Fishing around Detroit in July – options?
- This topic has 12 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated Mar 31, 2011 at 3:21 pm by
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I’d head Grayling and take a trip in an Au Sable river boat. I’d stay at Gate’s Lodge or Fuller’s North Branch, or Penrod’s.
I would go with Capt. Meszaros. It’s close to Detroit, plus that time of year I believe that Brian will have you sight casting to muskies. I have talked to several times in the past month about and you have to see the flies that he is using, tubes that are about a foot long. Not to mention the smallie fishing as another reason to go.
You could also hit the St. Joe for the summer run steelhead, skamania, they are like having a bolt of lightning on the end of your line. But that is a drive to South Bend area. I would just stick with fishing St. Clair.
-Mike
Neal,
The musky and smallmouth fishing in Lake St. Clair is supposed to be incredible, so I’m sure you would enjoy that. It’s also your closest option to Detroit.
However, if you’re more interested in chasing trout, I would highly recommend checking out the upper Manistee and/or Au Sable rivers. You can base yourself out of Grayling, which is a little over 3 hours from Detroit if traffic is good. It sounds like you’re looking for a guide, and considering your fondness for chucking streamers, I’d highly recommend looking into either Ray Schmidt (although I don’t think he guides much at all anymore, http://www.schmidtoutfitters.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=203) or Russ Madden (http://www.hawkinsflyfishing.com/fishing_guides.php#russmaddin). Both of those guys are streamer junkies, and are also responsible for some of the best streamer patterns out there (circus peanut, mad pup, rattlesnake, etc.).
The Manistee and Au Sable are the flagship rivers in Michigan, so if you’re only going to fish Michigan for a couple days, that’s good water to check out. That is also where a lot of the “Kelly Galloup streamer fishing” techniques and fly patterns that have become so popular were originally developed, and since you enjoy streamer fishing so much, it might be fun to make the trip to that area.
Depending on how the season/weather turns out, you might also have a chance to catch the tail end of the Hex hatch (although it’ll likely be done by then), or have some good night-time mousing, if you’re into that.
PM me if you want specifics.
Tim
Neal,
I don’t know much about Detroit-area fishing, and several others are giving you good advice on the ‘lower northern’ part of Michigan that I do know a bit about.
I know much more about the ‘upper northern’ part of Michigan, so if you have the time to drive north 290 miles to ‘the bridge’, then 270 miles west, I’d be happy to show you some remote water. 😉
It is a shorter drive from Detroit to Baltimore than it is from Detroit to my house. And I am actually in the state of Michigan.
Tim
July in Michigan is primetime for night fishing for LARGE browns. I would contact Hawkins and try and arrange a float on the upper manistee and make sure you are out after dark for a good part of the float.
Another option would be the Grand River near Fergus, Ontario..Its about a 4 hour drive from Detroit…Get ahold of Ken Collins at Grand River Troutfitters..Big brown trout on the Grand, Smallmouth & Musky. Had a ball up there in 2004..
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