The late start and odd month of bugs and weather of June is spilling over in to July and we are still experiencing some bugs on the water and match-the-hatch dry fly fishing. The Upper Manistee and Boardman both have some Hex bugs coming off on them but the section of river and even bend makes the difference of whether there are bugs or not. Being the holiday weekend the rivers are seeing lots of use by canoes, tubes and kayaks making the morning and evening the best times to fish.
The recent cooler evenings have dropped water temps below the 70 degree mark on the Manistee and the Boardman has been running much cooler this year now that Brown Bridge Pond is gone. Other bugs that can be found on the water include Little Yellow Sally Stones, Isonychias, Brown Drakes, Light Cahills, BWO/Drunellas, Gray Drakes (Boardman). Bead Head nymphs fished in riffles and tail outs can be a good way to cover water when wading this time of year.
Carp and smallmouth bass are still around in the flats of Grand Traverse Bay but the smallmouth bass tend to be smaller this time of year as the big fish have slipped into the deeper water. The carp are still doing their thing but have been hard to find some days – crayfish and hex nymphs are ideal flies to have tied on. Plan to cover a lot of water and look for fish where boat traffic and pressure is low. This time of year the mornings can make for some great carp fishing.
Bass fishing on local lakes is getting better with the warm water and their tendency to hammer sliders and mid-sized poppers. With good weed growth look for the fish in the middle of lilly pads, off of breaks/weed beds and other forms of structure. Bluegill continue to be in both shallows and along the edge of weeds and drop offs.
Good luck,
Ted
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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.