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Stream via PATREON or CLICK BELOW TO PURCHASE.
DVD: How to Fly Fish with a Spinning Rod
DVD: Trout Streams of the Tetons
DVD: Trout Streams of Michigan, U.P. West
DVD: Trout Streams of North Carolina, West
DVD: Trout Streams of Virginia
DVD: Trout Streams of Southwest Wisconsin, North
Send Email to: CoppersmithStudios@gmail.com
Coppersmith Studios PresentsHere I will be posting videos for trout streams of Michigan that are not in the Western portion of the Upper Penensula. I will be having a bunch of them planned so stay tuned for more updates.
Click below to purchase.
DVD: Trout Streams of Michigan, U.P. West
Blu-Ray: Trout Streams of Michigan UP West (mail order only) - $30.00. Send check to Coppersmith Studios, 3312 Olde Creek Trail, Matthews, NC 28105
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WATCH AU SABLE RIVER Certainly the most well known trout stream in Michigan, this film shows the Au Sable River in the upper section between Grayling and the south branch Au Sable. There is a good amount of public access in this section and the stream is wadable. However, the Au Sable is ideally fished with by canoe and there are a lot of canoe outfitters in the area. While there are still good populations of trout present (mostly brown trout) and they can get large you may find it a challenge to catch them. |
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WATCH MANISTEE RIVER The Manistee River offers about a hundred miles of fishing thru the western portion of Michigan's lower peninsula. Here I spend a day floating down the middle section in search of large rainbow and brown trout. Along the way we stopped to take a look at a small tributary, Ham Creek. |
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WATCH SOUTH BRANCH AU SABLE RIVER The South Branch Au Sable River is another popular, well known trout stream in Michigan. It's a good trout stream for both float fishing as well as wade fishing. It's also a good stream for canoeing in general. The portion shown here is kind of the middle section, just upstream of the well known Mason tract. Regulations allow fly fishing only. The main trout species is the brown trout and they have a good size to them. 20 inch fish are not uncommon. In fact we saw one brown trout that looked to be 24 inches long. The best time to catch those big ones is probably in June and July during the Hex hatch. There are also some brook trout present and those too are of good size and can reach up to 13 inches. Abundant springs help keep the water cool and produce a favorable environment for the trout. |
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WATCH AU TRANE RIVER This portion of the Au Train River flows from Cleaveland Cliff Basin to Au Trane Lake. There is a parking area to see the falls overlook and from there you can fish your way downstream for a few miles. Most of the water is diverted around the falls to a power station. This is mostly a brown trout stream with both wild and stocked yearling sized fish present. Most brown trout will be in the 10 to 15 inch range with some over 20 inches caught periodically. There are some wild brook trout present and these will be in the 7 to 10 inch range. There is also access to the river from a road crossing downstream. |
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WATCH BIG MURPHY CREEK Big Murphy Creek is a trout stream and tributary to the Indian River in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It is formed by the joining of 2 major tributaries Bear Creek and Carr Creek which also hold trout. It flows thru the Hiawatha National forest and is crossed by 2 bridges providing abundant public access. The stream is shallow, sandy and relatively slow. Due to the slow current a lot of trees accumulate in the stream corridor. Dry flies are a good choice as they are less likely to get snagged. Brook trout are the main trout species present. Some habitat improvement structures were created by the Superior Watershed Partnership Great Lakes Conservation Corps. |
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WATCH BISCUIT CREEK Biscuit Creek flows thru the Hiawatha National Forest in the Eastern portion of Michigan's upper peninsula. The main fish species here is the brook trout and they average up to 10 inches in size. When I fished it in mid-May there were still some steelhead present that had swum up from Lake Huron. Perhaps they had trouble getting over a beaver dam. |
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WATCH THE DELIRIUM WILDERNESS The Delirium Wilderness is an 11,870 acre tract of land set aside for wilderness preservation. The main stream flowing thru it is the West Branch Waiska River. According to my maps there was a trail leading to the stream but it has since been overgrown. Bushwaking in this area is notoriously difficult. Getting lost is easy and always look out for quicksand. The stream is buffered by marsh like terrain that is more suitable for frogs than humans. Despite the difficulties of fishing here this is a really scenic area. It is probably best fished with a canoe. You could access it from a forest road outside of the wilderness and paddle upstream against a slow current. Another stream in the wilderness is Sylvester Creek. According to my map there is a 2 mile trail leading to it but the trail has apparently not been maintained and is no longer useable. |
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WATCH EAST BRANCH TAQUAMENON RIVER The East Branch Taquamenon River is blue ribbon trout stream in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Brook trout averaging 10 to 15 inches are present with some larger. The best fishing occurs several miles above and below Eckerman Park near the Hwy 123 crossing. My own experiences found the stream to be difficult to fish due to excessive brush in the stream corridor. |
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WATCH FISHDAM RIVER The Fishdam River is a trout stream in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Brook trout averaging 8 to 12 inches are the main fish species with a few brown trout and steelhead also present. Compared to other trout streams in the eastern U.P. of similar size it is relatively open and easy to fish. It flows thru Hiawatha National Forest so public access is plentiful. |
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WATCH GRANT CREEK Grant Creek is a small brook trout stream of about 3 miles long in the Eastern portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Located in Chippewa County it flows into the Whitefish Bay of Lake Superior. The Hiawatha National Forest provides public access and a trail makes the access easier. Casting conditions can be difficult and I got snagged a few times. Most of the brook trout will be on the small side but I saw one brookie of about 14 inches. |
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WATCH HAYMEADOW CREEK Haymeadow Creek is a small brook trout stream in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Much of it flows thru the Hiawatha National Forest so public access is reasonably good. It is a brook trout stream with a few steelhead in the lower section. The upper section near the forest service campground has a different quality about it than the lower section which is more typical of U.P. trout streams. |
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WATCH INDIAN RIVER The Indian River flows for 59 miles thru Michigan's Upper Peninsula, much of it in the Hiawatha National Forest, and is a designated wild and scenic river. It is also a popular canoe route and trout stream known for producing large brown trout. The best area is from the confluence with the Little Indian River down to the County Road 449 bridge. The stream is stocked with fingerling brown trout. |
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WATCH LITTLE INDIAN RIVER The Little Indian River is a trout stream flowing thru the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Most of the trout here are brook trout with a few brown present. Most of the brook trout are on the small side but larger size fish are occasionally encountered. The stream is scenic with clean but tanin-stained water, a sandy bottom and lots of woody debris offering good cover for the trout. The many tree branches in the stream makes casting a challenge but one nice feature of this area is the forest is relatively easy to walk thru. |
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WATCH MOSQUITO RIVER The Mosquito River in Michigan's Upper Peninsula is a small tributary to Lake Superior. It offers fishing for brook trout but also has a hiking trail, water falls, a back country campground and gives access to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore area. Chapel Creek, another brook trout stream, is nearby. |
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WATCH PINE RIVER The Pine River is located in Chippewa County in the eastern portion of Michigan's UP. It is the main stream in this area and eventually runs into Lake Huron. It is primarily a brook trout stream but also has runs of steelhead. Some portions of the upper section are brushy and difficult to fish. Some of the forest roads in this area are really sandy and you should have a 4 wheel drive vehicle if you intend to explore around here. |
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WATCH PINE RIVER NORTH BRANCH The North Branch Pine River is located in the Eastern portion of Michigan's upper peninsula and offers fishing for brook trout. It flows thru the Hiawatha National Forest, so you can just park along a nearby forest road, take a hike thru the woods and get to the stream. The North Branch has a lot of branches in it seemingly coming from all directions. Most of the time the stream is too deep to wade but there are some areas that were wadable. |
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WATCH STURGEON RIVER There are several Sturgeon Rivers in the state of Michigan. This Sturgeon River is in the Eastern Upper Peninsula and flows south for 63 miles to the Big Bay de Noc of Lake Michigan. Much of the stream flows thru the Hiawatha National Forest and has a number of access points. Despite this the fishing pressure is usually low. The Sturgeon is large for a trout stream and is a great place to cast a 9' 5wt fly rod. There are brook trout and brown trout throughout most of the stream as well as runs of steelhead and some salmon. During summer the water does get a bit warm and the trout probably seek cooler water in the many smaller tributaries such as Mormon Creek. |
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WATCH STUTTS CREEK Stutts Creek is listed by the MI DNR as having good fishing for brook trout. Plantings of brook trout occur in the middle and north branches of Stutts Creek. In the 1970s the USFS removed some of the tag alder trees on some of the Stutts Creek branches to improve the fishing but that all grew back long ago. The bottom is a firm sand and is usually wadable. My inspection of the Middle Branch Stutts Creek found it to be choked with vegetation and basically unfishable. The South Branch of Stutts Creek was more fishable than the Middle Branch but you would definitely want to bring a short rod. |
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WATCH WHITEFISH RIVER The whitefish watershed consists of an East and West branch as well as the main branch. The West Branch is about 60 miles long and has a number of small spring fed tributaries that add cold water and supplement the natural brook trout population. During the summer the brook trout may seek thermal refuge in the cooler tributaries. The East Branch Whitefish is about 15 miles long and is formed by a number of cold springs and offers good brook trout fishing. While the stream flows primarily thru national forest land there is little road access and few trails, so most of it may be considered as remote. There are logging roads that run near by the East Branch but they are not easy to navigate. Salmon and steelhead migrate up into both of the Whitefish branches from Lake Michigan. The main branch is about 12 miles long and has only a limited amount of resident trout, most of which spend part of their time in a number of high quality tributaries. |
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Created by: Dan Coppersmith 2023| www.CoppersmithStudios.com