My Cart: 0 item(s)

Product Search
Free Shipping On All Orders, Every Day.
Product Search

Secure Checkout

River Report - June 7, 2018

The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report
Just a week since the last report and Drakes have shown up on nearly every stretch of the Au Sable River System.  The hot weather pushed water temperatures up everywhere and the bugs emerged and spun throughout the river in harmony.  In fact, we are past peak on much of the River of Sand.  Generally, we get to chase any hatch for two or three weeks throughout or dynamic system—that just didn’t happen with this particular hatch during this peculiar season.

Isonychia, or Mahogany Drakes, have started to emerge in good numbers on the Au Sable and that usually means we’ve crested the best of the big, brown bug.  The good news is that cool nights may have saved drake anglers that were waiting for perfect conditions.  The cold nights have semi-stalled the spinnerfalls, so there may just be a few good nights left when backed up mating flights find seasonable temperatures.  The Iso’s will make for great action leading up to the Drake spinner dumps.  There is some fine angling when these two flies overlap, so don’t dawdle if you want a chance at a good rising trout before the Hex show up.

Brown Drakes are just getting underway on the Holy Waters and on the Manistee.  This week should have those rivers living up to their potential.  The best news is that all rivers seem to have plenty of low to midteen-sized trout swimming in them and there is a good crop of truly big trout.  I’ve seen more pictures of legitimate two foot long brown trout this year than I can ever remember by this point in the season.  So not only is there a great chance that an angler will find some rod bending good times, fishermen have a better chance at a true trophy than we’ve had in since I’ve been a part of the trout community in Crawford County. Of course, it all depends on conditions and none of it happens for anglers that don’t go.

Hex are getting close.  The nymphs are stirring in the muck banks.  If conditions hold, the hatch progression dictates that we should see the first of them any day.  Look to the South and the Lower Main first.

This season is flying by—don’t miss it,

Andy