Summertime Small Spring Creeks- Michigan's Under Explored Mecca

                              ( A tiny small Michigan spring creek minutes away from our lodge that was running 49-52F , despite air temps in the 90's and heat index near 100. They are loaded with wild browns, brookies and rainbows that love to eat tricos, midges, caddis and terrestrials all day!- way under utilized and under explored )

It's amazing how many think you you have to be in a boat to explore Michigan's wild trout treasures. As a guide that lives in his boat, I too become lethargic and lazy and rely too much just on boats. Sure they are amazing and everyone should own a StealthCraft ( I am very particular to StealthCraft built in Michigan and their amazing showroom/arsenal of every trout/salmon/steelhead/warm water boating options...visit their web site to see it: https://www.stealthcraftboats.com/

But!.., we have to get in touch with the thousands of miles of blue ribbon wild trout/ small spring creek waters our magnificent state has.Our Baltic corridor-like wooded debris and sandy soil spring creeks collect water and hold it like the chalk downs of England and limestone country of PA/VA/WI/MN. The wild and wild-strain stocked browns , brookies and rainbows they have in them year-round, on a pounds per hectare basis is truly amazing and most don't know these streams exist in every part of our state- from Detroit to the Gold Coast of western Michigan, to the hallowed northern waters, to the upper peninsula . 

                                ( watercress, chara, elodea, duck wort and extreme clarity -plus very cold water temps in the dead heat of summer, give you an indicator of their existence- keep in mind many are tributaries and spring creek feeders to more famous rivers)
Given the fact they have lots of wood, versus the often wide-open, less cover pasture streams, make them so much more habitat friendly to groom larger wild trout.Plus they are often closed to fishing over 6 months (September 30th closures) of the year to protect spawning habitat, you thus have extreme natural reproduction and year class development. The extreme clarity of the water and very cold temps they produce year-round- (48-58F even in the sweltering heat of the 90's/100's we've had all spring and summer!), they are truly amazing micro-regional ecosystems we very much take for granted, 

( within 15 minutes from our lodge we have 4 ice cold spring creeks that have wilds feeding all summer in the extreme heat. Yes you have to get out of the car, walk and hoof-it through the woods, get amazing exercise and sweat -off  the pounds, which we all need to do!- but are well worth it!))

When many river temps are and were pushing into the mid-upper 70F range, that is the time we need to love these little spring creek gems where the trout are happy and cozy and feed all day in the ice-cold temps.
In a way, we are so extremely over endowed in Michigan with all the choices-Big rivers/medium ones/tailwaters etc. and these little gems I'm focusing on. They give us a chance to strap on our Patagonia backpacks, put our bug spray on and trek into the woods and national forests like I did when I was a little boy exploring the small streams of the Allegheny National Forest in my boyhood homestead of NY/PA.

 

( these are the #groundzero spring creeks where the first German browns came to the western hemisphere back in 1883- the bottom brown from yesterday had 82 red single/double/triple/quad red spot alleles on just one side!- truly amazing!)

Armed with light two/.three weights and making super tactful presentation approaches with side-arm casts, slow stalking etc. small spring creeks are pure hunting and brings us in full touch with nature in the most intimate setting.I often see black bear, cougars, bald eagles, fox, wild turkey, ...the wildlife list goes on- plus all the wild edible foraging opportunities!- mushrooms of August are coming:red chantrelles, boletus, oyster mushrooms etc.

Right now, mornings are filled with trico and midge hathces, with flying ants and BWO'S soon to start. Caddis are always around. But the true gems of these waters are the terrestrials:ants, beetles, hoppers etc. When thunderstorm's muddy the water, its time to hunt the lunker structure with sculpins and game changers.

   Keep in mind these creeks are wild and fragile- so despite your best laid intentions, the dense wooded debris protects them and makes them trout country forever! Get out and explore them!- the adventure and chase was the excitement that brought us to the passion we once had as little kids-time to become kids again! 
Enjoy!- na zdrowie!, Matt

Posted in: Brown Atlantic Nexus , gray drake lodge , Matthew Supinski new books , Michigan brown trout , michigan fly fishing , Selectivity book , spring creeks