Michigan Fly Patterns That Work

Michigan is home to a large variety of freshwater game fish. Thousands of fly patterns work in Michigan waters when an angler makes an effective presentation. Michigan fly patterns are tied to imitate the local insects and baitfish that trout, pike, bass, salmon and steelhead use as a food source. Attractor flies are also used to entice strikes from fish that are not feeding on a particular food source.

  1. Insects

    • Michigan waters are home to the typical mayfly, stonefly, caddis, midge and terrestrial insect categories. General flies to imitate the mayfly nymph stages include the hare's ear, pheasant tail, micro may and sparkle baetis. Large pheasant tail nymphs and 20 inchers are also effective for imitating the stonefly nymph. A Czech nymph successfully imitates the caddis larva; a sparkle pupa, the pupa stage. Midges in Michigan are not a major food source, but trout do respond to midge larva in lakes and rivers when other food sources are not available. Michigan waters contain strong populations of mayflies, and a parachute adams in yellow, cream, gray and green will imitate the callibaetis, sulphers, cahills and drakes. An elk-hair caddis in brown, tan or black is also effective for trout during the summer months, and a yellow or tan body stimulator works well for stonefly adults during the spring. General grasshopper and dry flies are also effective for trout and bass throughout the summer in Michigan. The insects are present in all of the fishing rivers in Michigan with strong hatches throughout the year on the Pere Marquette, Au Sable and Manitee rivers.

    Baitfish

    • Baitfish in Michigan are a major food source for trout, salmon, steelhead, bass, pike and walleye. Numerous different types of baitfish are available, with the emerald shiner being among the most popular. All of the baitfish can be successfully imitated with general patterns that have a thin profile and a small amount of flash to imitate the reflective shine of lateral lines. The Clouser minnow is an effective pattern on the rivers and lakes of Michigan and it is especially useful for targeting steelhead and salmon at the river mouths on Lake Michigan. In addition to the Clouser minnow, the black ghost, woolly bugger and black-nosed dace are all effective as general baitfish imitations.

    Attractors

    • Attractors do not imitate any particular food source for fish in Michigan, but the flies remain effective. The royal wulff, PMX and trude are all effective dry flies for trout on Michigan rivers and lakes. The prince nymph, bird's nest and copper john are also effective as general trout and bass nymphs. Streamers will imitate the motions of baitfish, but many of the designs do not reflect an existing species. Bunny leeches are simple and effective streamers for all of the game fish species in Michigan.

    Steelhead and Salmon Flies

    • Steelhead and salmon flies are general patterns designed to attract the attention of the fish by fly anglers. The flies are effective in Lake Michigan, but they are more commonly used to target spawning runs in the river systems. The jumbo john is a large nymph with a pink bead that imitates an egg. The fly is obnoxious and is effective when dead drifted through schools of salmon and steelhead. Soft eggs are also effectively fished on a dead drift and may be used in tandem with a jumbo john. Spey flies tied with marabou and flash are effective because they are large and create ample motion. The exact pattern is not important, but the angler must adjust the color and the depth until fish begin to respond. Black, purple, orange and red are all common choices for salmon and steelhead in Michigan.