Tag Archive for: Northern Michigan Guide Service

Northern Michigan Smallmouth Bass

Northern Michigan Smallmouth Bass

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Northern Michigan Smallmouth Bass

Northern Michigan Smallmouth Bass

Smallmouth bass fishing season in Northern Michigan for Mangled Fly guides has just started.  We have been out on the inland lakes and finding most lakes some where near 50 degrees.  Temperatures can range from 44-52 depending on which lake you venture out too, but most lakes with some sort of creek or small stream running into them are running warmer.

Pre Spawn Smallmouth

 

This is prime pre-spawn smallmouth season, and without question, one of the best times of year to hook into a true trophy — a smallmouth weighing 5 pounds or more. Over the next four weeks, conditions are especially ideal for fly fishing for smallmouth, making this a standout stretch for anglers looking to throw big flies and target aggressive fish.

Here in Northern Michigan, we’re fortunate to have an abundance of crystal-clear lakes, but recent runoff has added just enough color to some of our best smallmouth waters. That slight stain can be the perfect ingredient, giving fish a little more cover and making them more willing to chase down a meal. It’s the perfect setup for casting a fly rod and stripping big streamers, especially in areas where bass are staging ahead of the spawn and feeding heavily. If you’ve been waiting for the right window to chase quality smallmouth, this is it.

Booking a Smallmouth Trip

Interested in booking a Smallmouth Bass Trip on light tackle or fly gear, drop us a message via email, or text/call us directly 231-631-5701.

Jon Ray

Pere Marquette Spring Fishing

Pere Marquette Fishing Report

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Pere Marquette Fishing Report

Pere Marquette Trout Fishing

What a crazy week of weather. It seems like Mother Nature needed to get it all out of her system—hopefully she did.

On the bright side, the cold temperatures and the snow/ice storm should slow the spawn down and extend our steelhead season. Water temps dropped from the mid-40s to the mid-30s last week. River levels rose with the rain ahead of the snow and ice, and then—did we ever get snow and ice. With frozen ground and colder temps, the river is now dropping slowly. As levels continue to fall and water temperatures gradually creep back up, the next couple of weeks should fish well. With a mix of winter holdover fish and a slow trickle of spring-run steelhead, this could shape up to be a great spring steelhead season.

Our go-to method for targeting steelhead this time of year is float fishing. With water temps still in the winter range, steelhead are holding in softer, slower water, and the float is the best way to cover those lanes effectively. Beads have been the top producer. With the water high and dirty, 10mm–14mm beads in bright colors have been working well. That will change as the river warms, but it’ll be a bit before we see a real shift. There’s not much insect activity yet—we’re still waiting on that first spring stonefly to signal that spring is truly here.

Brown Trout

Pere Marquette Brown Trout Fishing

Brown trout fishing has been hit-or-miss. Between the weather and the stained water, trout have been tucked into some hard-to-reach spots—especially log jams. If your timing is right and they’re willing to bite, you can do well. Most trout have been eating beads. Nymphs haven’t been very consistent, though we’ve had the occasional fish chase a streamer. Minnow patterns have also been getting a few looks.

The river is high and stained, so if you’re walking and wading, please be careful. Over the last few days we’ve also seen some new logs show up in the river, which could make wading more challenging than usual.

We still have a few open spring dates available—if you want to float the PM, let us know!

Captain Jeff

 

 

Pere Marquette Water Levels at Scottville, MI

USGS Water-data graph for site 06025500

smallmouth bass

Late Summer or Early Fall Smallmouth

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Smallmouth fishing in Late Sumer or Early Fall can be one of the best times of the year.  Smallmouth bass are putting on the feed bag as they are starting to anticipate the winter months.  After a nice long summer of a diversified diet smallmouth want to put on as much weight as possible for the upcoming winter.  To do this their main focus is protein.  What gives them the best bang for their buck on the protein scale.  Baitfish!

Baitfish

As water temps start to drop baitfish start to congregate and form big balls of bait.  Some popular techniques to imitate these baitfish balls are umbrella rigs, spinnerbaits, and with the fly rods a two fly rig I like to call the Donkey Rig.  Covering water is key, as you have to locate the baitfish.  Using your electronics or understanding wind direction or current flow should help you and point you in the right direction.

 

 

Ice Dub Minnow

Ice Dub Minnow

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Tying Ice Dub Minnow

Our latest upload to our YouTube Channel is a super simple baitfish pattern that we call the Ice Dub Minnow. A favorite pattern to fish below Tippy Dam, but also works great below Hodenpyle Dam and in the backwaters for smallmouth bass on Tippy Pond. Of course these are only a few of our favorite spots, as it has worked really well for bluegills in the spring when they are shallow and pre-spawn.

If you honestly haven’t tried hunting big pre-spawn bluegills, and you want to test your skills this is a great activity during quarantine. No motor needed for this type of fishing. Get ready to be humbled by the big gills. Great casting practice before the big bugs start hatching on our trout rivers.

Kids Fishing

What also makes the Ice Dub Minnow so great is that you can easily teach it to kids and get them started in fly tying, but also it’s a great pattern to fish with kids, to get them a taste of fly fishing. As I mention in the video this minnow pattern really does fish well by itself, with a tiny split shot. I tend to like Sure Shot, but black bird shot will just work as well. Size No 4 or No 6, are both really small and easy to cast.

Let this fry pattern swing in the current with small twitches of the rod, and it will fish itself. Small minnows can’t swim very fast for very long, so they become easy meals for hungry trout. Fish this pattern in the shallows where small baitfish tend to hide. Good luck and Stay Safe.

Jon Ray

Mangled Fly Guide Service is growing

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  • Jeff Topp
    Jeff Topp trout fishing in Michigan
  • Ed McCoy
    Manistee River Steelhead Fishing with Ed McCoy
Mangled Fly Guide Service

Jeff Topp and Ed McCoy

First let me start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year from Mangled Fly! Secondly, I would like to take this opportunity to make an exciting new announcement. Mangled Fly would like to welcome two new members to the team! Allow me to introduce fellow guides and new team members; Capt. Ed McCoy and Capt. Jeff Topp. With the addition of Ed and Jeff, Mangled Fly will be expanding its guide services to include an expanded diversity of angling experiences, more capacity to facilitate multiple boat trips, and more importantly two additional guides with a wealth of experience and knowledge of our local waters.

These are exciting times for us with the New Year and a new outlook heading into 2020! We encourage everyone to continually check out the Mangled Fly website and especially the updated guide pages to familiarize yourselves with Ed and Jeff. We are very excited about the new additions to the team and we are looking forward to the upcoming fishing season. Follow the Mangled Fly fishing reports and our fellow team members on their social media platforms to stay up to date with all of the local fishing conditions in our area. Mangled Fly wishes everyone a Fishy 2020 and Tight Lines as we continue to pursue our passion for teaching the art of angling!

Northern Michigan Guide Service

Big Announcment

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I have some very exciting news to share with you all! After 17 plus years of guiding for Chuck and Cherie Hawkins and Hawkins Outfitters, the time has come for me to venture out on my own. Mangled Fly will now be more than just a photo and video blog; it will be home to my full time fly fishing guide services as well.

Everything on the fly fishing side of my business will stay the same. I will continue to guide primarily on the Manistee River and have secured Federal and State access to all launches as well as using my Coast Guard license when needed. My SmithFly Raft, Huron Drift boat, and ‘Tiny Dancer’ Jet Sled will float the big water you all know and love as well as some of the smaller and less well known streams that Northern Michigan has to offer.

Over the next few weeks Mangled Fly will be getting a major facelift with a fresh logo and updated design and you are the first to get a peek at the new look. I will be updating the Mangled Fly website as well as all social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook and YouTube (all searchable under ‘Mangled Fly’). I have loads of content in the works for these platforms including fresh imagery, fly tying tutorials, up to date river reports and seasonal fishing tips.

I could not be living this dream without the continued and loyal support of all of you. I am forever grateful for the hours spent in the boat together rowing, casting, storytelling, catching (and losing) fish, capturing great moments on film and video and enjoying the beauty that I am lucky to call ‘my office.’ I am so looking forward to this next leg of my journey and am happy to have you all along for this ride.

My new email is jray@mangledfly.com. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns regarding this transition.

Tight lines,

JR