October is a great month for those that enjoy the outdoors and fly fishing on the Au Sable River! I have spent the last 7 weeks guiding for King Salmon on the Betsie River. Now I’m back full time on the Au Sable. Atlantic Salmon have started in the lower river now! Numbers are low but its not hard to find them throughout the section from Foote Dam to the mouth. Water temps are still very warm at 65 degrees and the bite has not been very good the last couple days. There has been a few caught and some beautiful fresh fish. This one was caught right below Foote a couple days ago and was 11 lbs.
Our weather is changing now and more rain today with much colder temps. Even frost warns for the weekend. Think your going to see the bite greatly improve next week and number will keep building. For those that like swing flies and strip streamers it’s the prefect place. The past 2 days we have also been stripping streamers and hunting for Big Browns in the Big Waters of the Au Sable. All of the heavy rains that were forecasted missed us and made for very enjoyable days on the water. Browns are starting to get on there pre spawn bite and looking for big food.
This time of year its streamers that are producing these nice Browns. The last two days streamers in 4″ size were most productive – Slop Mop, Woolhead Sculpin and Great Lakes Deceivers.
With the water temps still being up in th 60’s in the lower river Smallies have been very active. Hard to beat a Sparkle Minnow, Mud Puppet or a Shad pattern. For some big Smallie best look down near Lake Huron in waters around Oscoda and by the piers.