Michigan · freestone
Intermediate · Wade / boat
August on the hatch chart — names and sizes, not a catch report.
Filled months are when that insect is on the chart. Best months for this river are lit.
| Insect | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midge (Chironomidae) |
Hatch-chart nymphs, dries, and streamers for this river. Not a crowdsourced catch report.
Open the Rifle River fly list →3 listed points. Map is Vellum land and Teal water — a desk chart, not a satellite.
Named public road crossing. USGS site 04138670 Rifle River at Rifle Road near Lupton, at the recreation-area end of the river.
Named public road crossing. USGS site 04140500 Rifle River at State Road at Selkirk.
Live USGS gauge 04142000 Rifle River near Sterling. Public highway access on the lower Type 3 water.
Michigan DNR no longer maintains an active Blue Ribbon list; current rules are stream Types 1-4. Rifle River from Sage Lake Road (T23N, R3E, S22) downstream to Saginaw Bay: Type 3. Fishing and possession open all year. 15-inch minimum on brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, and salmon. Daily possession 5 trout and salmon combined, no more than 3 fish 15 inches or greater. Michigan fishing license required. Recreation Passport required at Rifle River Recreation Area. Verify the 2026 digest and Inland Trout and Salmon map.
The Rifle River leaves Devoe Lake in Rifle River Recreation Area and runs south through Ogemaw County toward Saginaw Bay. Michigan DNR no longer keeps an active Blue Ribbon list. Inland trout water is typed 1 through 4 now. The 2026 digest lists this river as Type 3 from Sage Lake Road (T23N, R3E, S22) downstream to Saginaw Bay: fishing and possession open all year, 15-inch minimum on all trout and salmon.
Resident brown trout hold the water north of M-55. Rainbow trout and steelhead use the lower river. Carry-in launches sit inside the recreation area at 2550 E. Rose City Road, Lupton. Named road crossings at Rifle Road near Lupton, State Road at Selkirk, and the live USGS gauge near Sterling give public access.
A published hatch calendar specific to the Rifle was not found. Do not treat a statewide Michigan hatch list as Rifle data. Confirm the 2026 Michigan Fishing Regulations and the Inland Trout and Salmon map before you fish.
Au Gres River East Branch
Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout · Steelhead · Freestone
Freestone
Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout · Steelhead
Freestone
Brown Trout · Brook Trout · Rainbow Trout
Baldwin River
Brown Trout · Brook Trout · Freestone
Freestone
Brown Trout · Brook Trout
Bear Creek (Manistee)
Brown Trout · Brook Trout · Steelhead · Freestone
Freestone
Brown Trout · Brook Trout · Steelhead
Freestone
Brown Trout · Brook Trout · Rainbow Trout
Brule River (Michigan UP)
Brook Trout · Brown Trout · Freestone
Freestone
Brook Trout · Brown Trout
If something here is thin or wrong, add what you know. It goes to review before it publishes.
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