The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report The miserable cold snap has finally ended.  It has been a beautiful, mild winter and the cold spell lasted just long enough to thicken the blood.  Mild temperatures are in front of us for a good while and after the toughening up, it’s going to feel like Spring when daytime highs reach the thirties.  As much as it was appropriate to hunker down in the depths of Winter, it is time to get outdoors now. Go outside and shake off the winte...

By: Jeff Gardner   Category: Brook Trout, Brown Drakes, BWO, Dry Fly Fishing, Fishing Tips, Fly Fishing Community, Fly Fishing School, Fly Tying, Hex, ISO, Michigan Reports, Michigan Winter Fishing, River Reports, Tourism, Trico, Weather

The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report Well, when you live in the North it’s only a matter of time before winter turns tough and Arctic air dumps into the Great Lakes Region. There’s a beauty of a deep freeze settling in. The snow will be squeaky when daytime high temperatures just tickle single digits. So, you do what you’ve learned over the years of living around the forty fifth parallel—you hunker down. You fill the wood box and the gas tanks and you dig out indoor ...

By: Jeff Gardner   Category: Brown Drakes, BWO, Dry Fly Fishing, Fishing Tips, Fly Fishing Community, Fly Tying, Hex, Ice Fishing, ISO, Michigan Winter Fishing, River Reports, Trico, Weather

The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report Ice fishing is in full swing.  We have lots of hard water to fish and anglers have been taking full advantage. So many anglers are hitting the ice in Northern Michigan, that I could barely find a tub of waxworms to buy last Sunday night in preparation for a Monday morning excursion.  My buddy and I poked into five different places before we found a few dozen.  That’s flat nuts! People have headed to the woods and waters in dro...

By: Jeff Gardner   Category: Fishing Tips, Fly Fishing Community, Ice Fishing, Michigan Reports, Michigan Winter Fishing, River Reports, Tourism, Weather

The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report It’s one curve ball after another when Mother Nature pitches November weather.  Hunting bucks in the Michigan rifle season is the big leagues.  So far this year, I’m batting below the Mendoza line, but it’s not over yet and I’ll keep stepping up to the plate.  Two years ago, I didn’t connect with a rack until late into muzzleloader season.  You’d better believe, that when the deer I’m looking for slips up and steps out, that Iâ...

By: Jeff Gardner   Category: Deer Hunting, Holiday, River Reports, Tourism, Weather

The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report Wild weather swings are about to bend to more seasonable trends.  We went from an early season snowstorm to an incredibly warm Indian Summer. The summer-like stretch made fishing and hunting difficult.  Grouse hunting fell apart with the heat.  Whipped dogs lolled tongues over water dishes in the bird covers by mid-morning.  It felt more like September than November. Fishing changed starkly.  Most of the post spawn brown trout...

By: Jeff Gardner   Category: Bow Hunting, Brook Trout, Deer Hunting, Dry Fly Fishing, Fishing Tips, Fly Fishing Community, Fly Tying, Grouse Hunting, Michigan Reports, Michigan Winter Fishing, River Reports, Streamer Fishing, Tourism, Weather

The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report Fall color is upon us.  We’re getting close to peak change in Northern Michigan.  This is easily my favorite season of the year.  Splashes of red and orange and gold pop against evergreen ridges.  And over every rise and in buried in every swale, drumming grouse and whistling woodcock and white-tailed deer hunker down. It’s hunting season and fishing season still, and the two merge together to make the Au Sable river valley a wond...

By: Jeff Gardner   Category: Blue Gills, Bow Hunting, Brook Trout, Deer Hunting, Dry Fly Fishing, Fishing Tips, Fly Fishing Community, Fly Tying, Grouse Hunting, Michigan Reports, Michigan Winter Fishing, River Reports, Tourism, Weather

The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report It’s actually Fall in Northern Michigan. Seems like it’s all too early. But the weather keeps reminding me that we have to put up our winter wood. And the maple trees are already turning red. Plus, it’s grouse season. Happy bird day, I say! The best thing about living in Northern Michigan is the season change. I couldn’t live somewhere that doesn’t have these stark moves. Our air conditioners are packed back into garages ...

By: Jeff Gardner   Category: Brook Trout, BWO, Dry Fly Fishing, Fishing Tips, Fly Fishing Community, Fly Fishing School, Fly Tying, Grouse Hunting, Michigan Reports, River Reports, Tourism, Weather

The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report The last report talked about how great the August fishing had been.  And then Mother Nature stepped in to make a liar out of me.  A cold front blew in and settled on the river valley and stymied the rise.  Fishing got tough overnight and the trout went lock jawed in the daytime. We’re settling back into consistent weather trends now and things are once again, slowly, showing promise for September. It feels like Fall here and t...

By: Jeff Gardner   Category: Brook Trout, Dry Fly Fishing, Fishing Tips, Fly Fishing Community, Michigan Reports, River Reports, Streamer Fishing, Tourism, Weather

July 24, 2020 The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report The height of the Summer trout fishing season has settled into the Au Sable River Valley. And our waters are in fine shape. Tricos and blue winged olives define the hatch match dry fly fishing opportunity now. Go early and you won’t miss the action. Anglers that hit the water before breakfast won’t miss the morning rise. The hatches should coincide with the sun touching the tree tops around seven a.m. Every brook ...

By: Jeff Gardner   Category: Blue Gills, Brook Trout, BWO, Dry Fly Fishing, Fishing Tips, Fly Fishing Community, Holiday, ISO, Michigan Reports, River Reports, Tourism, Trico, Weather

The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report Hey Folks, I’ve been running ragged working the shop and guiding and have been a little behind with the reports I know you are all looking for. So, here it is.  Hex are winding down on the Au Sable and are all but over on the South Branch.  There should be some shorter spinnerfalls and hatches left in the Au Sable’s lower reaches as the hatch sputters to an end. We’re waiting on the Manistee to hold up its end.  Hop...

By: Jeff Gardner   Category: Brook Trout, Brown Drakes, BWO, Dry Fly Fishing, Fishing Tips, Fly Fishing Community, Fly Fishing School, Fly Tying, Hex, ISO, Michigan Reports, River Reports, Weather