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3. Headed Up to Michigan Tomorrow

I've been meaning to get up to Michigan to do some trout fishing for quite a long time, but it finally worked out to do it this summer. Unfortunately, that also seems to have coincided with a lot of hot weather and warm stream temps. So I'm headed up to Pine River, a tributary to the Manistee that's supposed to still be running nice and cool. I've called to reserve float permits for a couple days on the Pine, and also plan to float the lower Manistee a day or two for smallmouth, walleye, etc. The rest of the time will be spent either looking for little brookie streams with nice cold water or fishing warm-water lakes. Anyway, I'll post a report and plenty of pictures when I get back. I plan to be up there for ten days, counting drive time.

Your timing is not too bad. The temps here are going to top out in the low 80's. A good ten to fifteen degrees cooler than the middle of the month.

I have family over in Luther.

The hatches are early morning (Tricos and lata's) with the spinners of the Little Slate Winged Olive showing back up in the evenings. Bring your caddis and I saw some egg laying stones last week over on the Au Sable. Amber-Throated stone (med Brown stone) and the Little Yellow Stone.

I have had good luck with weighted stone fly nymphs over where you will be. Think 20" stone, if you know that one Check out the Little Manistee when you are over there. "Spencer's Bridge" area is nice and not because I'm named Spence :).

I'm up on Beaver Island and taking the ferry across this afternoon. I've been doing some inland lake fishing up here and chasing bass is probably not a bad idea. I've had some bumps using a marabou Clouser in an olive combo.

Anyway. Enjoy. I'll be working my way home by probably driving down the east side of the state. Other than the hot days Michigan has been fun this July!

Spence

Thanks for the tips....I've got everything else ready but I'm still tying flies like mad. I will need to add imitations for a couple of those flies you mentioned. I had better get back to it.

MO, one quick piece of advice: bring hoppers!!! I haven't seen much hatching in my local waters lately (though I don't fish the morning), plus it's been mighty dry and warm. But where you're going is probably a bit wetter, so you may have better hatches. Do bring those hoppers though, I've had some good hits on them the last few times out. Oh, and Royal Wulffs in size 12 have been dynamite for me this year as well. Adams too, not exactly hatch prescriptions but this is what has worked for me. Different waters, who knows, just sayin'...

Good luck and welcome to Michigan!

Jonathon

Thanks a lot. I'm prepared with plenty of terrestrials ,wulffs, and other attractor dries. Those are my favorite types of flies to fish with anyway, so it's good to hear they should work.

I agree with Jonathon about hoppers. They are everywhere. I spent a fair amount of time as a kid not too far from where you are going and I think of it being more hopper filled than the upper Au Sable where I normally fish.

Heading out after dark can be a hoot. The boys were going out "Mousing" when we were in Grayling a week and a half ago. This calls for big flies that cause a wake on the water to tempt cruising nocturnal Browns.

Good Luck! Believe it or not but I've found myself in Mackinaw City. Watched the parade of the boats and fireworks last night in Charlevoix harbor. This morning, instead of making the turn for home we visied Petosky, Harbor Springs, then drove up the scenic coast to Cross Village and the famous Legs Inn. Just kept driving passed Wilderness State park and here I am.

Can someone tell me how to find my way home?! :)

Pure Michigan!

Mack City...Can anyone spell kitch or Fudgy? :)

Spence

Spence - if you somehow manage to stay on US23, give me a head's up and I'll take you to [REDACTED] Pond in a borrowed kayak (just hooked my buddy up last weekend, he caught his very first and second ever trout out there) for some BIG brookie action. Everything else is too low, maybe Selkirk on the Rifle because Klacking Creek puts some cooler water into that reach...just let me know if you're headed this way, I got the folks coming in on Wednesday, also giving a final exam on that day for Field Biology and so I will be driving around like a madman collecting plants...

MO, a White Wulff is also a good after-dark fly. In fact, if you're staying out late, try Woolly Buggers in dark colors after dark, and hang on! (Or your favorite large streamers too...) Are you bringing a camera? We Michiganders wanna see how you do! Regarding hoppers, be prepared to fish them on some light tippet, since waters are very low and very clear, like 5x - this is where the #10 comes in, easy to cast on short light rods for small streams. BTW, what rods are you bringing? Of course, for smallies and warmwater, Woollies can't be beat, poppers are probably good now too, your favorite streamers, big dries in the evening, hoppers, crickets (I tie an all-black hopper), etc.

We from the land of the Great Lakes hope you have a most enjoyable fly-fishing experience, our chance to show off some fine waters to a fellow traveller on that road.

Jonathon

P.S. Mosquitoes have not been bad at all due to the dryness. However, expect DEER FLIES until darkness, hopefully you will be fishing where they aren't a problem (I am down to one spot now where I don't get bombed by them). When they start flying around your head, pull out your bug spray and just blast a cloud of it around your enitre head (HOLD YOUR BREATH!!!) and it will at least drive away the swarm you have currently accumulated around you. Only thing I've found that works so far...

P.P.S. Spence...FISHING REPORT???

They've been getting decent rain in northern lower.

Pine, so fast. I like some of where it splits too.

Little Man, my fave.

There is a ton of water to fish in that area.