Coming to Michigan in Aug.

[VAfisher]

Hi all, I live in VA and Im coming to Michigan mid Aug till Sept 1 to visit family. I will be staying in the town of Lewiston. I plan on doing some fly fishing when Im there and have read alot of great info about the area here on the message board. I have a couple questions about the area I will be staying in. When fishing the streams and creeks here in VA you have to worry about copperheads and rattlers, mainly coppers. Im always coming across them on trail paths. Is there anything life threating to keep an eye out for while fishing the banks of the Au Sable and some of its tribs? Also I was wondering if I could get some info on places to fish the river and maybe some tribs to hit when there. Maybe some other rivers/streams to fish other then the Au Sable.I dont want to travel that far from Lewiston, I am going to be buying the one day FL and dont want to kill time driving.
My grandfather lived in Lewiston and would do that Michigan thing and go to Fla. in the winter. At his home in Lewiston he has all his fly gear and maps of the area, he past away a couple years ago and I never was able to talk to him about fishig Northern Michigan, Im hoping that he may have marked places on his maps that I could try, but just incase he didnt I would like a couple places to hit and catch a couple wild brookies. Any help would be great.
Thanks

[Bull Market]

Don't worry about snakes. We have one weakly poisonous rattler, but they are SELDOM (read virtually almost never) encountered. I NEVER give snakes a thought, and I'm in the river 150 days per year, wade fishing.

Go to this website http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364---,00.html
In the extreme lower right corner, you'll find some DNR pamphlets/maps showing trout streams and lakes, and their corresponding regulations. That ought to help you out.

[Chromedoggy]

Watch out for Bank Billies!

[8nchuck]

See if you can get this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Trout-Streams-Michigan-Fly-Anglers-Second/dp/0881504890

You will be within 30-45 min of some of the best Trout fishing east of the rockies.

I have a place east of Lewiston and have fished all around

I would hit the North Branch for Brookies.
Gillcrest Creek/Hunt Creek to the east of Lewiston have brookies in them.
The book has all the access points listed on the best rivers and creeks around Michigan.

I am betting you are going to spend more than one day fishing LOL.

[Boardman Brookies]

There are a few nice creeks not to far from Lewiston. I fish them a few times a year. Look at those links that were in the other posts and you will see them. Don't worry about snakes. We have the Massasauga Rattle Snake here, but I have only seen one in all the years I have been in the bush. You have a better chance seeing a bear, but those too are rare to see in lower MI. If you only have one day to fish I wouldn't both with those small creeks. I would explore the Au Sable if I were you. Good luck. Please post how you do.

[RoadKillCafe]

Skeeters! They will carry you off :SHOCKED: Them's big as buzzards around here.

[Fishndude]

There actually are relatively quite a few Massassauga Rattlesnakes in the Grayling area. There is a triangular area from Grayling to Charlevoix to Kalkaska where most of the rattlers in Michigan live. There still are not a lot of them, and they are not terribly poisonous, and only get about 2.5 feet long. They prefer to just be left alone, and you probably won't see any; but if you are walking through the woods, make sure to step ON logs, instead of just over them. Those snakes often lie next to old moldering logs, and if you step on one, it would likely bite. I haven't seen one in years, and don't worry about them when walking the woods.

[VAfisher]

Thanks for the info, it looks like I will be fishing the North Branch for Brookies and maybe some of the tribs. 8nchuck made a good point, the more I looked into the fishing the more I do believe I will need more then one day to fish. If I understand it right a FL for me will only be $7 for the day and that include the trout? I was looking at the hatch chart and see that i will be there during the whitefly hatch (Aug18-Sept1) looks like I will have to get some whiteflys ready :). Should I be tying any other flies?
I have a bunch of BWO size14-18 and midges also.
Thanks for any and all info.
hey any nice holes to let me in on on the North Branch ;)

[dam 4 drift]

check your pm box

[8nchuck]

With the way the weather has been up north I don't know if the charts are accurate. The HEX hatch was late. I would go with Buggers/Adams/Trico. Just mix it up. The daily license lets you fish trout.

You may try Comins Flats - 3mi east of Mio. I do well there on Browns & Rainbows and it is easy wading and very accessible with the parking lot right there on the river. There is and island up river and the resulting convergence of the two channels makes a nice deeper spot with faster current, strip some buggers. Hint: walk downriver & across to get to the other side and then up to the spot.

Anyways you will have a ball. They weather is beautifully up north.

[Fishndude]

Hopper hatch during the day, in late Summer; and (go ahead and shoot me for this) mousin at night on the mainstream is something you really should try. If you are going to be around for 2 weeks, make time to visit Rusty Gates @ Gates Ausable Lodge, and pick his brain a bit. But some flies, and mellow to the Irish music, and see what you can find out. Also, there just isn't that much to do around that area for 2 weeks, other than relax, so between morning, evening, and some night fishing, you should be able to get out more than a couple times. I would. :evilsmile

[Blaketrout]

Without getting into too much specifics. You certainly picked the right time of year to be looking for trout especially the brookies. The latter half of September is one of my favorite times to trout fish northern Michigan. No crowds, no bugs, and eager fish. The Brookies oughta be in peak color by then as well. They are a sight to see..:)

[nmufish]

Bring some streamers! watch the water temps below mio, they should be dropping by then though. I grew up fishing the area for trout you should have a blast, my advice is to check a good map and spend some time on the two tracks in the area. good luck

[lytemup]

Thanks for the info, it looks like I will be fishing the North Branch for Brookies and maybe some of the tribs. 8nchuck made a good point, the more I looked into the fishing the more I do believe I will need more then one day to fish. If I understand it right a FL for me will only be $7 for the day and that include the trout? I was looking at the hatch chart and see that i will be there during the whitefly hatch (Aug18-Sept1) looks like I will have to get some whiteflys ready :). Should I be tying any other flies?
I have a bunch of BWO size14-18 and midges also.
Thanks for any and all info.
hey any nice holes to let me in on on the North Branch ;)


tricos in the AM...usu around 9 depending on temperature.

[StroutW]

terrestrials and yarn bodys drifted tight to jams, logs, and undercut banks.
white flys at dusk below Mio. Night fishing. Check out the SB of the Ausable.