Nov 13th, 2019 | Frigid
It's downright COLD. Unseasonably cold. Feels more like January than November. Last night in Grand Rapids, it got down to 12 degrees. Up north, single digits. We've also had a good amount of snow already, and even more in the northern part of Michigan. Some areas got over 8 inches in one day, and are now stacked with over 20 inches in certain areas. A 10 minute drive to the shop took 30 mins a couple days ago. Unreal.
Needless to say, the fishing has been tough. Water temps are way down, and ice is starting to form on the slow bends. Not many people have been out in the last couple days. It's supposed to warm up this weekend, and into next week, which is nice.
We had some action over the weekend before the temps really dropped. Nymph bite was all but dead for some reason. We had some players on swung flies. Had a couple steelhead swipe at a stripped streamer as well. Leaves have been bad, but are all but gone now.
Black, blue, and purple was a good color combo. Olive, black and chartreuse was another. Black, copper, and Orange, another. Just get a fly down to their level, and hope you intersect a fish that wants to eat a big fly. Simple as that.
Water temps are low, and may take a long time to recover. But the fish are out there, just have to battle the cold and get after it. It's fun to fish in the cold! Beats sitting on the couch....
Next best thing is fly tying. Since it gets dark at 5:30 now, spinning up some flies is a great way to beat the winter blues. We've got a solid class lineup for the Winter. Starting next Wednesday the 20th in the GR Shop, Lance Nelson will be doing a class on Springtime Trout Flies. A smattering of dries, nymphs, and streamers that he's done well with during the early trout season.
Lance helps us out throughout the year, and spends his summer weekends up at Gates Lodge. Never too early to start planning for Spring! Always has a tendency to surprise us. Space is limited, sign up sooner than later.
Other tiers for this season include Ed McCoy, Jon Ray, Kevin Feenstra, Dennis Potter, Matt Grajewski, Jac Ford, Steve Pels, Drew Rosema, Brendan Terrien, as well as some of our staff. Check out the schedule HERE. Easiest way to sign up is to call us during business hours. Or you can email us at info@nomadanglers.com
Check out the Fin and Feather Event we are doing with Pine Hill Sportsman's Club. A half day pheasant hunt, followed by a half day Steelhead Float trip. November 22nd. Space is limited, contact us to sign up.
Also, don't forget to keep an eye on our USED GEAR PAGE. We are constantly updating used inventory as is comes in, and always looking for trade in equipment.
Finally, here's a quick step by step tutorial for the "Chicken Little." A popular fly that's easy to tie, and can be dead drifted, with a slight swing out at the end of each drift.
Click HERE for step by step.
As always, thanks for the support! Stay warm out there!