Fishing Report 5/10/24
May 10, 2024 Northern Angler Fishing Report
Spring continues to roll right along with some amazing weather for fishing. The area's rivers are in great shape and we have a nice balance of spring rains with steady weather patterns, so the fish are happy. May is off to a great start and reports and stories we are hearing through customers have all been favorable. Customers have been showing us some nice browns, brookies, smallies and pike photos this week and we have been out on the water a ton as well and it has been fun!
May is such a nice time to be outside in Northern Michigan. All the flowers and buds are popping in the woods, morels to search for and uncrowded trout streams. Get out and explore, but keep in mind that the ticks are bad this year. Hatches have been great and we are so excited for the summer! It is nice to see some healthy trout in area streams, definitely a benefit of the mild winters over the past couple of years.
The Adams Chapter TU Banquet was a success and I even won a nice gift basket with yoga lessons!! Looking forward to learning more about yoga for my lower back pain. The prizes were great this year and some great money was raised for conservation. Thanks to all the Adams Chapter Board members that worked hard to put together such a nice event.
I am fortunate enough to be heading to Key West for the weekend for my first time fishing the keys for tarpon with Will Jacques from Sage. Looking forward to the challenge and hopefully will have the opportunity to connect with an adult tarpon. Catching the 10-60 pounders in Mexico and Belize has been fun, but really looking forward to checking out Key West and the possibility of a big tarpon on a fly. One of our customers has fished with the guide we have lined up, Bill Houze and he told me, “bring your A game because that guy is one badass tarpon guide! How did you even get hooked up with him, he is a Keys legend?1?” I have been re-reading 92 in The Shade by McGuane, watching “Tarpon- The Movie” with Jim Harrison, McGuane and getting myself psyched up to enjoy a couple of days in the Keys!
On Saturday June 8 we are hosting our annual Cheese Cup! Be sure to get signed up as this is always a great event to support Suicide Prevention and Awareness programs for our local Child and Family Services Center. We do this in honor of our good friend Alex Hawke that lost his battle to depression in 2017. This is our eighth year to host the event and with your support and the support of our sponsors we have raised over $70,000. If you would like to make a donation, please make checks payable to Child and Family Services and in the memo please put “Cheese Cup.” If you are interested in sponsoring, we are always happy to answer any questions and appreciate your support.
Manistee River Report
Upper Manistee River Trout Report- Dry fly fishing with caddis, hennies has been good and if you are searching with a dry fly try to missing link caddis, borchers, all day mayfly or an emerger pattern. Streamer fishing has been solid so far and the lower sections are seeing the best action with the stain to the water making fish more aggressive. Water temps are in the mid to upper 50’s and look for sulpurs, mahoganies to become a greater part of the trout menu this week.!
Lower Manistee River Report
Pre-spawn smallie action has been challenging with the water levels, but when you find them, they are really aggressive and fun to target. There was a small push of “May” steelhead up by the dam this week, but best to let them do their thing, but we did pick up a nice drop back stripping streamer for bass.
Boardman River Report
The Boardman/Ottaway River fished consistently this week. Matt and Joe had some good fishing with streamers after the rain. Have had reports of some dry fly action for those willing to hike and explore a bit, but don’t count on dry fly action this time of year. Be prepared with an assortment of nymphs and streamers. The fish are wild and wary on the Boardman and look for overcast days to be most productive.
Local Lakes Report
Area lakes have the bass and bluegill in pre-spawn mode. Streamer patterns worked slowly and with a deliberate strip and pause have been most productive. Fishing drop offs and shorelines have been productive. Smaller lakes should see panfish working towards the shallow flats for spawning. We had our first popper action this week and there were a few smallies on beds in some of the warmer areas.
Getting out on a local lake is a great way to sharpen up your casting skills and catch fish without a huge time commitment.
Thanks for taking the time to check out our fishing report! Get out and enjoy the weekend.