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Cheboygan weekend fly fishing trip
9 waters in the Cheboygan watershed, Michigan, have a page here, the largest of them West Branch Sturgeon River, Club Stream and Stewart Creek. 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
| Water | Miles | July mean |
|---|---|---|
| West Branch Sturgeon River | 18.6 | — |
| Club Stream | 11.2 | — |
| Stewart Creek | 6.6 | — |
| Minnehaha Creek | 6.0 | — |
| Mud Creek | 5.2 | — |
| Marl Creek | 4.2 | — |
| Allen Creek | 3.0 | — |
| West Branch Minnehaha Creek | 3.0 | — |
| Blackjack Creek | 2.8 | — |
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
West Branch Sturgeon 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.
Club Stream
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.
Stewart Creek
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.
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
- Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit — 4.4 mi
- MNRTF Parcel 121 — 5.1 mi
- Young State Park — 5.4 mi
- Jordan River Natural Area — 14.9 mi
- Boyd B. Banwell Nature Preserve — 17.4 mi
- Jack and Tucker Harris Working Forest Reserve — 17.6 mi
- Pigeon River Country State Forest — 19.4 mi
- MNRTF Parcel 165 — 22.0 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Weber Lake State Forest Campground (fee) | 6.0 mi | MDNR |
| Haakwood State Forest Campground (fee) | 10.7 mi | MDNR |
| Petoskey-Mini Cabins (fee) | 10.9 mi | MDNR |
| Petoskey-Tannery Creek Modern Campground (fee) | 11.0 mi | MDNR |
| Young-Spruce Modern Campground (fee) | 11.4 mi | MDNR |
| Petoskey-Dunes Modern Campground (fee) | 11.5 mi | MDNR |
| Young-Mini Cabins (fee) | 11.6 mi | MDNR |
| Young-Terrace Modern Campground (fee) | 11.6 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
- Bearcub Outfitters — 10.8 mi
- The Outfitter — 14.8 mi
- KatFisher Bait & Tackle — 29.7 mi, Cheboygan
- Onaway Outfitters — 29.9 mi, Onaway
- Fuller's North Branch Outing Club — 35.0 mi, Lovells
- North Shore Outfitters — 39.6 mi, Northport
- Old AuSable Fly Shop — 41.0 mi, Grayling
- The Fly Factory — 41.3 mi, Grayling
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
- Cheboygan watershed
- West Branch Sturgeon River
- Club Stream
- Stewart Creek
- Minnehaha Creek
- Mud Creek
- Marl Creek