It's hard to believe another winter has passed and opening day is upon us. Seemed like a short winter — maybe it was the lack of heavy snow.

The Au Sable River is in fine shape for the opener.  Good dry fly choices for tomorrow are the perennial hendricksons, and also olives.  Streamers will be a good choice as well if it's overcast and rainy as predicted, which seems to be the standard opener weather the last few years.

The steelhead are pretty much gone from the Rifle River, in case anyone is interested.  They're usually there through April, but the warm weather led to an early run.

The shop will be open today and at 7:30 am tomorrow, and we'll have donuts and hot coffee.  Hope to see you even if you don't need anything.

Here's to another great season!

Rusty Gates, owner of Gates Au Sable Lodge in Grayling and President of Anglers of the Au Sable, passed away on December 19 at the too-young age of 54.  Except for possibly George Mason, it is doubtful that there has ever been anyone who devoted as much time, energy and vision to protecting and preserving our wonderful Au Sable River, and probably no one in the midwest who promoted fly fishing as well and as long as he did.  He will definitely be missed by everyone who loves this river.

Anyone who wants to make a memorial donation can visit www.gateslodge.com or www.ausableanglers.org .

The next week or so, if not sooner, should bring one of the most productive hatches to the Trophy Waters:  epherons, also known as White Flies.  This hatch will last for several weeks and will bring a lot of trout to the surface.  We have a good selection of every stage of this fly.  There are still light Cahills coming off, and hoppers and other terrestrials are good selections.  With warmer termperatures expected next week, look for a lot of bugs.  There are still isonychias, and for the last couple of weeks orange stimulators and stonefly patterns have produced good results.

Stop in for an update, as the action can change frequently this time of year.

We are still getting questions about hex flies, but that train has pretty much left the station.  There could be a flare-up or two with the warmer weather, but heading out in search of hex is probably a fool's errand at this point (although, of course, it doesn't hurt to have a few in your fly box).

A better choice would be the ever-present isonychia, light cahills, olives, and stoneflies.  A Michigan skunk will be a good choice also, as the temperatures rise.  For nymph action, try a zug bug or prince nymph. 

As always, be mindful of the water temperatures.  Extreme caution should be exercised with our Trophy Water fish when the water temperature exceeds seventy. 

There have been a few hex sightings in the lower Au Sable and a few on Mio Pond, but for the most part the big hatch has not happened yet.  It could happen any day, though.  Call the shop for more timely updates or check this site.

It's now officially my favorite time of year when it comes to bug hatches.  Both brown drakes and isonychias have made their appearance on the river, and the fish are happily feeding on them.  The drakes will be most active in the evening, as will the isos.  Duns and spinners will get the best results, but it will be worth trying the emergers earlier in the day as well.

Another good fly to use right now is the Roberts Yellow Drake.  It's not exactly a brown drake or iso, but it seems to get good results during these hatches.

The river is in good shape right now with decent water levels and good temperatures for trout, and the canoeing pressure on Saturdays has not peaked yet.  If you're thinking about fishing the Au Sable or taking a guided trip, there isn't a better time than right now. 

As we head into the Memorial Day weekend, conditions on the Trophy Waters look very nice.  The water level is within the normal range, and water temperatures are ideal.  Dark Hendricksons are pretty well done, although there are still light Hendrickson spinner falls.  Last night the fish were looking for sulphurs, and it should stay that way for at least a week or two.  Other good fly choices are mahoganies and Borchers Specials.  For nymph fishing, stick with hares ears and pheasant tails, with the occasional prince nymph.

Don't forget to remember our fallen troops on Monday.  It's easy to forget what this holiday is supposed to be all about.

Hendricksons have been coming off steadily for about a week now and are producing good fish.  Our guide Dennis went out the other day and pulled in about 20 fish, all on Hennies. 

The water level is a little high but the Trophy Waters are very fishable right now.  Don't miss the Henny hatch, it's maybe the most fun you'll have on the stream all season.

Opening weekend was a little wet, but we've come almost come to expect that the last few years.  The rain took the water levels up, so most opening weekend folks were using nymphs and streamers, and quite a few of them caught nice fish.  Dry fly action is still a little slow, but look for the hennies and olives to reappear, then the fish should start looking up.  Black and tan caddis is also evident, as are black stoneflies.  This weekend looks to be cool but fairly dry, so there should be more bugs. 

I'm getting calls from a few people asking if we're renting drift boats again.  The answer is yes … for now.  You may recall that I stopped renting them last year after several unpleasant incidents, but I've relented, at least for now.  However, if anyone's interested, one of the drift boats is for sale for $2,500, which is a very good deal for a boat that's still in fine shape.  Call the shop at 989-826-3411 for details.