Freestone · Sand Gravel · Michigan

Au Sable River

Aerial view of the Au Sable River winding through forested banks in autumn, Michigan
Marginal · Brown Trout
Foam Beetle · 14-18
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.05 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp18.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Foam Beetle
Foam Beetle14-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.05 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp18.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather20°C
WindNW 19 km/h
Pressure1012 hPa
Rain · recent2.7 mm
Rain · ahead3.9 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
18.3°Cideal 1016°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 18.3°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Quill GordonHatch
2
2
Blue QuillHatch
2
3
2
HendricksonHatch
2
2
Eastern March BrownHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Local fly shops: Gates Au Sable Lodge
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Michigan licence
  • The upper Holy Water is flies-only, no-kill — verify MI DNR rules by reach
  • Lower-river runs are an introduced, harvestable sport fishery.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here at 18.3°C. Nothing cooler within range.
Gallery · 2
  1. Aerial view of the Au Sable River winding through forested banks in autumn, Michigan
    The Au Sable River bends through autumn forest at High Banks Overlook, Michigan
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 38 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature51 × 28%14.3
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity64 × 12%7.7
Conditions total= 68
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Related guides
Booking & contacts