# Betsie



## fishn' 4 life (Jul 24, 2005)

*Betsie & Platte River fly fishing report - August 29th*​​*Salmon time is here for fresh run Kings on the Betsie River!*​​*The last couple of days the Betsie River has received a good push of fresh Salmon from Lake Michigan and fishing has been very good.*​​*This quote is from michiganstreamside.com. I wanted to see if anyone could verify it. I was up there last weekend and there were zero salmon. I find it hard to believe. Weather.com shows that for the month of August Benzonia averages about 3.5 inches of rain but this year only received .75 inches! Also the temps the next couple of days are predicted to close to 90!!*​​


----------



## Queequeg (Aug 10, 2007)

Tough go. There are some fish, but it is a LOT of work to find and hook some. In other words, not great fishing.


----------



## salmo'dog (Aug 24, 2007)

The fishing has been slow, but there are fish if you travel around to various locations. Still not enough for "all day action". I did really well Friday evening, but Saturday and Sunday were pretty darn slow giving up only 3 fish during the morning hours those days.


----------



## Reel Addiction (Mar 5, 2008)

I am up here now. not alot of fish at all. saw a decent amount (20-30) Friday morning, Saturday saw none, yesterday maybe saw a halfdozen. 1 below the dam and the rest up river. THey are already turning brown. I did see about 50 fish just above the dam and i think 49 anglers trying to hook one. 

Does anyone throw streamers for the kings in the fall? i have been trying to find a little info on the basics. if you read this and throw streamers for them i would appreciate any basic info & technique you may have to offer. 

Thanks


----------



## UltimateOutdoorsman (Sep 13, 2001)

Reel Addiction said:


> I am up here now. not alot of fish at all. saw a decent amount (20-30) Friday morning, Saturday saw none, yesterday maybe saw a halfdozen. 1 below the dam and the rest up river. THey are already turning brown. I did see about 50 fish just above the dam and i think 49 anglers trying to hook one.
> 
> Does anyone throw streamers for the kings in the fall? i have been trying to find a little info on the basics. if you read this and throw streamers for them i would appreciate any basic info & technique you may have to offer.
> 
> Thanks


I was wondering the same. From the research I've done, it seems like streamers are a good technique for fresh fish while they still have their big lake agressive attitude. Not so much for the old & moldy. 

Do a search on various "fly tying" sites for salmon streamers for patterns...


----------



## stinger63 (Nov 25, 2003)

Used to tie my own a streamers a long time ago and used orange yellow and pink and black,sorry no picture but it worked dam good for stripers.Im sure it would work for salmon and steelies also.


----------



## fishn' 4 life (Jul 24, 2005)

*Here have been our top producing streamer for King Salmon. These flies are most effective fished on Rio 200 to 300 grain DC 24' sink tips.*

*This is from michigansteamside.com.*​


----------



## fishfly (Sep 7, 2007)

I just got into stripping for kings last year after a trip to AK. My casting skills are not good but improving. My first few trips were a bust but I was detirmined after seeing the action in AK. I started out with a floating line and 24ft. 200gr sink tip. I switched up to amnesia with a 30 ft. 300 gr. that I throw with my 8 wt. with much better results. Late in Sept. last year a friend and I were fishing the big man., throwing cranks all morning with 0 action but lots of fish spotted. I switched to the fly and began working. Had a few chases that got the blood pumping but no takers. After tiring a bit I handed the rod over to my buddy who had never thrown a fly. After coaching him through a buch of lousy casts, bam he gets nailed anyway and we saw the whole thing! We ended the day with 5 fish caught either dead drifting or stripping but all takes were seen by the eye and the fish slammed the fly! That was my last attempt of the year and like I said, the end of Sept. and the fish were kind of beat up. I will take 1 fish and a few follows than a hundred chuck n duckin! Hawkins website shows step by step instructions on tying the fly we were using and this year I tied up a bunch of salmon snakes by schmidt outfitters. I am not endorsing them but I know those flies work. I can't wait to get out later this week and give it shot! If you are thinking about it...stop thinking and start fishing! Don't be to discouraged if it doesn't work the first few times, keep at it because it works and it is very rewarding.
John


----------



## gunrod (Jan 16, 2001)

About five years ago I was stripping zoo cougars on the Big Man for them and hooking fish but didn't have a good drag and lost most of them. I was told that I was crazy and the fish wouldn't hit them so I kept it to myself for a long time.

I found that fish preparing to spawn would grab the bait for a moment and let go. No brick hits. I believed these were males trying to chase the small "fish"/streamer out of the redding area. 

The fresher fish would actually slam the offering. 

It works the same way it does for guys casting spoons and body baits for them.


----------



## Frogfish101 (Apr 5, 2007)

Stripping streamers is a great tactic for fish that are fresh into the system. Decievers and Marabou speys work great. If they glow, even better.


----------



## Reel Addiction (Mar 5, 2008)

Thanks for the Info Guys. Fishfly- hawkins website is where i got the itch to do it. I dont consider myself a purist by any means, but in my opinion Chuck and Duck isnt fly fishing. it was my first year of C&D and i dont really care to do it again. in anyones experience do the streamers seem to produce throughout the fall or more so on the early runs like we see know? Do i need to consider going to C&D or Indicator rig later in the year? HOw about Steelhead? has anyone stripped streamers in fall or spring for steelhead. I throughly enjoy streamer fishing really more than anything.


----------



## Frogfish101 (Apr 5, 2007)

Unlike salmon, steelhead feed while they are in the river systems. They'll hit all kinds of nymphs, stones, eggs, etc. Indicator fishing IMO is the best way for steel.

As for kings, if you can find fresh fish (only been in the system for a couple days), they'll readily hit streamers. Especially if they are on the move...


----------



## shotgunner (Jan 15, 2003)

_



"HOw about Steelhead? has anyone stripped streamers in fall or spring for steelhead. I throughly enjoy streamer fishing really more than anything"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Click to expand...

_Reel Addiction, Steel will definitely slam streamers! It is a handicap method though so if your lusting numbers the eggs will way out produce. Water temps play a huge part, when its low 40* range or less no need to strip. Just set up the swing [cast] and let er' swim.. You wont have any trouble telling when ones a taker.

Check out Jon Ray on Chuck Hawkin's site... One of the best swung fly guides out there.

Bright Buck that liked my Woolhead Sculpin, January 08


----------



## JHO (Sep 23, 2007)

Reel Addiction- Ditto on what shotgunner said about Jon Ray at Hawkins Outfitters. I swung flies w/Jon last November and had a blast. They offer a Fall Steelhead School the weekend after Thanksgiving and they can focus on swinging for Steel if you want. I did the school last year and I am now hooked on swinging streamers for Steelhead. The school they offer is a great deal for the $$.


----------



## goemado (Feb 5, 2005)

fishn' 4 life said:


> *Betsie & Platte River fly fishing report - August 29th*​
> 
> 
> *Salmon time is here for fresh run Kings on the Betsie River!*​
> ...


 
I believe right after this statement there were a few lines about openings for their guide services. 

I'm a bit biased -- but I believe those that guide are very eager to keep their schedules filled up with paying customers -- tough to do when the reports are "a few fish -- not many -- and hard to get to bite". 

Consider the messenger and the message.

Regards,


----------



## Buttonfly (Oct 28, 2002)

I spent the long weekend along the Betsie near Frankfort. There are a few fish in the lower river; enough to be considered "fishable" numbers, but by no means gangbusters. Most everyone I saw & talked to was having fun, but not catching. If you know the river well, and can get to the holes that hold early fish (before the crowd gets there), you can do well. I floated 31 to the mouth on Sunday. Lots of fishermen and a few fish on stringers near 31. Below that, I found one spot that was holding fish. Hooked a few, landed zero. Spent most of my time teaching my kids and re-tying.

Sunday night the guys that went out on the big lake were killing 'em in close.


----------



## Downriver Steel (Sep 15, 2005)

There is one thing about this river that has always been dominant and that is that these early fish really group up. I fish this river in a normal year 3 to 4 times for 3 day stretches in August (although I started law school this year so things were different) and the VAST MAJORITY of the fish that I hook are hooked in two spots. Yeah two. When looking for the early fish think about their habits when they first get into the river. Think of how they migrate.

The key is that they move in larger groups than what they seem to move in later in the season. They also tend to like spots that fall under the description of being a slow deep sand hole that is upstream of a long stretch of water with a relatively heavy current yet very little holding water. If they have to blast through all kinds of current and there is no where to rest they get tired and commonly they stop migrating at these spots (especially if there are other fish already there). Hence 3 fish can become 10 fish which can become 20, which can become as many as 60. Now these are not the numbers you will see early but three weeks ago I seen probably 30-40 in one of my normal spots. Were they all biters, no. But you have to keep working fish and find a pattern and find fish that are fresher as not all the fish in a spot are necessarily fresh.

In terms of streamers, swinging can be sucessful IF (1) you are fishing fresh fish OR (2) you are swinging behind a female where the territorial males are hanging out.

I like leech patterns with lots of flash for this technique. LOTS of flash!!!!


----------



## cane crazed (Jul 22, 2008)

at least you folks are at the river. i plan to be up that way the 1st week of october. is there any special time to fish? morning or evening?


----------



## UltimateOutdoorsman (Sep 13, 2001)

cane crazed said:


> at least you folks are at the river. i plan to be up that way the 1st week of october. is there any special time to fish? morning or evening?


Not really.


----------



## Chip (Jun 6, 2005)

Having fished the Betsie a few times this summer, I concur with the above statements about limited spots with fish holding. There are more fish there now than two weeks ago, but I would not take a beginner yet- the odds are way in the favor of a skunk still. A little observing shows that the guide report mentioned has "mostly" been experienced clients in the same locations several times this year. But, a weather break will make the whole West Side light up pretty soon.

Best of luck to you.

Chip


----------



## Reel Addiction (Mar 5, 2008)

yeah its kind of funny how they recomend the indicator rig and Chuck and duck, but if the fish dont even eat when they are in the river system, and considered by some a waste of time makes you wonder how and the hell people catch them other than on streamers. i was in bmfa's postion a few weeks ago, and heard how someone caught "just a ton" but only landed 3??? makes you even wonder about some of the reports that are posted ( i am not pointing the finger at any member or any particular site). i mean i felt much better after spending 30 hours over labor day legitimately fishing, and not catching a thing, on chuck and duck and indicator rigs when i heard about all the ripping and snagging going on. i am new to the sport, and a still bit naive(sp?) i guess, but i would rather catch nothing than go the other route. however if anyone does have any advice on how to hook up on a indicator or C&D rig i am all ears. 

cant wait to try the streamer thing.


----------



## UltimateOutdoorsman (Sep 13, 2001)

Ive caught kings and cohos on a wolly bugger dead drifted...


----------



## fishn' 4 life (Jul 24, 2005)

Frogfish101 said:


> Salmon entering the river will crush everything for the 1st few days they're in the system, then turn off for everything except spawn.


Does everyone else agree with this? I know for a fact that spawn will catch salmon anytime anywhere. I have been wanting to expand my arsenal though. So hardware is best used by the mouths of the river and in the early season?


----------



## fishalittle (Mar 27, 2007)

fishn' 4 life said:


> Does everyone else agree with this? I know for a fact that spawn will catch salmon anytime anywhere. I have been wanting to expand my arsenal though. So hardware is best used by the mouths of the river and in the early season?


 
Was fishing with spawn yesterday. Lots of salmon seen, but none showed an interest. Maybe they were full. Maybe they were anxious. Who knows?


----------



## Downriver Steel (Sep 15, 2005)

Personally if I had a choice i would swing some large patterns but this is not really possible with all the people on the stream at this point in the season. Swinging is for August when the quantity of fish is much less but the quality and agressiveness of the fish is way better. Then comes landing them in August. With all the wood it is pretty tough!!!!


----------



## Frogfish101 (Apr 5, 2007)

fishn' 4 life said:


> Does everyone else agree with this? I know for a fact that spawn will catch salmon anytime anywhere. I have been wanting to expand my arsenal though. So hardware is best used by the mouths of the river and in the early season?


That's what i have experienced...

Downriver steel, if you find a hole with fish, you don't need to make big swings. Just cast, and strip it back as fast as humanely possible.


----------



## shotgunner (Jan 15, 2003)

> Quote:
> Originally Posted by Frogfish101
> _Salmon entering the river will crush everything for the 1st few days they're in the system, then turn off for everything except spawn._
> 
> Does everyone else agree with this? I know for a fact that spawn will catch salmon anytime anywhere. I have been wanting to expand my arsenal though. So hardware is best used by the mouths of the river and in the early season?


Frogfish has it right that the sooner you can put something in front of a fish that has entered a river the better.. by far. Stronger harder fighting fresher fish.. and more inclined to strike! All good attributes.

They'll take hardware always.. When & _if_ the mood strikes them. Muted #4 french blade kills  Have taken a few on Cleos fished deep & slow through dark troughs of upper river sections [Big Man] Never played much with body baits. Not sure why, it's obvious they work well from watching several seasons worth of posts.


----------

