This is a part of summer that I truly love, the heat of last week made autumn feel far away, but it will be here before we know it! Temps are dropping this coming week and fishing will be prime. This time of year I always have a sense of urgency to not let the summer slip away and to enjoy every opportunity to fish topwater for trout. Right now we are pursuing them on attractors and terrestrials during the day, and chasing trophy trout at night mousing. 

The other night while out mousing with one of my friends, we discussed some of the things we love about being out mousing this time of year. It's all about floating a stretch of water in near silence, starting to get a little tired and then having that massive blow up on your fly wake you up the best way possible and keep you awake until the next fish you move. Theres something minimalistic about it that I can appreciate as well. Just a box of mice, heavy leader material and you're all set. Night time is such a large part of Michigan fly-fishing and for good reason. 

That being said, daytime trips this year still steal the show. Gorgeous summer mornings on the water are hard to beat. The North Branch has been fishing really well this year, brookies seem plentiful and healthy. Enjoy a few photos from recent outings below and be sure to contact us to book your stay or get you out on the water!

Last Friday I floated a half day afternoon on the North Branch. The bug activity was decent and we caught a mess of small brook trout on sulpher dun patterns and attractors. It was one of those wonderful northern Michigan spring days where everything seems to be coming to life all at once. The water level was perfect for running the Au Sable boat without having to hear that terrible sound of your cedar boat catching gravel in low water. I find that when the water is up like this that the fish also leave their hideouts and are more apt to seek out your fly. 

That afternoon my buddy Mike texted me about trying to hit the spinnerfall that evening. I didnt have much confidence anything good was going to come of it but I decided to give it a shot and Im sure glad we went. We sat on one of the many places we've seen big fish in the past and had two great shots at two different fish in the last half hour of daylight. A rusty spinner was the golden ticket. Mike landed his and I picked mine. So it goes.. 

As we were rowing out we came around a bend and were treated to an incredible view of the northern lights. I had'nt seen them in years, the last time I had seen them was in Canada, it was a wonderful surprise seeing them so vividly from the boat on one of our favorite stretches of water. As we were gazing up at the amazing display I couldn't help but think of how close I was to not getting out on the water that evening. I would have missed a truly special moment. That is something I think about more and more as I get older. Ive learned its best to say yes and soak up every opportunity you can to enjoy the great outdoors. Don't miss the moment. ​

The Hendrickson hatch got off to a good start, but the heavy rain we experienced early last week brought water levels up to a point that really put a damper on fishing until about Thursday. .  Water levels and clarity are now looking great this week. The past few nights have produced large spinnerfalls and trout are looking up for them. Evening spinnerfalls can make for excellent opportunities. Be sure to stay out til dusk so you don't miss anything! ​

Last Tuesday was the first day of spring, though this past week things have felt as frigid as you'd expect a northern Michigan March to be.. Overall this winter has pretty much been the winter that never was. I only got out on my cross country ski's a handful of times due to lack of snow and there have been many days when i've been out running the dogs with just a sweatshirt on. 

Still spring must be in the air as the past two weeks have been full of calls from old friends and clients firming up their dates to fish this spring. It's an exciting time of year and I am ready for another spring throwing streamers and chasing hatches around. If you havent already made your plans we still have guides available to get you out there on the water. 

We have some exciting announcements coming soon, but for now I want to focus on my favorite event of the season at NBOC. Opener weekend.

We will be having our traditional pancake breakfast ($15) at 9am Saturday April 27th followed by a steak dinner ($35) at 6:30pm. Michael Crittenden, Josh Rose and Ed Pupas will be playing live music in the living roof after dinner. To rsvp please email [email protected] or call 989-348-7951 We Hope to see you there! ​

Daytime brookie fishing has been good on the North Branch. Small attractor dries and wet skunks seem to be the favorite. The Tricos are in full swing in the late morning due to the colder temps we've been experiencing. Thats fine by us because we've had a lot of late nights wading around for mouse-eating browns. 

The nights have been long and the hex bite is on, but we've been spending the daylight hours chasing brookies on the North Branch. This past week late afternoons have been fishing well using various patterns such as stim stones, borchers, RYD's. Its also worth going subsurface with a wet skunk or muddler minnow. 

Things are finally warming up here in northern Michigan! A lot of the Au Sable system is high and stained due to Saturday's storm, but will hopefully be better this coming week as we await the sulphur hatch.  So far the North Branch has been fishing well, definitely an improvement from last year. We are looking forward to those big brown bugs showing up in the next few weeks and we will keep you posted on that. 

Right now on the North Branch we have been seeing the last of the light hennies with black caddis and stoneflies making up the bulk of the top water bugs at the moment. That being said fishing Borchers and swinging soft hackles has been very productive as well.  

We hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day and we hope to see you up here at NBOC soon! 

This time of year stirs a lot of senses in the fly fisherman. To me personally opening weekend is as much or more anticipated as Christmas morning was when I was a child. The last Saturday in April symbolizes so much more than just the day trout season officially opens. It is the conclusion of a long winters wait to get back onto the water. It is a vivid reminder that bugs are coming and that the trees will blossom and bloom along our banks which have looked like some sort of ghostly memory of the rivers we remember from last season. Its been said that to fish is to hope. Opening day of trout season is the fruition of the hoping for a new trout season all winter long. I cant wait to see what is in store for all of us on the water this season. 

It was wonderful to see familiar faces and make new friends here at NBOC during our annual opener events. Here are a few pictures from the weekend. Thanks to everyone who joined us for our 20th opener. We hope to see the rest of you in the weeks ahead! 

We've spent most of the week preparing for the Midwest Fly-fishing Expo this weekend. We look forward to this show all winter as its the first real sign of spring and of the fishing season to come. Time to take a break from that fly-tying desk, crawl out of your hermit hole and enjoy a day with like minded folks immersed in all things fly fishing. See you there!
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https://midwestflyfishingexpo.com/

14500 Twelve Mile Rd
Warren, MI 48088

Saturday 9am-6pm
Sunday 9am-4pm