Monthly Archives: October 2013

 CLOSED UPSTREAM OF SABIN DAM UNTIL APRIL 26, 2014.

LOWER RIVER BELOW SABIN DAM IS OPEN TO THE MOUTH.

WEIR IS IN PLACE IN TRAVERSE CITY. 

Fishing continues to be fair. Salmon are waning now and anglers are fading with them. The streamer bite is picking up with the colder temps. Brown trout are shining the gravel all over the Upper Manistee River.  Some steelhead have come in with the late run chinooks and coho. Some lake trout are also in the river. More steelhead will arrive in a couple of weeks, but for now only a few skippers daily.

DON'T FORGET... UPPER BOARDMAN ABOVE SABIN DAM IS CLOSED TO FISHING UNTIL SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2014.

UPPER MANISTEE RIVER IS OPEN "CATCH AND RELEASE" FROM CO612  TO M115.

The University of Notre Dame has graduate students studying the impact of salmon on Michigan trout streams. Finally, a follow up to the famed Hunt Creek work, this work will not only study the issue of competition of young of the year brook and brown trout, but also the impact of decomposed salmon and the contaminants that they bring into the delicate cold water resource. Many anglers have long fought the introduction of salmon and steelhead into the pristine, self-sustaining trout waters of the upper Boardman River in Traverse City, Michigan. While the students' work will begin by focusing on the Platte River, in Michigan's Benzie County, this author is hopeful that the work will ultimately help to document how large spawning Great Lakes species

Busting brush into the dark and overgrown headwaters of our better-known and larger trout streams can offer lots of exciting fishing.  Hunting tiny creeks for pocket water and beaver ponds also presents a list of different problems for fly anglers to overcome. Casting to tiny spots without room for a back cast, fooling a trout at close range, or even getting to the stream without breaking the rod can offer trouble without some preparation or experience. This issue, let’s see how to deal with some of these challenges.

Choose the right rod.

Fly casting to a trout that is holding under a bank only ten feet in front of you on a stream that is only six feet wide can be a tough shot. Add to that scenario tag alder, willow and cedar all around and you’ll have a perfect environment for trout to hold in and a nightmare to move about and to cast. A couple of things can help if you plan ahead. First, choose a rod that is suited to such a tight environment. Rods of s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwK0gYTzRz4

Here's a classic piece of fly angling history with Lee Wulff and Curt Gowdy of American Sportsman fame. I too fished for world class brook trout in the Patagonia near Esquel, Argentina in 1984 with Bob Witbold, and Julio Mazzoli. 5-7 pound fish were the order of the day by the dozens. We never saw a world record that week. We stayed in the only structure on the lake: a tiny, dirt floor cabin about 12 by 12 only a few hundred  meters from the Chilean border. While making notes in the log book before leaving, Julio translated some of the notes left by prior anglers. There were only a couple of dozen entries in the book. Amongst the Spanish, were several english entries. One was left by Curt Gowdy, another by Joe Brooks, still another by Roon Arlidge and Mort Neff (fly anglers). They had competed with four Argentineans (spin fishers) on The American Sportsman in 1964.

This old video that Orvis' Phil Monahan dug up reminded me of

BOARDMAN RIVER IS NOW CLOSED UPSTREAM OF SABIN DAM UNTIL APRIL 26, 2014.

LOWER RIVER BELOW SABIN DAM IS OPEN TO THE MOUTH.

WEIR IS IN PLACE IN TRAVERSE CITY. 

Fishing continues to be fair. Salmon are waning now and anglers are fading with them. The streamer bite is picking up with the colder temps. Tiny BWO’s are fewer, but still around when the air is water is warm enough. Look for them along the banks where they emerge. Some large fish will hang on the banks sipping them on gray days.  Some steelhead have come in with the chinooks and coho. More steelhead will arrive in a couple of weeks.

DON'T FORGET... UPPER BOARDMAN ABOVE SABIN DAM IS CLOSED TO FISHING UNTIL SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2014.

UPPER MANISTEE RIVER IS OPEN "CATCH AND RELEASE" FROM CO612  TO M115.

BOARDMAN RIVER IS NOW CLOSED UPSTREAM OF SABIN DAM UNTIL APRIL 26, 2014.

LOWER RIVER BELOW SABIN DAM IS OPEN TO THE MOUTH.

WEIR IS IN PLACE IN TRAVERSE CITY. 

Fishing continues to be fair to good. Salmon are everywhere now and anglers are hooking up in big numbers. The streamer bite is picking up with the cold temps. Attractors continue to work in the late afternoons as water temps continue to rise afternoons. Tiny BWO’s are going now too. Look for them along the banks where they emerge. Some large fish will hang on the banks sipping them on gray days.  Some steelhead have come in with the chinooks and coho. More steelhead will arrive in a couple of weeks.

DON'T FORGET... UPPER BOARDMAN ABOVE SABIN DAM IS CLOSED TO FISHING UNTIL SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2014.

UPPER MANISTEE RIVER IS OPEN "CATCH AND RELEASE" FROM CO612  TO M115.