The lower AuSable river is one of the best opportunities in the United States to catch Atlantic Salmon. The State of Michigan has been stocking the AuSable river for over 12 years.The last few years this fishery has really been taking off. Once the run gets going it’s not uncommon to hock 4 to 10 fish in a day some days even more. For Atlantic Salmon Fishing, that’s an outstanding day!
What makes these fish even more special is the way we fish for them. It’s rare that we ever get out the nymphing rods. Atlantics like to chase different streamer patterns. They can be a very aggressive fish. With the crystal clear water of the beautiful AuSable River this can make for some fantastic visual eats.
All of the fishing we do will be out of a 20 foot jet boat. This boat is a nice size for those that like to use a spey rod. It’s nice to have the extra room on the bigger boat. These Great Lake Atlantic Salmon love to bite on the swing. For those that prefer to stick with a single handed rod, they also work great.
Atlantics like to sit in log jams so traditional streamer methods of rowing down the river and casting streamers from the boat can get the job done similar to what you would do throwing streamers for brown trout from a moving boat. The season for Atlantic salmon typically starts around late September with the peak of run in mid November. Don’t worry if you can’t make it in the late fall, because it’s typical to get a good number of fish staying in the river through spring.
The Lower AuSable gets a good run of Steelhead. The typical spring run of Steelhead starts a little later than most of the Michigan rivers. The peak spring run most of the year is the first weak of May are later. The benefit to the later start is that they run longer too. I have found Steelhead in the river when I’m chasing Smallmouth Bass in June.
My favorite time to chase Steelhead is the fall run, when they are coming up the river following the Atlantic and King Salmon. This species typically follow the salmon to eat their eggs as they spawn. It’s not uncommon to fish a hole for Atlantics and end up with a beautiful Steelhead on a well swung fly. Some Steelhead will stay in the river all winter but the peak fall run normally runs November thru December.
