Grand River Fishing Report RSS

Despite the low water and hot temperatures, fishing has been solid. Getting plenty of trout on hoppers, ants, and nymphs. A big foam hopper twitched along the bank can yield some surprising results. By far, the most important aspect of this approach is stealth. With the water the way it is, you must keep a low profile. Wade quietly and slowly. Keep a very long distance between you and your target. The longer drift you make, the better.  Foam hoppers in tan and yellow are safe bets. A small beadhead nymph dropper can pick up some fish too. Ant patterns...

Summer is here and it's HOT. This weekend will be in the upper 80s, which will continue into next week. It's always fun to think back to the polar vortex, when everyone was hunkered indoors, thinking about those long summer evenings on the river. It's here, get out and take advantage of it!  We've been mainly targeting smallmouth bass. Lots of topwater action, requiring long stealthy casts with little foam bugs and poppers. It can be pretty challenging, especially when fishing narrow rivers, where you have to place your fly a long way downstream from the boat. Many times, they...

Lots of options this time of year, even as the big bugs dwindle. Sounds like there are still some hex flying around and hatching up north, but overall, the hatch is way past peak. Right now, most of us are focusing on the daytime trout program. Morning hatches, daytime attractors, and evening spinner falls. Mousing is becoming more of an option, with water dropping and clearing, giving the fish fewer food options. With the warmwater stuff holding steady, this time of year provides endless opportunities for the Michigan angler! Smallmouth have been good, with lots of fish coming on boogle...

The trout opener is this Saturday, and we couldn't be more excited. All that means, is certain regulations change for certain rivers this weekend. Some rivers open up, and keeping trout in permissible rivers becomes legal. There are many trout streams that are "open" all year, but they are catch and release only during the off season. Check your local river for tackle restrictions, slot limits, access, etc etc. One fantastic resource for the trout angler is the all new Flyfishers Guide to Michigan.It's loaded with maps, access sites, fly patterns, and a brief history of each river. Great resource for...

Lots of rain lately. And snow. And any combination of the two. Typical weather for this time of year, but it seems reluctant to warm up. Thankfully the weather looks really nice next week, with temps in the mid 60's nearly everyday. It should improve everything; fish, bugs, plants, people's moods, etc etc.   The snowstorm on Sunday took the entire state by surprise. Most people were expecting a nice little dusting, but we ended up receiving a full on blizzard, with some places getting over 14". Pretty tough to deal with, especially when just last weekend it was 72...