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Clinton weekend fly fishing trip
16 waters in the Clinton watershed, Michigan, have a page here, the largest of them Clinton River, North Branch Clinton River and Middle Branch Clinton River. June, July and August carry the most recorded hatches, 19 insects in June, 21 insects in July and 18 insects in August. In range: 8 blocks of public land with a page of their own, 8 state-forest campgrounds and 7 fly shops. Everything below is measured or published — no ranking on this page is ours.
The water
| Water | Miles | July mean |
|---|---|---|
| Clinton River | 83.2 | — |
| North Branch Clinton River | 49.2 | — |
| Middle Branch Clinton River | 18.1 | — |
| Paint Creek | 16.8 | — |
| East Pond Creek | 15.3 | — |
| Red Run | 10.8 | — |
| McBride Drain | 8.5 | — |
| Harrington Drain | 6.8 | — |
| Trout Creek | 6.5 | — |
| Sargent Creek | 6.4 | — |
| Camp Brook Drain | 6.0 | — |
| Apel Drain | 4.8 | — |
| Old Canal | 4.6 | — |
| Mahaffy Drain | 3.5 | — |
| Cranberry Marsh Drain | 3.1 | — |
| Wyman Drain | 1.7 | — |
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
Clinton 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.
North Branch Clinton 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.
Middle Branch Clinton 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.
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 southern lower Michigan: June (19), July (21), August (18).
| 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 |
| Hendrickson | April–May | #12–14 |
| Little Black Caddis | April–May | #16–20 |
| Caterpillar | May–September | #8–14 |
| Crayfish | May–October | #4–8 |
| Light Cahill | May–July | #12–16 |
| Little Sulphur | May–July | #16–20 |
Recorded from southern 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
- Stony Creek Metropark — 2.3 mi
- River Bend Township Park — 4.9 mi
- River Bends Park — 5.4 mi
- Addison Oaks County Park — 6.8 mi
- Bald Mountain State Recreation Area — 7.4 mi
- City of Troy Land — 8.9 mi
- Wolcott Mill Metropark — 9.2 mi
- Orion Oaks County Park — 10.5 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bald Mountain-Rustic Cabins (fee) | 6.8 mi | MDNR |
| Pontiac Lake-Equestrian Campground (fee) | 18.2 mi | MDNR |
| Pontiac Lake-Cottage Cabin (fee) | 18.7 mi | MDNR |
| Pontiac Lake-A-Frame Mini Cabin (fee) | 18.9 mi | MDNR |
| Pontiac Lake-Modern Campground (fee) | 18.9 mi | MDNR |
| Pontiac Lake-Group Use Area (fee) | 19.3 mi | MDNR |
| Metamora-Hadley-Mini Cabin (fee) | 19.7 mi | MDNR |
| Metamora-Hadley Camper Cabin (fee) | 20.1 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
- The Bait Shop — 15.6 mi
- Sportsmen's Direct — 17.3 mi
- Dip Net Live Bait & Tackle — 32.7 mi, Ecorse
- Jiggerz Bait & Beer — 33.6 mi, Wyandotte
- Eric's Pro Tackle & Bait — 35.4 mi, Wallaceburg
- Rick's Bait Shack — 39.1 mi
- The Bait & Tackle Box — 40.6 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
- Clinton watershed
- Clinton River
- North Branch Clinton River
- Middle Branch Clinton River
- Paint Creek
- East Pond Creek
- Red Run