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River Report - August 4, 2016

The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report.
You just gotta love Northern Michigan.  We’ve been vacillating between hot, sunny days best suited for beach blankets, blow up toys, and water fights and with cooler fall-like, cloudy days primed for fishing.  And sometimes, it all happens in the same twenty-four hours.  Either way you’re on the water just like you should be on a family vacation at the top of the mitten.

A fine family trip up here comes together like Grandma’s soup.  You sort of have a plan and you’ve got lots of good stuff to put in, but you just kind of sort through your goods and bring it all together for a little bit of perfection.

So, use the things you have and put ‘em in at the right time and everyone in the crew is going to be happy.

Early mornings will continue to offer some of the best dry fly trout fishing of the day.  Tricos have kept right on rolling, but the big olives are nearly done.  That may just be a good development.  Those flies can keep fish feeding selectively into the heat of the day and, as much fun as it is to cast to finicky trout, the reality is that you’ll catch many more when the bugs are gone and the trout are still willing to show themselves in the pre-noon hours.

Wet fly fishing in the morning has been flat good for small trout.  Go with your kids if you can and swing a nymph or soft hackle before lunch and I’d just bet you’ll watch a budding young river lover get a tight line on a brook trout.  You’re not gonna go away with any trophies in the morning light, except for, just maybe, a picture of your smiling kid with a perfect little spectacled trout.  I’m pretty sure they’ll be happy just getting out there with you.

If it stays cool, fish all day or head to a small creek and chase trout all day.  If it gets too hot for good angling, head to the ice cream store and then to the beach.  Or wait until it gets dark and go alone into the black to make a strong try for a true trophy Au Sable brown trout.

Yep, it’s a fine time to be in Northern Michigan.

It won’t be long before the kids go back to school and Crawford county starts to empty, so swing by if you get a chance—we’ve got some great sales going on with change-over merchandise and over-stocked items.  We’ll have deep discounts on last season’s Simms, Redington, Sage gear . . . it’s a good time to stock up on great stuff.

Hope to see you all soon,

Andy