Fishing Report - West Michigan

Summer is officially here and the longest day of the year is behind us. But that’s ok because, the fishing is great and we aren’t even done with June yet. The slightly unseasonable heat this early in the year has water temps in the mid 70’s which has helped make the fish happy. Like my previous fishing report, the continued lack of substantial rain, in the past two months, have water levels running really, really low in all of our local rives in the area. Additionally, the lack of rain and run off have most of our rivers running gin clear which increases the fishing challenge.

Large smallmouth bass will move to small poppers if they are placed in the right spots. Put your popper right in front of log jams and foam lines.

Long leaders are a must when we have low clear water. Boogle bugs, MFC poppers, sneaky Pete’s, and Ol’ Mr. Wiggly patterns have all been producing on top. Deer hair patterns like Dahlberg Divers and slider patterns work great earlier in the mornings of later in the evenings. When you hear the sound of bullfrogs on the banks, you’ll know it’s time. Chugging and ripping poppers across the water, while fun, seems to be less effective in these conditions. Subtle twitches on your top water bugs will help seal the deal. Less is more!

Swinging crawfish patterns through deeper holes and runs will help you find success on bright sunny days.

For subsurface flies, crawfish and damsel nymphs are great options. Look for deeper holes and faster moving water to make these flies more effective. Remember to fish out in front of the boat because swinging these flies can also be effective.

On blue bird days, looks for the shade lines, log jams, and get your fly tight to structure to find success.

Avoid fishing midday, or the hottest part of the day will help you find success. When the skies are blue bird and bright this can making fishing slow, so find the shade and shade lines on the water. Accuracy and placing your bug inches from log jams and structure are some of the biggest keys to success. A couple inches can make all the difference. Fish can be found, however, and some of my favorite tactics can be found here.

Getting right over submerged logs, rock piles, and boulders is the trick to finding smallmouth bass in low clear

There’s rain in the forecast so lets all do a little jig because our lawns and more importantly our rivers need water. If you’re interested in booking a trip in July or August get on the books while you can. In the mean time, keep grinding, hit the tight spots where fish lay, and get ready to set. I hope you find time to get out on the water safely with family and friends.

Cheers,

Alllen