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 Fishing Report

Late August / Looking Ahead to September on Grand Traverse Bay

Smallmouth bass fishing in Northern Michigan is moving through the late-summer pattern, and Grand Traverse Bay continues to offer some of the best smallmouth opportunities of the season. Water temperatures are still warm, the fish are largely past the scattered post-spawn and early-summer transition, and many of the better groups of smallmouth are now relating to deeper structure, bait, and bottom composition.

Both Grand Traverse Bay and several inland lakes in the area are producing fish, but the most consistent bite has been coming from deeper water. Smallmouth are using rock points, boulder fields, sand-to-gravel transitions, offshore breaks, and areas with quick access to depth. There are still windows where fish slide shallower, especially during low light, wind, cloud cover, or active feeding periods, but the dependable pattern has been focused around deeper structure.

As we move toward September, this is one of the most exciting times of year to target smallmouth on Grand Traverse Bay. Fish begin to feed more aggressively as late-summer conditions slowly transition toward fall, and quality bass often group up around bait and structure. September can be an excellent month for both numbers and size, especially when conditions line up with wind, stable weather, and active bait movement.

Current Smallmouth Fishing on Grand Traverse Bay

Grand Traverse Bay is currently in a strong late-summer smallmouth pattern. Many fish are holding on deeper rock, breaks, offshore structure, and clean edges where gobies, crayfish, and baitfish are available. Electronics have been very important for locating fish, bait, and the best pieces of structure. Covering water until you find the right group has been key, but once fish are located, it is common to find multiple quality smallmouth using the same area.

Depths can vary depending on wind, light, and bait movement, but the better fish have generally been more consistent off the bank and around deeper structure. Some bass will still move up onto shallower flats, rock edges, and feeding areas early and late in the day, or when wind creates better conditions in the clear water. However, during calm and sunny periods, deeper finesse presentations have been the most reliable.

Drop shot fishing continues to be one of the most productive techniques on the bay. With many smallmouth holding tight to bottom, a drop shot allows anglers to stay in the strike zone and present baits naturally. Goby-style plastics, small minnow profiles, and natural-colored finesse baits have all been effective. A Z-Man 3.5″ in Shiner,  the Great Lakes Finesse Flat Cat has been money too. 

Long casts, light line, and clean presentations remain important in the clear water of Grand Traverse Bay. On calm days, fish can be wary, so downsizing line and slowing down can make a big difference. When the wind picks up, the bite often improves as the broken surface helps fish feed more confidently.

Fly Fishing Opportunities

Northern Michigan Smallmouth Bass

Fly anglers can still find good opportunities for smallmouth on Grand Traverse Bay, but the fishing has become more structure-oriented as fish hold deeper. Crayfish patterns, goby imitations, and baitfish-style streamers are the best options right now. Presentations that get down near bottom are important, especially around deeper rock points, breaks, and boulder fields.

Intermediate and sinking lines are helpful depending on the depth and wind conditions. A slow strip, pause, or subtle jigging retrieve has been more effective than fast retrieves when fish are not actively chasing. Windy days can create better fly fishing windows by pushing bait and making fish less cautious in the clear water.

As September approaches, fly fishing can improve when smallmouth begin feeding more aggressively. Baitfish-style streamers, crayfish patterns, and goby flies can all be effective as fish start to put on weight before fall.

Looking Ahead to September Smallmouth Fishing

September is one of the best months of the year to fish Grand Traverse Bay for smallmouth bass. The late-summer pattern often remains strong, but fish begin to show signs of fall behavior as daylight shortens and water temperatures slowly cool. Smallmouth often group up more consistently around bait, rock, and offshore structure, creating opportunities for excellent fishing.

The first part of September usually continues to fish much like late August, with drop shots, tubes, Ned rigs, hair jigs, and swimbaits producing around deeper structure. As the month progresses, fish may become more aggressive and willing to chase, especially during wind, cloud cover, or pre-front conditions.

Anglers planning a September trip to Grand Traverse Bay should be prepared to fish both finesse and moving presentations. Some days require slow, precise bottom contact, while others allow for covering water with swimbaits, streamers, and reaction-style baits. The key is staying mobile, watching conditions, and adjusting to the depth and activity level of the fish.

New Summer Hats

Performance Ball Cap Performance Ball Cap

Stay cool and covered this summer with our new Mangled Fly Richardson Performance hats. Lightweight, breathable, and built with Stay-Dri comfort, these caps handle hot days on the water or around town. Available in clean light blue and sleek grey, they feature sharp embroidery and an easy everyday fit style.  Perfect hat for fishing in the summer.

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