BirdTrout
North Branch Flies-Only — North Branch Au Sable River, Michigan
Also called Sheep Ranch water, North Branch flies only.
52 NHD reaches, 37.0 miles of drawn channel — side channels and braids included, so more than the distance downriver. Nearest reporting gauge 8.6 miles away.
Open in BirdTrout
The line is the water this name refers to, drawn from the NHD reaches it resolves to; the
dots are the nearest gauges reporting water temperature, coloured by what they read now.
MDNR runs no boating access site at the Sheep Ranch, so the map draws the whole named North Branch. The flies-only water is the part below the Sheep Ranch access, about half a mile north of the Twin Bridge Road crossing.
What it is
The North Branch below the Sheep Ranch access, through Lovells and down to the mainstem confluence — slick pools, spring seeps and a wild brook trout population that has never needed stocking.
Artificial flies only from Sheep Ranch downstream to the confluence with the mainstream. Possession season last Saturday in April to September 30; two trout, 10-inch minimum, no more than one 18 inches or greater.
Where it is
This name covers a stretch whose boundaries are posted on the ground rather than held in any file this site reads, so the map draws the named stream and the boundaries are described in words above rather than guessed at with a line.
No access site in this state's file falls within 3 miles of the mapped reach.
Regulations on this stretch
Artificial flies only from Sheep Ranch downstream to the confluence with the mainstream. Possession season last Saturday in April to September 30; two trout, 10-inch minimum, no more than one 18 inches or greater.
Rules change every year and the posted signs are the authority, not this page. Check the current Michigan regulations before you fish. Where this stretch sits inside a larger river, that river's general regulations apply everywhere this stretch's do not.
Best times
Cool through summer on spring input; Hendrickson and sulphur hatches, and a Hex hatch a week or so behind the mainstem.
Live water temperature
| Gauge | Distance | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Nb Au Sable River At Kelloggs Br Near Lovells, Mi | 8.6 mi | 52.7 °F |
| South Branch Au Sable River Near Luzerne, Mi | 14.3 mi | 52.7 °F |
| Manistee River Near Grayling, Mi | 17.7 mi | 51.8 °F |
Live from USGS — the number above is current rather than whenever the page was written. A gauge miles away is a gauge miles away: the distance column is there so you can discount it.
Fly shops nearby
- Fuller's North Branch Outing Club — 2.4 mi
- Gates Au Sable Lodge — 9.4 mi
- Old AuSable Fly Shop — 14.0 mi
- The Fly Factory — 14.2 mi
- Village Outfitters — 22.0 mi
- Ausable River Outfitters — 22.4 mi
Straight-line distance from the centre of the mapped reach.
Sources for the name
BirdTrout did not name this water. 3 independent sources below use the name, and it ships only because more than one of them does.
- flyshop Old AuSable Fly Shop
- association Au Sable North Branch Area Foundation
- dnr Michigan DNR
The river this is part of
North Branch Au Sable River — live temperature, regulations and access