Posts tagged "manistee"

It’s Officially Summer (and it feels like it)

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 21, 2012

Its been warm for the past 10 days and it has sped up the hatches on local rivers. The big hex bugs at night that tend to bring out the big fish have ramped up but with the rest of the season, there have been some nights with more bugs than others and not much rhyme or reason to it. After some decent rains and overall wet month, the local rivers (Manistee, Boardman, Au Sable, etc.) are full and have some color to them – not necessarily a bad thing considering the big bright sun. Other than the hex spinners that fall right at dusk, look for big stones, isonychias, a remaining brown drake or two, epeorus, bat flies and blue winged olives. Water temps are high so land your fish quickly and please practice catch and release – our trout are too valuable to only catch once. Besides, brown trout simply don’t taste very good.

Carp fishing on the bay has been decent as long as the winds aren’t blowing too strong. Lots of fish are spawning but a lot have already done so and are in post-spawn mode and tend to be more willing to eat the fly. Smallmouth bass continue to offer shots, but it seems that the bigger fish have moved deep again with smaller fish in shallower where fly anglers can still reach them. Look for any type of cover and structure to provide a shot at smallmouth. Good carp flies have been hex patterns, crayfish and black wooly buggers while the smallmouth are liking crayfish, baitfish/Clouser Minnows, and goby/sculpin looking patterns.

Good luck,

Ted

Trout: Fishing with streamers and dries. Don’t forget the Big Bugs – Drakes, Isonychias and Hex.
Terrestrials & Trico hatches in the Months of July & 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.

boardman, carp fly fishing, hex, manistee, river, trout

Early June Fly Fishing – Lots Going On

Posted by Ted Kraimer - June 7, 2012

After last weekend’s rain, river levels are full and returning to normal levels. The Upper Manistee is in good shape, the Lower Manistee is still on the high side with an ideal stain, the Boardman is running full and the Au Sable is back to normal. The flush of water made for good streamer fishing and with the forecast heat, the dry fly fishing should ramp up after a cool period with very sporadic hatches.

Look for Isonychias to build in numbers as well as a mix of other bugs including: Brown Drakes, March Browns, the last of the Sulphurs, Yellow/Golden Stone Flies (#10), Bat Flies and Mahoganies. When the days are hot and temps stay warm into dark, look for the hatches to be condensed into a short window near dusk. In other words, bring your headlamp and walk back to the car in the dark after fishing until dark. Because of our mild winter, warm March and otherwise odd weather this Spring – the timing and predictability of hatches has been off. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a few hex and gray drake patterns in your box should this warm weather inspire a few bugs to show up early.

{A few years ago I wrote an article pertaining to trout fishing in the weeks leading up to the Hex hatch – you can read it by clicking here.}

Carp fishing on the bay has been very mixed as the fish haven’t been nearly as predictable as they normally are this time of year. With a few fish showing signs of spawning the past few days, look for this warm weather to ramp up fish numbers and spawning activity in the shallow flats. Plan to cover a lot of ground to find fish willing to play along and be armed with the usual patterns: hex nymphs, crayfish, Clouser minnows and b.h. black wooly buggers. While the carp fishing hasn’t been up to par, the smallmouth bass fishing has been solid with small minnow/baitfish patterns working well.

Bass and Bluegill fishing continues on the smaller lakes and with a lot of the spawning done, males protecting nests have brought aggressive behavior as well as from the females looking to eat, too. Look for deeper breaks and drop offs to produce the bigger bluegills/panfish. The popper fishing has improved however the small streamer and nymph/dry combo has been most effective mostly because it allows us to fish deeper water.

Good Luck,

Ted

– Upcoming Fishing Seasons –

Trout: Fishing with streamers and dries. Don’t forget the Big Bugs – Drakes, Isonychias and Hex.
Carp and Smallmouth Bass on Grand Traverse Bays – find out why this has become a favorite of many anglers.
Terrestrials & Trico hatches in the Months of July & August – start your mornings off on a cool, quiet trout stream.
Booking for all 2012 Seasons – Some Fall Salmon and Steelhead Dates Remain Open

ausable, bass, bat flies, boardman, brown drakes, fly fishing, grand traverse bay, hatches, hex, hex hatch, manistee, manistee river, smallmouth bass, streamer fishing

Weather – Ups and Downs

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 31, 2012

Addendum
After over 40 hours of rain spanning Friday into Sunday the region received significant rainfall. Anglers will find local rivers running high and stained for a while. Be careful wading and for up to date river conditions you can click on the USGS Michigan Streamflow Conditions

The weather has had its ups and downs the past week and as a result the fishing has followed suit. While last week’s heat had condensed the hatches and dry fly fishing into the final 15 minute of each day and into dark , the cooler weather this week has slowed things down. The good news is we got some much needed rain in our rivers and water temperatures have stopped warming rapidly.

While the dry fly fishing had been decent on the Upper Manistee, AuSable and Boardman Rivers, the bug’s emergence and spinner falls have become difficult to peg. Brown Drakes, Sulphurs, March Browns, Mahoganies and stone flies have been on and hovering over the water but the past few days not so many. Typically the evenings are a good time for spinner falls and emergences, however with the cold front upon us, look for late mornings and mid-afternoons to be a time for sporadic hatches. As the more seasonable temps return, look for typical emergence/spinner fall behavior to return and the trout to take notice. The good news is this weather and the rain we received improves streamer fishing conditions.

Fishing below Tippy Dam on the Manistee has been off a little due to the carp in the river spawning. Targeting the trout with nymph rigs downstream of the carp has paid off but it still isn’t what it should be as the fish are keyed in on a heavy supply of eggs. Streamer fishing the first couple of miles downstream of the dam is a good way to cover water and find those larger, more aggressive fish. The crayfish have molted recently are soft-shelled making them a good pattern to have along with your other favorite streamer patterns fished on sink-tips.

The Carp and Smallmouth fishing has been mixed with Smallmouth Bass offering the more consistent fishing. With the heavy winds, changing temperatures and storm fronts, the carp are more than ornery and aren’t on their predictable schedule of time and place like they were in last week’s heat. A lot of moving around and careful attention by anglers is necessary to get a shot or two at the “Golden Bones” of West and East Grand Traverse Bay. While looking for carp, keep an eye out for the smaller, but still fun smallmouth bass cruising around.

Lake and Pond fishing continues to offer good fishing for the bluegill and bass angler. Also affected by the fluctuations in weather some days have simply been better than others with these species. The surface fishing hasn’t been as good as normal so consider swimming nymphs and small streamers sub-surface for improved results.

Good Luck,

Ted

– Upcoming Fishing Seasons –

ausable, bass, boardman, brown drakes, carp, golden bones, grand traverse bay, manistee, trout fishing

Another Week

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 23, 2012

Not much has changed from last week’s report other than river clarity has become a major issue – the rivers are running very, very clear and there is virtually no rain in the forecast – stealth and lighter tippet/leader is pretty much a necessity.

The Manistee, AuSable and Boardman are all running low and clear making it easy for the fish to see bugs on the surface, when they are out. Dry fly fishing has been mixed with lots of bugs to chose from but often at odd times. Look for Sulphurs, March Browns, Mahoganies, and caddis to continue and with all this heat in the forecast – have some Brown Drakes in your box . These warmer evenings should make for consistent evening hatches and spinner falls.

Streamer fishing has been tough with water low and clear, but is still a good way to get some of the bigger fish to come out and play. Look for low light times of the day or the rare, cloudy day to provide the best opportunity for success. There hasn’t been a secret fly working better than another lately – mix them up and fish them closer and deeper to wood than normal – be prepared to lose some flies, but also have better luck.

The ponds and lakes are really warming up and so is the fishing. Bass and bluegill continue to build in numbers and provide good fishing for the fly angler. Small nymphs suspended under poppers or buoyant dry flies make for a great duo and a small weighted streamer cast on a long leader can provoke aggressiveness from even the most discerning bluegill. Bass are coming up and eating poppers from time to time while the streamer and nymph fishing seems to be more effective.

Grand Traverse Bay – east and west, are warming up with all of this sun and the carp and smallmouth have taken notice. Numbers of smallmouth bass have increased as they go into spawning mode and feed in the shallows while the carp are a little more selective on water temperature and can be fickle on when and where you can find them. Often when you find them there will be a lot of them. Pay real close attention to water temps affected by wind direction and overnight temperatures to select the best places to fish. Crayfish and hex nymphs are working on both species and additionally minnow patterns for the smallies.

Be safe this weekend, share the water and bring bug spray. Good luck!
Ted

– Upcoming Fishing Seasons –

May & June: Trout fishing with streamers and dries. Don’t forget the Big Bugs – Drakes, Isonychias and Hex in June.
June: Carp on Grand Traverse Bays – find out why this has become the favorite early Summer fishing of so many.
Booking for all 2012 Seasons – Some Fall Dates Remain Open

ausable, brown drakes, carp, fly fishing, grand traverse bay, hatches, manistee, smallmouth bass, streamer fishing

Tough Choices

Posted by Ted Kraimer - May 16, 2012

This time of year there are so many species to choose from – it can be difficult to decide what to fish for and where.

Trout fishing continues to offer some good dry fly fishing as the mixed hatches are bringing fish up when temperatures stay mild in the evenings making for ideal hatch conditions. When fishing the Manistee, Boardman and AuSable, look for sulphurs, mahoganies, caddis, yellow/golden stones (#10), black quills and March Browns – emergers, adults and spinners should be in your box ready to go. When cloudy or overcast, bugs are emerging in the afternoon and early evening with spinner falls collecting closer to dusk and eventually falling when conditions are right – typically mild temperatures and light wind if any at all. With the smaller bugs, look closely for the small dimples of bigger fish rising – they can sometimes be hard to detect but worth the extra attention. Streamer fishing has been mixed with cloudy days being best as water levels are normal and clear. Successful streamer patterns include baitfish patterns (deceivers, brook trout, bunkers), brown zuddlers (think lamprey), peanuts and small, natural sculpins.

Fishing below Tippy Dam on the Manistee is nymphing real well with lots of carp in the river and trout eating eggs and the small nymphs being dislodged. Work the bubble lines with indicators and when you are looking to cast a streamer for bigger brown trout, white/baitfish patterns have been effective fished on sink-tips. With all of the small fish stocked in that section, look for the bigger fish to eat your larger streamers that imitate them. Wet fly fishing and swinging caddis dries offers great fishing for those looking to learn fly fishing in rivers.

The local lakes and ponds have seen an increase in bluegill activity as fish are moving in shallow on their beds – look for the numbers to build with the warmer weather and sunshine. Largemouth bass have moved into the shallows in greater numbers and are on nests, too doing their spawning thing. North and Eastern shores seem to be fishing best as the sun sets in the west exposing itself the longest to these sections of water and warming it up. Top water flies like small poppers are working as are small streamers and medium sized nymphs. Keep a rod rigged for pike in the event one shows up or break up the day focusing on the toothy critters with bite tippet and big streamers.

With the sunny days we have been getting some warmer water on the flats of the Grand Traverse Baysimproving conditions for carp. Afternoons and even into the evenings are best which is when the water is warmest. Cold nights and unfavorable wind directions can change things greatly from one day to the next, but with more consistent temps, wind and lots of sun – carp fishing should be going strong, soon. Until then, pick your days, times and places wisely.

Good Luck!

Ted

The Northern Angler will be hosting the Fly Fishing Film Tour at The Inside Out Gallery this Friday, May 18th.
Doors open at 6:00 with the film starting at 7:30. Call TNA for details and tickets – 231-933-4730

– Book a Trip for the Upcoming Fishing Seasons –

ausable, bass, bluegill, boardman river, carp, fishing report, fly fishing, grand traverse bay, hatches, manistee, pike, trout

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