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!

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.

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.

Steelhead are in the local rivers, but not in the numbers associated with the first of April. Fish are slipping up the Manistee and Betsie thanks to the recent full-moon, but a good rain will really kick things off again.  Anglers looking to make lots of good casts are hooking up and are rewarded for their perseverance. The fish we have been getting are a mixed bag: some new ones that are chrome and hot, to spawning fish to drop backs.

I don’t have a “hot” must have pattern right now, but the usual suspects are producing fish as the flies are switched-up throughout the day. Lots of small black stones have been popping off in the afternoon so be sure to have those in your fly box for sure. I am always running a tandem rig: one egg and one nymph.  Water levels are stable in the low 40’s and I expect that to increase with the forecast. With these temps, anglers are finding more than steelhead as the walleye and suckers have started to come in, but not in big numbers – I suspect they too are waiting for that rain we need.

Trout fishing on the upper-Manistee has been decent for those with a sink-tip and streamers. Fish are throughout the water from skinny tail-outs to the deep, lumber infested holes.  Good motion in the fly and diligence not to pull the fly away from the fish are key as there are lots of chasers and the retrieve needs to be a little slower than when fishing in May.

With April 1^st , waters like the upper Platte are open to anglers – check your regulations for more information. It’s also time to buy your new 2010 fishing license.

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.

Brown trout in hand.

The high and dirty water that we experienced 1 ½ weeks ago has come and gone. The rivers have come back to near-normal levels and the clarity is just about ideal right now – especially with this high sun and blue skies. The lack of rain is keeping the run of fish to a trickle, but the fish that are hooked are pulling on the line hard with the water temps stable in the low 40’s. While the fishing has been comfortable, we need some of that nasty steelhead weather to bring in some more fish and with some rain, April should be great.

Most of the steelhead are either on or are staging near gravel. The fresh fish are still in the bigger, deeper holes resting as they migrate upstream so you should be able to find fish in all types of water. And with more anglers on the water lately, it’s nice to have confidence in finding fish throughout the river.

The water directly below Tippy dam on the Manistee has the most spawning gravel in it and as such the bigger numbers of fish and anglers. The Betsie has fish throughout the upper sections too from US-31 up but timing is crucial on this river after any precipitation for optimal success. Boardman anglers have experienced a pretty good spring so far if you are looking to get out close to home if in TC. Flies that have been working well are mid-sized eggs in chartreuse and Oregon cheese and nymphs including steelie buggers, caddis, fry patterns, black stones and hares ears.

The trout fishing is picking up as water temperatures increase. It’s a streamer bite fished slow with patterns that have lots of action on the pause. Fish are chasing a lot and nipping, so set the hook on the bite, not the sight – don’t pull the fly away from that big brown!

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.

The good number of fish throughout the Manistee River this winter has taken this high-water as a cue move up and “crash the dam”. Some fish are starting to stage around gravel as water temps are just into the low 40s and a fish landed last week appeared to be spawned out. Fresh fish are moving throughout the river system, but with its volume and lack of clarity – it’s been tough fishing the last few days as there aren’t too many fish settled in their traditional holes or travelling up their typical runs thanks to the increase of water and dirt. Sometimes after a big rain my expectations get a little lofty and I want to repeat those double-digit days; while it’s not easy right now, there are still fish are being caught and they are being scrappy, pulling hard, thrashing and even jumping a bit – that’s why we fish them, right?

The Betsie River, too, had a push of water and a decent push of fish. Dirty, as always, watch your step and look for the holes and slots to hold some steelhead as they rest on their way as the move up stream. The Platte got a few fish to run through the lower river and its clear water reputation holds true – especially in this high sun we have been getting. The Boardman has some fish throughout the system for those of you who can only get out for a few hours and need to fish close to home.  You’ll find them from Sabin Dam to the mouth at the bay.

With the water being off color, the patterns that have been working are some of the tried and true… steelhead buggers, bigger stones, leeches, and yarn – egg patterns in a myriad of colors: Clown, Orange, Pinks and Chart. in Glo Bug, Rag and Krystal Egg styles.

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.

Steelhead anglers will find the Manistee and Betsie both have some fish in it.  Be prepared to move around and fish not only the big, deep holes but the smaller slots and depressions too as we are sharing the water with more people now that the weather has warmed up. With the clear skies at night comes the cold so look for the late morning and afternoon bite to be a little stronger as the sun has its way with water temperatures. Lots of small black stones are crawling around and with the clear water conditions, be sure to knot one to some lighter tippet/leader for your best chance at hooking up.  Other patterns to use include caddis, alevins and smaller egg patterns in lighter shades and spectrums. Mix it up if you aren’t finding success – try hex and bigger stonefly nymphs as they are becoming a little more active with the warming sun.

The trout bite below Tippy Dam is fair with the occasional steelhead surprising the angler fishing with a 5 weight rod. Small stones, eggs, zebra midges and BWO nymphs have been working when fished below an indicator. If you are looking to streamer fish, retrieve your fly slowly – these fish are still partially hibernating.

The Upper Manistee above CCC Bridge is running cool and clear. Streamer fishing is your best bet and rather than using sinking lines, try shorter sink-tips and strip slowly to keep your fly down while keeping your line from hanging up and use patterns that have lots of motion: rabbit strips and marabou are an angler’s friend. Look for fish to be anywhere – from the deeper holes (tail-outs) to mid depth runs with sunshine – they often can be found sunning themselves. The water is still cold, so temper your expectations a bit and enjoy the solitude.

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.

NOTE: Ted is offering a great winter fishing special of five hours of guided fly fishing and lunch for only $250 — available through March 15th.

Also Ted will be teaching a fly tying class this Saturday, March 6 th at The Northern Angler in Traverse City. The theme will be flies for Pike, Musky and Bass, but with slight variation as you can use these same patterns for salmon, steelhead and trout. Class time is 10-Noon. Cost is $25   Call TNA @ 231-933-4730 to register.

The Cabelas Bears

About a month ago in Pennsylvania, a groundhog poked his head out of a hole and the experts proclaimed another six weeks of the same weather. While that has been mostly true, we have been experiencing a welcomed increase in sunshine and it feels good. In keeping with the prediction, the fishing, too, has remained pretty consistent with some days being a better than others regarding the fish activity.

Steelhead remain the primary target and the slight increases in water temp at mid-day can be the difference between fishing and catching. Sun helps with that and it hasn’t been getting awfully frigid-cold at night, stabilizing water temps rather than dropping more. Actually, we have been seeing a slight increase on the week long average which might mean that March really is only a few days away.

Still, water levels on the Manistee and Betsie are low and it’s clear.  As it’s been true all winter, fish with stealth, lighter tippets and make numerous presentations to find those fish to play along with. Then again, this advice holds true almost the entire year, but it’s more imperative now with the winter like conditions.

Flies: pale egg combos, small black stones, Alevins, hex nymphs and the bigger stones are good places to begin with fly selection.

A few trout below Tippy dam are eating the same flies suggested above for steelhead, but the trout angler would be better served tying on the midge pupa patterns like zebra midges and WD-40s for a nymph bite.  Streamer fishing should be more of a traditional down and across with slight strips and bumps since we still have some cold water.

It won’t be long now before the steelhead fishing kicks-in with trout to overlap in April. The lack of snowfall might have an affect, but we can still get hit with some big snow so don’t put that shovel away just yet.

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.

NOTE: Ted is offering a great winter fishing special of five hours of guided fly fishing and lunch for only $250 — available through March 15th. Check it out.