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Boardman-Charlevoix weekend fly fishing trip
102 waters in the Boardman-Charlevoix watershed, Michigan, have a page here, the largest of them Intermediate River, Jordan River and Boardman River. May, June and July carry the most recorded hatches, 19 insects in May, 26 insects in June and 24 insects in July. In range: 8 blocks of public land with a page of their own, 8 state-forest campgrounds and 8 fly shops. Everything below is measured or published — no ranking on this page is ours.
The water
Ordered by mapped length. July mean is measured at the USGS gauges standing in each river; a dash means no gauge on it reports temperature.
A 3-day plan
Intermediate River
No site in the state's access file falls within twelve miles of this water's centre, so the way in is public ground and road crossings.
Jordan River
No site in the state's access file falls within twelve miles of this water's centre, so the way in is public ground and road crossings.
Boardman River
Nearest listed access: Shumsky Road (canoe launch), 4.1 mi, or Spider Lake (boat launch), 5.3 mi.
Assembled, not written: the days are the largest waters in range, longest first, and each one carries the nearest site in Michigan's own access file — measured from the middle of the water, so it is a place to start looking rather than a landing on that river. Fish them in whatever order the weather gives you.
Hatches to hit
The months with the most recorded hatches in northern lower Michigan: May (19), June (26), July (24).
| Insect | Months | Hook |
|---|---|---|
| Fish Eggs | October–January and April | #10–16 |
| Little Black Stonefly | January–April | #16–18 |
| Little Brown Stonefly | February–April | #12–16 |
| Blue-Winged Olive | March–May and September–November | #16–22 |
| Blackfly | April–June | #18–22 |
| Blue Quill | April–May | #16–18 |
| Cranefly | April–June and September–October | #6–10 |
| Grannom | April–May | #14–16 |
| Green Rock Worm / Green Weenie | April–June and September–October | #10–14 |
| Hendrickson | April–May | #12–14 |
| Little Black Caddis | April–May | #16–20 |
| Alderfly | May–June | #10–14 |
| Caterpillar | May–September | #8–14 |
| Crayfish | May–October | #4–8 |
Recorded from northern lower Michigan, earliest first. The year-round records sit at the bottom because they are true and they are not news.
Public land in range
- Petobego State Game Area — 4.9 mi
- Yuba Creek Natural Area — 7.6 mi
- Grass River Natural Area — 7.9 mi
- Skegemog Lake State Wildlife Management Area — 7.9 mi
- Skegemog Lake Wildlife Area — 8.0 mi
- Traverse City State Forest Area: Seven Bridges — 10.6 mi
- Sand Lakes Quiet Area — 13.6 mi
- Brown Bridge Quiet Area — 18.3 mi
Blocks of ground with a page of their own, nearest first. Ownership from PAD-US as Michigan publishes it.
Camping and lodging
| Campground | Distance | Operator |
|---|---|---|
| Guernsey Lake State Forest Campground (fee) | 13.4 mi | MDNR |
| Traverse City-Lodge (fee) | 13.8 mi | MDNR |
| Traverse City-Modern Campground (fee) | 13.8 mi | MDNR |
| Traverse City-Group Use Area (fee) | 13.9 mi | MDNR |
| Traverse City-Mini Cabins (fee) | 13.9 mi | MDNR |
| Rapid River Trail Camp (fee) | 14.0 mi | MDNR |
| Forks State Forest Campground (fee) | 16.1 mi | MDNR |
| Arbutus Lake State Forest Campground (fee) | 17.2 mi | MDNR |
State-forest and state-park campgrounds from Michigan's own file. This site holds no hotel or motel data and does not pretend to: what it can tell you is where the public ground is.
Fly shops
- Hawkins Outfitters — 15.2 mi, Traverse City
- Streamside Orvis — 15.3 mi, Traverse City
- The Northern Angler — 15.6 mi, Traverse City
- North Shore Outfitters — 19.1 mi, Northport
- Old AuSable Fly Shop — 36.8 mi, Grayling
- The Fly Factory — 36.9 mi, Grayling
- Bearcub Outfitters — 38.4 mi
- The Outfitter — 40.9 mi
From OpenStreetMap and a curated list, across all five states on this site. Call before you drive — a shop in a file is not a shop that is open.
Before you go
- Michigan regulations
- Michigan fishing report
- Boardman-Charlevoix watershed
- Intermediate River
- Jordan River
- Boardman River
- North Branch Boardman River
- Torch River
- Bear River