Fly Fishing on the Boardman River Michigan This includes a Boardman River fishing report.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Freestone
Species
Brown Trout
Brook Trout
Steelhead
Salmon
(Wild trout, wild and hatchery raised
steelhead and salmon)
Size
Small
LocationNorthwestern Michigan
Nearest Towns
Traverse City
Season
Varies depending on species. See
current regulations Some sections
open year-round
Special Regulations
Yes, see current special regulations
Access:
Poor to Fair
Non-Resident License
State of Michigan
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 & 12 ft., 5 or 6X, Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Superb Five or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
Copyright 2013 James Marsh
Boardman River, Michigan – Fly Fishing Report – April 26, 2024
The river is still in good shape flowing near a normal level and clear. Good hatches are taking place. Steelhead fishing is done for the season but trout fishing is very good.
Stream Conditions: Rate: 116 Height: 3.26 ft
Afternoon Water Temperature: 53
Clarity: clear
USGS Real-Time Stream Flow Data abv Brown Bridge Road
7 Day Weather Forecast: (click the link below for more detailed weather information)
Brown Sculpin and White Belly Sculpin and Articulated streamers, size 6/4
Black Matuka and Olive Matuka Sculpin, size 4/6
Blue-winged Olives: size 16, nymphs, emergers, duns, spinners
Quill Gordons: 12/14, nymphs, emerging duns, duns, spinners
Blue Quills: 18nymphs, emergers, duns, spinners
Little Black Caddis: 18, pupa, adults
Little Brown Stoneflies: 12, nymphs, adults
Green Sedge Caddis, size 16/14, larva, pupa and adults
Hendricksons/Red Quills: 12/14, nymphs, emergers, duns and spinners
Fly Fishing Guide to the Boardman River: The Boardman River has a variety of fish from small brook trout to larger brown, steelhead and salmon. Fishing depends first and foremost on what you are pursuing. The upper headwaters of the Boardman River is a pleasant place to fish in a small stream habitat. It probably only averages twenty to twenty five feet wide. Both its North and South branches also provide good fishing. The area they merge to form the main stream is called the “Forks”. There are several places you can access the upper portion of the river. Brown Bridge Road runs fairly near most of the upper section from the Forks to Brown Bridge Pond. It can be accessed at the Forks, Trail Camp, Shecks Place and at points along the Brown Bridge Road. This part consist mostly of shallow water flowing over a gravel bottom with lots of deadfalls. Below Brown Bridge Pond, the river flows a little faster down to Keystone Pond and below that, Sabin Pond. There are some larger fish in this area than they are in the upper part. Deeper pools along the way provide holding places for the larger brown trout. Much of it flows through private property. Access in this section of the river is very limited. Below Sabin Dam the water is open all the way to Traverse Bay for Salmon and Steelhead migrations. This section of the river can get quite warm in the summer. It holds only a few trout. A fish weir is placed in the stream during certain times that prevents the salmon from moving upstream. This allows eggs to be taken for hatchery use. Some move upstream before it is placed and therefore some are in the river during the spawning time. The water flows slowly into Boardman Lake. Below the lake, there is another dam and a fish ladder, creating another section in the river before it reaches the Bay. Steelhead can be caught in this section which is actually in Traverse City, during late fall, winter and early spring. The steelhead move into the river to spawn around the middle of March. They can be caught until the first of May. These fish return to the lake after the spawn. They enter the river again during the fall and can be taken on salmon eggs, large nymphs and streamers. The river is full of spawning salmon at this time of the year.
Boardman River Hatches and Trout Flies: Our information on aquatic insects is based on our stream samples of larvae and nymphs, not guess work. We base fly suggestions on imitating the most plentiful and most available insects and other foods at the particular time you are fishing. Unlike the generic fly shop trout flies, we have specific imitations of all the insects in the Boardman River and in all stages of life that are applicable to fishing. If you want to fish better, more realistic trout flies, have a much higher degree of success, give us a call. We not only will help you with selections, you will learn why, after trying Perfect Flies, 92% of the thousands of our customers will use nothing else. 1-800-594-4726.
The most important insect that hatches on the Boardman River is the Blue-winged Olives. There’s more than one species and some of them are bi-brooded. The first hatch usually occurs around the first of April and last until about the middle of May. There is a hatch from the last week of May through the month of July. About the end of August they will hatch again. This last hatch usually ends by the first of October. Hendrickson hatch usually starts about the middle of April. This hatch last for about a month. Blue Quills (called Mahogany Duns locally) will start to hatch about the middle of May. It usually last about six weeks. American March Browns start to hatch about the middle of May. It last for about a month. By the middle of May, you may also find some Sulphurs starting to hatch. This hatch can last to the middle of June. Brown Drakes start hatching about the first of June and last for about three weeks. The middle of June you should find some Gray Drakes hatching. They can last up to a month. About the second week of June and lasting until the middle of July, the Great Olive Wing Dun, or what locals sometimes call the Hex hatch or sometimes Michigan Caddis hatch takes place. The Slate Drake hatch last about two months, or from around the middle of June until the middle of August. In the faster water sections, you will find some Light Cahills. They hatch starting the first of June until August 15th. Caddisflies are also very plentiful on the Boardman River. There are many species but the most important are species of the Cinnamon Caddis. They start about the first of June and can last all the way until the end of August. Green Sedges start around the first of June also. This hatch usually last about six weeks. There is more than one species of them. Remember, their larva, or the Green Rock Worms, are around all year exposed to the trout. Imitations of them work just about anytime. The first hatch of caddisflies is usually the Little Black Caddis. They will start about the middle of April and last for around three weeks. There’s some Great Autumn Brown Caddisflies that hatch starting near the end of August. They hatch at night and usually last for about a month. The Boardman River also has some stoneflies. From about March 15th until May 15th, early black or Little Winter Stoneflies hatch. Of course these are usually found in the faster sections of the streams. Yellow Sallies (Little Yellow stoneflies) are probably the most plentiful of them. They start hatching around the middle of May and last until the middle of July. Terrestrial insects can be important during the summer months. Ants are plentiful around the stream from about the end of June all the way to mid October. The flying ants are usually found from about the middle of August to the middle of September. Imitations of beetles and grasshoppers will produce trout during the months of July, August and September. Midges are around year-round and imitations of their larvae, pupae and the adults will produce most anytime but the most important times are during cold weather when few other insects are hatching. Streamers are very popular flies on the Boardman River. Imitations of sculpin, baitfish, leeches all produce. They are very good flies for catching the larger brown trout, especially in low light and dingy water conditions. Streamers also work great for the Steelhead. At “Perfect Fly,” we have specific imitations of everything that hatches on the Boardman River. If you haven’t already done so, please give our flies try. We feel confident you will be glad you did. They are not only are the most realistic flies you can buy, they are the most effective at catching trout. Make sure you check the Boardman River fishing report above. It tells you what is hatching at the time.
Steelhead Flies: You may want to have a large selection of small egg flies in natural colors such as gold, orange, Oregon cheese, peach, and cream in hook sizes #8 and 10’s. Our “Perfect Fly” Giant Black Stonefly Nymphs in hook sizes 6 also work well. Our “Perfect Fly” Hex (Great Olive Winged Drake) nymphs in a hook size #6 also work great. So do our Green Caddis larvae imitations or Green Rock Worms in a hook size 12.