any significant precipitation so most of the steelhead in local river systems have been there a while and have been settling into their cold-water behaviors and lies. Water clarity is a little too good right now coupled with the low water levels so a little lighter line/tippet highly recommended.

Look for fish to be near wood structure in the slower moving water just and often just on the inside of a bubble line. As water temps drop these fish become a little more lethargic but they are still eating, albeit often selectively. Fishing with floats and suspending flies through bubble lines (fly pinning) is an effective method from now until spring as it helps with the drag-free drift and keeps your flies out of the wood. The swing bite for those looking to cast two-handed rods remains decent as this method can encourage some fish out of the wood to eat something big and flashy; target the soft water on the inside off the bubble line just like the nymph and egg angler and let the fly hang-down a little longer as this time of year the fish seem to get curious about big streamer/spey flies dangling in the current.

Trout fishing remains a viable option for those looking to catch some browns and bows. Streamer fishing in some of the bigger water this time of year requires a lot of casts but often with big rewards when you hit. Fishing below Tippy Dam offers both streamer and nymph fishing as there is a higher concentration of trout in the first couple of miles of downstream of the dam. Small, natural looking (pale and/or translucent) eggs are a great pattern to fish in tandem with either a scud/sow bug or bwo nymph under an indicator. While it appears that our warm summer had an effect on the trout population in this water, there are still plenty of fish to target.

Firearm deer season ends 11/30/12 so wearing a little blaze orange isn’t a bad call as hunters tend to get anxious to fill unused tags the last few days of the season.

Good Luck.

Ted

Late Fall Steelhead: Target angler’s favorite sport-fish through December – Stay active this Holiday Season.
Late Season Trout: Fish the Upper or Lower Manistee and have the river to yourself. Nymph & Streamer fishing.
Gift Certificates: Ask for or give the gift of a guide trip or casting lesson. It’s a quick and easy gift! Click here.
Booking for all 2013 Seasons and through September – reserve your place in the boat.

current works, fall steelhead, fly-fishing guide, manistee, manistee river, steelhead, ted kraimer, traverse city, upper-manistee

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