Chris Izworski, reporting from Michigan on the current state of the AuSable River this Thursday morning in the heart of the summer dry fly season. The gauge at Mio reads 1,140 cubic feet per second at 3.4 feet, which places the mainstem in excellent shape for wading and sight fishing. The water is clear, cool enough to hold trout in their feeding lanes, and low enough that you can read the bottom structure between Burton’s Landing and Wakeley Bridge without guessing. This is the window we wait for all year.
The weather turns tonight. Showers and thunderstorms are forecast after dark, with temperatures dropping into the mid-fifties. Friday will clear and cool to the mid-seventies with a steady breeze. The rain will not raise the river significantly at these flows, but it will muddy the banks and wash some terrestrial food into the current. If you fish Friday evening, expect the trout to be active near the margins where the water has taken on color.
What Is Emerging Now
The sulphurs have thinned but are not finished. You will still see sporadic hatches in the late afternoon, particularly in the slower pools above Stephan Bridge and in the long glide below Wakeley. The best emergences occur between six and seven thirty in the evening, when the light softens and the wind drops. A Sulphur Comparadun in size 16 or 18 will cover most situations. If the trout are refusing the dun, switch to a sulphur spinner in size 16 and fish it dead drift in the film.
Brown drakes are beginning. I have not seen a full emergence yet, but the nymphs are active in the gravel runs, and you will find shucks on the rocks at first light. The drakes prefer the deeper slots and undercut banks, and they emerge after dark. If you intend to fish them, arrive at the river before sunset and watch the water near the structure. When the hatch begins, it will be fast and concentrated. Use a Brown Drake Parachute in size 10 or a Delta Wing Drake in size 10. Cast to rises, not to water.
Isonychia nymphs are present throughout the Holy Waters. These are large, strong swimmers, and the trout take them aggressively in the fast water. A size 10 or 12 Isonychia nymph fished deep in the runs below Burton’s Landing will produce fish even when nothing is rising. The adults hatch sporadically in the late afternoon and early evening, but the nymph is more reliable.
Where to Go
The Holy Waters between Burton’s Landing and Wakeley Bridge remain the most productive stretch. The river is wadeable, the structure is clear, and the trout are holding in predictable lies. Start at Burton’s Landing and work upstream through the long pool. Fish the seams where the fast water meets the slower current, and do not overlook the pockets behind the boulders. The trout are visible in this light, and you can stalk them if you move slowly and keep your profile low.
Wakeley Bridge offers easier access and longer glides. The water here is slower, and the hatches last longer into the evening. If you are fishing dry flies, this is where you want to be when the sulphurs or drakes begin. The pools above the bridge hold larger fish, but they are spooky and require long, delicate casts.
Avoid the water immediately below Grayling. The traffic is heavy, and the fish are pressured. If you want solitude and less competition, drive upstream to Stephan Bridge or beyond.
The Practical Read
This is classic AuSable fishing. The flows are right, the hatches are building, and the trout are feeding with confidence. The rain tonight will not disrupt the fishing, but it will change the clarity and the feeding behavior for a day. If you can fish this evening before the storms arrive, do so. The window between six and eight will be the best of the week.
Bring a headlamp if you plan to stay for the brown drakes. The hatch occurs in near darkness, and you will need light to tie on flies and release fish. Wade carefully. The rocks are slick, and the current is stronger than it appears.
For live hourly conditions, detailed hatch charts, and access to the full Michigan trout water network, visit michigantroutreport.com. The site updates throughout the day and covers rivers across the northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula.