November 1st Redd Survey Volunteers Needed:
November 1, 9 am – 4 pm, we will take to the river on foot and by boat to count brown trout spawning beds (redds) throughout much of the main spawning areas on the river. This is an important survey because a) it provides a rough idea on how many spawning trout we have, b) it tells us where we can put cover to protect them while they spawn, and c) in the future, in case of catastrophe, we would know what we need to protect. If you’d like to help, please email me [email protected]. This is a joint effort between Anglers of the Au Sable and the Mason Griffith Chapter of Trout Unlimited. We will be serving ribs, yes ribs, for when you are finished. This is going to be a fun event among great people…but it does require participation to work. If you have a boat, great. If you don’t, come wade. The more the merrier.
The difference between peak season, and the “off” season, can seem pretty stark when the overnight lows are suddenly in the 20s, there’s a skin of ice on the morning boats, the wind is from the east, the sky is forever blue, and you’re fiddling intensely with fine tippet and small flies just to catch one trout. Fall isn’t always fickle. We had a good window of streamer fishing this past week. But in general fall is not as easy as May, or June, or July…and that’s why the river is more or less yours to enjoy and figure out. There are people up here fishing, and hunting, and looking at fall colors. But it’s not busy. That’s the pay-off.
The change in weather…it’s profound. While we await some clouds for some pre-spawn streamer fishing, we have been relying on very small droppers to catch fish on the mainstream, and swinging soft hackles on the branches in pursuit of brook trout. Over the next few days we should see some clouds, and if we get enough clouds at the right time of the day — afternoon, typically — there might be some fish on the chase. The weather we’re having now is what we’d expect — even hope for — three weeks ago. But it was hot then. And so we are going to have to enjoy what’s left of fall now.
We are trending subsurface: small streamers, nymphs, soft hackles. But we do get a good afternoon BWO this time of year. Well, two actually. The one we like to fish is a size 20. The one we like to fish slightly less is a size 24-26. To make the most of these hatches, you need to be on flat, shallow water on any of the three branches at around 3 pm. This can be excellent fishing and is worth seeking out, but the best days of it are flat gray and crappy, which means the angler is sacrificing the chance at bigger fish on streamers in exchange for smaller fish on dries. To that end, you just have to play your mood and see what you most want to do. As I’m craving a good day of streamer fishing, I’ll be setting my sights on that. A good day of pre-spawn streamer fishing is pretty amazing. It’s hard to hit — you need a crappy weather day and fish in the mood — but having big brown leave shallow cover for a 3 inch streamer fished on a floating line in clear water. Chef’s kiss, as they say.
We have three weeks left in our “on” season here at the lodge. The restaurant will close after breakfast service, at 11 am, on 10/26. Our fly shop will close at 2 pm on that same day and then will be open from 9 am – 2 pm, 7 days/week from there on out. We will still be offering lodging through the late fall. This is a great time of year, one of the best. Get out and enjoy it.
