Best Flies for Au Sable River (Michigan)

What's hatching now

Month, insect, size, and pattern from the Au Sable River hatch chart. August is highlighted when that month exists in the chart. We do not invent a hatch that is not on the chart.

Nymphs

Subsurface patterns matched to this river's chart and catalog. Fish them at the size the chart lists, not the size that looks good in the bin.

Nymph

Beadhead Caddis Pupa

This simple caddis pupa imitation features a dubbed body with a contrasting thorax and a soft hackle collar su

Sizes #12–#18

Egan's GTi Caddis

A weighted Hydropsychidae (net-builder) caddis larva with a contrasting shellback, designed around Hare-Tron d

Sizes #10–#14

Nymph

Emerger

Emerging Caddis Pupa

This pattern captures the explosive moment when a caddis pupa ascends through the water column and breaks thro

Size #12

Emerger

Spotlight Emerger

A modern emerger pattern with a bright foam post for visibility and a sparse body that hangs in the film. The

Size #14

Nymph

Tungsten Soft Hackle Hare's Ear

Old Dominion Trout Bum's tungsten-bead jig take on the soft hackle hare's ear — a euro-style emerger with a CD

Sizes #14–#18

Nymph

Flashback Hare's Ear

The Flashback variant adds a strip of pearl tinsel over the wing case of the classic Hare's Ear, providing fla

Sizes #12–#18

Dries

Dries and terrestrials for the Au Sable River. If the chart says a size 18 PMD, do not start with a 12.

Dry

Goddard Caddis

John Goddard and Cliff Henry's spun deer hair caddis is the most buoyant caddis imitation ever conceived. The

Size #10

Egan's Corn-Fed Caddis

A heavy-winged CDC caddis dry with a Super Fine dubbed body, Antron shuck, Trigger Point overwing, and a CDC h

Size #12

Dry

Front End Loader Caddis

A hackle-stacker elk hair caddis with a Callibaetis Super Fine body, Glo Brite tag, and grizzly hackle wrapped

Size #10

Dry

Dry

Elk Hair Caddis

Al Troth's Elk Hair Caddis is the definitive adult caddis imitation. The palmered hackle body and tent-shaped

Sizes #12–#18

Dry

X-Caddis

Craig Mathews' X-Caddis omits the hackle of an Elk Hair Caddis, creating a lower-riding fly that hangs in the

Size #14

Dry

Green Drake

The Green Drake is the biggest mayfly hatch of the year in many western rivers. This large, heavily hackled pa

Size #10

Dry

March Brown

The March Brown imitates Rhithrogena morrisoni, one of the first significant mayfly hatches of the season in w

Size #12

Dry

Trico Spinner

The Trico Spinner imitates the spent Tricorythodes spinner fall — one of the most technical and rewarding dry

Size #20

Terrestrial

Foam Ant

The Foam Ant creates the distinct two-hump silhouette of a real ant using closed-cell foam segments. Ant falls

Size #14

Terrestrial

Foam Beetle

The Foam Beetle is a simple but devastatingly effective terrestrial pattern. A piece of black foam folded over

Size #12

Monster Dry

A hare's-ear-dubbed mayfly dry with a CDC V-wing, Pearl Sulky rib, and Glo Brite wing divider. Sparse silhouet

Size #10

Dry

Streamers

Streamers and wets for stained water, banks, and low light. This is not a claim that streamers are "on" today.

Wet

March Brown Wet

The wet fly version of the March Brown is a classic swing pattern for early season fishing. Its mottled brown

Size #12

Setup

4X and 5X cover most nymphing. 4X on dries until the fish get picky, then 5X. A 3.0–3.8mm tungsten on the point and a lighter dropper is a default until you see the water. Tight-line the near bank and the heads of pockets. Use an indicator only when you need to search water you cannot euro.

FAQ

What flies work on the Au Sable River?

Start with Beadhead Caddis Pupa and Egan's GTi Caddis, then match size to the hatch chart for the month you are standing in. The Au Sable River does not need a 40-pattern box. It needs the right size on the insect that is actually in the drift.

When is the best time to fly fish the Au Sable River?

The editorial window we list is May, June, July, August, September. That is a planning month range, not a guarantee. Shoulder months can fish well if flows and water temperature cooperate.

Do I need a guide on the Au Sable River?

Michigan has walk-up wade water and, on some sections, float water. A guide is worth it for a first float or a technical tailwater. A hatch chart and a gauge are enough for a first wade if you already nymph. We list local guides and shops on this page when we have them.

Where can I see live flow for the Au Sable River?

Open the Au Sable River river page for the USGS gauge, access notes, and the same hatch chart this fly list is built from. We do not publish other people's spots or fish counts.

Is this a report of what's working now on the Au Sable River?

No. Executive Angler does not publish other anglers' catches, GPS, or a crowdsourced hot fly. This page is hatch-chart patterns plus catalog flies. Presence on the river page is gauge and weather only.

Related