Posts tagged "trout"

Transition Trout – Hello Terrestrials & River Smallies, Goodbye Carp

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 27, 2012

Trout fishing continues now that the hex hatch is mostly over. There are still some sporadic bugs on certain sections of rivers, but look for them to be light in numbers and unpredictable but worthy of being in every anglers fly box over the next couple of weeks should the odd ball spinner fall occur. This time of year can offer rare daylight spinner falls in the evening where you will be amazed at what is out and eating.

Water levels are low and clear on the Manistee, Boardman and other area rivers which is normal for this time of year. With the sun out, fishing has been slower during the day so target shade sections of the river or fish either mornings or evening for your best luck. There are still bugs on the Manistee and Boardman: Isonychias, BWO, Cahills and Gray Drakes (Boardman River) and they are starting to realize they better eat smaller bugs because the big hex bugs/porterhouse cuts of the night are pretty much done. Some of the terrestrial and attractor patterns have been working the past week and will only grow in popularity as terrestrial season builds and continues through August.

{A few years ago I wrote an article on Trout Fishing After the Hex Hatch – Click here to read.}

Smallmouth bass are becoming more active in the lower Manistee with the recent heat and this too should continue to build as summer continues to set in with its warm conditions. Small baitfish patterns and crayfish fished on a sink-tip is best and play around with some top-water sliders and poppers for some surface activity. These fish don’t tend to be as large as the smallies found in the bay but they are a lot of fun to chase and reinforce streamer fishing skills making anglers better trout anglers along the way.

The Carp in the bays are pretty much done. You might still find a fish or two cruising but finding good numbers of fish to target is unlikely. If heading out, cover lots of water and don’t be afraid of looking of looking outside of the bays and in Lake Michigan itself for fish – especially a little deeper than normal. Wind direction and overnight temps help dictate where to look, but with all of the boating and swiming activity that is likely to take place over the next week, look for mornings to be your best bet. This year wasn’t our best carp fishing year and I think like a lot of things the strange weather events of the year is partially responsible.

Local lakes and ponds are fishing well for bass and bluegill/panfish. With the weed growth look for the fish to be in the shade and eager to eat your fly. Drop-offs, docks, boat hoists, and other forms of structure are places to target and as the sun goes down or on cloudy days, look for fish to be a little more venturous cruising for food. Spiders and small poppers for the gills with bigger poppers and sliders for the bass. Try baitfish patterns fished deeper with a sink-tip when looking to target the bigger trout.

Safe travels and good luck,

Ted

Terrestrials & Trico hatches in the Months of July & August – start your mornings off on a cool, quiet trout stream.
Salmon: The end of August begins our salmon season extending through September. Limited dates available.
Steelhead: The end of September means it’s time to focus on fall steelhead – extending though November
Booking for all 2012 Seasons and through June 2013 – reserve your place in the boat

bluegill fishing, carp, fly fishing, manistee river, smallmouth bass, terrestrial, trout

It’s Officially Summer (and it feels like it)

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 21, 2012

Its been warm for the past 10 days and it has sped up the hatches on local rivers. The big hex bugs at night that tend to bring out the big fish have ramped up but with the rest of the season, there have been some nights with more bugs than others and not much rhyme or reason to it. After some decent rains and overall wet month, the local rivers (Manistee, Boardman, Au Sable, etc.) are full and have some color to them – not necessarily a bad thing considering the big bright sun. Other than the hex spinners that fall right at dusk, look for big stones, isonychias, a remaining brown drake or two, epeorus, bat flies and blue winged olives. Water temps are high so land your fish quickly and please practice catch and release – our trout are too valuable to only catch once. Besides, brown trout simply don’t taste very good.

Carp fishing on the bay has been decent as long as the winds aren’t blowing too strong. Lots of fish are spawning but a lot have already done so and are in post-spawn mode and tend to be more willing to eat the fly. Smallmouth bass continue to offer shots, but it seems that the bigger fish have moved deep again with smaller fish in shallower where fly anglers can still reach them. Look for any type of cover and structure to provide a shot at smallmouth. Good carp flies have been hex patterns, crayfish and black wooly buggers while the smallmouth are liking crayfish, baitfish/Clouser Minnows, and goby/sculpin looking patterns.

Good luck,

Ted

Trout: Fishing with streamers and dries. Don’t forget the Big Bugs – Drakes, Isonychias and Hex.
Terrestrials & Trico hatches in the Months of July & August – start your mornings off on a cool, quiet trout stream.
Salmon: The end of August begins our salmon season extending through September. Limited dates available.
Steelhead: The end of September means it’s time to focus on fall steelhead – extending though November
Booking for all 2012 Seasons and through June 2013 – reserve your place in the boat.

boardman, carp fly fishing, hex, manistee, river, trout

Tough Choices

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 16, 2012

This time of year there are so many species to choose from – it can be difficult to decide what to fish for and where.

Trout fishing continues to offer some good dry fly fishing as the mixed hatches are bringing fish up when temperatures stay mild in the evenings making for ideal hatch conditions. When fishing the Manistee, Boardman and AuSable, look for sulphurs, mahoganies, caddis, yellow/golden stones (#10), black quills and March Browns – emergers, adults and spinners should be in your box ready to go. When cloudy or overcast, bugs are emerging in the afternoon and early evening with spinner falls collecting closer to dusk and eventually falling when conditions are right – typically mild temperatures and light wind if any at all. With the smaller bugs, look closely for the small dimples of bigger fish rising – they can sometimes be hard to detect but worth the extra attention. Streamer fishing has been mixed with cloudy days being best as water levels are normal and clear. Successful streamer patterns include baitfish patterns (deceivers, brook trout, bunkers), brown zuddlers (think lamprey), peanuts and small, natural sculpins.

Fishing below Tippy Dam on the Manistee is nymphing real well with lots of carp in the river and trout eating eggs and the small nymphs being dislodged. Work the bubble lines with indicators and when you are looking to cast a streamer for bigger brown trout, white/baitfish patterns have been effective fished on sink-tips. With all of the small fish stocked in that section, look for the bigger fish to eat your larger streamers that imitate them. Wet fly fishing and swinging caddis dries offers great fishing for those looking to learn fly fishing in rivers.

The local lakes and ponds have seen an increase in bluegill activity as fish are moving in shallow on their beds – look for the numbers to build with the warmer weather and sunshine. Largemouth bass have moved into the shallows in greater numbers and are on nests, too doing their spawning thing. North and Eastern shores seem to be fishing best as the sun sets in the west exposing itself the longest to these sections of water and warming it up. Top water flies like small poppers are working as are small streamers and medium sized nymphs. Keep a rod rigged for pike in the event one shows up or break up the day focusing on the toothy critters with bite tippet and big streamers.

With the sunny days we have been getting some warmer water on the flats of the Grand Traverse Baysimproving conditions for carp. Afternoons and even into the evenings are best which is when the water is warmest. Cold nights and unfavorable wind directions can change things greatly from one day to the next, but with more consistent temps, wind and lots of sun – carp fishing should be going strong, soon. Until then, pick your days, times and places wisely.

Good Luck!

Ted

The Northern Angler will be hosting the Fly Fishing Film Tour at The Inside Out Gallery this Friday, May 18th.
Doors open at 6:00 with the film starting at 7:30. Call TNA for details and tickets – 231-933-4730

– Book a Trip for the Upcoming Fishing Seasons –

May & June: Trout fishing with streamers and dries. Don’t forget the Big Bugs – Drakes, Isonychias and Hex in June.
June: Carp on Grand Traverse Bays – find out why this has become the favorite early Summer fishing of so many.
Booking for all 2012 Seasons – Some Fall Dates Remain Open

ausable, bass, bluegill, boardman river, carp, fishing report, fly fishing, grand traverse bay, hatches, manistee, pike, trout

Steelhead and Trout Limbo/Combo

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 18, 2012

We finally received some rain, but with the ground so dry, most of it went there rather than into our rivers having little impact on river levels and the much anticipated re-start of the Spring Steelhead run.

Some fresh fish continue to trickle in on the Manistee, but not as many as there typically is for this time of year. Look for the fish to be on the spawning gravel with a number of dark, males accompanying the female doing her thing. With the clear water conditions, be prepared to be stealthy and go light with line and flies – the males are becoming cranky and are taking leeches and fry patterns pretty good as they are fending for their territory. Other flies that have been working include small (#10 and 12) and realistic egg patterns, caddis and stones – not much new here. Targeting drop-back steelhead remains decent as the fish are putting their feed bag back on after a few weeks of not eating as they head back to the lake.

The trout fishing below Tippy dam is picking up for those targeting the dark water with nymphs where as streamer anglers working the cover are finding some better fish – mostly when the sun isn’t high and bright. The trout have been planted below the dam so you might have to increase your streamer size a bit to keep the stockers off your line to help with their survival and success rate. Look for conditions to improve as warmer weather sets in with warmer water and more aquatic life making for a good combo approach – steelhead in the morning and trout in the afternoon.. With the stocked fish in the river, consider fishing a big fly pattern like the Fin Clip to emulate the “natural” food source of some really big trout – it’s not a numbers thing, but the fish you get tend to be big.

Trout fishing on the Upper Manistee is pretty good for those who hit the right day – that’s when it’s warm enough for bugs to emerge or when the shade offers ideal streamer fishing as the water is still quite clear. Hendricksons have been emerging in the afternoons on the warmer days and the fish are starting to expect them. Be sure to have some stone flies and BWO in your box, too.

Good Luck!

Ted

The Spring Newsletter just went out – click here to read.

– Book a Trip for the Upcoming Fishing Seasons –

April: Steelhead and Trout fishing on the Manistee River
April-May: Trout – Streamers & Dry Flies. Hendricksons & Early Bug Hatches on the Upper Manistee
June: Trout -Big Dry Flies – Drakes, Isonychias and The Hex.
Booking for all 2012 Seasons – Some Fall Dates Remain Open

fin clip, hendrickson hatch, late spring steelhead, manistee, streamer fishing, tippy dam, trout, upper-manistee

Fonzi Fry

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 5, 2012

Fonzi Fry

Each year as millions of salmon eggs turn into salmon, both steelhead and trout take notice and advantage of these naive, freshly hatched “minnows.” I originally developed this fry pattern for steelhead, but it didn’t take long for the trout to convince me they like it too, making it a staple in my fly box from March through June.

In rivers like the Manistee, Betsie, Bear Creek and the Pere Marquette, where natural reproduction of salmon is prolific, have some fry patterns with you. After the salmon eggs develop into alevins in February and March, the egg sack disappears and small fish/fry swim in much of the same gravel section of water that steelhead have recently migrated to.

Fry Eating Steelhead

While these small fish are a protein source, they are also future competition for the steelheads’ offspring. As nature and instinct takes over, the salmon fry is eaten. Trout recognize these naive fish as a food source, too, and are often the reason you see trout breaking the surface when no hatch seems to be taking place — they are chasing these fry to the surface to eat them.

When fishing for steelhead, I fish this fly like any other nymph — typically below an egg pattern — and I tend to swing the fly at the end of the drift, even as it rises off the bottom. These slack-less drifts/presentations are unrecognizable as you feel the tug from a fish immediately. Look for the take to be anywhere through the drift with this pattern.

Brown Trout Love “Minnows”

Both fry and trout tend to move to the edges of the river— especially in higher water — which makes it a great place to target trout. Fishing the Fonzi Fry on a floating line with either a mono leader or sinking leader with a down-and-across swing (think soft-hackle fishing) works well. At the end of your drift (the “hang-down”), twitch the fly and strip it back in to add movement and possibly elicit a fish. This pattern can also be fished on a smaller sink-tip line to get a little deeper or it can be fished as a tandem rig behind a much larger streamer pattern.

The Fonzi Fry is available from Rainy’s Flies and can be bought in stocking fly shops. Below are tying instructions for you fly tiers.

Wet Fonzi Fly

Recipe

Hook:           TMC 2457 #8
Thread:         Gray Uni 6/0
Tail:              Grizzly Marabou
Body:           Ice Dub – UV pearl
Thorax: Ice Dub- UV pearl
Collar: Teal Feather
Eyes: Bead Chain – Black, Small
Back:            Ice Dub – peacock

Tying Instructions

Step 1. Wrap base layer of thread to above hook barb.

Step 2. Tie in tail – length to be as long as hook itself. Tie off

Step 3. Dub ice dub body, loosely, 2/3rds up shank towards hook eye.

Step 4. Tie in Eyes just behind hook eye on underside of the hook

Step 5. Tie in teal collar by the tip and fold, wrapping at least once just in front of the dubbed body.

Step 6. Dub in front of the teal and around the hook eye (figure-8)

Step 7. Prepare some peacock ice dub and tie in so it extends forward,
over eye, wrap down behind hook eye, then move thread behind eyes.

Step 8. Pull Ice Dub back towards hook bend and tie down. Whip Finish.

Notes:

Pick out some of the body dubbing to give the fly a minnow like appearance but be careful it doesn’t extend beyond the marabou tail.

Be sure to use water-based head cement on this fly as other types will ruin the synthetic ice dub back. I have found Fish Pimp – Hard Headed head cement to be a very good product.

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alevin, Bear Creek, Betsie, fonzi fry, fry pattern, manistee, Pere Marquette, rainys flies, steelhead, trout

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