Chris Izworski reporting from Michigan on the current state of the Au Train River, where August has the forest floor dried out and the water running thin and clear, conditions that reward the angler willing to fish small and fish quiet.

The Au Train drains the Hiawatha National Forest down through Alger County before spilling into Au Train Lake and eventually Lake Superior. It is not a famous river, which is part of its value. The fishing here is straightforward: brook trout throughout the system, steelhead in spring, and a freestone character that makes the water responsive to rain and snowmelt but also honest to read. What you see in August is what you get. No secrets, no excuses.

Today the river is low and clear, which is the standard condition for late August in the Upper Peninsula. We do not have specific gauge data available, but the season itself tells us what to expect. The long dry spells of midsummer have done their work. The water is low enough that stealth becomes non-negotiable. You will spook fish from fifty feet away if you are careless. You will catch nothing if you are loud.

The Trico Window: First Light, First Cast

The real opportunity this morning opened at first light, around 7:01 AM, when the trico spinner fall begins. These insects are small, size 20 at best, and the fish that take them are feeding selectively on spent adults drifting in the film. This is the kind of fishing that demands everything: 6X tippet at minimum, 7X if your hands are steady, and a leader long enough to turn over properly without telegraphing your intent to the trout.

The window closes by 9 AM. If you have not already arrived and positioned yourself on the water, you have already lost the best hour. The patterns that work are CDC Trico Spinner, Trico Dun, or Poly Wing Trico, all in 20. Cast to a single rising fish and wait. This is not an aggressive game. This is an exercise in patience and observation. Pick out one trout, watch its rhythm, and match it. Move on only when you have exhausted that fish’s confidence or when it simply refuses.

Anyone arriving after 9 AM should have different plans.

Midday: Terrestrials Along the Banks

The afternoon will be hot. By noon the air temperature will push into the low 80s, and the direct sun on the water will make any shallow pool look like a liability to the trout holding there. They will slide deeper or seek the shade of overcut banks and grassy margins. This is when terrestrials matter. Beetles, ants, hoppers, and crickets fall into the water along the Au Train’s wooded banks. The trout know this. They position themselves to intercept drift that comes close to the grass.

Fish a Foam Beetle in size 12 or a Chernobyl Ant in size 10 tight to the bank. Make the cast count. Drop the fly within a foot of the shore, let it sit momentarily, then give it a twitch if nothing rises immediately. Do not strip it. Do not work it aggressively. The fish are not chasing; they are waiting. A Dave’s Hopper in size 8 fished midday in this warm weather can draw strikes, especially near faster water where hoppers tumble in.

Evening: White Fly Aggression

The evening golden hour begins around 7:07 PM and extends until sunset at 8:37 PM. This is when the white fly, Ephoron leukon, emerges in dense swarms. Late August is peak time for this hatch, and the fish respond by feeding aggressively on the surface. They are not sipping. They are rising hard, often missing the first cast at a fly because they are committed to feeding. This is the most forgiving dry-fly fishing of the day.

White Wulff in size 12 or White Comparadun in size 14 will take fish. Cast to rising trout and expect a response. This hatch can be heavy enough to create a genuine frenzy, though on the Au Train frenzy is a relative term. The river is not the Boardman. But for an hour before dark, the fishing is efficient and real.

Access and Practical Notes

The Au Train is accessible from the town of Au Train, from roads through the Hiawatha National Forest, and from M-28. The river flows through beautiful country near Pictured Rocks. The remoteness and forest setting are part of what keeps this water from being crowded, even in peak season. August usually means fewer anglers than June. That matters.

The steelhead season does not open until later in fall, so today’s fishing is brooks only. The regulations are general trout. Nothing exotic or complicated. Respect the water, fish small in these low-clear conditions, and understand that August on a UP freestone demands precision.

For live gauge data and current flow information, check https://michigantroutreport.com.