betsie river Archives - Page 15 of 15 - Current Works Guide Service

After a long, warm summer, some cooler weather has settled over the region and changed the fishing up a bit.

Some recent rain has improved the streamer fishing for trout on the Upper Manistee. Water levels are still low and clear so adjust and use a smaller streamer pattern than what is often used in the high, dirty water in the spring and early summer. Dry fly action has improved since the last report and cold-front with the fish looking up for terrestrials: hoppers, beetles and flying ants. If the pattern has foam and rubber legs, use them and try putting a lot of action into the fly to conjure up a rise. The morning Trico hatch is winding down but you will still want some of those flies with you if you are heading to the river in the mornings. BWO’s, Cahills and Isonychias have been about the only thing hatching and by no means are they prolific, but the fish do notice them more some days than others.

Last week’s winds brought some cooler water near shore and with that comes salmon. Some fish have trickled into the Manistee and Betsie Rivers with more to come in September as their spawning urge kicks-in, the nights get cooler and the days get shorter. Early King salmon can provide some of the best streamer fishing we can experience in Michigan but this –like “trophy trout” streamer fishing is a quality thing, not a quantity thing. Of course there are exceptions to the rule. Look for fish to be in the lower sections of rivers “holed-up” wondering what to do now that they are in shallow water and not crashing bait.

Lake fishing continues to offer good fishing for those looking to get their still-water and bass fix. Largemouth bass continue to eat both surface and sub-surface flies and on the cloudy days, they seem to be in shallower and feeding more aggressively. Smaller poppers have been working better than the big, loud ones and the edges of lily pads are a great place to start. Bluegill and panfish are still eager to come to the fly on the surface for someone looking to catch a bunch of fish on top. The bigger gills have gone deep and are hard to get with fly gear – look for them to move in shallow in low-light conditions as the water’s cool.

Smallmouth bass are still an option for those looking to fish rivers. The Manistee has been fishing best with baitfish patterns fished on a light sink-tip being the best fly lately. Half-and-halfs, murdich’s minnows, whistlers and circus peanuts in white are worth having in your box.

Good Luck,

Ted

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Trout: Terrestrials & Trico hatches in August – start your mornings off on a cool, quiet trout stream.
Salmon: The end of August begins our salmon season extending through September. Limited dates available.
Steelhead: The end of September means it’s time to focus on fall steelhead – extending though November
Booking for all 2012 Seasons and through June 2013 – reserve your place in the boat

bass fishing, betsie river, salmon, smallmouth bass, streamers, terrestrials, trout, upper manistee river

Now that April has arrived, I kind of feel like a fool – have the bulk of the steelhead already come or are there more fresh fish to come in the weeks ahead? Never accused of being overly optimistic but a realist, I am however thinking there are more fish to come.

Water levels are getting low and clarity is good with a slight stain. Temps remain right around 50 degrees so the lack of 80-degree days lately is helping to keep the water temp in this range. There still hasn’t been a surge of suckers or walleye in the Manistee River which serve as a gauge of where the steelhead run is at. Reports from the Betsie River is similar to the Manistee – that is, there are fish around, but they are skittish and some days fishing is better than others. Like last week’s report, what we need is a surge of water to bring more steelhead upstream and the weatherman isn’t predicting that to happen. He’s been wrong in the past.

Those looking to score fish are finding that sticking with the game plan, covering water and changing up flies is having success. Many of the fish are on gravel beds with the dark water near it (pockets and holes) holding fish – effective flies include a variety of smaller egg patterns in realistic colorations, stones, caddis and fry patterns. Drop back fish headed back the lake are in seams and runs primarily eating bigger nymphs like hex and buggers.

Good luck,

Ted

betsie river, egg patterns, manistee river, spawning, steelhead, tippy dam

Posts tagged "betsie river"

Cooler Days, Cooler Nights and Cooler Fishing

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