As November comes to an end along with the Fall season we find river and fishing conditions to be about what you’d expect for this time of year. Water levels are running on the low and clear side of things which makes stealthy presentations a little more crucial. The unprecedented warm water temps we experienced […]

Steelhead fishing has been mixed. The last week of October left us with low and clear water and with all the salmon gone the steelhead weren’t as easy to find. Over the weekend significant rains brought up the local rivers and have them running higher and with some color to them. This push of water […]

It seems like it has been an old fashion fall with cooler weather frosts kicking the fall colors into bold expressions and maybe a little too much rain in our rivers. After over 3 inches the past couple days our local rivers are running more than full they are high and have some color to […]

It’s October and it feels like it – cool nights mild days and some color staring in the trees. Most anglers are focused on the salmon in local rivers as it’s been a good year with decent numbers and big fish. The run has been mixed with some fish having been in the river a […]

Nearing the mid-point of September it feels like the seasons are thinking about transitioning. September can be a continuation of summer or the end of the summer – just depends on the day. With the weather changes comes changes in fishing. Trout anglers will find that they have the rivers to themselves. Hatches are relatively […]

It’s mid-August and it feels like it’s the end of a lot of seasons. This time of year the months of long days prolonged fishing pressure and water temperatures that are often elevated can make the fish hard to find and/or engage. Trout fishing continues to be more challenging than normal on the local rivers. […]

The trout fishing has been decent lately with a mix of Tricos hatching in the morning and mostly smaller trout rising; it’s a lot of fun with a lighter weight rod. Other times when bugs aren’t on the surface terrestrials will bring some fish up and sometimes decent sized fish so having a little bigger […]

It’s mid-July and the major hatches have come and gone on the Manistee and Boardman Rivers. With the lack of rain the past two months river levels are low and so is the water table resulting in significant daily river temperature fluctuations. Our spring-fed rivers need a supplied water table to moderate our water temps […]

As June winds down the Hex Hatch winds up. It has been sporadic with the fluctuations in the weather for both the emergences and spinner falls so there is no telling when you will have good bugs on the local rivers including the upper Manistee. Water levels are low and clear since it has been […]

With the dog days of June upon us the trout fishing has been tougher than we have come to expect for this time of year. The big bugs of June have been fickle – as have most hatches so far this year with the spastic and erratic extremes in weather and conditions. On top of […]

Sorry for the lapse in fishing reports. Fishing has been mixed especially on the trout rivers like the upper Manistee. Bug emergences and spinner falls have been fickle and spotty as the weather has been bouncing around. Some days there are some bugs with the fish looking up and eating other days leave you wondering […]

After two days of Spring it seemed like we went right to Summer with last week’s temperatures and weather. Hatches are kind of jumbled on the trout streams (Manistee and Au Sable rivers) but if headed out be sure to have Hendricksons and Caddis. Pack some Sulphurs and Mahoganies too because they will start showing […]

It feels like May. And Spring. Finally. Its time to transition from steelhead to trout and take advantage of the streamer fishing and hatches of Mayflies on the local rivers like the upper Manistee Au Sable and Boardman. The rivers are running full but are clear with temps  mostly in the mid to upper 50s […]

Finally some warm weather is helping us forget about the cold spring we have had so far. With temps in the 70s this weekend the water temperatures should climb a little and get things to where they should be for this time of year. Steelhead fishing is winding down on local rivers (Manistee Betsie and […]

Water levels and clarity have improved a lot in the past week with that lack of any appreciable precipitation on the local watersheds. There is still a stain to the Manistee and Betsie rivers but that isn’t out of character for mid-April and steelhead fishing. Water temps have passed the 40-degree mark which is what […]

The local rivers are all running high with recent rains. The good news is we have a few days without any rain (or snow) in the forecast. Higher water has meant dirty water. A flood gate was lifted on Tippy Dam yesterday which always frees up mud and algae while increasing the flow. The ice […]

April has come but the snow hasn’t gone. The transitional weather usually found in March is continuing as we get into April with a mix of rain snow mud and ice. We did see the sun twice last week which could be a sign of things to come. With the rain and snow water levels […]

The higher water from run-off and some rain showers brought in fresh steelhead and invigorated those already in the Manistee and Betsie to move around. With a stain to the water fish were happy and moving along those soft bubble lines towards the sections of rivers with spawning gravel as they prepare for why they […]

A really warm Thursday with intense sunshine really knocked the snow pack in the woods and valleys down creating significant run-off into the tributaries and rivers. Local rivers are on the rise and gaining some color which is likely to continue after some rain and more of it in the forecast. With rains comes fish. […]

Warm weather over the weekend along with a heavy rain really knocked down what snow was around and increased flows on the Manistee and Betsie rivers. Monday found us with another 4 to 6 inches of fresh snow which kind of makes this a typical March. And further confirmation that we are in that transitional […]