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Manistee/Boardman/Betsie Rivers
December 16, 2004

Posted by Streamside Orvis/Orvis Michigan Fly Fishing Schools
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Current Report
Manistee/Boardman/Betsie Rivers December 16, 2004 Posted by Streamside Orvis/Orvis Michigan Fly Fishing Schools Current Report: Streamside Orvis and the Orvis Michigan Fly Fishing School 877-916-5337 toll free or (231) 938-5337 info@streamsideorvis.com (231) 938-5337 Orvis Endorsed Lodge and Endorsed Guides TROUT GUIDES ARE AVAILABLE DAILY! Manistee and Boardman Conditions: REMEMBER, BOARDMAN RIVER ABOVE SABIN DAM IS CLOSED. BELOW IS OPEN FOR SALMON AND STEELHEAD from 300 feet below weir down to Union Street (check regulations for specific open water). There are flashing steelhead below redds on the Manistee below Tippy dam. Look carefully. Above, streamer fishing is still going on the Manistee "flies only" water which is open until the last Saturday in April as "catch and release" water. (TIP: Don't float. Wade to find the gravel. Fish to the gravel not the usual water that you find fish in during hatches.) Caddis and olives brought up fish late afternoons as the weather stayed warm. Some good fish line up on the banks looking for the tiny olives. But the colder weather will slow their emergences. Look for them if the weather will warm a little. Fair success on streamers. Guides have had some great days on big streamers landing some beautiful browns in full spawning regalia. Betsie: There can still be a few pods of coho coming. Fish up and below dam. Some fairly new fish. Few steelhead in. Hatches: - There have been some good days on the flies-only Manistee with BWO's. But cold weather and snow has shut down emergences. If it warms a little, look the olives. Pseudocleon anoka #22-24 BWO coming off evenings and on cloudy days on the Manistee when it is warm enough. Sunny, cold days have hurt the hatches though. Cool and cloudy is OK, sunny and warm is OK... but cool and sunny is the wrong combo. So watch the temps. If it's below freezing mornings but cloudy, move your fishing to later in the day when it warms a little. Clouds are the key element for the olives. This hatch can move lots of fish, but the better fish have still been taken on large attractors and streamers. Best fish on the little olives are found as bank feeders since the p. anokas come off in the slow edge water. Patterns: Hare's ear, pheasant tails (#18 and #20) copper john nymphs (#14) will move fish too. Attractors like Adams parachute, trudes, royal Wulffs, and stimulators are all working if fish begin to feed. Days in the mid 40's are best. Guides have had good days of streamer fishing over the last several weeks as well. Sink tips seem to be the key difference. Keep a watchful eye on the water downstream as you wade. Don't spook the spawners on the gravel in the middle of the river. Soft hackles will oftenentice these spawners. Zuddlers #4 in yellow and white best. Brown, black and olive also good. (Hard to beat an olive/black bugger.) Nymphs include copper Johns #16, and #14 in, red and copper. Caddis pupa patterns #16 and #18 in green and #14 and #16 in tan. Manistee below Tippy has best numbers of steelhead in. Best success has been on hex nymph pattersn of all sorts. Sparrows and Jeff Hex are best. Fair numbers from the dam down to Sawdust. Some anglers are having great action for resident browns on streamers with a soft hackle dropper below Tippy Dam. Best lake run fish are found down below Rainbow. Betsie has a few steelhead, but their moving up stream all the time. You'll see them up and down on the redds and flashing below. Forecast: Week ahead looks like cold nights and cool days. Temps at freezing or below all week and evenings in the low 20's. Snow forecast. Check in by phone for the latest. CHECK THE WEATHER BOX ON THE TOP OF OUR WEB PAGES TO GET TO THE WEATHER CHANNEL. Check in directly by phone if coming this week. Toll free (877) 916-5337 or (231) 938-5337.

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