June 12th 2019 | Relentless Rains
We are still getting absolutely blasted with rain. Every few days, there's a sizable rainstorm. And there's more on the way. It has made things fairly tough, especially for the wade angler. Nonetheless, fishing has been pretty damn good, with hatches becoming steadier by the day. Grey Drakes, Brown Drakes, and Sulphers have been the main show as of late. As far as the Hex goes, they are probably another 2 weeks out. Can't predict what will happen (obviously), but they will most likely be late, just as all the bugs have been this season. The combination of heavy rains and low overnight temps have stifled the normal hatch progression. Two nights ago it got into the mid forties in Grand Rapids. Doesn't do us any favors when this happens. But hopefully everything gets back on track, and they arrive when they should. Usually, the peak of the hex hatch coincides with the Summer Solstice (June 22nd). Normally that is considdered the "peak" of the Hex hatch, so who knows how this season will unfold.
The Grey Drakes this year have been nothing less than legendary. Epic numbers of bugs basically every night. They are almost done however, with numbers slowly dwindling each night. Here are some Grey Drake eaters:
Rich with a lifetime trout. Taping at 26.5" and a 14" girth, this thing was estimated at 7 lbs! Unbelievable night! This was the very first fish his wife has ever netted. Great stuff.
Brad with a good one on a drake spinner.
Ryan with a solid brown trout
Justin got this beast with the lights on !
Can't believe it's mid June already. Things are flying by pretty quickly. Get on the trout program before it's too late.
The warm water stuff has been really fun, although a bit slower than it was 2 weeks ago. Spawning is now done, and it seems to turn the bite off a bit for some reason. But either way, it's been really fun, with a mix of small streamers and poppers.
Dale put a beatdown on the smallies last week.
Call us for a guide trip! Dates available!
With the high off colored water, flashy weighted flies have been best. Clouser type stuff with lots of flash.
With boogle bugs, it's helpful to pinch the barb down. Not necessarily all the way, but enough to minimize damage. They eat them very deeply most of the time, and they can be tough to remove.
Shops are both loaded up with summer apparel perfect for fathers day! Swing by and pick up a gift and surprise your dad on the water this weekend.
Good luck to everyone getting out! Tight Lines.
