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River Report - August 14, 2017
The Old Au Sable Fly Shop Fishing Report
It’s hard to believe how well the daytime fishing is holding up so far this August. I took Jack on a float this past week for his first ever trout fishing trip. We dropped the Au Sable boat into the Manistee at about noon—with little expectations other than having a fun float in the heat of a Summer Day. Fishing for trout during the heat of an August day is, historically, just a nice way to get sunburn and have good conversation with friends on a comfortable ride down the river.
But that just hasn’t been the case for the last few years. Cool Summers have made fine trout fishing conditions. In fact, usually the best fishing during the hot months is limited to the very early mornings and the black of night. This year night fishing has been slower than we’d normally expect and the morning trico rise has been even tougher than it is generally. The afternoons, on the other hand, have been solid. Now we’re not catching whoppers but we are catching good numbers of trout and the occasional teen-sized fish.
Jack and I turned just one bend before he hooked up, with my help, on a brook trout. And then, he caught his next fish all on his own. I’m not sure which of us was more proud. The fish rose steadily all afternoon to flying ants and some of the trout I saw were in the next age classes. He did great for a four year old, but I have to admit that I really would have liked to have been casting. So much so that at the end of the float when he asked to try to run the boat, I let him give it a shot. Can’t get those boat drivers started too early. He paddled and poled and I kept the boat moving properly and secretly behind his focus.
By the end of the trip, he had caught a fair number of trout all on his own and we had left at least two nice fish untouched and un-harassed free to go about their business. The bigger fish need at least a thirty or forty foot cast to be fooled and my boy just isn’t there—not yet. A good fisherman can really capitalize right now. One of the guides took a day off last week and pulled seven teen-sized, daytime brown trout to the front of boat. That’s exceptional on our Michigan Rivers in the August daylight.
It’s a good time to be a trout angler in Michigan. These just might be the “Good Old Days”.
Try to find some time to enjoy it.
Keep your plans open for a stop by the Old Au Sable Fly Shop over Labor Day weekend. You’ll find deep discounts on all sorts of brands during our weekend long clearance sale. We’ll have deep discounts on brands like Sage and Simms. It’s time to get the shop in shape for Fall and the deals will be fantastic.
Hope you can all make one more trip into the North and we’ll see you soon,
Andy
But that just hasn’t been the case for the last few years. Cool Summers have made fine trout fishing conditions. In fact, usually the best fishing during the hot months is limited to the very early mornings and the black of night. This year night fishing has been slower than we’d normally expect and the morning trico rise has been even tougher than it is generally. The afternoons, on the other hand, have been solid. Now we’re not catching whoppers but we are catching good numbers of trout and the occasional teen-sized fish.
Jack and I turned just one bend before he hooked up, with my help, on a brook trout. And then, he caught his next fish all on his own. I’m not sure which of us was more proud. The fish rose steadily all afternoon to flying ants and some of the trout I saw were in the next age classes. He did great for a four year old, but I have to admit that I really would have liked to have been casting. So much so that at the end of the float when he asked to try to run the boat, I let him give it a shot. Can’t get those boat drivers started too early. He paddled and poled and I kept the boat moving properly and secretly behind his focus.
By the end of the trip, he had caught a fair number of trout all on his own and we had left at least two nice fish untouched and un-harassed free to go about their business. The bigger fish need at least a thirty or forty foot cast to be fooled and my boy just isn’t there—not yet. A good fisherman can really capitalize right now. One of the guides took a day off last week and pulled seven teen-sized, daytime brown trout to the front of boat. That’s exceptional on our Michigan Rivers in the August daylight.
It’s a good time to be a trout angler in Michigan. These just might be the “Good Old Days”.
Try to find some time to enjoy it.
Keep your plans open for a stop by the Old Au Sable Fly Shop over Labor Day weekend. You’ll find deep discounts on all sorts of brands during our weekend long clearance sale. We’ll have deep discounts on brands like Sage and Simms. It’s time to get the shop in shape for Fall and the deals will be fantastic.
Hope you can all make one more trip into the North and we’ll see you soon,
Andy