River Report July 25, 2012

 

AuSable and Manistee River Report July 26, 2012
 
What a nice week in the north woods. Temps are starting to settle
down a bit which has made for some good daytime fishing. Peak
activity has been in the mornings and evenings but the midday bite
has been good.
 
The morning rise has been strong on the mainstream of late. Good
Trico’s and blue winged olives that follow. Trico’s are small the olives
a bit larger. We have still been seeing decent numbers of slate
winged olives which are a size 16 or 18. Usually you get more bites
on the 18 tied on a minimum of 6X tippet.
 
The afternoon has been red tarantulas, robber flies, damsels and
hoppers. The bigger the bug the better it floats a nymph dropper.
The hopper dropper rig can be tough to run amongst all the weed
growth but look for the open channels in the weeds and there should
be a fish waiting in there.
 
Evening fishing has been very solid too. A few nicer fish will be out
looking for the bigger dries but the major activity will be on the small
blue winged olive spinners. They are tricky to fish and I consider a
12 incher a good one on these. The best part about fishing olive
spinners is that if you spend time on them this year you will be that
much better by next spring. The little bug will teach you tons about
how to fish the dry fly.
 
The Manistee has fished well early and late as well with attractors.
Red Turantulas are always one of the first I tie on over there. Dead
drift it first and if they aren’t taking it you can sink it and strip it like a
streamer. The Manistee can shine on cloudy days.
Buzzy with his personal biggest trout
 
And the night fishing…well it’s been excellent. Jamie Clous was on
the river the other night with two clients and he counted 37 bites.
That’s a bunch. His big for the night was a shade over 23”. The next
6 weeks or so will be excellent for night fishing. Watch for weather as
high water will slow the night bite down.
 
While Jamie has been out late night, I’ve been spending days
teaching. This is a great time for beginners. The brook trout are
willing and we are finding some nice ones mixed in. I’ve seen a
decent number over 10 inches in the last week and a couple in the
12 to 13 inch range, big brook trout. The fishing is all day time which
helps to train a new angler so they are ready for next spring
when the challenges of the evening spinner fall arise.
 
The two day schools we offer give beginning anglers a good
foundation to start fly fishing. We cover a bunch of information, too
much for one day and probably enough for a week long class. It is
very apparent to me that by placing a fly rod in someone’s hands for
two consecutive that the fisherman, or woman, will show great
improvement. One short day on the water is just not enough when
starting.
 
This time of year is a beautiful thing. Walking down the most
beautiful river I have ever laid eyes on, in shorts and sandals with a
light dry fly rod and a small box of flies is perfect. Gone are the days
of high stress and busy boat launches…except for a few bikinis in
various flotillas. Playing with brook trout in the riffles and swinging
the night bug for a few hours after dark…it’s a great balance. Come
and enjoy before we see another summer pass by our eyes, too
quickly.
 
Alex 
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