Fly Fishing Seasons on Michigan Rivers

Spring (March) in Michigan brings spring showers and the spring rainbow trout season begins (March – early May). This rainbow trout run kicks off a new fly-fishing season in the state of Michigan. Rainbow trout fishing in Michigan can produce double-digit numbers of rainbow trout (some of the best rainbow trout fishing in the world). Brown trout, rainbow trout, and brook trout feed on the roe (eggs) of spawning rainbow trout, and the hatches begin to emerge again; the cycle has turned and another great fly fishing season is coming to Michigan. Steelhead is a hard fighting fish that provides high levels of fun on a fly rod. Multi-day fishing trips can be spent on many fine rivers, one day fishing for rainbow trout and the next chasing brown with a dry or streamer fly, making Michigan fly fishing so unlike so many other destinations. fly fishing.

Summer (late May through August) in Michigan offers more than just fly fishing for trout in a stream. Grand Traverse Bay, located in northern Michigan (Traverse City), is ranked in the top 10 places to fish for largemouth bass in the US. Bass tournaments held in Grand Traverse Bays have broken catch limit weight records for many tournaments in recent years. It is not uncommon to have days of 15 smallmouth bass on a fly in the 4 to 6 pound range. Rod fishing for carp has been around for many years, but has gained popularity in the last 10 years. Carp or “Golden Bones” as they are commonly called by fly fishermen who go after these large and shy bottom feeders will top the list of fish that will test your patience as a permit. Fly fishing for carp is a lot like fishing for redfish in the reeds, or like fishing for small groups of large bonefish next to the mangroves (one mistake and the fish will be gone in a hurry).

Fall (September – November) in Michigan means salmon and fall rainbow trout fly fishing. In early September, thousands of Chinook salmon migrate up Michigan’s western tributaries. Salmon anglers from across the Midwest flock to rivers like the Pere Marquette River, Manistee River, and Betsie River to tangle with big fish on a fly. October brings Steelhead and some of the best freshwater brawling available. Tell me bright rainbows jump up and run to the back. Fall fishing only gets better in November. Rivers like the Grand and Muskegon begin to see large numbers of rainbow trout in the fall. The Muskegon River offers world-class rainbow trout fishing well into December, as the water temperature helps extend Michigan’s best fishing season of the year.