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Michigan Fly
Fishing
AuSable
River trout fishing report - Jan 25th
The last couple weeks winter finally came and this area got a couple good snows and some cold weather. Then came Monday with some brief heavy rain showers and temps well up into the 40's - rising water and time to streamer fish the Big Waters! We did not have tons of action but did see a couple of nice big trout come to our streamer which is what we called a good day for January. Trout fishing has been pretty decent overall this winter and a lot of mild weather. After that melt down this week the Au Sable is in great shape with water levels still up a bit but not high & dirty. The boat ramps are still very accessible in the Mio water but can be slick and best to bring shovel, sand and drag rope for boat. I have not used any of these of late. Best action of late has been streamer fishing small streamers: lead eyed woolly buggers, Near Nuff Sculpin and Zuddlers. Top colors have been black, natural and olive which is all very common for this time of year. The myth that trout do not chase down streamers in the winter is so completely over blown by those that love to sit home and just write about it. During the cold weather months Dec thru March the window for a good bite does shrink to a much shorter period of time each day but trout are still very aggressive. Typically the warmest part of the day is best and as always with browns the lack of bright sun. When the water starts to rise even slightly many of our large streamers are top producer and don't just dangle them in the pools and let them lay near bottom - they need to be stripped, jigged and twitched. Day in and day out our top producers are the mid size streamers and best action for these is a down & across swing but also do put some twitches and a few quick strips now and then. Winter is great time to fish because pressure is all but gone right now. We start doing streamer float trips full time in mid to late March and for those that are looking for big trout Spring time is the most productive time of the year. Before that time winter thaws are a great time to get out and float with a real good shot at a couple nice trout. Float trip streamer trout fishing special for the cold weather months on the Au Sable River. With the weather being colder and the days shorter we will continue to offer a shorter trip in the winter months. The 6 hour streamer float trip for the cold weather months for those that are not up for the full day this time of year. These floats include flies, rods, hot soup & coffee and snack. Cost for one or two anglers is $250.
For information and photos of upcoming fishing - updated Sept 17th (click here)
Jan 23rd - Ted with just a beautiful trout in the Big Waters of the Au Sable River below Mio today. Big melt down with rain this morning and well into the 40's made for an ideal trout fishing day. Streamer fishing has been the most productive method this winter in the Mio water of the Au Sable River. For a decent shot at a couple of big trout in the winter months picking conditions is the key. When that water starts to rise a bit seems like the big trout come out to look for a big meal!
Jan 10th - Great day to float the Au Sable and not often will you find such a nice day in mid January like this in Northern Michigan! Water levels are getting a bit low from the lack of snow and river is getting clear but overall conditions were pretty good for this time of year. A lot of bright sun did not help the bite today but sure did feel nice. Found a few very aggressive trout and our smaller black buggers/leeches had the best action. A very aggressive strip pause retrieve with lots of rod tip action on the fly did the most action.
Jan 6th - Did some wade fishing in the Big Waters below Mio today and it sure is nice to have these waters open year round now! Fishing pressure is very low right now and there are many miles of water to fish for those looking for solitude in the winter months. Been using my steelhead switch rods a bit and they sure work well for swinging mid size streamers in this larger trout water. Sage 11' 7wt Z-Axis is an ideal rod for this and with the proper line one can cover both sides of the river. We use a number of different Rio Spey and Skagit lines in the lower river steelhead fishing and my new favorite on the Au Sable is the Scani Short VersiTip. Extremely easy line to cast and control swing. Does very well with all size of streamers and just a great trout line this time of year. Looking forward to more of this the next couple months and also going give nymph fishing a try down here this winter.
Jan 4th - Mitch & Erik fished the North Branch and the South Branch of the Au Sable today and caught some nice trout. Some many miles of the upper river and its branches to fish right now and it can all be done on foot for those that like to hike around bit. Streamers typically produces the best trout this time of year and hard to beat lots of different smaller leech & sculpin patterns in black or olive.
Our continued year round pursue of big trout continues next month to one of the best trophy brown trout rivers in the country! Finally got plans set for our Winter trip 2012 to the White River in Arkansas! Will be fishing starting Feb 2nd and staying on the river at Wildcat Shoals Resort. For those that like to streamer fish for trophy browns this is the place to fish in February and roughly a 12 hour drive from southern Michigan. For those interested in float trips and lodging I can set that up for you and we do have some good rate packages for multiple days. Have had a great time the last couple years and has turned into a annual trip. To streamer fish this river you need to really enjoy casting big rods, sink tips, and big flies. Our go to setup is a good fast action 9' 8wt and will have a great selection of them with me. Rio DC 24' sink tips in 200 to 300 grains and the Rio OutBound's were our best lines depending on river level. Also we have had good action fishing shad patterns with floating lines and either swinging them or fishing them under an indicator. I will be bring a huge selection of equipment for our guide trips and for those that are looking to try out some new rods and some perfectly matched streamer setups. Sage & Winston 9' 6wt thru 9wt (Xi3, TCX, ONE, BII-MX) and a good selection of switch rods for swinging streamers & nymph fishing. Will have a pile of Rio lines to match! As for flies we carry a huge selection streamers that have been very productive on the White River - our Great Lakes Deceivers, Murdrich Minnows, Conrad Sculpins, and Shad patterns. Lots of photos from the last couple years on our web site at: http://www.michiganstreamside.com/white_river_feb2010.htm
Putting our big streamers to work on the Arkansas's White River! We our well stocked with streamers for this unbelievable trophy trout fishery. Many of the same patterns that we use on Au Sable are top producer on the White and a couple we had to change some color combinations. White River trout love to eat smaller trout (by small trout I mean 7-9"), shad patterns, and big sculpins. Our Great Lakes Deceivers (rainbow, brown trout, glow), Murdich Minnows (shad, rainbow, brown trout) and Sculpin (Conrad, Red Rocket, Circus Peanut). All in stock and ready to ship at: White River Streamers Free shipping on all fly orders!
December 21st - Hope all have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Here is a link to a very nice article on the Big Waters of the Au Sable below Mio. Talks about new strain of browns that have been stocked below Mio and about how well they are doing! http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10366_46403-266303--,00.html
November 23rd - Alex with a real nice trout streamer fishing the Au Sable River! Spawning is winding down and these big trout are hungry in late Nov & Dec. Warm weather is forecasted our around Thanksgiving and then some good rains - ideal for big trout this time of year.
November 4th - Erik had just a great day of streamer fishing on the North Branch today. So much water to fish in the upper Au Sable right now and hard to find another angler most days. Hard to beat Zuddlers and lead eyed Woolly Buggers this time of year in the upper river.
November 3rd - Just a beautiful post spawning brown trout from the Big Waters! When these big trout finish spawning they are hungry for a big meal. Our big woolheads have been very effective of late.
November 3rd - Tom with a nice trout on Big Waters of the Au Sable today! Had a real nice float today but if that true giant would have stayed hooked it would have been much better. Nice to see a fair number of these mid to upper teen browns this fall on the Au Sable. These are our 20" plus big browns of the future. Tom is president of the Au Sable Big Waters Preservation Association and for lots of great info on the river and its current issues go to their web site at www.asbwpa.org
November 1st - Another post spawning big brown that just crushed a Fire Tiger Great Lakes Deceiver.
October 28th - Tom with nice trout that just crushed a Great Lakes Deceiver. Had 3 good ones come to our streamers on today's float but all turned off at the end - so close!
October 26th - One of most beautiful trout in the Au Sable and taped at 30.5". Lots of rain the last the couple days and the river is way. This is big streamer time in the Big Waters of the Au Sable! Today it was a 9' 8wt Sage ONE with 300 grain Rio 24' sink tip and our jointed Great Lakes Deceiver in fire tiger.
October 24th - Ed with a nice brown on the Au Sable River. Had to work hard for them today as trout were just not in the feeding mode. Black/Chartreuse Conrad sculpin did produce some action!!
October 23rd - Erik with giant size Au Sable trout! High water the last two days had the big trout out on the prowl. Our joint Great Lakes Deceivers were fishing very well.
October 22nd - It was a wet one today and some excellent streamer fishing on the Au Sable. Saw about a 10 great come to fly and put 5 in net.
October 22nd - Eric with a nice rainbow on the Au Sable that just crushed big jointed Great Lakes Deciever.
October 16th - Bright sun was not the best for trout fishing today but had some good hunting on the river - ducks and geese!
October 14th - Dave with just a beautiful brown trout from the Big Waters of the Au Sable! This big guy just crushed one of our large sculpin patterns. With the fall like weather these larger trout have been getting more active of late.
October 13th - Cast & Blast time is here! Here is Abbe hunting for grouse and woodcock on the banks of the Au Sable. The high winds the last few days have been taking down lots of leaves and coming into prime time for our upland bird hunting. Woodcock are starting to show up in bigger numbers and plenty of grouse around this year! Next October we will be offering Cast & Blast float trips on the Au Sable.
October 12th - When skies get bright or temps warm way up it is time to hit the river very early in the morning for good streamer fishing this time of year.
October 8th - Erik took some time off from trout fishing to chase this big buck. After hunting him every day for the first week of the season finally got this great buck during bow season! Just like when like with trophy trout fishing patience and putting your time in pays off big.
October 5th - Just a beautiful trout being released back to the Au Sable River. Great photo taken by Adam Peterson.
October 5th & 6th - Some excellent bird hunting on the Au Sable River also - ducks, grouse and woodcock! Abbe is growing up so fast and these were her first two days out hunting. Did very well for a young dog. Found a couple woodcock on our first day and retrieved her first duck on the second! Best bird hunting should be coming soon as leaves are starting to fall. Grouse numbers seem to up this year and look for flights of woodcock coming thru this area with the next cold snap. Looking forward to more hunting and fishing this fall with Abbe!
October 2nd - Ted with a real nice trout in the Big Waters of the Au Sable River! Streamers are what produce these big trout this time of year.
Oct 1st - Tom floated with Erik today in the Big Waters of the Au Sable and some nice trout were out chasing the big flies! This one just inhaled a Great Lakes Deceiver! Recent rains have put the Big Waters of the Au Sable in ideal conditions to streamer fish.
Oct 1st - When it comes to producing big browns in Michigan this fly is at the top of the list. Excellent photo taken by Erik Peterson.
September 27th - Excellent streamer fishing today on the Au Sable River. Recent rains have put river into great shape. Today was a quick trip home and my first time on the Au Sable in 6 weeks! Lots of action on our joint Great Lakes Deceivers. Got a few more days of salmon trips and then next week it is full time trout fishing on the Au Sable, shoreline of Lake Huron and steelhead in the lower river in a few weeks (maybe earlier with current weather).
September 19th - River guide Erik Peterson with a very nice trout in the Big Waters of the Au Sable. Finally some good rains and the streamer bite has started! We have been doing salmon trips every day of late and have not been able to trout fish much. That is about to change big time very soon! Erik made it back on Monday(19th) and is floating the trout waters again today (21st). Erik does have dates open next week for those looking for a trout streamer float trip and I will be back the first week of October. We will be posting weekly trout reports now and lots of good info on fall trout fishing. Lots of good trout to chase in October - big browns in the river, steelhead in the lower river or really big browns on the shoreline of Lake Huron!
August 15th - White Flies finally came heavy last night! Should have spinner falls like this for at least the next week and some excellent dry fly fishing.
Sage redefines casting accuracy with the ONE rod series!Sage has replaced the Z-Axis with the ONE series and some of these new rods are now in stock. These rods are here for those that want to cast them - 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 wts. The link above gives lots of info on this new series and rods can be purchased online with FREE SHIPPING anywhere in the world!
August 13th - Here is a White Fly Spinner and should be coming very soon! Been doing a lot of looking around right at dark the past week as the river temps have been dropping slowly below Mio. Finally back into the 60's this morning from Mio down to pond and now is the time to start fishing again. Still not seen any good hatches of these bugs which means coming soon. Below are favorite patterns for this hatch and we are well stocked.
August 13th - Good hatches and spinner falls of dark hex continue in the lower water. So far this hatch has been all rising smallmouth bass in the warm water. Now that rivers temps are dropping there is a good chance of find a big trout rising to these right at dark!!
August 3rd - Erik with just a beautiful big trout caught swinging a mouse pattern. Landing this one was a bit interested as we did forget the landing net! Must have been the recent rain and fish were very active last night! We landed 3 good trout and a bunch of others came to our mice.
Sage redefines casting accuracy with the ONE rod series!Sage has replaced the Z-Axis with the ONE series and these rods will be out in August. We will be stocking this entire series and expecting 9' 4wt, 5wt, 6wt, 7wt, 8wt, 9wt in the next week or so. Those rods will be here for those that want to cast them. The link above gives lots of info on the new series and I will continue to post more info on these rods. We are taking orders for these rods now and should be able to get them to you in August.
Some new mouse patterns that we now have in stock. The next six weeks is just a great time for night time fishing for those looking for big trout. Moon is fading fast now creating very dark nights - should be an ideal week for more late night mouse fishing!
July 22nd - Waiting for darkness! Had some pretty good late night action swinging mouse patterns with a number of mid to upper teen size browns. Been getting some shot at some much larger fish also!
Here is great setup for fishing large mouse patterns - 8wt with Skagit Short 350 grain head. This short heavy head makes casting so simple in the dark with very limited false casts. Roll cast is even very easy.
July 15th - Judy with a big brown on the Au Sable River. Judy's husband Barney has caught some big browns the last number of year but not this year! Such a cool looking trout with the happy angler! Hex hatch is pretty much over in most places but big browns will continue to feed at night. Coming into prime time for swinging mouse patterns and surface streamers.
July 9th - Still heavy Hex Hatch and one of heaviest spinner falls of the year. Smaller colder streams is the key now!
July 7th - Mark with a very nice trout on the Hex! Typically for so many nights on the hex hatch - all seemed so perfect and first big trout was hooked with about a dozen casts. With a lot confidence off to the next fish that was feeding heavy. Results were not the same! Got to love this hatch and chasing these late night fish with dry flies till the early morning hours.
July 4th - Got to watch some fireworks from a favorite spot while casting to some nice trout!
July 3rd - Erik and Chris with nice trout tonight! Heavy spinner falls on the Au Sable and some late night action.
July 2nd - You never know what is going to happen on the Hex Hatch. Being Saturday night of holiday weekend figured to have some very high pressure and did not see an angler till 2am. This part of hatch it is all about sitting on the big browns you have been trying to catch over the last few weeks. Tonight it all worked so well! Had a huge spinner fall and good hatch.
July 1st - Marc with a nice Au Sable trout caught on his first time out on the Hex Hatch. Lots of fishing rising today but they were tough to get in some very heavy bugs.
July 1st - Larry with a huge night on the Au Sable putting 3 giant browns in the net while floating with Erik. Lots of fish going to tonight with heavy bugs and some very late night fishing with trout rising till 4am.
June 30th - Mark with just a beautiful Au Sable River trout caught on the Hex Hatch. This hatch is still going very strong on Au Sable with tonight's spinner flight still way to heavy. When bugs are very heavy it does make the catching much tougher!
June 28th - Another huge spinner fall of Hex and some excellent late night dry fly fishing!
June 26th - New is from Hyde today! Just love this boat - Hyde Rocky Mountain Skiff. Much lower sides for easy in/out, ideal interior layout and just the perfect trout boat for Northern Michigan.
June 26th - Tom and John with a couple of nice Au Sable trout on the Hex but you had to work for them tonight. Many nights you hope for lots of bugs but you don't want as many as tonight! Extremely heavy hex spinner fall that last pretty much all night. Some big trout were rising but tough to catch.
June 25th - With the cooler temps this June still some good late evening rising trout! Regan's Iso parachute size #12 is just a great producer this time of year.
June 25th - Tom putting some nice trout in the net tonight on the Hex Hatch.
June 24th - Larry with a real nice Au Sable trout caught on Hex dry fly while floating guide Erik Peterson. For late June it was bitter cold night which can be very tough on the hatch. Spinner fall was extremely light but then came a very heavy hatch and few big trout up and rising.
June 23rd - Cold and rain tonight but with the peak of hex still some great trout up and rising.
June 22nd - Albert and the guys from Alpena caught some nice trout today. Extremely heavy Hex tonight! In thick hatches best to sit in a good spot and wait (with your flashlight off). When bugs start to thin in the early morning hours (1am - 4am) can produce some great feeding trout!
June 20th - Some excellent night fishing on the hex hatch with a great group of guys. We did a two boat float tonight and we found some great trout rising to a very heavy hex spinner fall. James, Rob, Carl and Brent - all put there big hex dries into some big trout. Brent came so close at about 1am but hook pulled out of his big guy.
June 19th - Had a nice float trip tonight with Gary and son Dave. Found some very nice Au Sable trout feeding heavy! Dave had some bad luck pulling out of two very large trout but came back strong with this giant one above around midnight. Heavy Hex spinner fall.
June 19th - Bill Peterson with great looking Au Sable trout with floating with his sons Adam and Erik. Perfect way to spend Fathers Day!
June 18th - Tom with a very nice Au Sable River trout! The cold temps came early tonight. Still good spinner fall of Brown Drake and then Hex came right at dark but did not last long in the cold air.
June 17th - Mark and Greg had just a great night on the Au Sable River putting 4 giant browns in the net. After breaking one off on 15lb tippet Mark came back strong at about 1am with this big brown above.
June 16th - Joe with some huge browns night time dry fly fishing on the Au Sable River. After extremely heavy hatches the last 4-5 nights the hex spinners came very strong today.
June 15th - Erik with another big rainbow that was feeding heavy on Iso's just before dark.
June 15th - Here is why we night time dry fly fishing - to find giant size brown trout! Benny caught this monster size trout last night on the Au Sable while floating with Erik.
June 14th - Mike with a big trout on the Au Sable River! No knocking a trout this size but it was a little frustrating of a night when the dry fly pulled out of true giant size brown. Good spinner fall of Hex tonight.
June 13th - Good Hex spinner fall today and the big bugs are here!
June 13th - The new bug this year! This spinner has not been one that I have not seen a lot of in the past but some great spinner falls this year. I think most call it a Gray Drake or some type of Iso.
June 13th - Guide Erik Peterson continues to catch some big trout on the Au Sable this year. Just a great rainbow on a brown drake spinner.
June 12th - Tom with a very nice Au Sable River rainbow.
June 7th - Trey with a nice Au Sable River trout caught dry fly on brown drake dry fly just before dark. The last couple days there has been some major high heat making for some poor day time fishing but some excellent night time dry fly fishing. Lots of dun popping off river starting about 9pm and spinner falls starts just after dark. The drakes and rising trout have been going to 1-2am in the morning many nights!
June 6th - River guide Erik Peterson with a giant brown trout caught around 2am on brown drake spinner. Some excellent dry fly fishing today if nasty storms missed your section of river.
June 5th - Mike with a nice brown trout caught floating with Erik. Had some nice action today and came very close to a couple of giants!
June 5th - Got to love the big mayflies of June and brown drakes going strong tonight!
May 29th - Erik with a beautiful Au Sable brown trout that was caught just after dark on a Regan's Rusty Spinner. Heavy spinner fall of Sulphurs, Light Hennies and March Browns just after dark.
May 28th - Just a great night on the river with some excellent dry fly fishing! Huge hatch of Sulphurs in the late evening and then a great spinner fall just after dark.
Here are some of the bigger Mayflies to look for in the coming week on the Au Sable River. Above a March Brown & Brown Drake dun. Look for both of these to hatch just before dark and into darkness. On cloudy days you can have afternoon hatches. Brown Drakes are a major hatch and typically bring up some great fish. Below are two big spinners that have been going the past week - Great Speckled Olive and March Brown. These are both a good size #12 and hard to beat a spent wing parachute rusty spinner.
May 26th - Excellent dry fly fishing today with a huge Sulphur hatch all afternoon and evening. Today's cloudy wet weather was just ideal for this hatch and had some very nice fish up and rising. Next warm night look for some extremely heavy spinners of these bugs! Many ask when will the Brown Drakes start? Some say we are way behind this spring and it will be a while - could be true. All the bugs that hatch before the Drakes are here, heat is coming next week and their typically going strong in the warmer sections by June 1st. Could be very soon!
May 20th - Dan with a very nice Au Sable River trout caught on a dry fly. Big trout ate a #14 tan comparadun - great pattern for this time of year. Of late there has not been big numbers of trout rising but some of the better fish are going.
Abbe enjoying the Au Sable River! She is turning into a good little boat dog and an excellent retriever. Starting to come with me regularly on the river.
May 18th - Philip with a very nice dry fly caught trout in the Big Waters of the Au Sable. Very heavy spinner fall late this evening of Mahoganies and Hendricksons. With all the different hatches starting now these trout are getting selective. If one pattern does not work keep changing.
May 18th - Great Speckled Olive spinner. A bug that is not commonly talked about but this big spinner will produce some big trout in late May. The last few nights just started to seeing some decent numbers - easy to spot being so much bigger than everyone else.
May 18th - Here is a Sulphur dun size #16 - this major hatch is just starting. This bug is typically an evening hatcher and look for heavy spinner falls just before dark. This bug will be going for the next couple weeks and on warm evenings can come in blizzard numbers.
May 8th and April 20th - Here is the Peterson trout and why catch and release is so important of our big trout! Adam and Erik both caught the same giant trout a few weeks apart. This big guy seems to really like our Great Lakes Deceivers. Hopefully someone can catch him again next year!!
May 15th - River dropped a bit and had some good dry fly fishing today! Found some nice big trout up and rising to a very heavy Hendrickson hatch. Had some bad luck put them in the net today but finally scoop this one up. I got box full of different Hendrickson pattern but I should just bring two - Regan's spent wing spinner and Regan's parachute. Seems to be the only ones I ever use and they are so effective. Today was all dun so it was the parachute and they are pictured below.
May 13th - Bob with a nice big Au Sable trout that just inhaled jointed Great Lakes Deceiver! With the water rising from heavy rains going big was the key today and our new giant size Conrad Sculpin also produced.
May 10th - It was a wet day on the Au Sable with some major thunder storms and river on the rise. Good streamer fishing continues! Had heavy Hendrickson hatch but very few fish were rising in the higher stained water.
May 8-10th - Erik and Benny have been camping on the river this week and have been catching lots of big trout!
May 7th - Bob floated with Erik today found a few giant browns in the Big Waters of the Au Sable River! Big streamers has been the key of late.
May 6th - Joe Stevens with just a giant brown in the Big Waters of the Au Sable - 26 1/2"! Good streamer fishing continues and even the bright sun did not stop this guy from crushing a 6" Great Lakes Deciever.
May 6th - Dry fly fishing has begun today in the Big Waters of the Au Sable! Joe with our first dry fish of the year and it was a good one at 22"! We also found a few more in the upper teens. Yesterday Hendrickson hatch finally kicked into high gear and today there were a few trout up and rising. Covering lots of water was the key to finding these big trout with dry flies. Regan parachute dun #14 (pictured just below) produced all of our fish. Next warm evening should be a huge spinner fall!
May 5th - Erik with a trophy brown in the Big Waters of the Au Sable! Such a great looking brown trout that was caught on 6" Great Lakes Decievers. Water conditions are ideal now for streamers.
May 2nd - The hatch is just starting in the Big Waters and hopefully we will be getting some nice dry fly fishing this week!! Typically this hatch gets going the first two weeks in May in the Mio water so it we are just about there. The Hendrickson Mayfly is the first big hatch on Au Sable and will produce some nice big browns very soon. Above are two of my favorite Hendrickson patterns tied by Jerry Regan - left is parachute dun pattern and right is spinner pattern. Look for good hatches in the late afternoon and parachute dun is the top choice. Late evening look for spinner falls and Jerry's spinner will get the job done.
Here are some of our top early season streamer. These are all patterns that I have fished and have produced some very nice brown trout - Joint Great Lakes Deceivers, Fire Tiger Great Lakes Deceiver, Rattling Murdich Minnow Rainbow & Brown Trout, Grizzly Yellow Great Lakes Deceiver, Woolhead Sculpin, and Conrad Scuplin.
April 29th - The Big Waters of Au Sable below Mio continue to run extremely high and very dirty. Did not hear of any good reports of fishing today and I will be sticking to the lower river and steelhead fishing this weekend. River conditions are ideal below Foote right now.
April 27th - A beautiful Au Sable River trout today in the heavy rains! Magnum Murdich Minnow in Fire Tiger with the loud knocking rattle was the streamer that produced in the high dirty water. Conditions are looking good for the next few days if river continues to rise.
April 25th - James with a nice big Au Sable River trout caught on Great Lakes Deceiver! Had a nice float today with James & Rob and had a few big browns come to our streamers - baitfish and trout patterns were most productive. No hatches today and still have not seen a hendrickson in the Big Waters. Should have some good dry fly fishing when water levels come down a bit and temps warm - hopefully in next couple weeks. Right now it is streamer time and the Au Sable has been giving up some big browns!!
April 26th - Some are asking why no dry fly fishing yet in the Big Waters of the Au Sable and this graph pretty much tells it all. Triangles are where the average temps are and we have been below all of April. Currently water temps are about 46 degrees and typically about 52 is where trout start thinking about rising in the Big Waters. With May coming soon I would carry a dry fly rod along and make sure you have some Hendrickson and Olive patterns with you in the boat. Hate to be left with only a sink tip in the boat and you come across that first big rising trout!!
April 22nd - Tom and Tom both got a couple nice big Au Sable River Brown Trout today! Had a few other big trout come to the streamers today but did not get hooked up. Great Lakes Deceivers and our big trout patterns have been producing very well of late.
April 20th - Major snow storm last night and it sure did not slow down the trout fishing on the Au Sable! Adam and Erik found these two giants today streamer fishing.
April 19th - River guide Erik Peterson took a break from floating the Big Waters of the Au Sable to fish some smaller waters on North Branch this afternoon and had some excellent streamer fishing! If your looking to see some of the smaller water in the upper Au Sable and North Branch we do offer walk in trips and Erik does have some open dates.
April 14th - Chris & Bob came to Mio today and it sure did not take them long to find this giant brown on the Au Sable!
April 13th - Adam and Benny with a couple huge Au Sable River trout while fishing with Erik today. Not many people fishing today, saying water levels were too high and skies too bright - I guess that was not true!
April 10th - Joe with a beautiful Au Sable River brown trout! Heavy rains this morning and river was rising fast and getting dirty. Spring is finally here.
April 8th - Rick with just a beautiful trout on the Au Sable River! Had to work for them today and that is the way it goes streamer fishing some days this time of year while looking for big trout.
Here is a great streamer box we now have in stock from Umpqua. Box will also hold flies on the outside while they dry. In our online sales at: Streamer box. We also have some of streamers marked way down for a Spring sale: Streamer Sale!
April 7th - Jake with a beautiful giant sized brown trout caught on the Au Sable River. The excellent streamer fishing continues! Another huge day out of Erik's boat. Warmer temps today melted a bit more snow causing a little more stain in river which is ideal.
April 6th - Benny and Albert with a couple of big trout today on the Au Sable River! Streamer fishing remains excellent. This slow melt down continues and river remains in great shape!
April 3rd - Adam with beautiful Au Sable River brown trout that just crushed a glow Great Lakes Deceiver. Rain and heavy snow made for wet day on the river. Ideal conditions for big streamer fishing.
April 2nd - Chris with very nice trout in the upper Au Sable. Just some excellent fishing today!
April 2nd - Some streamers that have been working well of late.
April 1st - Albert with a giant brown on the Big Waters of the Au Sable River! It is streamer time.
April 1st - Chris, Erik and Alex with some great trout today! Not often do you see all three in the boat get such nice trout. Erik has been putting in his time on the river the last couple year and is now doing guided trout trips for us on Au Sable and Manistee. April is just a great month for those that like to cast streamers and look for big trout. We do have dates open for those looking for float trips and the way it has been going of late now might be the time to get in Erik's boat! If interested in booking a float trips or any questions do email at: kelly@michiganstreamside.com
March 19th - Tom O with a couple of real nice browns on the Au Sable today. Water is flowing well now with the recent snow melt down. Early spring is just a great time to streamer fish for those looking for big browns and now is the time to go big on the flies. The Au Sable sits in a very cold low state for a couple months in the winter and then comes spring - waking up many of the river's biggest trout. Today our Great Lakes Joint Deceiver (cotton candy 8") was top producer and that is very common for this time of year. Big browns love big food in the spring and 6-9" long rainbows must be there favorites! We are fishing these big streamers on 8wt rods and typically 300 grain sink tips - makes the casting much easier and gets fly down deep.
March 16th - Erik made in over to the Manistee River today to fish big streamers and found this giant brown! Coming into one the best times of the year for big browns and our trout stream of Northern Michigan have next to no pressure.
March 14th - Erik and Alex has some excellent fishing today with there best day of the year so far. A bunch of nice browns that were all just attacking there streamers. Articulate lead eyed leeches in black and olive were the top producers today. When the snow starts to melt and first rains of spring coming it is time to starting trout fishing and looking for the biggest browns in the system - that time is almost here!
March 11th - Chris and Erik has some good trout fishing today in the upper Au Sable! Still a lot of snow and ice but spring trout fishing is here!
Feb 18th - A couple days of Spring like weather was just what the upper Au Sable and its branches needed! Streamer fishing was pretty good and river is in great shape now. There was getting to be a lot of shelf ice build up and this melt down knocked out most of this. The river did not rise a lot but a couple inches and still ideal for winter wade fishing. Right now when it comes to fly selection it is hard to beat woolly buggers, leeches, zuddlers, and sculpin patterns. Best colors of late black, olive and brown. We will be back to full time guided float trout trips in March and that is sure coming soon! So much great year round water on the Au Sable River and it branches. Nice to see even more year round water being added starting April 1st - which is opening day for the Big Waters below Mio!
Feb 10th - Here are some close up photos from the White River in Arkansas from our Feb trip. Just like on the Au Sable big browns just love to eat trout! Top left is a 21" brown that was caught on a 6-7" rainbow Great Lakes Deceiver and it had the tail of a 8-9" rainbow hanging out of its mouth. Just shows what browns will do when their hungry - one in not enough. Our jointed Great Lakes Deceiver in rainbow, brown trout, cotton candy, and glow white were our top producer which was no surprise because also top pattern on the Au Sable for big trout in the Spring and Fall. Had a great time in Arkansas and we are sure going back in Feb 2012! Planning on staying for at least two weeks next winter and will be putting together details for lodging and guided float trips. Here are lots of photos from our trip: White River Arkansas
Feb 9th - We are in Arkansas fishing the White River this week. So far some good streamer fishing and here are some of biggest browns. Big rainbow patterns have been top producers and our Great Lakes Deceivers have been our best pattern.
January 17th - Billy O'Neil with just a beautiful trout on the White River in Arkansas while fishing with river guide Jeremy Hunt. This is just a super fishery in the winter months for trophy browns and streamer fishing is what produces. Top flies right now are our Great Lakes Deceivers (olive/grizzly yellow, fire tiger, olive/white), Articulated Great Lakes Deceivers (cotton candy, brown trout, black/chartreuse), Magnum Murdich Minnows (shad, rainbow, brown trout), Conrad Sculpins (black, tan/olive, olive), Circus Peanuts (black, olive, white) and lots of different shad patterns. I will be down on the White starting Feb 5th and really looking forward to it! If your interested in a guided float trip, streamers, specialty sink lines, or just some info just ask.
Here is one of our top streamers being tied by Mike Schmidt www.anglerschoiceflies.com The Conrad Sculpin produces so many big trout and Mike has been doing a great job on this pattern and many other big streamers that we sell & use. This is an articulated pattern and the key for this one is the connection of the two hooks. To tight and you lose action and to loose fly tangles often. Just a great pattern when looking for trophy trout!
January 1st - I started the New Year the right way by floating the Au Sable and trout fishing with Adam & Erik! Day started out very warm but end with some high winds and some very cold temps. We had a bit of action with a couple of big trout chasing our streamers, pulled out of one nice brown, and Erik landed a beautiful big brown trout. Recent melt down and rain was just ideal for the river and that new water did make for good fishing. A little strange being early January and no snow on the ground - sure that will not last for long.
December 29th - Just a beautiful brown trout on the Au Sable River that crushed a Conrad Sculpin. Two handed rods are ideal for swinging streamers in the winter months - typically done for steelhead but a perfect presentation for big browns also.
December 29th - My favorite two handed rod - Sage TCX 12' 6" 7wt with a Rio Skagit Flight 550 and MOW sink tip to match river levels.
December 29th - The Conrad Sculpin is one of our top producers for big browns and steelhead.
December 28th - Alex and Erik got a couple great trout today fishing the upper river with 2 over 20"! Streamer fishing continues to be very good for those that cover a lot of water. Snow depths remain very low for this time of year which makes for easy walking and access sites are in great shape. This time of year it is not big numbers but a great time to find some very quality trout.
"Night Of The Hex" DVD has been added to our online sales. Click on picture above to view trailer or to make a purchase. Rob Thompson did just a great job on this DVD last summer and it really shows what the Hex Hatch is all about with some great footage from the Au Sable River!
December 22nd - Erik got this nice brown trout streamer fishing on the North Branch of the Au Sable River. Had good fishing today with several nice trout landed. Sink tips and lots of different leeches, zuddlers and sculpin patterns were what produced today.
Finally got plans finalized for our Winter trip to the White River in Arkansas! Will be fishing starting Feb 5th and staying on the river at Wildcat Shoals Resort. For those that like to streamer fish for trophy browns this is the place to fish in February and roughly a 12 hour drive from southern Michigan. Had a great time last year and looking like this will be an annual trip now with a bigger group coming this year. To streamer fish this river you need to really enjoy casting big rods, sink tips, and big flies. Our go to setup last year was good fast action 9' 8wt and both the Sage Xi3 and Winston BII-MX worked perfectly. Rio DC 24' sink tips in 200 to 300 grains and the Rio OutBound's were our best lines depending on river level. Also we had good action fishing shad patterns with floating lines and either swinging them or fishing them under an indictor. Did not get to nymph fish last year as water levels were way to high but sounds like that will not be the case this winter. I will be bring a huge selection of equipment for those that are looking to try out some new rods and some perfectly matched streamer setups. Sage & Winston 9' 6wt thru 9wt (Xi3, TCX, Z-Axis, BII-MX) and a good selection of switch rods for swinging streamers & nymph fishing. Will have a pile of Rio lines to match! As for flies we carry a huge selection streamers that were very productive last year - our Great Lakes Deceivers, Murdrich Minnows, Conrad Sculpins, and Shad patterns were all top producers and we will be adding a few more to our online fly sales section for the White River. I have made arrangements with some local Arkansas guides for those that are looking for float trips. If your looking for a multiple or single day trips and lodging I can set that up for you and we do have some good rate packages. If any questions just email me at kelly@michiganstreamside.com Here are some photos from Feb 2010: White River Feb 2010.
December 11th - We trout fished the North Branch and South Branch of the Au Sable River today and caught a few nice trout! Such a nice time of the year to be on the river and did not see any other anglers. This time of year streamer fishing can be very good if you pick your days with the best conditions. Lead eyed and cone headed streamers were top producers today - leeches, buggers, sculpins in black and olive. Down across swing along the cover, logs and thru the holes with lots of small strips and twitches is what was working today. This time year best to cover lots of water!
Nov 30th - Just a perfect day to trout fish the Au Sable River! Finally a good rain last night and browns were out looking for food. It was such a typically bite today for this time of year - not much action and then just a great hour of streamer fishing! It was a little bit of bummer as the best trout of day did not stay hooked. Big browns are getting into that post spawning mode as almost all redds are now empty. Should have good fishing the next few weeks!
November 24th - My best catch of the year - a 10lb black lab puppy! Finally a new dog around the house and Abbe has been working out so well. Looking forward to bringing her along fishing as we float down the Au Sable and taking her bird hunting next fall.
November 6th - Erik with some nice trout on the North Branch of the Au Sable! Streamer fishing was excellent today with over a dozen nice brown trout (12"-20") brought to the net. This time of year is just a great time to float and strip streamer. Erik has been fishing it hard the last few weeks and if you're looking to take float or walk in he could sure show you some some good fishing!
October 31st - This is why we streamer fish this time of year! Just a great time for those looking for a true giant brown trout.
October 30th - John O'Neil with a excellent day of streamer fishing on the Au Sable River! Fish were on today and some just attacked our streamers. The cool cloudy day was just ideal day for trout fishing.
Oct 19th - A couple beautiful trout that Erik caught on the North Branch of the Au Sable earlier this month. Water levels are very low throughout the entire system right now. Typically we are throwing lots of bigger streamers this time of year but that has not been that effective in the current conditions. Small streamers - woolly buggers, zuddlers, lead eyed leeches in black, olive and tan have all been producing some nice trout of late. Fall will be coming soon and then it will be time to break out the big stuff!
October 12th - The banks of Au Sable are just a great place to upland bird hunt this time of year! The last week there have real good numbers of woodcock in the area. Leaves are going down now and it is prime time to grouse hunt.
October 2nd - New Winston rods are now in stock in 4wt, 5wt, 6wt and more are coming! The BIIIx and GVX are new models for 2011 and we will be stock a wide range of wts. Just had the Winston 9' 5wt cast off at the river - New BIIIx, GVX, BII-MX and BIIx. The new BIIIx is just the perfect dry fly rod! Just a little faster than the older BIIx and lighter in your hand. Still that classic Winston action. For large flies hard to beat the BII-MX. New GVX was but a bit heavier and little more power in butt section than the BIIIx - very similar to BII-MX but over $250 less cost. If any questions about the new Winston rods just email me at kelly@michiganstreamside.com Rods can be shipped right out and we do offer free shipping anywhere in the world!
Preview of Rob Thompson's June video of the Hex
Hatch in the Midwest.
http://www.thirdyearflyfisher.com/stills
These are some of our top producing streamers for those big fall browns on the Au Sable River!
September 16th - Erik with a true giant on the Au Sable River! With the cool weather it is streamer time in the Big Waters. When the water is up going big with the streamer will produce giants like this one.
September 12th - Just great time of the year to fish the Au Sable!
August 21st - Finally the Big Waters is getting back to good temp for trout fishing! Those little triangles are the long term avg for each day. Still above normal but dropping steady! Last nights rain should really help also.
August 6th - Bill with a beautiful Au Sable River rainbow that was caught on a dark hex dry fly. Had pretty good spinner fall just before dark and a fair number of bass were up and rising. This fish started feeding very heavy and rise form did look a little different than the smallmouth were making.
August 5th - Chuck with a very nice Au Sable River brown trout caught on Dark Hex dry fly. Spinner flights were just starting and this trout was out looking for them! Very natural patterns are the key and our cdc spinner was been the top producer.
July 30th - When you can scoop up the mayflies by the handful you know it is a heavy hatch! Blizzard hatch of White Flies in the Big Waters last night. Trout fishing has been very slow of late due to high heat but with the cooler weather and the beginning of a major hatch this could all change very quickly. Below are four excellent White Flies patterns. These bugs emerge so fast out of the river that when hatch first starts wets and nymphs are top producers. Spinners patterns just before and after dark are what produce the best trout and even some oversized ones after dark.
July 27th - Just a beautiful Au Sable River rainbow! The Dark Hex is one of the most overlooked hatches in July. Many times in the Big Waters it is mostly a Smallmouth Bass hatch due to high water temps but it will produce some giant trout also. If temps stay down a few more nights look for a giant brown trout to be post here really soon!!
July 27th - Incredible Dark Hex spinner flight starting around 9pm. Lots of Smallies rising tonight and few big trout!
The new Abel Super 5/6 QC are in stock! Just the ideal reel for our 5-7wt streamer rods.
New Streamside hats
are now in stock! $15.95 and that includes shipping.
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