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Fly fishing near Detroit, Michigan
33 waters with a page on this site lie within 30 miles of Detroit, Michigan — Huron River, Clinton River and North Branch Clinton River among them. 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 5 fly shops. Everything below is measured or published — no ranking on this page is ours.
The water
| Water | Distance | Miles | July mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huron River | 26.4 mi | 129.4 | — |
| Clinton River | 24.7 mi | 83.2 | — |
| North Branch Clinton River | 29.8 mi | 49.2 | — |
| Middle Branch Clinton River | 22.6 mi | 18.1 | — |
| Paint Creek | 25.8 mi | 16.8 | — |
| East Pond Creek | 28.5 mi | 15.3 | — |
| Johnson Drain | 25.2 mi | 14.7 | — |
| Silver Creek | 16.5 mi | 13.5 | — |
| Red Run | 14.2 mi | 10.8 | — |
| Walled Lake Branch | 20.3 mi | 10.5 | — |
| McBride Drain | 24.6 mi | 8.5 | — |
| Norton Creek | 23.4 mi | 8.2 | — |
| Harrington Drain | 16.9 mi | 6.8 | — |
| Port Creek | 18.8 mi | 6.7 | — |
| Trout Creek | 24.8 mi | 6.5 | — |
| Sargent Creek | 23.0 mi | 6.4 | — |
| Camp Brook Drain | 25.9 mi | 6.0 | — |
| Sump Drain | 23.0 mi | 4.8 | — |
| Apel Drain | 28.0 mi | 4.8 | — |
| Old Canal | 21.6 mi | 4.6 | — |
| Vandecar Drain | 19.1 mi | 4.3 | — |
| Bancroft Noles Drain | 15.7 mi | 3.9 | — |
| Wagner and Pink Drain | 18.8 mi | 3.8 | — |
| Mahaffy Drain | 27.7 mi | 3.5 | — |
| Griggs Drain | 22.0 mi | 3.3 | — |
| Regan Drain | 20.0 mi | 3.2 | — |
| Cranberry Marsh Drain | 18.3 mi | 3.1 | — |
| Hale Drain | 19.7 mi | 3.0 | — |
| Bunton Drain | 21.7 mi | 2.7 | — |
| McBride Drain | 20.1 mi | 2.4 | — |
| Clinton River Spillway | 19.1 mi | 2.1 | — |
| Clinton River | 21.7 mi | 1.7 | — |
| Wyman Drain | 26.4 mi | 1.7 | — |
Straight-line distance from the middle of town to the middle of the water. The roads are not mapped here, so this page does not give you a drive time it did not measure.
A 3-day plan
Huron 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.
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.
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
- River Rouge Park — 10.8 mi
- Civic Center Park — 11.6 mi
- Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge — 13.6 mi
- Hines Parkway — 15.4 mi
- City of Troy Land — 18.4 mi
- Pointe Mouillee State Game Area — 19.7 mi
- Lake Erie Metropark — 20.1 mi
- Oakwoods Metropark — 21.2 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Maybury State Park-Youth Group Use Area (fee) | 26.5 mi | MDNR |
| Proud Lake-Red Oaks Group Use Area (fee) | 28.9 mi | MDNR |
| Proud Lake-Modern (fee) | 29.2 mi | MDNR |
| Proud Lake-Cafe (fee) | 30.4 mi | MDNR |
| Proud Lake-Conference Center (fee) | 30.4 mi | MDNR |
| Proud Lake-Riverhawk Lodge (fee) | 30.4 mi | MDNR |
| Proud Lake-River Hawk Annex (fee) | 30.7 mi | MDNR |
| Proud Lake-Group Use Area (fee) | 31.0 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
- Dip Net Live Bait & Tackle — 8.0 mi, Ecorse
- Jiggerz Bait & Beer — 8.9 mi, Wyandotte
- The Bait & Tackle Box — 15.7 mi
- Sportsmen's Direct — 21.2 mi
- The Bait Shop — 30.0 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
- Huron River
- Clinton River
- North Branch Clinton River
- Middle Branch Clinton River
- Paint Creek
- East Pond Creek