Salmon
Our salmon run starts as early as the last two weeks of August on the
Betsie River and the season extends well into October on the
Big Manistee River. Spending their "growing years" in the big water of Lake Michigan, the King (Chinook) and Coho (Silver) salmon enter our rivers for their spawning run.
In pools and eventually around gravel, these fish are often visible while fishing which helps fuel the excitement. Averaging 14 pounds, these fish do climb into the 20 pound range and landing them on fly rods is challenging and fun at the same time.
King Salmon
Methods
Nymph fishing with either floating lines or the most effective "duck and chuck" method gets our flies to the river bottom and where the fish are typically holding. Also known as drift fishing; this is an easy to learn technique for beginners with experienced anglers just getting better and more efficient with this method.
When fresh into the river, these salmon can be caught throwing big streamers and sink-tip lines on 9 weight fly rods. Much like trophy streamer fishing for trout, this can be exciting as you never Spawning Salmon
know when a fish is going to materialize
and try to pull the rod out of your hand on the take. Anglers interested in salmon fishing with this method must be able to cast a fly rod proficiently prior to booking a guide-trip to realize success.
Rivers 
Most of the rivers in the region that flow into Lake Michigan have a "run" of salmon. Typically starting as early as August, fish begin to school up at the river mouths and/or pier heads and head upstream when ideal conditions occur - typically a decent amount of rainfall. Rivers available for guided fly fishing trips are the Manistee below Tippy Dam, The Betsie River and The Platte River. See the
Rivers/Hatches section of the website for additional information.
Coho/Silver Salmon
Fresh August Salmon September Salmon Salmon Streamers
Ted Kraimer
Current Works, LLC
PO Box 333
Traverse City, MI 49685
231-883-8156