Now that it’s the first of March it’s time to start thinking about fishing again! It’s been a pretty cold winter with a few mild days mixed in to help keep the snowpack reduced. These mini run-off situations gave some bumps to the water levels which encouraged a few steelhead to come into the local […]

The first day of winter kind of feels like it with below freezing temps and a threat of some snow in the forecast. It’s mostly been a cold month with the exception of a few days as fish are settling into winter mode. Steelhead numbers increased on the Betsie and Manistee with the increase in […]

The fall steelhead season continues to be challenging and inconsistent. The mild weather of fall impacted how many fish came into the river and now that late fall temperatures snow and dropping water temps are prominent the steelhead spigot on local rivers like the Manistee and Betsie just got turned a little further in the […]

The fall weather sure has been comfortable to fish in but it sure hasn’t made for great steelhead fishing. The lack of any appreciable rainfall the past 6 weeks is taking a toll on fish inventory numbers in the river. We finally got some winds to blow some water around on Lake Michigan which helps […]

As October comes to an end it almost feels like the end of September. The past month was mild with overnight temps well above typical leaving the water temps at least 10 degrees warmer than normal. A second late push of salmon never occurred as a lack of wind on Lake Michigan and a lack […]

Being well into October we continue to experience some really nice weather. The long underwear has stayed in the dresser drawer so far this fall and that’s unusual even on mild Autumn days. But it is fall and some cooler over nights are in the forecast which is likely to drop the water temps (hovering […]

With September winding down it seems fishing is ramping up. The trout streams have been pretty quiet with few anglers fishing and the fish have responded by slipping out from their protective log jams and are out where you can get a fly to them. With the water clear (upper 50s temp) you can see […]

Water levels are in good shape as nice pleasant weather continues through September. Water temps on the upper Manistee are in the high 50s and with some sunlight it creeps into the lower 60s. Getting a little later start in the morning helps to allow the fish to wake up and terrestrials dry out from […]

The water has come up and down again after heavy rains over the weekend leaving the water stained which should clear up by the weekend. The hot weather has thankfully left us with nice cool evenings and sunny afternoons in the forecast. The Tricos have come and gone on the trout rivers and the terrestrials […]

After last week’s rains the rivers have returned to normal levels and clarity. Trout fishing is slowing down some due to all the food that washed downstream with the recent high water feeding the fish. And well it’s that time of year where the fish – it seems – are wore out after a long […]

UPDATE August 11: Two heavy rainfalls in the region the past two days have increased river flows significantly. Anglers will find the rivers high moving fast and dirty. To monitor your favorite river use these sites: Upper Manistee/M72 Upper Manistee Near CCC Lower Manistee/Tippy Boardman Platte******************************************************...

After some heavy rain last weekend our local rivers came up significantly but have dropped again and are close to average flows/heights for this time of year. The clarity is still running with a bit of a stain to them but are more than fishable for now – if the rain we get tonight occurs […]

Mid-week rains have brought the seasonal rainfall almost up to it’s average annual amount making last month’s drought a memory and the river levels up too. The water is high for this time of year and a bit stained due to the tannin and silt but there is still enough transparency to fish. When wading […]

See-saw weather continues into July making just about every day different from the previous one. From hot to cool sunny to rainy the weather patterns have been mixed. Despite a number of rains the local rivers are in good shape in regards to height and color. The thirsty ground absorbed a lot of the run-off […]

As July winds down so does the Hex Hatch. The hot weather of mid-June got the bugs going early this year and relatively steady if not predictable then the weather changes came. With the cool downs I suspect hatches will continue through the upcoming nights just not heavily and spinner falls will be similar – […]

As June continues so do the fluctuations in weather. Thankfully the water temps have remained “safe” for trout fishing on the upper Manistee staying below 70 degrees for over a week now. Hex flies have begun on parts of the river as have the Isonychias and some Brown Drakes are still around typically at dusk. […]

We aren’t even to the mid-June but it already feels like mid-August. In Arizona. Extreme heat (by northern Michigan standards) low humidity and practically no rain the past month in addition to being down more than half the annual precipitation YTD have left the rivers low clear and warm. And the fish are stressed. Temps […]

With June starting so do the big bugs. Trout fishing has been the focus of most anglers recently. This time of year folks tend to hit the river armed with a well-stocked box(s) of dry flies or get in the boat with visions of emergers sailboat look-a-like duns and/or spinners on the water to imitate. […]

It’s match-the-hatch time for selective trout. Bugs have been fickle but with any on the water some good fish are eating. Softer water can reveal the bulge of an emerger being eaten or a spinner being sipped but you have to bring your best drag-free presentation and angling skills as the water is low and […]

The past couple of weeks have had some cold overnight temperatures dropping water temps which in turn made for sporadic bug emergences and negatively affected the fishing. Water temps had dropped on local rivers including the Manistee AuSable and Boardman into the 40s. Already two days of sunshine is helping those temps stay in the […]