These cold winter months have us enthralled with the SIC/PALS class as well. We last left off with Picking up the eggs, which are now 3 inches long and about 50-60 of them, but a few months back they were small little fry with yolk sacs weighing them down in the aquarium. In March, we took a field trip to the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council to talk about Watersheds- What are they? Jennifer Gelb, Ecology Biologist, happily led the class through the many displays of our states great water and shoreline attributes and we also touched base on the threat of non-native invasive species- such as purple loosestrife, phragmites, zebra & quagga mussels and the ever threatening Asian Carp. She even passed around lamprey in a tube(preserved) for everyone to see. The highlight of the visit is the scale model of a small community. We sprinkle various colored Kool-Aid drink crystals across the landscape to represent fertilizer, salt, road oil, dirt/mud, industrial pollutants and various other non-source point pollutants. The best behaved kids are then chosen to operate the spray bottles and make it rain down on the village. Slowly, all the colors of lemon-lime and kiwi-strawberry collide with grape and cherry and other childhood memories become a flood of brown grey muck as they funnel down the banks and roadside drainages to the lake at the end of the stream. Everyone gasps a resounding “EEEEWWWW!!” The message is clear, these kids are headed home to tell their parents not to cut the lawn too short, over water or use fertilizer, keep the car maintained and use more environmental friendly methods to rid ice in the winter and have a ‘green’ home.

A short month later, the PALS class had the honor of being joined by Heather Seites-Hettinger from the DNR to actually dissect a fish. We luckily obtained a few small coho and chinook that had ‘gone to the big sea in the sky’ during the night prior from the Platte River Hatchery. I personally thought we would get some resistance from the children about cutting up the poor little smolts- there was none. They dove right in, all of them. We talked about various fins and fin function, went inside, made the slice from ventral fin up to  the gills and explored the visceral functioning organs of the fish. After pointing out the obvious stomach, liver, intestines, gills and air bladder, a few daring young biologists followed Heather’s lead and went in to find the brain. I am very glad we added this aspect to the SIC experience, these kids all walked away with a memorable moment they will recall when they are in AP Biology in High School.

BUGS! BUGS! BUGS! I love macro-invertebrates~ especially on a Northern Michigan stream that is beaming with life. A widely known secret, kids like bugs as well. They are equally impressed when you show them a frozen landscape and dip a net into a river and then pull out a screen wriggling with life. We walk down to the Bear River at Sheridan Bridge because of proximity and it has two very diverse eco-sytems. Above the bridge, the river is sluggish and still show signs of when this was a working river. Old farm tractor parts and former concrete dam scraps dot the bottom, filled in by silt and sand. We rarely find much diversity here, scuds(amphipoda) and cranefly larvae with a few mayfly and caddisfly larvae. Below the dam begins the Whitewater park and recent Kayak improvements move the water along and carry sediment, exposing more gravel and woody debris. We find between 20 and 22 different families: Mayflies(Ephemeroptera- isonychiidae, heptagenidae, baetiscidae and ephemerellidae) and Stoneflies (Plecoptera-pteronarcyidae, taeniopterygidae, and perlidae), dragonfly, damsel fly nymphs, tons of scuds and trichoptera species. Take a child to a river and turn over a few rocks or old wood and watch their eyes light up when a hellgramite or giant stonefly crawls out from between its niche. Kevin Cronk from TotMWC joins us and  explains how these animals are bio-indicators and how monitoring a stream can help determine if something has happened or changed in the past year if certain sensitive EPT(ephemeroptera, tricoptera, plecoptera) families have diminished or completely disappeared. These microscopic animals are the literal ‘canary in the coal mine’ for our watersheds. Behind us, in the river, we have to be very careful not to disturb a steelhead on a recently made redd as she readies to deposit a future generation of silver bullets. We always want to leave a minimal footprint when we enter the river so we always release our macro-organisms back in to the water after the class has had the chance to watch their amazing behaviour.

Yesterday, we went to Sheridan Elementary to have our last classroom visit with the SIC/PALS kids. Next week we release the salmon into the Bear River. The entire school will attend, newspaper and local television will be on hand as we escort the 70 or so salmon fry to their new home. The visit yesterday was a casting lesson for the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classes. As Mother Nature would have it, winds were a steady 30 mph and the mercury may have touched 40 degrees, but not for long. A fine mist greeted us and later we saw white pellets dance from the clouds. That did not phase the kids. Paint the sky, answer the phone, pause, hammer a nail into the wood, flick the paint off the brush~ all various explanations we use to teach the newly sired wielders of the fly rod how to lay a line out and get that de-hooked woolly bugger in the hula hoop some thirty feet away. The girls tend to be more natural at casting, they don’t force it. The boys may have to prove something or they have residual spincasting tendencies  and don’t allow the fly rod to work with them. We may have a few future potential anglers of the fly in a few years. We always take time to answer questions the children have about fishing and our coldwater resources, always encourage them to become a  member of Stream Explorers at www.tumembership.org/youth or www.streamexplorers.org

Find a River Clean-Up and help keep our planet beautiful.

The Betsie still has salmon moving through it with the higher, dirtier water. Fresh fish are moving through the river and dark ones are on and near gravel throughout the system. A few steelhead have been caught by the salmon angler but more Coho/Silvers are in the system than the lake run rainbows. Egg-sucking leeches, Stone Flies, Hexes, Steelhead Buggers, Caddis and eggs in chartreuse, Oregon cheese and clown patterns have been working — run one egg high and a nymph below it.

The Manistee has salmon throughout the system from the dam down to the mouth. The largest concentration of fish and anglers is below the Tippy Dam as it is the furthest upstream limit spawning fish can get to and it is surrounded by ideal spawning gravel. A good number of steelhead are in the upper river in the darker holes and runs behind the spawning salmon and are looking to eat the eggs and nymphs getting dislodged from the active salmon. For the steelhead, try realistic looking egg patterns – nukes in chart/pink (grapefruit), Oregon cheese, golden, and pinks. These same colors should work well for the salmon if you are focusing on them. Try using smaller nymphs like pheasant tails and caddis for the steelhead with larger buggers, stones and sparrows for the salmon. The lower river has a mix of adult and skipper steelhead moving though but not really holding. With all of the leaves getting washed into the river and the higher, dirtier water, try patterns that are a little bigger and brighter than normal.

The Platte River is going strong thanks to the change in weather. There are lots of Kings in the river and a good number of Cohos. Because of its proximity to Lake Michigan, conditions and fish numbers can change within hours and usually for the better. Another nice attribute of the Platte is its stability of water levels – it rarely gets too high or dirty where it hurts fishing – no clouds and sun is the Platte angler’s enemy. The typical flies mentioned above are working with the addition of Muddler Minnows, buggers and smaller baitfish patterns like Cross Dressers. Remember that the Platte has a hook gape restriction of 3/8” so be careful what size fly you have in your box while on the river.

The trout fishing on the Upper Manistee has been O.K. With the rain and water levels coming up and the aggressiveness of the alpha brown trout, the pre-spawn bite should be strong over the next couple of weeks. This is a great time to go streamer fishing – adjust your retrieve based on water temps and the response you are getting from the fish; some days they like it ripped through the water, other days slowly jigged. Please leave spawning browns alone – this is a natural reproducing river!

Good Luck getting out and hooking up – this is truly one of the best times of the year to fish – so many species and rivers – Northern Michigan really is a Sportsman’s Paradise.

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.

“Matching the hatch” is often associated with trout fishing but not necessarily with steelhead fishing. Imitating the specific natural insects fish key in on is important to the success of the trout angler however this same approach should be used by steelhead anglers looking to imitate their prey’s primary food source – eggs.

A box of steelie flies, ready to see some action.

Egg flies have been used for decades not only because they are easy to tie, inexpensive to buy, but more importantly because they are effective. With increased angling pressure, water conditions, as well as factors only known by the steelhead themselves, they often become selective on size and color. My goal is to provide you with a better understanding of what egg to use, and when. Of course it’s not guaranteed, but put others’ experience in your corner to optimize your steelhead fishing, and hopefully a well-earned steelhead into your net.

“Matching the Hatch”

Regardless of when you fish steelhead and what egg you are trying to imitate, know that the eggs themselves change. After being in the water – free drifting or trapped in a selected gravel bed – eggs become less colorful, a bit translucent and eventually opaque. Depending on the timing of your fishing trip in relation to the “egg drop”, color plays a large factor and there are two ways to determine what is ideal:

1. Experience. Fishing and having certain successes or failures can help you define color combos for particular times. Keeping notes in a journal can help keep track of what can easily be forgotten between seasons and a few beers.
2. When fishing rivers that have a respectable trout population, use their selectiveness as an indication of the right color and size. Catching trout? Proceed. Not catching tout? Change your egg pattern.

When fishing for steelhead in the fall directly behind spawning salmon – color and size becomes more important and is where “matching the hatch” is key. In this case, the eggs are often fresh, having a more realistic color to them. Want to know what a real salmon egg looks like? Look on the ground at access sites or near fish cleaning stations to match your egg patterns – its not that much different than catching a mayfly out of the air and matching it to a fly in your box when trout fishing. The same holds true in the spring when imitating natural steelhead eggs.

Fall Steelhead

There are many theories as to “Why do steelhead enter our rivers in the fall?”, but there is no clear, general accepted theory. Some think curious steelhead follow the salmon as they run up the river to spawn, others hypothesize that they are genetically programmed to enter rivers at that time of year. While these might be partially or absolutely correct, I prescribe to the theory that fall weather and wind conditions bring steelhead close to river mouths, and the scent of pheromones and millions of salmon eggs drifting down the river triggers them to follow a gravy train of protein.

With this in mind, I like fishing for fall steelhead, the majority of the time with two egg flies; one larger, brighter pattern as an attractor and a second, smaller, more realistic pattern imitating what is coming down the river. Often the top positioned fly is a multicolored pattern like a Clown or two-colored Rag Egg, if not a Nuke Egg.

I saw my first clown egg while fishing steelhead in Alaska in the mid-1990s and thought it was a joke – it was about the size of a quarter and included more colors than a small package of Crayola crayons. But with time, understanding, and some luck, I have learned that this multi-color configuration and approach can be significant to my success fishing for steelhead right here in Michigan. It’s a good idea to run this egg pattern in a large size when the water is full of leaves when a smaller pattern could easily be lost in all of the drifting debris.

Most anyone fishing steelhead in Michigan recognizes the Nuke Egg as an effective pattern that is an improvement over the original GloBug.  The Nuke can be tied as an attractor or natural imitator depending on size and color. One of its key attributes is the veil or shroud of yarn that covers the nucleus of the pattern giving it a natural, transparent look when wet. The advantage of the Nuke Egg is its exacting nature to imitate the natural eggs drifting down the river. Some of these color combinations include: Egg over Sockeye, Pink Lady over Shrimp Pink, Apricot Supreme over Steelhead Orange, Salmon Egg over Chartreuse or everyone’s favorite – spring or fall: Oregon Cheese over Steelhead Orange. Worthy attractor colors are Chartreuse over Flame, or Flame over Cerise.

Ted Kraimer

Spring Steelhead

Steelhead in the Great Lakes perform their annual spawning each year during the spring. The largest numbers of fish are in the river sometime in March and April depending on water levels and temperatures.  During this time period, the river is also used by walleyes, resident rainbow trout, suckers and carp (typically in that order with steelhead spawning the same time as rainbow trout) as their spawning area. As a result, millions of eggs drift down the river becoming a significant food source for all fish in the river, notably steelhead. The successful angler is often fishing with an egg pattern best imitating the natural egg – its color and shape in addition to how it relates to water conditions.

Spring water conditions are often found to have a stain or be quite high and dirty. When this is the case, I have found patterns larger than naturals to be the most effective. Egg patterns like Rags, Nukes and Glo Bugs tied in various colors and almost as big as a dime, I think, do a better job of grabbing a fish’s attention rather than imitate the food source. But those times of the spring when the absence of rains and thaws leave the water with good clarity, size and color becomes significant. Patterns like sucker spawn in pale yellow imitate that of both suckers and walleye, where the natural characteristics of Nuke Eggs and Glo Bug in various colors and hues can be identical to those of natural steelhead eggs drifting down the river.

Conclusion

A well stocked fly box for trout fishing is important to success and it’s no different for steelhead. Learn your favorite river, the spawning times of the various species, and what works in particular conditions and key in on what steelhead are eating. Having egg patterns in various sizes, colors and shapes and learning when to use them and why can be the difference between catching steelhead on a consistent basis and catching a steelhead.

Editor’s Note: Tying instructions for the egg flies that Ted discusses are available at his website. Click here for the Clown Rag Egg, here for the Mc Fly Foam Egg, here for the Nuke Egg, and here for the Sucker Spawn.

Letting Go

With the passing of Labor Day, summer is unofficially over and so is the hot weather – at least that’s the way it is supposed to be. We have experienced a week of high-pressure, bright sun and virtually no clouds – just what you would expect in July and August – perhaps it’s just a little late. Most of the recent angler’s attention has been focused towards rivers with salmon runs and this year got an early start thanks to the cooler summer temps and rain. The recent weather (and lack of rain) has put things on hold, but look for things to really change big-time after we get some rain.

The Betsie with its cold water has had a good number of fish in it for a while and there is still a decent number of fish in the system. Time and place on the water is making the difference between hooking up and wondering where the fish are. The past weekend’s angling pressure took a toll on the fish that were patiently waiting, and now we are looking for fish inventories to build up again. Look for fish in holes, runs and around gravel – some fish are doing their shaking and wiggling. Flies that have been working well include large black stones, hare’s ears, muddler minnows, sparrows and tied in tandem with an egg fly.

The Lower Manistee also had a good number of fish in it early this year, but the heat wave has “The Run” on hold. There are still fish to be caught, but they have experienced lots of pressure and are a little stale. Look for fish near and in wood as well as those slow, deep sandy holes. As soon as the cool evenings return and an increase in water flow occurs look for things to get even better. This nice weather has got the smallmouth bass fishing ratcheted up a bit, but most anglers are looking for something a little heavier, stronger and longer this time of year.

The Boardman here in Traverse City has the weir down and fish are starting to collect below it. Pressure can be heavy at times, but if you are looking to get a fix and have a limited amount of time to do it – this might be the right place to bend the rod.

I haven’t spent as much time on the trout water lately, focusing instead on the salmon waters. This warm weather has increased the terrestrial activity – most notably with the grass hoppers and flying ants. On both the Upper Manistee and Boardman the flying ants have been hitting the water and the fish are looking to get a mouthful – they simply love the formic acid within – it’s like crack cocaine to a trout. Other bugs on the water include some caddis, white millers and the remaining Tricos.

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.

Gearing Up

Note: My apologies for taking some extra time in getting this post online… Ted’s fishing report came to me on time, but I’m posting it from Wyoming and Montana, where I am out chasing Western trout. – JL

Despite a few days of hot weather, some cool rain has got river levels not only ideal and a little above where they typically are at this time of year, but the temperatures too are remaining cooler than normal for this time of the year.

The Upper Manistee looks good: a nice flow, temps in the mid-60s and with just a hint of color.  Hatches are minimal, but look for: caddis, a few Isonycias, Light Cahills, BWOs, and Tricos. The weather has the Tricos a little messed up – look for bugs in the both the evening and mornings – mornings typically being the heavier hatch.  Ants, grasshoppers and beetles are around and bringing some fish to the surface, as are foam and rubber leg creations.

The Lower Manistee is still offering good trout fishing. Caddis and BWO fished dry, soft hackles swung and tandem nymph rigs fished under an indicator are all catching fish. Smaller streamers will get some response from not only trout, but some smallmouth too. Because the temps continue to be below 70 degrees, the numbers of fish just aren’t there.  The wind and rain has some salmon in the river but mostly lower in the system looking for well presented streamer fished deep and with some action.

The Boardman too is benefiting from the rain and cool weather. It’s really a terrestrial bite right now, but have some caddis flies in your box too. Matching the hatch isn’t much of a factor right now, but have some white flies/Ehphrons in your box as heavier evening hatches should kick off soon. Swinging emergers is a great strategy for this hatch before and during.

The Betsie river has salmon in the river with rain and sunlight impacting where you might find them one day and where the next. Remember — these fish are migratory and they are running on the bigger side this year. Hang on and have fun.

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.

Mayfield Pond

It isn’t news that the weather has been cool and water temps reflect that. Local rivers are in better shape than I can remember for this time of year so get out and take advantage of it.

The Upper Manistee continues to offer a sampling of bugs each day: BWOs, Light Cahills, Isonycias and Tricos. The heaviest hatch is the Trico spinner fall in the mornings and with the cool nights – one doesn’t have to be on the water at first light to find fish eating them. Have a difficult time seeing these tiny bugs? Tie the trico to a dropper off of a larger dry and use it as an indicator. Look for the other bugs in the late afternoon and evening. The cooler weather has stymied the growth of the grasshoppers on the water’s edge; typically this time of year larger hoppers work, but the smaller patterns have been more productive lately. Still, the big patterns with rubber legs and foam have been bringing up fish and some good ones, but more as an attractor rather than a match to the natural hoppers. Play around with patterns and presentation until you get some positive feedback from the fish.

The Boardman terrestrial fishing is decent right now with bookies and browns playing the game. Small grasshoppers, beetles and ants of various sizes are go-to patterns along with the Tricos and #16 and #18 tan caddis.  Trico hatches in the mid-morning can be found in the many riffle sections of the river – look for sippers in the calmer, smoother water just downstream of where they are falling to the water.

The Lower Manistee continues to run cool for this time of year, stretching our trout fishing season on that section. Those with a nymph, either under an indicator or dropped below larger dry flies with rubber legs – twitched are finding fish in the seams and holes. Caddis are still coming off in the evening as well as BWOs and other midges throughout the day. Streamer fishing can produce a bend in the rod from not only trout, but smallmouth bass too.

The smallmouth continue to be the minority in the river this year due to water temperatures – if it warms up, the fish numbers will build until the salmon start to enter in big numbers. If water temps continue to be cool, look for a decent number of salmon to enter a little earlier than normal. According to the charter boats, the fish are running significantly larger this year so get ready to battle these Chinook salmon.

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.

Manistee River in Summer

The up and down, inconsistent weather has our Hex hatch continuing a little longer than anyone would have guessed at the beginning of the season. Numerous days of cool (sometimes cold) weather put the pugs on hold while little warm-ups triggered small emergences.  The heat and sun forecast for this week should get those patient nymphs out of their beds and into the air and bring an end to the hatch. Water levels and temps are good for this time of year.

The Upper Manistee River has had  sporadic hex bugs and the Isonycias have been pretty solid with the fish responding well. Other bugs include: Little Yellow Sally Stones, BWOs, Light Cahills, and some big stones. Look for Tricos to start shortly in the early mornings and small terrestrial patterns turning some fish as the day goes on. Evenings are the best time to experience a hatch of the bugs detailed above. After dark, try a mouse/large surface fly that moves water and casts a silhouette.

The Lower Manistee below Tippy Dam is still fishing well for trout as the water temperatures have remained cooler than normal for this time of year. Caddis, wet flies, midge and streamers are all taking fish. The smallmouth bass in this section of river is building each day, and so look for them to be the primary target over the next six weeks.

The Boardman is still experiencing Hex duns and spinner falls and the Gray Drake spinners continue to build above riffles at dusk. Have some Little Yellow Sallies, Light Cahills, Tan Caddis (#16/18) and some terrestrials in your box.

Ode to Carp. Carp fishing in the bays is pretty much done as they have been providing action for the last six weeks. The weather has made it difficult to pattern the fish – (when and where), but with this warm-up keep your eye out as you drive along the bay – you might just find a pod to fish to. Smallmouth bass numbers are dwindling as they are moving back into some deeper water, but look for fish cruising the shallow water during mornings and evenings. With the recent full-moon, crayfish molt and become a soft-shell favorite of smallmouth.

Lake fishing is prime for small and largemouth fishing. With the weed growth, look for the largemouth bass to come on poppers, divers and sliders – a great way to spend a morning or evening. Look for the smallmouth to be on the edges of drop-offs looking to eat crayfish and baitfish patterns. Bring a hex dun pattern too if you are going to be out late – some good surface action can occur as lakes often experience a long, drawn out emergence lasting up to five weeks.

Charter Boats on Lake Michigan are reporting healthy and large salmon so far this spring and early summer. This fall’s run that begins in late August continuing into October should be a good one. If you don’t have your dates reserved for a guided trip, start your planning and be in touch to ensure a day or two in a boat on the water doing battle with fresh, strong salmon.

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.