Late April Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 25, 2025

With April coming to an end, so does our Spring Steelhead season. The run for this spring was a strong one the past 8 weeks and despite a week of high water in early April that made fishing tough – if not unsafe to get out, it provided a lot of fish and was a remarkable improvement over 2024 Spring Season’s fish numbers which was concerning.

There are still fish in the rivers, but in a week’s time, it went from a lot of fish to, not so many. Smaller rivers will have a few fish in them for a bit while larger rivers and their volume of water will continue to tease fish into the system, just as they have for years, resulting in late spawners which contributes to a longer season in years ahead.

Water temps are in the upper 40s and levels are about right for the time of year, but still running a bit stained which is still from the high water even we had over three weeks ago. Small natural eggs are catching more fish as they imitate the natural eggs drifting downstream and the salmon fry bite has been our best performing nymph over the past week.

Saturday is the traditional trout opener (walleye, pike and other species, too) and has a lot of folks swapping the heavy steelhead rods for their favorite trout rods. The timing of this year’s opener and the weather the past 2 months has been ideal. And because we had a “real” winter, it seems that conditions are now just building with only better days ahead as water temperatures climb into the 50s and create consistent conditions for hatches. In other words, after the hard winter and slow start of spring, the season is just starting where in recent years it has already been on and off again by the time opener arrived.

Hendricksons have started emerging and will only build in numbers especially with the forecast of warmer days ahead. BWO’s are always a staple in your fly box but this is a time of year you should expect to use them. Small stones are also fluttering on the surface some days when the sun is out, but most of the time a respectable sized trout won’t chase them on the surface unless there are a lot of them.

There are more hours on the water when bugs aren’t out than when they are emerging making an alternative presentation like streamer fishing a good way to cover water until bugs and rising fish present themselves. The fish haven’t been overly pressured but the water is still cold, so slow your presentation/retrieve and enjoy the start of a new trout season.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Spring season is all booked, but a few dates remain available for the Fall Steelhead.
Trout Fishing – May and June offer some of the best technical dry fly fishing as we chase bugs and browns.
2025 Season – Now booking the entire season for trout, bass, steelhead and salmon – get your dates planned

fishing guide, hendricksons, manistee river, steelhead, steelhead fishing, streamer fishing, trout fishing michigan

Early April Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - April 9, 2025

After a week of high and highly stained water, the river levels have returned to normal flows for this time of year and still have a bit of a stain, which also is normal for this time of year. Water temperatures are in the low 40s thanks to some cold nights and the lack of warm days to keep the run from running it’s course in short order.

The steelhead continue to be mixed – pre-spawn, spawning and post spawn. The males tend be a little older as they dance from gravel bar to gravel bar and have the color to show for it while fresh females are continuing to slip upstream. As with the fall run, the spring run has had more “skippers” (15-22” fish) than the larger adults however it seems lately a few more bigger fish are making a return to the river and bending the rod more. Don’t forget these smaller fish are next year’s bigger fish and the new fishing regulations as of April 1 limits harvest to only 1 steelhead/rainbow trout.

Larger flies have been working in the stained water – leeches, large stones and fry patterns tied below egg patterns and beads which have been bolder and more prominent in the stained water. Egg patterns with chartreuse have been working better than they had been, but that also usually results in an encounter with some walleye on the Manistee below Tippy dam as that’s seems to be a perennial favorite color of theirs. With the lack of rain in the forecast, I suspect smaller and more natural toned patterns will improve in effectiveness as the water continues to clear up.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Spring season is all booked, but a few dates remain available for the Fall Steelhead.
Trout Fishing – May and June offer some of the best technical dry fly fishing as we chase bugs and browns.
2025 Season – Now booking the entire season for trout, bass, steelhead and salmon – get your dates planned.

egg patterns, flies for steelhead, manistee river tippy dam, michigan steelhead fishing, steelhead, steelhead fishing, steelhead guide, tippy dam

Late March Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - March 29, 2025

UPDATE 3/31/25

The region received far more rainfall than forecast over the weekend leaving the rivers running very high and dirty. If you are headed to your favorite river, you are likely to find it un-wadable and boat handling risky. Use caution until water levels come down.

For more on regional water flows, you can click here.

March comes to an end and the Steelhead fishing continues.

Fishing has been solid in March despite some weather fluctuations between Spring and Winter. The river conditions have been good with water levels a little lower than what we expect for this time of year, but with some cold rain in the forecast, we should see levels come up and a little more stain to the water. And likely more fish as water temps hover around 40 degrees.

The steelhead in the Manistee river are a mix of pre-spawn fish and fish just starting to spawn. Smaller rivers like the Betsie can have water temperatures increase (and decrease) rapidly which can spur more spawning activity but look for more spawning to be the case as water temps increase with more days into “Spring”. Regardless, the pocket water, runs and holes near spawning gravel have been fishing well.

With a slight stain to the water, smaller egg imitations have been outperforming the big, bold ones, but look for that to change if water conditions change. #8 rag eggs and 8mm beads in natural colors/tones have been best and often fished in tandem with a nymph. The best fishing nymphs lately have been green caddis, alevins, and hex. When the sun heats things up, the black stoneflies have been coming off and fluttering on the surface, which is a good indication to fish them under the surface.

Like usual, the popularity of steelhead has been bringing out scores of anglers and the rivers have been crowded. It’s not a bad time to practice the golden rule but then again, that might be expecting too much from some while others try to set an example.

Good luck,

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Spring season is all booked, but a few dates remain available for the Fall Steelhead.
Trout Fishing – May and June offer some of the best technical dry fly fishing as we chase bugs and browns.
2025 Season – Now booking the entire season for trout, bass, steelhead and salmon – get your dates planned.

betsie river, black stoneflies, caddis, egg patterns, fishing guide, green caddis, hex nymphs for steelhead, manistee river, steelhead

Mid-March Steelhead Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - March 13, 2025

The longer days, return of sunshine and the installation of frost law speed limit signs on the shoulders of highways are indications that it’s Spring Steelhead season.

A late arriving but “old school” winter with lots of snow and cold temps kept winter enthusiasts happy in N.W. Michigan, but the slow thaw these past weeks provided a lot of groundwater and the return of brown to the landscape. Luckily the ground was not frozen and the regional snowpack mostly dripped into the water table without creating too much run-off. As such, the spring fed trout rivers and streams are recharged for the year and our steelhead fishing wasn’t condensed to a couple of weeks before most anglers got out.

The Manistee and Betsie rivers are both running full with temperatures in the mid to upper 30s. There is some color and stain which steelhead prefer as they migrate upstream under it’s cover. However, the brighter days, frankly, make for tough conditions as the fish either go deep or off to the side into wood. Shaded holes and runs, or early and late times of the day can make the difference in success. Majority of the fish have been in the river either over the winter or the past 6 weeks, but a few fresh, bright ones have been moving through the systems and acting a little spunkier when hooked.

Fish have been taking a mix of both eggs and nymphs without much of a common denominator or an outlier catching more fish. More subtle color egg schemes have outperformed the bold bright versions, but as the water is likely to darken with some additional run-off, look for that to change. A few early stoneflies have come off and it’s usually a good time to fish some of those. The usual suspects are always good to have in your fly box during spring steelhead season as we put winter behind us.

Good luck.

Ted

Fall Steelhead – Spring season is all booked, but a few dates remain available for the Fall Steelhead.
Trout Fishing – May and June offer some of the best technical dry fly fishing as we chase bugs and browns.
2025 Season – Now booking the entire season for trout, bass, steelhead and salmon – get your dates planned.

betsie river, egg patterns for steelhead, flies for spring steelhead, manistee steelhead fishing, michigan steelhead fishing, spring steelhead run, steelhead, tippy dam, trout fishing Mighigan

Late December Fly Fishing Report

Posted by Ted Kraimer - December 23, 2024

As December winds down, so does the year. Thanks to all of you who got into the boat this past year and spent some time fishing for the so many different species we luckily have in our watersheds – it was a privilege to guide you and spend some time together on the water.

For those still looking to get out, you might find the warm-up in this week’s forecast will give you the excuse to get away from the visiting in-laws and chase after some steelhead on the local rivers.

Conditions remain ideal for this time of year. With the cold weather the past week, water temperatures are in the mid to upper 30s. Look for fish to be on the inside of the bubble line or even tail-outs of runs if there is some sun out. Deeper, slow holes with structure from wood and or ledges are classic winter spots worthy of fishing thoroughly.

I’m always a fan of fishing an egg or bead with a nymph this time of year and as long as the water is clear my first choices are pale orange or even bleached patterns like Oregon cheese. Nuke eggs and rag style eggs tied in subtle colors are more natural looking. Size 8 eggs and 8 mm beads would likely be your best bet. Nymphs would include green caddis in #10, hex nymphs and steelhead buggers.

Happy Holidays and all the best to you on and off the water in the New Year!

Ted

The annual newsletter has just gone out. If you aren’t subscribed, you can read (and subscribe) here.

Spring Steelhead – A few dates remain available for Spring 2025 in March and April – “think Spring”
2025 Fishing Season – It’s not too early to look ahead to next year and get your dates planned and secured.
Gift Certificates – Available for Half or Full Day Guide Trips or a Casting Lesson making perfect gifts for anglers

fishing, fishing guide, fly fishing, gift certificates, green caddis, hex nymph pattern, nuke egg pattern, steelhead fishing, traverse city

Northern Michigan Fly Fishing Report

Late April Fishing Report

Early April Fishing Report

Late March Fishing Report

Mid-March Steelhead Fishing Report

Late December Fly Fishing Report

The annual newsletter has just gone out. If you aren’t subscribed, you can read (and subscribe) here.

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