Not all cool things happen during the night in June. Day time glory caught on film. Have more filming of what happened here. This is only a screen shot. But some really cool daytime things are happening that we are going to expand upon.
Here is a little lesson for you to learn. You know those patterns that you fished last year that you put back in your box. Make sure to check the hook closely. As this trout taught us, after we hooked him, he made quick work of us and lost him, because the hook did not make it. This guide standby pattern had rusted out through the winter and was too weak to land a nice trout eating sulphurs.
With the official start of lamprey season (chestnut lamprey), the biggest match the hatch we have here in Michigan for our streamer program. Not that there is really a season for lamprey, but I just happened to notice they the crawled out of the mud this week. Some people have told me trout don’t eat lamprey. Okay. If they don’t eat them, I’m fine with that, but they sure don’t like them. Pictured below is a trout we caught this weekend on an imitation lamprey streamer pattern. This trout had 11 different lamprey attached to him and out of anger destroyed my simple fur and feather pattern.
A great way to start the trout season with a true yellow belly. Jon B scores a great michigan trout, while streamer fishing on the Upper Manistee. All indications point to a great trout season ahead of us.
Click the .pdf for more information about a new way to treat lamprey on the Big Manistee, have to be honest never seen anything like this before.
From the same project that shows the B&W Fly swimming, here is a screen shot from the video shot of my Scott T3H ripping up the water on the Manistee River. I bought a Scott 1288 T3H and it’s an absolute gun. Fell in love with this rod as soon as I first got it wet this fall. Can handle any situation that I throw at it. Big heavy flies or longer bellies and lighter bugs. Rod just matches my casting style and everything Michigan big river fishing has to offer.
With some fresh snow and the reflection of the sky bouncing off of the Manistee River, took two seconds during a steelhead trip to take this photo. Thought the black and white gave it the look I was wanting.
Had the chance to work with Rick Kustich and have a couple images in his new book, Advanced Fly Fishing for Great Lakes Steelhead. The book includes Tactics for Great Lakes steelhead, including new two-handed and switch rod techniques and Spey and Tube flies. Specifics on key rivers and streams in each of the Great Lake states, including the Big Manistee! Understanding steelhead behavior, choosing where to fish, and reading the water.
Check out Rick’s website for additional information and visit your local fly shop and purchase yourself a copy. I highly recommend it!
So I know in my hearts of hearts that as the water temps cool, I’ll only have a couple more chances at the leaping, cartwheeling, summersaulting, jumping, kicking your butt steelhead leaps that I try to burn into the images of film (DSLR). But here is one from the week that turned out okay. Had a chance at true glory but had the wrong ISO and AF for the moment, and all I captured was blur.
Fall Steelhead do some crazy and wild things, trying to capture these events on film are almost as hard as getting one to eat on a tight line. Streamer season has started and let the games begin.