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This Saturday marks the official opener to Michigan’s trout season and it’s streams throughout the state. Just like Nov. 15/opening day is significant to the deer hunter, this Saturday is more than symbolic – it’s your chance to get on water that has been well rested since the end of September and score on some unsuspecting fish.
Manistee River
The warm weather the past seven weeks should make this year’s opener one of the best in years. Water temps are in the 50’s and the fish are out of their post hibernation-funk and eating streamers and some dry flies. The insect activity has been sporadic thanks to the cooler nights of late, but look for black stones, Hendricksons, black caddis, black quills/borcher’s drakes on the Upper Manistee. The Boardman – running cooler – has had some “henies” coming off too, but not many fish eating them. This time of year, insect activity is best when the temps are warmest so look for sun, light winds and mild overnight temperatures – the rest of the time, fish streamers and nymphs.
If you are heading out this weekend, have a box of big streamers to tie onto your sink-tip line if you are looking to score the bigger, more aggressive fish. Be around gravel and riffle areas on your favorite section of water for the best Hendrickson activity; the nymphs call that water home and the spinners come back to it when depositing their eggs. Fish a nymph and or wets – down and across, or, when you see some surface activity or an emergence tie a wet or a nymph behind a dead-drift emerger. The fish haven’t seen much activity for a while on the closed sections so use some stealth when fishing to keep fish happy.
Steelhead fishing is still going, but is winding down. Since it has been such a strange spring for steelhead, who knows what will happen – especially after our next rain. Some fresh fish are still trickling up the Manistee, Betsie, Boardman and Platte Rivers, but in small numbers while drop-back females are slipping back to the big lake. Many people are willing to subject themselves to the cold weather of winter steelhead for a chance at a few fish, but it amazes me that more people don’t pursue drop-back and the remaining fresh running fish this time of year in the warmer weather. With the warmer water, it’s the best acrobats and fighting fish of the year. Lots of Oregon Cheese eggs patterns, larger hex nymphs and steelhead buggers have been working in the deeper water with the small, pale colored eggs, small stones and caddis around gravel. With water temps in the mid 50’s it’s not necessarily a bad time to swing some flies looking for non-spawning fish to eat your bigger presentation of streamers and spey flies.
Often out of the lime-light for fly fisherman are all of the lakes in the Lower Peninsula and the other seasons that share the same opener: Pike, Musky, Walleye and catch and immediate release Bass fishing starts this Saturday, too. See the MI-DNRE for specifics on regulations.
Good luck this weekend and be sure to be considerate to other anglers you encounter on the water – we made it through another winter and opener is another confirmation that spring is here!
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Reading water, air, fire, earth it makes no difference….
the language of things sifting through his hands like Braille.
He figures his life is worth at least one river,
an arm worth a single bend,
and the hairs on his head the equivalent of one riffle apiece.
He is ready to dismantle himself if necessary,
to stand at the edge of a chasm of meetings
and toss whatever it is they will trade
for that wildness he covets like blood.
At night he rides the backs of dreams,
watches the chaos under the surface:
the way death moves constantly through the water,
sunlight barely reaching the bottom of dark pools.
When he wakes, he feels parts of himself left behind,
phantom appendages, whatever it was he valued, given away,
just now turning into water,
his mind a bloody stream.
Michael Delp is a writer of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction whose works have appeared in numerous national publications. He is the author of Over the Graves of Horses (1989), Under the Influence of Water (1992), The Coast of Nowhere (1997), and The Last Good Water (2003), in addition to six chapbooks of poetry. His latest work, As If We Were Prey, is now available. He teaches creative writing at the Interlochen Arts Academy and has received several awards for his teaching. More about his work is available at his website.
He seeks the consensus of dark bends,
feeder creeks, the formations of gravel
turned into messages on sand bars.
Where there is sky, he dreams of more.
Where there are politicians he dreams of men with true hearts,
their dark veins pulsing with pure run-off.
He offers himself to the air, is willing to trade his life
for one river, or if necessary, one cedar, one mayfly,
even one pebble dropped from the belly of a glacier.
He uses his body like a sextant, charts the stars at night,
imagines his voice coming from the bottom of the river,
prowls the swamps with his eyes closed, casting into dark pockets,
the fish swarming in the half light seeping from his skin.
He is true only to himself.
He knows no speeches, has no platform.
His eyes are clear pools, his head a seething
universe of emergence schedules,
the secrets of nymphs, that single language
coming from cold springs in the hills,
each one a wild heart pumping the wisdom of iron
into the river.
Michael Delp is a writer of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction whose works have appeared in numerous national publications. He is the author of Over the Graves of Horses (1989), Under the Influence of Water (1992), The Coast of Nowhere (1997), and The Last Good Water (2003), in addition to six chapbooks of poetry. His latest work, As If We Were Prey, is now available. He teaches creative writing at the Interlochen Arts Academy and has received several awards for his teaching. More about his work is available at his website.
What a strange spring, weather wise: It certainly had its effects on the fishing and in some cases helped things, but there are a lot of people in waders scratching their heads.
The steelhead fishing has slowed the past week and last week’s rain didn’t bring in a push of fish like most hoped for. Still, there are some fish moving up and down the Manistee and Betsie Rivers right now but fishing is spotty. Most of the fish are on or near gravel and are skittish to say the least after angling pressure has taught them to be nervous. Targeting drop-back fish has provided some good action and has also produced some fresh fish on their way up to do their spawning thing. I imagine fish will continue to trickle into the river for a few more weeks, just not in the numbers one would expect when looking at the calendar. Eggs in Oregon Cheese/Orange, and in Sockeye, have been the better egg colors with black stones, hex and steelhead buggers for the nymphs. With 50 degree water temps, look for fish to be there one day and gone the next — proving, yet again, that steelhead are predictably unpredictable. One thing you can count on are hard-fighting and jumping fish — thanks to the warm water.
The good news about the warm water and early spring is that the trout fishing has been good. Water levels are about right and the angling pressure is light on certain sections of water that are currently open. Streamer fishing is the method to use the majority of the time right now, giving those well-rested trout a mouthful. Tans, browns, white and olive patterns have been the better colors with some larger baitfish patterns provoking territorial aggressiveness. If you are fishing water stocked with trout, now is the time to fish with patterns that resemble the bait – TA Bunkers, Deceivers, CF Minnows and Fin Clips. Keep an eye on the water’s surface too as there has been dry fly action on the surface with stones and Hendricksons popping off and some fish eating. Look for the dry fly action and hatches to build significantly thanks to the weather forecast.
Ted Kraimer is a professional guide and fly tier, owner of Current Works Guide Service, and field editor for True North Trout. His fishing reports will continue to appear in T|N|T and on his website.
Michigan Trout Unlimited is pleased to announce that an agreement signed Monday will provide for the restoration of the Pigeon River by removing the Golden Lotus Dam located near Vanderbilt, Mich. You have seen us mention this ongoing case in past emails, newsletters and in Michigan TROUT magazine, and you might have seen articles about it in newspapers around the state.
Trout Unlimited (TU), the Pigeon River Country Association, Golden Lotus, Inc. (the owners of the dam) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment signed an interim order, resolving litigation from the June 2008 accidental release of sediment from the Golden Lotus Dam which resulted in a fish kill in the river. The MDNRE, TU and PRCA entered into litigation against Golden Lotus following the incident.
“All parties to the litigation have been working towards an agreement that would put aside the litigation and focus resources on helping the Pigeon River. Golden Lotus’ desire the do what was best for the river and its aquatic life was instrumental in reaching this agreement. This agreement will protect the river from similar incidents in the future while allowing it to become healthier than it has ever been,” said Bryan Burroughs, Executive Director of Michigan TU.
The Pigeon River is one of Michigan’s most popular trout streams. Flowing 43 miles from Gaylord to Mullet Lake, the river has been altered by the dam since it was created over 100 years ago. Dams disrupt the natural flow of water, sediment, nutrients and organisms in rivers and often warm water temperatures, past the ideal range for trout and other coldwater fishes. Removal of this dam is expected to greatly improve the trout fishery for nearly 20 miles downstream of the dam. The Pigeon River is home to wild brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout. “This is a great day for coldwater conservation, our natural resources and the trout in the Pigeon River”, said John Walters, president of the local Headwaters TU chapter.
TU became involved in the litigation to help ensure protection and restoration of the Pigeon River. Negotiations had been underway since 2008. TU has wanted to remove the dam in the river, to improve conditions for trout and to prevent future dam-related events from occurring. TU was able to help provide critical assistance with, and information for this dam removal, which facilitated the negotiation process.
Peter Gustafson, trout angler and past chair of the Pigeon River Country Citizens Advisory Council, provided legal representation for Michigan TU and the Pigeon River Country Association. “Pete provided valuable assistance with the legal proceedings, but his contributions toward facilitating a successful negotiation was truly invaluable,” said Burroughs.
The dam removal planning process will begin immediately, while the actual removal of the dam is expected to be conducted gradually over several years to reduce further impacts on the river. All parties to the agreement will continue working in coordination on the dam removal planning. MITU will continue to provide updates on this project via its website, magazines and emails.
Trout Unlimited is North America’s leading coldwater fisheries conservation organization, with 7,000 members in Michigan and 140,000 members dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.
The 14th Annual Adams Chapter Banquet will be held at the Williamsburg Dinner Theater on Saturday, April 17, 2010. This is the chapter’s only fund-raising event and all monies raised will allow the chapter to continue to support local stream improvements, educational projects, and partner with conservation groups to protect and restore endangered natural areas. Since 1996, with the help of our members and local business contributors, the Chapter has distributed over $200,000 to these worthwhile local projects.
Doors open at 6:00 PM with dinner served at 7:00 PM. This year our featured speaker with be Dr. Brian Burroughs, Executive Director of Michigan TU. The Williamsburg Showcase Dinner Theater is located at 4230 E. M-72. Tickets are $45 and are available at The Northern Angler, Streamside Orvis and Nolan’s Tobacconists.
With spring comes hopes of summer.
The rain we needed finally came along with a little snow too. The grass has turned from brown to green and the rivers have a little more chrome/silver in them.
Steelhead anglers will find the Manistee and Betsie rivers to have some fresh fish coming through since they have been waiting out in the big lake for a push of water. Decent numbers of fish have been in the rivers doing the gravel dance and a lot of the females that have trickled in the past two weeks have come and gone with many of the darker males sticking around. So, right now it’s a mixed bag – some fresh, some not, but look for this rain to be just what we needed as far as fresh fish. To boot, the “by-catch” has been varied with suckers, carp, lake-run browns, smallmouth bass and buffalo eating our “steelhead” flies – I think the unusual warm water of 50 degrees for this time of year has a lot to do with this.
Look for fish in all types of water, with each day being different. On and around gravel will be best for spawning fish with runs and holes for fresh and drop-back fish coming and going. Flies have been a mixed bag – mostly smaller eggs (Oregon cheese being a favorite) and medium sized nymphs, but look for all that to change with the water having color to it…. It will be time for bigger yarn/eggs and some nymphs with a little sparkle. Just as you change the type of water you are targeting, don’t hesitate to change your flies up too.
Trout fishing continues to be good on the upper Manistee for those looking to cast streamers all day along with a dry-fly rod rigged near by. The warmer weather and subsequent water temps has made it a good spring for some nice fish. The warmer water temps have provided some early dry fly fishing at times; look for little black stones, small BWO/Baetis and, yes, a few Hendricksons on the surface. With the cold snow and rain, look for the hatching to be tempered a bit until the warm weather forecast for next week continues to influence our early season. Successful streamers have been mixed, but with the rain, I would look to go with dark patterns and some with some flash – obviously, mix it up as yesterday’s hot fly was yesterday’s hot fly – not necessarily today’s.
Ted Kraimer is a professional guide and fly tier, owner of Current Works Guide Service, and field editor for True North Trout. His fishing reports will continue to appear in T|N|T and on his website.
A quick note about the fallout from last year’s Pigeon River situation — namely, the failure of the dam at the Golden Lotus Yoga Center on the Pigeon River, which caused a massive fish kill for miles downstream from the dam site. The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports today that Otsego County Circuit Court Judge Dennis F. Murphy has issued an order that Golden Lotus is to remove the offending dam and to pay $150,000 in fines for the outcomes of their dam failure.
True North Trout welcomes this decision — the dam failure was the second time that this sort of thing has happened on the Pigeon River as a result of a failure off that dam equipment. It is well past time that this madness stop.
