Chris Izworski, reporting from Michigan on the current state of the Pine River this Saturday morning in the heart of the summer dry fly season. The gauge at 04124500 reads 55 cubic feet per second, height at 2.9 feet. These are strong numbers for late June, holding above the typical summer baseline and well within the ideal window for wading. The river remains clear and accessible, though scattered showers and thunderstorms are forecast for this afternoon with temperatures reaching 69 degrees. Tonight drops to 48, which will keep things cool enough for evening surface activity if the weather clears.
The Pine in Lake County is Wild and Scenic designation water, a designation it has earned through the character of its flow and the wildness of the browns that hold in its pocket water and undercut banks. This is not a river of long, slow pools. It moves through sand and gravel with purpose, offering short lies and quick decisions. The fish are not large by Au Sable standards, but they are purely wild, and they behave accordingly. Spooky, selective when feeding, opportunistic when not.
What Is Emerging Now
Sulphurs have largely passed through their densest emergence, but stragglers persist in the mid-morning and late afternoon windows, particularly in slower runs above the bridge crossings. You will see sporadic mayflies lifting from 10:30 through noon, enough to draw up a few fish but not enough to create a blanket hatch. A Sulphur Comparadun in size 16 will cover these moments. The brown drake emergence, which began in earnest two weeks ago, continues sporadically in the evening. Drakes lift best in the hour before full dark, particularly along the slower bends downstream of Elm Flats. An extended-body brown drake dry in size 10, fished with patience and a long tippet, remains the correct choice when you see wings on the water.
Isonychia nymphs are active now in the faster pocket water, and the duns will begin showing in earnest as we push deeper into the month. These are large, slate-gray mayflies that hatch in midday and again in early evening. The Pine’s pocket structure suits them well. A size 12 Slate Drake or Iso Comparadun is worth carrying, particularly if you fish the broken water upstream of the M-37 access.
Where to Go
The upper reaches near the Lincoln Bridge access offer classic Pine character: tight corridors, overhanging tag alders, and fish that hold tight to structure. This is technical water. You will need roll casts and short drifts. The mid-river stretches near Elm Flats open slightly, providing room for longer presentations and better visibility during hatch windows. Downstream toward the confluence zones, the river widens and slows, which concentrates the evening drake activity. All three zones are fishable at 55 cfs. The clarity is excellent, so adjust your approach accordingly. Long leaders, fine tippet, careful wading.
If the afternoon storms materialize as forecast, plan your window for early morning or wait until evening when the skies settle. Wild browns on the Pine do not feed aggressively during unstable weather, and the added turbidity from a hard rain will muddy the water temporarily. Sunday looks cleaner: partly sunny, 74 degrees, light wind. That will be the better day if you can choose between the two.
The Practical Read
The Pine does not fish like tailwater systems or spring creeks. It demands low visibility, precise casts, and an understanding that the fish are not stacked in predictable lies. You work for them. A morning here might yield three or four solid browns, all between eight and twelve inches, all earned through close observation and careful presentation. That is the nature of wild trout water in the northern Lower Peninsula, and that is what makes it worthwhile.
Carry a mix of dry flies: Sulphur Comparaduns in 16 and 18, brown drake patterns in 10, an Isonychia dry in 12, and a few Elk Hair Caddis in 14 for generalist coverage. A box of nymphs is useful for the midday lulls: Pheasant Tails, Hare’s Ears, small stonefly imitations. The Pine is not a nymphing river in the way that larger systems are, but when the surface goes quiet, a weighted nymph swung through the pocket water will produce.
For live conditions, additional gauge data, and access to the full reporting network across Michigan trout water, visit michigantroutreport.com. The site updates regularly and provides the most current read on flow, hatch timing, and regional patterns as they develop through the season.