Late May Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 30, 2024

With May coming to an end, the Mayfly hatches and trout fishing continues.

This time of year it’s often time for headlamps and evening spinner falls at dusk when the mayflies drop to the surface to feed the fish. Hatches have been sporadic and with the weather, they can emerge at various times of day. It’s the spinners that typically collect in the evening to form decent numbers that anglers get excited about.

The upper Manistee has had it’s share of Great Mahoganies the past ten days and this is a hatch that seems to build in density each year. Sulphurs have been sporadic but are winding down, and those small #14 black caddis continue to feed a lot of the smaller fish. There are a handful of other bugs that can show up this time of year which can be intimidating when we try to match the hatch, but you can get by with a nice assortment of Borcher’s Drakes, Robert’s Yellow Drakes and Adams patterns to do a good job representing what you are imitating. And a drag-free presentation is just as – or even more important – than the pattern itself. Some medium brown/yellow stones belong in your box as do Isonychias and if it’s a warmer evening, stay till dark with some Brown Drakes – they should be starting if they haven’t already.

A fair amount of rain on Sunday and Monday brought the upper Manistee river level up while leaving a significant stain to the water. Those looking to get some streamer fishing would be best to do that before things clear up again.

Bass and bluegill fishing is mixed depending on the body of water you are fishing. Some bluegill have moved back into the shallow water for their second round of spawning thanks to a mild winter and early spring. The largemouth are in a post-spawn funk and the smallmouth bass are mixed but in the inland lakes, they are packed up and have mostly have moved deep again, only to hover around the breaks and drop offs. Weed growth in the past week has been remarkable and only helps anglers look for ideal spots to target fish.

Good luck.

Ted

Smallmouth Bass – Fish the lower Manistee with streamers & poppers this summer for fish that can pull.
Learn To Fly Fish – 1/2 Day trips are perfect for beginners! Learn how to cast before hitting the water to fish.
Trout, Tricos & Terrestrials – July & August offer fun dry fly fishing on the upper Manistee river.

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Mid-August Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - August 16, 2023

Mid-August finds us with tired fishing conditions. It’s been a long season and most species have been pressured for months now and are playing coy if not selective. But it’s still fun.

The trout rivers are about as clear as I have seen them in any summer prior. The lack of rain this year has kept visibility too good and on rivers like the upper Manistee, their spring fed nature has kept a minimal flow throughout and the cool nights have kept temps ideal through most of summer.

Tricos are still on the water most days mid-morning and terrestrials are bringing fish to the surface when not. Kind of a blast with a lighter weight rod and targets feeding on the surface. Smaller streamers and twitch flies fished on floating lines have been good at getting some suspect and reluctant fish to come out.

Smallmouth bass fishing on the Manistee has been tougher than normal this summer. Some days they make it easy to figure out what they want, other days you change a dozen patterns and figure it out. Or just happen to be there when they want to start eating. Smaller streamers (primarily baitfish imitations) have been working when fished on slow sink or intermediate-tip lines. The popper and terrestrial bite has been hard to come by, but yellow or black poppers seem to be the ones they prefer when they are looking up.

The largemouth bass in the lakes have gone deep and aren’t showing up much in the water for the fly rod angler, except for those low-light hours. Look for lily pads near drop offs to offer the best fishing. Bluegill fishing remains good for those learning the sport but they aren’t the big “gills” that we find in shallow in May and June.

Good luck,

Ted

Trout – Tricos and Terrestrials on the Upper Manistee a great way to spend a half-day on the river.
Smallmouth Bass– Spend a half or full-day on the lower Manistee fishing smallies – through Late August.
Fall Steelhead – November still has some dates available in 2023 – finish the fishing season strong.

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Early October Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - October 1, 2022

It’s October and it feels like it – cool nights, mild days and some color staring in the trees.

Most anglers are focused on the salmon in local rivers as it’s been a good year with decent numbers and big fish. The run has been mixed with some fish having been in the river a while and are occupying spawning gravel while others are staged waiting for a change in conditions to really trigger their spawning activity. Colder rivers (Betsie) get fish going sooner where the warmer rivers (Manistee) take a little longer to get things going in full. Regardless, it’s that time of year and you won’t be alone on whichever river you decide to fish.

Trout fishing in September on the upper Manistee was kind of a dud. Typically, it’s that time of year where pre-spawn brookies and browns are taking advantage of little pressure and roam around putting on some weight before spawning eating both dries/terrestrials and smaller streamers. It was slim-pickin’s with few fish looking to play the game or witnessed swimming away after being spooked in the clear water. Not sure what the future holds for the water between M72 and M66 but one has to be an optimist because lately reality has been giving us a swift kick in the ass up there.

Just a reminder that certain rivers closed on September 30 while other rivers and/or sections rivers remain open. With most folks spending time chasing salmon and steelhead, hunting or watching football, you should find the trout rivers pretty much unfished in the fall.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Finish the season with what started the season – Steelhead! Good dates available in November
2023 Fishing – Get your dates secured to ensure your time on the water. Booking all seasons thru September.
Gift Certificates – Quick and easy gifts of a half-day, full-day or casting lesson for friends or family.

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Late September Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 25, 2021

With September winding down it seems fishing is ramping up.

The trout streams have been pretty quiet with few anglers fishing and the fish have responded by slipping out from their protective log jams and are out where you can get a fly to them. With the water clear (upper 50s temp), you can see the fish, but usually after you have spooked them. Cast down and across with smaller streamers and twitch and strip rather then rip and strip for your best success. With some days forecast to be in the 70s, keep a box of terrestrials with you in case the fish start looking up again. Fall colors on the upper Manistee are starting to pop making it a great way to spend an early fall day in solitude.

<<Click here to read an article on how to move your streamer a little slower>>

Salmon fishing picked up this week with a change in the weather and some favorable winds to mix up the water and draw some fish closer inshore and up the rivers. All the local NW Michigan rivers have fish in them and a few are starting to scratch the gravel as they begin the spawning ritual.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Some good dates remain in November and into December. Finish the season with some chrome.
2022– Booking next year’s fishing seasons through September. Don’t miss your favorite seasons and good dates!
Gift Certificates – Ask or give the gift of a lesson, half or full-day trip on the water.

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Mid September Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 12, 2021

Water levels are in good shape as nice, pleasant weather continues through September. Water temps on the upper Manistee are in the high 50s and with some sunlight, it creeps into the lower 60s. Getting a little later start in the morning helps to allow the fish to wake up and terrestrials dry out from the night’s dew fall.

Sub-surface twitch flies and smaller streamers are also a good approach. Seems that the brook trout have shuffled through the river moving closer to their favorite spawning regions and the bigger browns are starting to come out from cover after a long summer of playing hide and seek.

Salmon have entered most of the rivers in west Michigan as have salmon anglers. With the warm weather runs likely will be stagnant until the next episode of north/northwest winds push some fresh fish into the river mouths and an increase in river levels from rainfall draws them up. If headed out, please share the resource, pick up after yourself and lead by example. Or go trout fishing instead to avoid that scene which seems to only get worse each year.

Bass and bluegill fishing has pretty much come to an end with most of the fish hanging in the deeper water off the shallows as it offers them the best thermocline. After 3.5 months of pleasing anglers, I supposed they earned to have the rest of the fishing season off.

Good luck.

Ted

September Trout Fishing – Cool nights and warm days, this time of year you have the river to yourself.
Fall Steelhead – Some good dates remain in November and into December. Finish the season with some chrome.
2022– Booking next year’s fishing seasons through September. Don’t miss your favorite seasons and good dates!

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Posts tagged "upper manistee"

Late May Fishing Report

Mid-August Fishing Report

Early October Fishing Report

Late September Fishing Report

Mid September Fishing Report

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