May Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 1, 2018

May is here and so is some weather to make up for such a cold April. Opening day of trout season took place over the weekend and greeted anglers with slightly high river levels and water temps lower than normal. It appears a few warm days are making a difference to get the mercury to rise when taking the water temp which is needed to bring on reliable hatches of Hendricksons and active trout. Unfortunately, there is rain in the forecast and while we need it, the rivers don’t need much of it as the upper Manistee, Boardman and Au Sable rivers are all running a bit high. The next month is the perfect time to fish streamers for big browns in the higher water but have a dry fly rod rigged for when some surface activity might present itself.

As the water continues to warm, the last of the steelhead have migrated into river systems and we are well beyond peak season. That big push of fish we were hoping for never came in but rather we experienced a good flow of fish throughout March and April. Remaining fish in the rivers are actively spawning and quickly getting it done before returning to the lake. Despite the cold April, it was a really good spring for steelhead numbers in the Manistee and Betsie rivers.

If you are still fishing steelhead rivers where they have recently stocked fish, please handle the young fish carefully as these are the big silver steelhead of the future.

More than trout season has opened up – local lakes are now ice-free and ice-out is a great time for those looking to target pike and musky in those dark, silty bays of lakes as they warm themselves up and put their post-spawn feedbag on.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout – Reliable hatches begin in May for surface activity. It’s also a great time to fish streamers for bigger trout.
Big Bugs – The big Bugs of June will be here before you know it…. Isos, Drakes and Hex – limited dates available.
Fall Steelhead – Spring Steelhead is just finishing up but it’s time to get your Fall Dates reserved – Oct. thru Dec.

betsie river steelhead, fishing, hendrickson, hex, manistee, opening day trout, steelhead, steelhead season, streamer fishing, trout, upper manistee trout fishing

Early March Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - March 1, 2018

March is here and so is an early start to the spring steelhead fishing. The winter – at times – has been just that – winter, but there have been plenty of thaws along the way pretty much leaving us without any snow, ice-free rivers and a favorable forecast.

River levels on the Manistee and Betsie are up a bit with some stain but that is pretty much normal for this time of year as some run-off works its way through the river systems kick-starting things. With the rising water levels and increased water temps, combined with a few days of sunshine, the steelhead are a little restless. Fish that have wintered over are moving around throughout river systems and getting closer to gravel sections but are still hanging out in the nearby deeper holes with a little less current moving through them. Fresh fish will trickle through the systems offering a mix bag of fish – from colored up winter fish to bright chromers.

With water temps still in the upper 30s, drag-free/Indicator and bottom-bounce presentations are your best bet. As is normally the case for late winter and spring steelheading, an egg pattern fished with a nymph is a great one-two approach. Egg patterns in orange combinations along with chartreuse combinations are ideal in the stained conditions. For nymphs, look for black stoneflies, caddis and alevin to produce.

Don’t put your snow shovels away just yet, but definitely get your fishing equipment out.

Good luck.

Ted

Spring Steelhead – Now through April, get on the water for Spring’s first opportunity to bend the rod.
Trout – Reliable hatches begin in May for surface activity and it’s also a great time for fishing streamers.
Learn How – Take a 1/2 day trip with the goal of learning how to fly fish or improve, customized to your interests.

betsie river, black stone fly pattern, caddis, fishing report, fry patterns, manistee, march fly fishing, michigan, spring steelhead, steelhead, trout

Early September Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 10, 2017

A cooler end of summer had kicked off the salmon fishing on local rivers, but things are starting to slow down with some nicer weather. Fish are scattered and spread throughout river systems with pretty much all rivers having fish in them including the Betsie, Platte, Bear Creek, Big Manistee, Pere Marquette.

With the fish running bigger this year, they have been hard to handle. Crowds have been unprecedented and some “angler’s” tactics to hook these fish have been unconscionable. With the DNR’s realization of high natural reproduction rates and their decision to reduce stocking – it’s imperative that we respect the future of the fishery. If you witness illegal activity, let them know and/or call/text the DNR’s RAP hotline: 800-292-7800. While the fish are around, we are losing our fishery to the heavy-handed approach of disguised snagging.

The salmon fishing has been making a case for late season trout fishing. The late summer terrestrial bite has been pretty good for brook and brown trout on the upper Manistee where it’s rare to see another angler on a miles-long float. The brook trout are vividly colored as we approach spawning season and remind us why they are the State Fish. Ants, hoppers, and smaller streamers fished on floating lines have been effective and as we go a little further into fall, have some larger streamers nearby with short sink-tip fly lines for the pre-spawn browns.

Good luck.

Ted

Salmon/Steelhead Combo – Late Sept. through early October offers a chance at both species on the Manistee.
Fall Steelhead – October, November and into December, these fish will bend your rod like no other – experience it.
Trout/Steelhead – The lower Manistee offers some great streamer fishing for trout in late Fall as another option.

Betsie, brook trout. steelhead fishing, DNR, DNR's Rap Hotline, fishing, fly patterns for salmon, nymphs, salmon fishing, snagging, trout, upper-manistee

Mid May Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 19, 2017

Trout continue to be the main focus of most anglers right now as this is a good time for those looking to do some match-the-hatch dry fly fishing. Rivers like the Upper Manistee, Au Sable and Boardman have had some decent hatches of a number of different bugs including: caddis, light Hendricksons, Sulphurs, Mahoganies and March Browns. After the cool front that came through the timing of the hatches and spinner falls will be a little difficult to predict instead of the typical late afternoons and evenings.

Until the bugs hit the water, work a streamer hard and heavy – it often takes a lot of casts but some of the fish that come to play this time of year makes you forget about all those previous casts. The lower Manistee below Tippy Dam is starting to see the number of spawning carp build and this tends to put the trout on a micro egg and small nymph bite until they clear out. Streamers (bait fish patterns) and wet flies have been working most days, but especially on cloudy days.

The bass and bluegill are moving into shallows and most lakes have fish starting to work nests/beds making for some great top water and small nymph fishing. Spiders, beetles and ant patterns work well on top but micro b.h. buggers, swimming nymphs and leeches are deadly when fished on a slow, steady retrieve.

Good luck.

Ted

May Fishing – Trout, late steelhead, hatches, streamer fishing, bluegill on lakes – don’t overlook fishing in May.
Trout – The hatches of late May lead into June making for some of the year’s best dry fly fishing – don’t miss out.
2017 Fishing – Plan your year around your fishing – get your dates on the calendar, life will fit in around it.

bluefgill fishing, boardman river, carp, dry fly fishing, fly fishing traverse city, hendrricksons, manistee river, tippy dam, trout

Early May Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 4, 2017

++ Sorry about the delay as the website host was having technical issues. The site should be fully up and running as before within a week. ++

As May comes around it is time to think about trout!

It appears that the steelhead run has pretty much come to an end after a good spring run. Some days were better than others but overall the 2017 spring steelhead numbers were real good and better than the previous two years. A few fish will continue to trickle in and out of the rivers but for the most part with water temps in the mid-50s, it’s pretty much over as they come in and go quickly.

The warmer days of April got the trout fishing going a little sooner with sporadic emergences of Hendricksons on the favorite rivers like the upper Manistee and AuSable. These bugs should continue to emerge with good spinner falls late in the afternoon and evenings as they begin to overlap with the other mayflies that start to emerge this time of year. Caddis, too, are showing up and as waters warm up even more, fish are chasing skittering imitations on the surface. But before and after any surface activity, anglers are best suited casting sink-tips and streamers for a chance at some really nice fish.

With Trout Opener taking place this past weekend, more rivers are open including parts of the Boardman and Platte so get out and get after those unpressured fish. As always, we strongly encourage catch and release since the DNR doesn’t do enough to manage our fisheries to their potential.

Good luck,

Ted

ausable, bluegill, borcher's drake, caddis, fly fishing, guided fly fishing, hendricksons, steelhead, trout

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Posts tagged "trout"

May Fishing Report

Early March Fly Fishing Report

Early September Fly Fishing Report

Mid May Fly Fishing Report

Early May Fly Fishing Report

Ted Kraimer • Current Works, LLC • PO Box 333 • Traverse City, Michigan 49685 • (231) 883-8156