Almost ready to go

We finally got a stretch of warm, dry weather and it appears we are headed in the right direction. The trees are beginning to show leaves and there are more and more bugs showing up in the air. In the past few days, I have seen some Hendricksons and a number of brown and black stoneflies. I also got my first mosquito bite of the year on Sunday. Water temperatures have reached 50 degrees and one stream was as high as 56 degrees. There are still only a handful of streams that are safe to wade, but it is possible to catch fish if you are willing to work hard for the few you do catch. Silver buggers and brown soft hackles have moved the most fish for me. The warm, dry weather is expected to continue this week and I suspect we will start seeing more bugs in the air and more fish in the hand by the first week of June. 

Large waters demand caution

With the big Memorial Day weekend looming, I recently spent a good deal of time in my waders. Here is what I learned. The larger rivers have been dropping steadily and should continue to drop barring a major rain event (which is actually forecast for early this week). Smaller creeks continue to warm up and water temperatures are fairly consistent in the middle 40s throughout the region. I was able to entice a few brook trout into eating a silver bugger, but the cold water means streamers need to be crept along the bottom instead of being stripped quickly. The largest concern continues to be wading safely. The major rivers are just plain not safe to get into, and even the smaller creeks remain above normal meaning one mistake can put a person down. I almost got sucked into deep pools twice in the past three days. I have seen a handful of stoneflies in the air as well as a few caddis, but the fish don’t seem to be looking up yet. The best advice I can give right now is that if you venture out, wade safely.

High flows, low water temps remain

The past couple of weeks have brought some changes to the fishing outlook here in the western Upper Peninsula. Most of our snow has melted, although some patches still remain in the woods and along ditch lines. The resultant melt, however, has creeks and rivers still flowing heavily with most showing two to three times normal flow for this time of the year. Some have even approached the record levels set last year. (Somewhere in the picture above, there really is a channel.) Water temperatures also remain low, hovering at 40 degrees.  Lakes are still frozen with just the edges beginning to open up.

I have been able to make my way back to some smaller streams that are no longer treacherous to wade (just scary) and spent some time tossing streamers in search of fish.  These willow-lined stretches do not afford much casting room, meaning I have been roll-casting bead-head buggers, certainly not my favorite type of fishing. The trips back to these areas have been just as frightful as the wading and I have found myself driving through snowdrifts as paths make the transformation from snowmobile trails back to roads. Whether the result of good luck or good choices, I have yet to get stuck. The fish, to my chagrin, have shown little interest in my efforts.

What we really need are some warm, dry days to get things started. I have seen a handful of crane flies in the air this week, but other than that, midges remain the only insect out and about. Barring some type of warm up, it will be a bit before things really take off. That being said, we are setting up for another epic summer of fishing.

Opening day on its way

When I was a kid, opening day of fishing was a magical event. I’d spend weeks prepping my gear, picking night crawlers (I had yet to be enlightened) and then spend a last, sleepless night before heading out the door early. At first light I would jump on my bike and ride to the nearest stream for the chance to stand elbow-to-elbow with other anglers eager to catch hatchery fish that were released a few days earlier. Opening day no longer carries that allure, but there is still magic in the air as that special event draws near. So what should you expect?

After spending the past ten days fighting a water problem in my basement, I was able to get out Tuesday to check stream conditions in advance of Saturday’s opener. What I saw wasn’t pretty. Like last year, this April has been filled with heavy snows and colder than average conditions. There is still a significant snowpack to melt and the forecast from today through Saturday looks to add to it rather than melt it. Nearly every stream and every river I visited was a raging torrent, unfit for safe wading. Streams typically stained by clay are still turbid, although clarity has increased from a couple of weeks ago. There were a few small tributaries that an energetic angler could fish from shore, but water temperatures remain frigid, ranging from 34 degrees to 38 degrees.

The bottom line? You may be able to find fishable water, but what will be fishable will still be high and cold. Nymphs drifted through deep pools and dark-colored streamers pulled very slowly along the bottom will be your best bet to entice fish chilled by the ice-cold conditions. If you choose to brave the conditions, be very aware of the streams you fish and wear waders only to protect you from the snow you will have to go through. To put it bluntly, stay out of the water and off any remaining shelf ice.

Where will I be? In a concert hall enjoying my daughter’s recital and dreaming of warmer weather. It can’t stay cold forever.

The spring flush is on

One week ago, Mother Nature had just gotten started depositing what would total 16 inches of heavy, wet snow on my place in Trout Creek. Today is a whole different story. Today will feature temperatures in the 50s for the third consecutive day and, with more than two feet of snow still left on the ground, the results are predictable … rivers area wide are blown out.

As late as Monday, many rivers were still sporting a layer of ice. Now the ice has become ice flows and ice jams and the red clay soil which predominates here has helped turned the rivers into mud flows. Needless to say, there is no fishing to be had unless you want to venture out onto the still-frozen lakes and drill some holes. Exactly how long the run-off will last is anyone’s guess. Rain is forecast for the weekend followed by another stretch of cold, snowy conditions.

With opening day just two weeks away, we may be looking at a repeat of last year when those gathered at fishing camps caught more Zs than fish.  Those who are a bit more optimistic simply look at the current conditions as an indicator that better days are ahead.

A "long" way to go

There are some instances where the word “long” is a good adjective to place in front of a noun. A long vacation immediately comes to mind as does a long (healthy) life. All fly anglers appreciate a long, drag-free drift especially if it results in a grab from a willing fish. However, put the word long in front of the word winter and you may need to add other, socially unacceptable adjectives to endure it. That’s the kind of winter we have had. Fortunately this weekend offered a glimmer of hope that it may end and, as a result, I did a bit of scouting in preparation for warmer days.

I began my weekend with a stop at my fish camp where I managed to open up cabins and rake snow from roofs. Then it was off to the water. First off, let me say that a pair of snowshoes is mandatory. Wading through three feet of snow is not my idea of a good time and, even with snowshoes, the task gave me quite an aerobic workout. Streams are just beginning to open up in the western U.P. and it wasn’t easy to find fishable water. With water temperatures in the middle 30s, it was even harder to find active fish.

That being said, it appears we will have to wait a bit longer for the trout season to get into full swing. Like last year, the snow pack remains significant. That bodes well for the summer, but certainly will limit fishing opportunities until we see an extended period of above freezing temperatures both during the day and at night. I just hope we don’t have to wait a long (@#&$) time for that to happen.

Aching for spring

Every time it seems like this winter is going to offer some light at the end of the tunnel, it changes its mind and.

we are thrown back into the depths of darkness. Last weekend, I paid a visit to my fishing camp to rake some off roofs and to make sure all was well. It was a beautiful day followed by a few days of temperatures that reached normal and even surpassed average. Unfortunately, the sounds of snow melting and birds chirping were erased by another brutal storm and, to make matters worse, there is nothing but cold weather forecast for the coming week. With several building projects planned for spring and an arm aching to cast a fly rod, I can only hope that this current cold snap is the last of its kind for this winter. Certainly I enjoy winter and appreciate the moisture it is leaving, but one can only take so much snow. About the only ice I am interested in right now is the kind I put into a glass