I had the opportunity to give my opinions on a few different topics ranging from Steelhead to Trout and everything in between on the Wade Out There Podcast. If you looking for a fly fishing podcast to listen to give this one a try.
I go into some of my thoughts on what fish see. How I use colors, sun, and water clarity to crack the daily code of catching a few fish.
The Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing report for the third week of May has us focused mostly on chasing the hatches for Trout. With the warmer weather this past week, we are officially into our peak dry fly season on the Upper Manistee River Trout fishing. With a very mild winter and an early spring, the hatches are moving right along. Its been bug soup most of this past week.
Water conditions are about average for this time of year and clearing. The water temperatures have ranged anywhere from the upper 50’s to low 60’s. Water temps have been dependent upon ambient temperature, but now the sun is driving temps even higher during the daytime. Watch the water temps moving forward as we got as high as 65.5 yesterday. More rain is expected this week and we will gladly take some after our light snowpack this winter.
The Streamer bite has been spotty this week on the Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing. With mostly sunny skies this past week the streamer bite had much shorter bite windows. Smaller streamers and long casts gave us some activity, but the fish have really changed their focus towards the surface with the warming water. Grinding through the slow periods and keeping the faith is always key to success.
The best streamers have been primarily small baitfish and leech patterns. The fish have seen a lot of presentations at this point so I’m always looking for something different to throw at them this time of year. Best colors have been Ginger, Tan, White, and Black, but you need to play with color and size as it changes frequently.
Warmer cloudy days are always the best, but this time of year I look for a cold front or bump in flows. With water temps peaking in the low to mid 60s the best times will be early in the morning. Water temps in the 60s will usually motivate the Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing towards the surface. Weighted flies are still working, but I really like neutrally buoyant patterns that kick more and rise on the pause in warmer conditions.
The Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing with dry flies and hatch matching patterns is in full swing. So far this year it feels like the hatches are moving quickly with not much lag time between species. Currently we are already into the second week of Sulphurs (invariably) as the True Sulphur (dorothea) is making up the bulk of our hatching right now. The Light Hendrickson spinners have been heavy in the riffles this week, but we haven’t had a big spinner dump yet.
Little Mahoganies are dancing and we have seen a few of the larger Great Mahoganies the past few days. Lots of stones and Mahoganies flying in the heat of the day this week. Caddis numbers have been lighter than what I am used to, probably due to the unseasonable warmup, but I haven’t run into big numbers yet this season. Light Hendrickson hatches were also lighter in volume, but fish have been keyed up on them all week. The hot weather this weekend made fishing much more challenging.
The fishing overall has been decent and our hatch timing is well ahead of what we would consider normal. The Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing has been solid on the cloudy warm days. Chasing the hatches on the Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing is something we look forward to every year so it’s been a fun week on the water. Recently we have been seeing Light Hendrickson’s, Sulphurs, Mahoganies, Black Caddis, Olive Stones, Mattress Thrashers, a few Yellow Cahill’s and a couple March Browns. It won’t be long and we will be fishing later into the June nights!
Didymo on the Upper Manistee continues to be a problem with a high level of concern. I would consider the whole Upper Manistee River System to be contaminated with this Diatom. There was new Didymo growth above CCC bridge and it has been documented as far upstream as Yellow Trees Landing. The Didymo mats in sections below CCC are still breaking down and to my knowledge there isn’t any blooming like we saw in the 2022 season. Didymo is considered a very resilient invasive species so you need to educate yourself on safe cleaning techniques. River Users will need to clean their gear or anything that touches the water. Didymo can easily be spread between watersheds and can be detrimental to our trout streams.
I would consider the ENTIRE RIVER TO BE CONTAMINATED and treat it as such. Clean, Drain, Dry your gear before entering another Body of Water. Currently, there are no effective methods to eradicate didymo once it is established in a river. To prevent spreading Didymo and other aquatic invasive species to new locations, it is critical for users to thoroughly Clean, Drain and Dry waders, equipment, and boats upon leaving a waterway.
Have a few new Items in the Shop, besides the Stickers, we have Night Fishing Leaders, a new Assortment of Night Flies that is perfect for the wade angler, and the ultimate boat anglers Night Fishing Assortment.
We have limited openings available during the peak hatch season, so make sure to book your dates now! If you’re looking to book a Trout Guide Trip you can reach us at 231-631-5701 (leave a message) or shoot us an email. We are excited for the upcoming Trout Season. Also make sure to follow along on our social pages and our online fishing report page . for more updates.
Tight Lines,
Ed
Every spring we enter a transitional period between our annual spring steelhead run and our peak dry fly fishing for trout. In some years this period can be long and drawn out while others transition rapidly. This period is often overlooked and regarded as “hard fishing” as weather conditions can change rapidly and behave differently from year to year. However, if you use a conditions based decision making process to plan your outings, you can eliminate some of the frustrations often associated with transitional fishing. After all, you’re only as good as the conditions you’re fishing in. As a guide, dealing with changing conditions is a daily consideration and I am constantly looking for the best conditions based approach for my anglers.
April and early May can often be characterized by inconsistent weather patterns, but the angling opportunities available at this time are unique and often overlooked. Two of my personal favorites are 1) streamer fishing for trout while searching for the first hatches of the season and 2) the pre-spawn smallmouth bass fishing. Both of these angling opportunities offer different types of fishing, but more importantly they require different conditions for success. Having multiple opportunities to choose from allows us to cater to a conditions based approach to what, when, and where, we will fish on any given day. This is just one example of two overlapping fishing scenarios that have independent factors determining the outcome.
The annual trout opener is always met with great anticipation, but more often than not we find ourselves fishing during a cold front during this weekend. Negative conditions will often make fishing tough, but understanding your target species and how it will respond to these changes is really what we should consider under these circumstances. Another scenario we often experience under stable conditions are weather patterns that impact the effectiveness of certain techniques making the fishing less productive. Understanding how certain weather parameters affect the behavior of the fish we target is important, but how do these same conditions also impact the food resources available to the fish during these same times?
One of the most common examples of this that I often have to consider is; how does a bright sunny day impact the trout fishing during early spring? Understanding that under low water conditions and bright sunny skies the streamer fishing for trout will often be tough. Another consideration I will make here is understanding how these same conditions will impact my dry fly fishing for trout. I know that under bright skies and colder conditions my hatching Hendrickson’s will be low in density. Even under bright skies and warmer conditions the Hendrickson’s tend to be lower in number, but more importantly the bugs have an easier time leaving the waters surface making them less visible to the trout. When these early hatches of insects are not drifting long distances on the waters surface, trout will often not key in on the surface to feed.
Under these same conditions smallmouth bass may be far more active and provide a much better alternative species to fish for especially on the bright sunny days. Cold fronts will often push bass into deeper and slower water, but I still feel that they will be more receptive and less neutral than trout under these same conditions. On the flip side, if conditions are calling for heavy cloud cover and moderate temperatures, I know the trout will be more receptive to streamers and the hatching Hendrickson’s will typically last longer and drift further on the waters surface. Not everything in nature is black and white, but if you consider the fishing conditions that are presented to you, often you will find your success improves even in the face of adversity.
Over my guiding career I have seen a lot of changes, weather patterns today are definitely less predictable and the timing of our seasons feels different as well. Being adaptable in my approach and considering the conditions I’m presented on a daily basis has definitely led to more success over time. I have always been passionate about the spring fishing for trout, but often it has been met with frustration as day to day conditions didn’t provide the opportunities I was looking for. Having a backup plan for those situations is a far less stressful strategy and it will often prevent you from getting stuck in a rut. So when planning your next trip consider choosing your target species based upon the fishing conditions you are presented, it may provide everyone with a better overall angling experience.
Ed McCoy
Grand Traverse Bay Smallmouth Bass
