Well… I’m just gonna start off with WOW, what a great season! Lots of great clients, lots of great group trips and a whole lotta fun… I had a couple of unplanned days off due to cancellations as did some others, but for the most part the BBT crew got going early and kept going late on a solid block of spring trips that are mostly re-booked for next year already. We can’t thank you all enough for sure!
BBT’s annual spring river cleanup has been scheduled for Saturday, May 6th if you can find the time to join us! As always, we will provide the car spots for those that need it, garbage bags and an appreciation dinner afterwards if you can stick around for it. Please let the shop know if you plan to attend and how many in your party. This is helpful for the dinner planning purposes, but last-minute additions are always welcome, and we hope you can help us to help keep the river pristine… Current shop hours are 7am to 6pm daily. (231) 745-3529
We do have a guide or guides available most days from here on out. I’m personally taking a little break right now thru the trout opener but do have dates open after that and for much of the summer. (Having been gone to Alaska all summer the past 12 years I’ve now got to rebuild that clientele…) Really looking forward to the summers back home now and trout fishing on the home water. Streamer fishing, summer nights, drakes, hexes, mousing, etc, can’t wait! (Don’t forget, we offer spin trips also!)
For all intents and purposes the transition is officially here. With the exception of a few Steelhead here and there as always right into May the bulk of the Steelhead have done their thing and are now gone. Trips from here on out are for trout with the “possibility of” the occasional Steelhead in the mix for a little while.
I haven’t had a straight trout trip yet myself, but a few friends and fellow guides have with some pretty impressive results on Streamers some days. The trout are fat and happy for the most part and it’s shaping up to be a great summer. We have seen a few fish rising on some of the warmer days already on stoneflies and bwos, look for hennys and caddis in the mix very soon and hopefully some sulphers in the not-too-distant future also.
Check out our emergence schedule here at this link for a full list of hatches, but a quick stop at the shop (We are loaded up with flies and cool gear!) or a phone call is recommended to ensure a hatch is on or not. Weather and/or conditions do effect hatch timing…
It looks as though we do have some rain in the forecast this week, but the water is currently in great shape and I don’t expect to get enough to do much to it before the opener. (Although a little more height and color wouldn’t hurt my feelings.) I’ll be spending most of this week organizing trout flies and gear for the summer at home, but I’m sure I’ll find a little time to wet a line with a friend or two as well.
As always, if anything major changes we will try to let you know either by report here or on our Facebook & Instagram accounts. I’m gonna sign off here now and get busy with a few things. Hope to see you all soon!
-Steve-
