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River Report - April 21, 2016
The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report
The dry fly fishing season is here. It’s not red hot just yet, but it is here. Olives have hatched nicely for the last week and we’ve had a thin dribble of Hendricksons for a good number of days and with low pressure in the forecast and with water temperatures bobbing back and forth across the mid-fifty degree mark, the Hendricksons should blow up and fishing should cross the Mendoza Line.
Casting blue-winged olives to small rising trout has been a fun warm up to the to the hatch match dry fly fishing season which is about to take off. It’s been great to get a chance to stretch those floating lines. The first few dry fly casts of the season can be pretty funny when you’ve chucking lead for the last six months. The first attempt is like a pitcher trying to throw seeded dandelion across home plate. But then, just like that, you’re riding that bike again.
I took my first dry fly foray this past week and had a great prelude of things to come. When I pulled on my Summer waders I felt something odd in the bootie—turned out to be a crumpled up dollar. For me, found money is always a sign of luck. Then on the river the first decent cast caught my first fish of the year on an olive. Then, I found the skull of a racked buck next to the river. Folks in some circles may see that as a macabre omen but not some wood tick like me—to me it’s a prize.
Fish rose pretty well to olives and a smattering of Hendricksons made the stage around 3 o’clock. The next grip of low pressure should get the bugs hatching even better. And if we see clouds and rain, the streamer fishing up until the dry fly main event should be great.
The Trout Opener Eve Party is on for the 29th of April at the Old Au Sable, so clear your calendar and swing by.
Dennis Potter will be tying flies all weekend long at the Fly Shop, so be sure to find some time to check out his presentations. He’ll be doing sessions of one fly pattern at a time and folks are welcome to attend as many or as few as they’d like.
Here’s Dennis’ itinerary:
Old AuSable Tying Schedule
Friday:
10:00 - 11:30 - Parachute Perfection
12:00 - 1:30 - Opal Tinsel Dry Flies
2:00 - 4:00 - Building A Better Bugger, Building a Better Clouser
Saturday:
10:00 - 11:30 - Potter’s Drake, Potter’s Drake Spinner
12:00 - 1:30 - Adams Perfection
2:00 - 3:30 - Zlon-a-dun, Comparadun
Sunday:
10:00 - 11:30 - Terrestrials - Fat Head Beetle, Fat Head Moth, Skunk Cricket
12:00 - 1:30 - Wets and Nymphs - Tungsten Bead Soft Hackle Dark, Aurora Bead Head Steelhead Grub
2:00 - 3:30 - Rivergod Spinner
There’s lots of great stuff going on at The Old Au Sable this Spring so be sure to check out the events page on our website.
One of the highlights is a one day beginner’s fly fishing class with industry pro Ben Hunting on May 14th and again on May 15th. Cost is for the class is $199 and includes a free fly rod package and instruction valued at $365.
Hendricksons . . .
Hope to see you soon,
Andy
Casting blue-winged olives to small rising trout has been a fun warm up to the to the hatch match dry fly fishing season which is about to take off. It’s been great to get a chance to stretch those floating lines. The first few dry fly casts of the season can be pretty funny when you’ve chucking lead for the last six months. The first attempt is like a pitcher trying to throw seeded dandelion across home plate. But then, just like that, you’re riding that bike again.
I took my first dry fly foray this past week and had a great prelude of things to come. When I pulled on my Summer waders I felt something odd in the bootie—turned out to be a crumpled up dollar. For me, found money is always a sign of luck. Then on the river the first decent cast caught my first fish of the year on an olive. Then, I found the skull of a racked buck next to the river. Folks in some circles may see that as a macabre omen but not some wood tick like me—to me it’s a prize.
Fish rose pretty well to olives and a smattering of Hendricksons made the stage around 3 o’clock. The next grip of low pressure should get the bugs hatching even better. And if we see clouds and rain, the streamer fishing up until the dry fly main event should be great.
The Trout Opener Eve Party is on for the 29th of April at the Old Au Sable, so clear your calendar and swing by.
Dennis Potter will be tying flies all weekend long at the Fly Shop, so be sure to find some time to check out his presentations. He’ll be doing sessions of one fly pattern at a time and folks are welcome to attend as many or as few as they’d like.
Here’s Dennis’ itinerary:
Old AuSable Tying Schedule
Friday:
10:00 - 11:30 - Parachute Perfection
12:00 - 1:30 - Opal Tinsel Dry Flies
2:00 - 4:00 - Building A Better Bugger, Building a Better Clouser
Saturday:
10:00 - 11:30 - Potter’s Drake, Potter’s Drake Spinner
12:00 - 1:30 - Adams Perfection
2:00 - 3:30 - Zlon-a-dun, Comparadun
Sunday:
10:00 - 11:30 - Terrestrials - Fat Head Beetle, Fat Head Moth, Skunk Cricket
12:00 - 1:30 - Wets and Nymphs - Tungsten Bead Soft Hackle Dark, Aurora Bead Head Steelhead Grub
2:00 - 3:30 - Rivergod Spinner
There’s lots of great stuff going on at The Old Au Sable this Spring so be sure to check out the events page on our website.
One of the highlights is a one day beginner’s fly fishing class with industry pro Ben Hunting on May 14th and again on May 15th. Cost is for the class is $199 and includes a free fly rod package and instruction valued at $365.
Hendricksons . . .
Hope to see you soon,
Andy