Another opening day of Trout season has come and gone here in the U.P.-the traditions of checking all the new waters that open adds a certain lure of excitement to the fly fishing mix.  New water means new fish that haven’t had any angling pressure since last September!  This opener saw extremely high water conditions as I have not seen waters levels as high as they were for a very long time.  The melting snow from the past storm coupled with heavy rains caused some massive drainage issues-downright unsafe fishing conditions existed for a few days.  Since this weekend rivers have receded somewhat, but still remain on the high side of things.  Water temps are anywhere from the high 30’s to mid 40’s depending upon river system.  Steelhead have been seeking out slower areas to avoid heavy current from the high water and Brook Trout are beginning to get a bit more active as water temps rise-a few BWO’s & Midges are present and streamers will get some tugs.

A few prime date remain for Trout, take a vacation- you deserve it!

Mother nature decided to give us a nasty slap in the face the last two days in the form of a late Winter storm.  I have to admit it felt more like Steelhead season fishing in a snowstorm verses fishing in the 70 degree weather we had two days previously!  Snowfalls in the high county reached upwards of 15 inches of some wet nasty snow, looks like our high fire danger is over for quite some time now!  This storm gave us a good blast of water that we needed very badly. Rivers levels have risen and are continuing to rise from this weather event.  The forecast is calling for more precip in the form of rain and some much warmer air temps over the course of the next week.  Water temps have plummeted down to the lower 30’s and all is good.

Opening Day on Saturday-the holiest of holy.

Unseasonably warm temps engulfed the Upper Peninsula today as the thermometer reached around 60 degrees!  Heck-that’s a bech day by Yooper standards!  Cold nights has kept melt off pretty slow, but this heat wave will speed up water temps & melt off considerably.  Currently water temps are anywhere from 39 to 45 degrees depending upon the time of the day you take the temp.  Trout fishing has been good as the warming water temps have resident Trout eager to nymph. Resident Rainbows & some nice nice Browns have been gobbling up egg patterns & some nymphs. Lots of times these Trout take a back seat to the Steelhead because they are smaller in size, but they can provide some good action this time of the year. Steelhead fishing continues to provide some good times as fish have been making there way upstream to lots of different streams across the U.P..  Forecast is calling for another warm day tomorrow and then back to more seasonable temps with rain.  Hopefully the rain for this next week pans out, we are in severe need of some form of precip as it has been nearly a month since we have had any.

Superior Steel-Too Sexy!

High winds have dominated all week making some pretty miserable conditions for fly fishing here in the U.P.. Coupled with some bone chilling temps it has felt more like Winter fishing until today.  Bright sunshine & air temps in the mid 40’s felt nice & from the looks of the forecast it finally looks like Spring is officially here!  The nicer weather has increased fishing pressure as everyone that has thought about fishing has been out enjoying the sunshine.  Water levles have dropped a bit & cleared, but with the warmer weather in the forecast the runoff should once again bring river levels up.

Spring Steel-Fun for all ages!!

Winter weather has been continuing lately with a glimpse of Spring every so often as daytime temps struggle to get above the mid 30’s.  Snow flurries have been dusting the ground nearly everyday and water temps/levels remain cold & clear for the most part.  Currently water temps range from 32-36 depending upon river.  There are Steelhead around- but with the cold & low water persistency is the key to success. We are experiencing a true U.P. Spring this year, Winter just not truly wanting to let go.  Once it does we are going to have some good Steelhead fishing.  Some very healthy & large Steelhead have been taken this year, the photo below of the male Steelhead is the largest fish I have seen in a very long time here in the U.P.!

Spring Steelhead In Michigan’s U.P.- a celebration of the beginning of yet another fishing season!