Posts tagged "betsie river"

October Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - October 2, 2014

[ Addendum/Update – 10/3/14: A significant amount of rain overnight and much of the day has resulted in high and dirty water in the region. Use caution and consideration if fishing. For more on the region’s river’s flow rate, click here for the USGS website ]

Another nice week of weather made for some good fishing, but marginal catching. Some days the steelhead and salmon played along nicely, other days they were simply not playing.

The Manistee has salmon in it and they are mostly on spawning gravel near Tippy Dam. There seems to have been a lull in the run as far as fresh fish moving up through the system but after an inch of rain today we are hopeful that some fish in the lake pointed themselves upstream along with some additional steelhead. Numbers of both species are less than normal for this time of year as water temps at the lake are still too warm to have fish concentrated and looking to move upstream. A lack of northerly winds on the lake the past two months – I believe – is largely behind the run being stalled. Some more seasonal weather is in the forecast which should help things get closer to normal.

The Betsie also has salmon in it and are mostly on gravel although being a smaller river it is easier to see some fish moving through the system and easier to target them. After the rain look for the water level to be up a little along with a little more of the “Betsie Stain” to add some color to it. I suspect the run on the Betsie will continue through much of October. Please keep in mind that the Betsie is a natural reproducing river and catch and release is important to a long-term and sustainable fishery.

With October comes the end of trout season on a number of rivers and sections there within. The upper Manistee and lower Manistee remain open and the fall colors have been great on the upper. With the rain today and the cooler weather, look for the streamer fishing to improve as fish are in their pre-spawn mood. Most of the Boardman is closed -check the DNR’s regulations on the other rivers for what remains open.

Good luck,

Ted

Open dates through Mid-November: November 11 and 13

Trout – With fall here have the Upper Manistee River and its trout all to yourself.
Fall Steelhead– From now through November – this is the time of year for Steelhead.
2015 Fishing – It isn’t too early to get your dates booked for next year – now booking for all seasons.

betsie river, boardman, fly fishing, manistee, tippy dam, traverse city, trout

It’s Starting to Feel Like Fall Fishing

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 11, 2014

After last week’s heavy rain, conditions have improved but salmon numbers are still off. The water came up significantly but has also come down since and clarity has improved making it almost ideal conditions especially with bright skies. Today’s wind out of the north should help push fish closer to river mouths and get fish sniffing around looking for their native river and eventually head upstream. If anything it has been close to a month since we have had good north or north-west winds to get fish staged close which is why last week’s rain didn’t influence an abundant number of fish to migrate upstream. With today’s wind and rain it is starting to feel like fall and fall fishing.

There are some King/Chinook salmon in the Betsie and Manistee rivers but they have been hard to target as they have been on the move. Most years they stage very well but his year for some reason they haven’t been. There hasn’t been a predominate fly pattern that has been working better than another so mix it up and hold on tight when you do hook-up as they are still fresh and strong.

The trout fishing has been off a little on the upper Manistee thanks to the high volume of water. This can be a great time for the streamer angler as water temps continue to dip and the days get shorter. When the water is stained and the angling pressure is light some of those ornery browns slip out of their cover and can eat big.

Good luck,

Ted

The Fall 2014 Newsletter just went out – click here to read and/or subscribe.

Trout – With Labor Day behind us, have the Upper Manistee River and its trout all to yourself.
Salmon– A few great dates remain in mid-September for salmon fishing on the Betsie River.
Fall Steelhead– From the end of September through November – this is the time of year for Steelhead.

betsie river, chinook, manistee river, salmon, trout

Too Much Rain

Posted by Ted Kraimer - September 5, 2014

As salmon anglers we always hope for good rains to encourage the fish to move upstream but it appears too many of us were hoping at the same time and we received way too much rain over a short period of time.

Northwest Michigan Rivers are dealing with high water and some flash flooding, Depending on the exact location it appears that between 3 and 6.5 inches fell. The Betsie River alone came up 22 inches in less than a day. While that will bring migratory salmon upstream, it also brought a lot of silt and stain to the water making it real difficult for the fish to see your flies. Wading is also difficult especially if you are unfamiliar with the water. With no rain in the forecast, things should improve after a number days but look for the water to remain high and fishing tough until it clears up.

Fishing had been o.k. with lots of fish moving upstream but not sitting still or resting in holding water making them moving targets and frankly difficult to feed. When you did hook up the ride was short and not so sweet as they are fresh and strong. They don’t seem to be as large as last year, but they are still nice fish averaging in the mid-teens. Look for other rivers that usually start later to get a sizable run of fish in them now – especially after this rain.

To check on your favorite river – visit the USGS website for water flows.

The trout fishing on the Upper Manistee had been off a little after big rains earlier in the week and after receiving over 3 inches in the past 24 hours I imagine the fish will be focused on eating whatever is being washed downstream by this high water. It would be a good time to cast some large streamers and fish the runs and tail-outs for those larger fish looking to eat big. The water is up and stained which is far from typical this time of year.

Good luck and safe wading/boating.

Ted

The Fall 2014 Newsletter just went out – click here to read and/or subscribe.

Trout – With Labor Day behind us, have the Upper Manistee River and its trout all to yourself.
Salmon– A few great dates remain in mid-September for salmon fishing on the Bestsie River.
Fall Steelhead– From the end of September through November – this is the time of year for Steelhead.

betsie river, fishing, flooding, manistee, rain fall, salmon, steelhead, trout, upper-manistee

Summer Continues (or is it just beginning?)

Posted by Ted Kraimer - August 21, 2014

After some significant rains on the Upper Manistee, the water levels have receded and cleared up – it was odd to see the river like it was since this time of year the water is typically low and clear. The dry fly bite had diminished a bit with all the food being washed into the system subsurface but the Tricos most mid-mornings brought up some fish to the surface. The warmer weather in the forecast should start those hatches a little earlier in the a.m. as the forecast is calling for summer like temperatures as we near the unofficial end of Summer and August.

A variety of patterns deserve a place in your box this time of year. Besides male trico spinners, you will want terrestrials including hoppers and flying ants. It seems the fish want more action in the flies than normal – mix it up as each day’s preference is different. Other attractor patterns like mid-sized dries with foam and rubber legs give the fish a reason to eat on top, but fishing some small streamers sub-surface on a floating line can save the day.

The salmon that entered the Betsie and Manistee rivers a week ago have mostly dispersed throughout the river systems and aren’t as concentrated as we would like. Without favorable cool, n.w. winds on Lake Michigan to congregate fish near river-mouths and with warm weather in the forecast it might be a while before the number of fish improve. As “fall” and early fall-like weather approaches in September look for things to change as more fish migrate upstream.

Bass and bluegill fishing on the inland lakes have improved after last week’s cooler weather. Action around the lily pads is where once should focus on casting their flies – large poppers and sliders for the bass and smaller terrestrial patterns for the bluegill/panfish near the structure – woods, weeds, and depth changes.

Good luck.

Ted

Trout – August fly fishing with terrestrials and tricos on the Upper Manistee River.
Salmon– A few great dates remain in mid-September for salmon fishing on the Bestsie River.
Fall Steelhead– From the end of September through November – this is the time of year for Steelhead.

attractors, bass, betsie river, flying ants, manistee, salmon, terrestrials, trico, trout

It’s March and It’s Still Winter

Posted by Ted Kraimer - March 7, 2014

It’s March with longer days and a sign of things to come. It has been a long winter and it appears that it’s not coming to an abrupt end, but rather teasing us with additional sunshine and some days ahead with temperatures above freezing.

The number of sub-zero temps and polar vortexes the past months has had an influence on the region’s rivers. Most rivers are frozen over or have significant shelf ice extending from the river banks on smaller rivers like the Betsie and Boardman making it hard to access; the Manistee is mostly open from Tippy Dam to High Bridge. If you are heading out be aware of those large chunks of ice as they break off and float downstream – they literally can be deadly.

Water temps are in the low 30’s but having a little sunshine makes a difference for fish and fisherman alike. Steelhead can be found in flat tail outs or even fully exposed on sand flats warming up this time of year. Keep an eye for those areas when fishing and focus on the deep and slow holes as fish are still somewhat in hibernation and waiting for another degree or two warm-up. With salmon fry and alevins starting to increase in numbers it’s a good fly choice when fished in tandem with an egg pattern. Other good fly choices this time of year include hex nymphs and black stones.

The good news is that a little bit of sun and some above freezing temps can start to knock down the near-record setting snow banks and get our spring steelhead season going. The strong run of steelhead from the fall are still in the rivers and will ensure good fishing until the run-off brings in fresh fish from the lake – it should be a good, long spring steelhead season.

My guess is that trout fisherman will find the hatches to be off a week or two, but one never knows as a significant warm-up or weather event can change things. One thing is for sure – it’s been a long winter and I’m looking forward to some hydro-therapy.

Good luck,

Ted

Steelhead -With fish in local rivers Spring steelhead fishing should start as soon as the weather changes.
Trout – May is a great time for mayfly emergences and streamer fishing before June’s Drakes, Isonychias & Hex.
2014 Fishing – It’s not too early to start booking your 2014 dates – reserve you place in the boat today.

betsie river, fishing report, manistee, tippy dam

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