We've had some beautiful but colder weather this week. Our first snow even hit (and we're not even to Halloween yet, yikes). Fly fishing the U.P. this time of year you never know what the weather is going to do.
Fortunately the fly fishing in the upper peninsula has been hot -- lake run browns and steelhead have been active and with the coming rains this week we should see a push of new fish into the tributaries. We've seen a bunch of juvenile steelhead but the big boys/girls are looking for a little more water and this coming weather should to the trick.
On the menu has been eggs, lots of eggs. With a few salmon still pushing around and the browns starting their spawn soon there's a lot of eggs. I prefer a single 8mm trout bead pegged above a #6 hook. The trout beads float more like a natural egg and I find them easier to control nymphing - the yarn eggs tend to get pushed around more in the current. But both egg patterns have been working lately and the fish are not being selective right now they just want the food.
My tactic right now is to go to with brighter colors when I think we have fresh fish in the system. When we get later into the season, or the bite slows down, I'll go with a very bland/muted color and maybe even drop down to a 6mm to better match up the brown trout egg size. Usually the fish that have been in the river for any amount of time have seen so many bright color spawn bags that going smaller/blander shows them something different and more natural which will get the hit.
If your interested in a fall steelhead fly fishing trip or trying your hand at some upper peninsula brown trout give is a call, we'd love to get you out on the water.
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Caddis Shack Guide Service
Guiding Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Since 2002
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We specialize in fly fishing for Steelhead, Smallmouth and Trout in the beautiful Upper Peninsula near Escanaba, Michigan. Float or Wade. Expert or Beginner. We got ya covered.