Carp on Grand Traverse Bay (and a little trout fishing too)

[Tim Angeli]

I just returned from a weekend of fishing in northern Michigan with my dad.  We hit the Manistee River on Friday night and found a few small fish rising, and although we caught some fish, there wasn’t a whole lot going on.

Then it was off to Traverse City on Saturday to chase some carp.  We headed up Old Mission Peninsula and walked in right by the old mission lighthouse.  There were TONS of fish, with most of them only interested in getting their early summer business done.  We both had non-stop shots at fish all afternoon though, and we each hooked and landed a few.  A cold-front blew in shortly after we arrived, and the fishing really shut down.  We still had shots at fish, but it wasn’t nearly as good as when we arrived.  I have a feeling that the action could have been a lot heavier with some warmer/sunnier weather to give the water temps a little boost.  Overall, it was a great first outing for carp and I’m sure we will be returning at some point in the future.

Looking back at the lighthouse:

My dad hooked up with the first fish:

First fish:

My first fish (Joel, notice my choice of apparel.  It’s quickly becoming my favorite t-shirt):

Overlooking the “flats”:

A cool old (1800s) cabin at the site of the lighthouse:

Sunday was all about chasing trout on the Manistee River, and it was almost as much about scoping out possible spots for the hex hatch as it was about actually fishing.  The hex hatch can get pretty crazy in terms of even finding a spot to fish it, so it’s always good to have plenty of options to go with.  We managed to find some little guys that were willing to rise to our flies even in the less-than-ideal, unusually cold temps.  We didn’t find any fish that could even be embellished to being considered big, but it was a lot of fun nonetheless.

And the beast of the trip:

The Manistee River:

Some of the flora:

Now it’s back to daydreaming of fish…until next weekend.
-Tim

[tradd d]

Two of my favorite things, northern Michigan torut streams and Carp on the Flats! Nice…..

[lee church]

Very Cool Tim.

[mark s]

I miss that state this time of year.

[Andrew Wright]

Tim,
That fish you caught is a beast! Great post.

[Michael Exl]

Tim,

I leave this Thursday to fish up at Traverse

[Tim Angeli]

Thanks guys.  It was a really fun weekend, and I’m already planning to head back up there this upcoming weekend.

Lee, the father/son trips are always fun.  My dad is awesome and he’s always down for a fishing trip.  We fish a lot together.  I’m glad you liked that first brook trout pic.  I was really happy with how that one turned out.

Mark, did you go to U of M?  I spent 5 years here and racked up a couple of degrees, but I’ll likely be heading westward in about 2 months.  I’m trying to capitalize on as much Michigan fishing as I can get in between now and then.

Andrew, I would say that the size of that fish is slightly above average of what we were seeing, which I was definitely not disappointed with.  🙂  There were a lot of big fish and a few absolute monsters cruising around.  

Michael, how long are you going to be up there?  I’m probably going to head back over there on Saturday if you’re interested in meeting up.  Cross your fingers for some warmer weather and you should be in a for a great trip (as it stands now the weather reports look good).  You’ll have a hayday if a hack like me can catch fish out there .  😉

-Tim

[Michael Exl]

Tim,

I’ll be up there through Sunday. I won’t be hard to miss I’ll be wearing that camo Patagonia shirt and a Red Wings hat, and hooked up of course. ;D So if you are up there we will have to meet up.

[mark s]

Tim, yep.  I’m from GR originally (Cascade, MI actually).  

I still try to rep my Michigan shirts every once in awhile out East though.  Wolverines are everywhere.  Michigan fishing can be frustrating but awesome as well.

Oh yeah, and go Wings.

[stevegibson]

Tim,

I heading that way next week. Would love to try carp. What flies? Rod size?

Also, I’m not familiar with that area, so I’m not sure how to get to the spot.

Thanks!

[Tim Pommer]

Good stuff!

[Tim Angeli]

Steve,

I just typed a big long response and my connection crapped out when I went to post it.  Here’s a short synopsis:

Rod – Anything from a 6wt. on up.  I used a 9′ 8wt. Loomis Cross Current GLX.  I would recommend a 7 or 8wt. for when the wind kicks up or when you’re throwing bigger flies.

Line – Floating of whatever taper your prefer.  I used a 10lb flouro leader.  I recommend using flouro.  The majority of fish are in 6″-2′ of water, so a floating line is all you need.

Flies – Any of the increasingly prevalent carp patterns.  Anything with natural colors and rubber legs worked well.  Crayfish patterns, rubber legged nymphs, hex nymphs, sculpin patterns, etc.  A Carp Tease (http://www.rainysflies.com/siteassist_images/flies/480/1747.jpg) was productive for me, among others.  Sheila Sculpin is another good one.  Any of the crayfish patterns work well (Whitlock’s Near ‘Nuff Crayfish for example).

Getting there – Go to Traverse City, turn north on M-37 and drive until you can’t go any further (about 18 miles from TC).  It’s literally at the very point of Old Mission Peninsula.  Park in the lot there for people visiting the lighthouse (it’s free) and walk out to the lake.  That whole area is surrounded with flats that were loaded with carp when I was there.  It should be that way for a couple of weeks still.  Honestly, you can’t miss it.

I’d be happy to give you any other info, it’s not like its some secret location or anything.  Go to the Omlette Shoppe for breakfast, you won’t regret it (downtown on Cass St. is the original one I believe).  I forgot the obligatory IA food shot…I’ll try to get it next time.

-Tim

[Cameron Mortenson]

Tim…excellent post and looks like you had a great time.

[mick mccorcle]

Tim:

Trout Unlimited is holding it’s annual meeting at the Grand Traverse Resort in mid August and I was wondering whether I should bring along my carp rod and flies.

[Tim Angeli]

Mick,

I’m relatively new to the carp scene, but from what I’ve heard the fish are only up on the flats until early July.

[Eric DeWitt]

Tim and Mike… i was already planning on heading up this weekend to the cottage, and i just “suggested” to my wife saturday would be a great day to go do some shopping in traverse city.

[Tim Angeli]

I’m by no means an expert, but I’ll try to answer your questions as best I can…

A couple of other questions.. is this an all day kind of thing, or only first light/last light.. or like saltwater bonefish where its best at midday with sun so you can see the fish?

It’s an all day kind of thing, but its best once the water has warmed up.  I didn’t even get out there last time until after noon to let it warm up as much as possible.  It helps to have some sun to make it easier to spot fish.

weighted or unweighted flies?

Weighted, but I would have an assortment of weighted flies to give yourself options depending on what water depth the fish are in.  You need enough weight to get the fly down, but you don’t want so much weight that the splash spooks the fish.  The fish are generally in 6″-2′ of water, so plan accordingly.  I prefer patterns with lead or bead-chain eyes.  

Like bonefishing, try to get the fly as close as possible without spooking, and then strip and hope they see it?

Exactly!  

If you’re looking for a good breakfast, hit The Omlette Shoppe….it won’t disappoint.  It’s on one of the side-streets of downtown TC.  Cass St. I believe.

The Wings screwed up my weekend plans by failing to close out the series last night, but I’m still planning to make it up there Saturday.  I’ll just have to catch the game up there or stop to watch it on the way.  I’ll probably head to the same place (Old Mission Lighthouse) sometime around late morning or early afternoon on Saturday.  I’ll PM you my cell number.

-Tim

[Tim Pommer]

Dang, sounds like your assembling a crew, Tim.

[Tim Angeli]

Now we just need some Lake Michigan Carp Assassins t-shirts made…

[Eric DeWitt]

Ya, the Wings were a little disappointing last night.

[Author]

Posts