Northern Michigan Fly Fishing Report Jan 25th, 2009

Winter continues on, but after a long season – it doesn’t seem to be so bad. Temperatures both air and water are still approaching rock bottom but the snow accumulation has slowed down. The forecast isn’t really calling for a “warm-up” anytime soon, but should we get a little bump in water temp to activate the fish you should be out there. No one particular area river is a better choice than another as the Betsie, Manistee and Boardman Rivers all have some fish in them.

Look for the slower deeper water to be your best bet for laid-up fish that might take a well presented fly. Water levels are decent and the clarity real good. This is the time of year that anglers can get away using a little lighter tippet as the fish don’t fight nearly as hard and sometimes it’s that thin line that seals the deal on the bite. Best bet on flies would be some of the standards…. hexes, large black stones, caddis and eggs. Anglers looking to swing a fly will find leeches and sculpin/goby patterns to work, but always mix up size, color and flash to try to determine a preference.

This is a good time of year to get out for a few hours and get some aqua therapy. You should have the place to yourself. If not, tie flies, read a book or watch a DVD on the sport.

The new store location is up and running. We are 90% complete and are happy with the increased floor space, parking and class room. Those looking to learn to tie a few new bugs should check out our Saturday 10-noon classes featuring specific themes – we still have openings.

The Northern Angler

The Northern Angler DVD Review

As a regular blog feature, we are going to start a weekly DVD or book review. Most of the time we will stick to newer stuff, but we will cover some older things too. For the first entry we picked a newer DVD, the documentary Red Gold.

Red Gold
By Felt Sole Media – an environmental documentary.

I had heard about how great this film was from a number of people in the business and so I was afraid that it would suffer from inflated expectations but that was definitely not the case. The movie (and the fight against the Pebble Mine) has been supported by many of the biggest names in the flyfishing business – Sage, Patagonia, Redington, Rio and Orvis, and after watching it, I can see why. The film takes place in the Bristol Bay area of Alaska, home of the Kvichak and Nushagak rivers which support some of the largest sockeye salmon runs anywhere in the world. It is also home to a newly discovered copper and gold reserve that has an estimated value of $350-$500 billion (yes with a ‘b’). The mining company says they can get the rock out of the ground without harming the environment and surrounding land, but unfortunately history doesn’t side well with that claim. So the fight to stop the mine is a big one and is the reason the film came to be.
The setting for the movie is an incredible place, true wild lands on a scale that most of us have never experienced or could even imagine. I hate to sound like a cliché movie reviewer, but the phrase that comes to mind is visually stunning. This is a DVD that you want to watch on the biggest TV that you can, it’s awesome. The filmmakers did a wonderful job bringing together aerial images, panoramas, still photos (both present day and historical), interviews, and good music to make a movie that is an hour well spent.
Being a pro environmental/anti mining film, it could have been very easy for the film makers to inundate the viewer with footage of mines and all of the disasters, environmental rape, and resource damage that could occur. Furthermore they could have spun and villianized the mining company representatives as greedy money chasers that could care less if some fish died, but in my opinion, that’s where Red Gold really shined. They took the high road and basically gave the miners’ side of the story without bias and acknowledged the huge economic potential of the find and the reasons they want to build the mine. On the other side of the coin, the film presents a wonderful portrait of a truly incredible place with all of its natural beauty and history and the people that call Bristol Bay home. Without actually being there you still gain a great appreciation of what is really at stake if the mine goes forward and the worst case environmental outcome occurs. In the end, I can highly recommend Red Gold and thank the filmmakers for a job well done.

The Northern Angler

The Northern Angler Has Moved

It's official, The Northern Angler has moved and is open for business in our new location at 803 W. Front Street in Traverse City. It is a block west of Division on Front Street across from ACE Hardware. We have more space, a fly tying classroom, hot coffee, parking in the rear of the building with an entrance in the back and the front of the shop. Our sign is coming soon and there is a banner on the building announcing our presence now. Winter hours are 9-6:00 Monday- Friday and 9:-5:00 on Saturday, closed Sunday until spring. There are still some spots available for our Saturday fly tying classes and although we started our regular beginner and intermediate classes this week, we still have a few spaces there that we would love to fill. Check out the website www.thenorthernangler.com for the full schedule of classes.
Also if you haven't checked out the new and improved website, give it a look and if you are a Facebook member, The Northern Angler now has a page there too.

Thanks and see you at the new shop.

I thought about taking the Weather Bug off of the blog this week, Yikes that's cold!

Northern Michigan Flyfishing Report Decmeber 29th, 2009

Well, the winter thaw that we anglers hopped for happened but I think it was a little too short and too sweet.

The near record snow pack we had coupled with the wind, rain and temperatures in the 50’s has brought water levels way-up. Sadly, too much run-off and rain for good fishing in the immediate near future, however this increase in flow will blow out the shelf ice that has been building along the river banks as well as the some of the lower sections of rivers completely covered which should encourage some new fish to enter our rivers. Fish already existing in the river prior to the thaw have just been redistributed.

If you get out, be careful of the high water and ice flows. It should take a good number of days for the high and dirty to return to more stable levels and closer to ideal conditions. Those who can’t wait – get out and target the slower flowing, deeper holes – think spring steelhead pre-spawn high water conditions and you should find fish in those same areas. Try the inside slots which will provide a bit of refuge from the high flows and the dirty water will make them feel a little more comfortable in the shallow water. Now can be a good time to target fish with larger streamers (large profile, lots ‘o flash) swung on sink-tips.

The Northern Angler is moving! We will be closed on December 31^st and will re-open on January 7^th. You can find us at 803 W. Front St. which is a block and a half west of Division (US-31/37). The new store will have free parking in the back as well as additional floor space and a classroom for our tying classes starting in January. Stop on in and see us!