Fishing Report 10/23/20

The weekend is finally here and so is the rain! Holy cow, we got some rain yesterday and last night; so much so we've got flood warnings throughout Northern Michigan. It's not all bad news however, most of our rivers have been extremely low and clear so this rain should help the streamer junkies and bring more steelhead into our rivers as well. Just be ready to wait out the high water for a few days!

TROUT

The low and clear water that we experienced yesterday on the Upper Manistee should not be a problem for anglers this weekend. We are recommending anglers either throw streamers or some larger nymphs. Do not be afraid to GO BIG with your flies in high water conditions. If fish can't find your flies, they certainly can't eat them!

 

STEELHEAD

MANISTEE: Brian, Evan, and Ted have been out chasing steelhead everyday down on the Manistee. After being unable to see so many of our clients this spring, it has been wonderful being back on the big water chasing steelhead with old friends! We're in full-on egg bite right now though some persistent anglers are finding a few aggressive fish willing to chase swung or stripped flies. 

Expect to see higher water conditions all next week as we'll be receiving plenty of precipitation and likely pushes of fresh fish. Make sure you're well stocked with Glo Bugs, Rag Eggs, and Beads in a range of colors. Guides have been favoring Fireball, Cheese, Glo Roe, and Egg Yolk but will certainly be turning to Clown Egg, Chartreuse, and some other gaudy colors with the higher water. 

BETSIE/PLATTE: We haven't heard tons of reports regarding steelhead pushing into the wading sections of the Betsie or Platte. This isn't unusual as salmon tend to hang around for quite some time in these waters. I would expect to start seeing fresh fish in better numbers with this major rain event we'll have for the next few days. 

BOARDMAN: The Boardman still has plenty of Coho to chase and we should start more steelhead. Know that the high water this year is limiting where you can effectively fish the river downtown.