Chris Izworski’s Michigan Trout Daily weekly overview for Sunday, April 26: here is what the gauges actually show across the state right now, and it tells a story of high water nearly everywhere, with a narrow window of opportunity for Hendrickson season fishing before conditions normalize.

We are deep in the pre-Hendrickson moment. Water temperatures across both the Upper Peninsula and Northern Lower Peninsula remain in the 38 to 58 degree range, cold enough that hatches will be afternoon-dependent and short-lived. But the calendar is working in our favor. By late this week and into early May, daytime air temperatures should push these rivers into the sweet spot where consistent evening insect emergence becomes possible. The problem is water levels. Across Michigan’s 62 gauged trout rivers, the dominant story is runoff. Nearly every major system is running above median, and in many cases far above median. This is the spring flood pattern, and it will persist until flows stabilize.

The question for anglers planning the week is not whether water is high. It is: where is it high enough to be unfishable, where is it merely high but still wadeable, and where might clarity and temperature combine to allow actual dry fly fishing.

Upper Peninsula: Mostly Blown Out, With Pockets

The UP is getting hammered. The Michigamme River sits at 691 percent of median, which is not a fishing river this week; it is a torrent. The Cisco Branch Ontonagon River is at 329 percent, the Escanaba River at 216 percent, the Sturgeon River at 229 percent, and the Tahquamenon at 190 percent. These are not marginal exceedances. These are serious spring floods that will take time to recede.

The saving grace is that the UP has enough systems that some are merely running high rather than blown out. The Black River in Schoolcraft County is at 177 percent of median, the Ontonagon at 142 percent, the Black River (UP) at 136 percent, the Ford River at 148 percent, and the Sturgeon River at Loretto at 131 percent. Running high is not ideal, but it is wadeable with caution, and if you know the structure of the river, you can find softer water behind boulders and against the banks where trout will hold even in pushier conditions.

Water temperatures favor the northern systems. The East Branch Salmon Trout River is the coldest gauge in the entire state at 38 degrees Fahrenheit, with the Iron River at 39 and the Salmon Trout River at 41. Cold water suppresses hatches but also holds trout in predictable locations. The Escanaba is the warmest in the UP at 44 degrees, but at 216 percent of median it is not a realistic option this week.

If you are committed to the UP this week, focus on the slightly-below-blown-out category: the Ford River, the Black River in Schoolcraft County, and the Ontonagon main stem. These are all running high but not so high that you cannot find water where a nymph can work.

Northern Lower Peninsula: Widespread High Water, Some Fishable Options

The Northern Lower Peninsula has more gauged rivers than the UP, and paradoxically more of them are in the dangerous zone. The Looking Glass River is at 295 percent of median, the Pine River near Oscoda at 304 percent, and the Au Gres at 256 percent. These are unfishable. The Muskegon River at 219 percent, the Thunder Bay River at 217 percent, and the Maple River at 189 percent are also serious spate conditions.

But the signature rivers of the region tell a mixed story. The AuSable is running high at 148 percent of median, which is manageable for anglers who know the lower sections. The Manistee is at 163 percent and remains cold at 47 degrees, the coldest read in the NLP. The Pere Marquette is at 155 percent. The Jordan River is at 132 percent. The Rifle River is at 161 percent. The White River is at 165 percent.

All of these are running above median but below the blown-out threshold. For Hendrickson fishing, high water can actually be an advantage if it brings clarity and push that concentrates trout in predictable holds. The Manistee’s cold temperature is a liability for early-week fishing but becomes an asset by Thursday or Friday when air temperatures rise. The Pigeon River is only at 109 percent, near normal, making it a lower-risk option if you want to avoid the high water entirely.

Five gauges in the NLP are offline, so coverage is incomplete, but the trend is clear: this is high water week across northern Michigan. Water clarity should improve as silt begins to settle, but that takes time.

Southern Lower Peninsula: No Gauge Data

The Southern Lower Peninsula has no gauged trout rivers in the Michigan Trout Report network, so we have no real-time flow or temperature data. This is a significant gap in statewide coverage. Anglers fishing the St. Joseph, Rogue, or Kalmazoo systems will need to rely on visual assessment, personal knowledge, and local reports.

Where I Would Go This Week

If I were planning fishing for the coming week, I would target either the Pigeon River in the Northern Lower Peninsula, which is near normal at 109 percent of median, or the Ford River in the Upper Peninsula, which is running high but not blown out at 148 percent. Both have temperatures that will support afternoon Hendrickson activity if the sun is strong. The Pigeon’s lower flow makes it the safer choice for beginners or anglers uncomfortable in high water. The Ford River’s slightly higher water will concentrate fish and may produce better dry fly fishing by Friday if water clarity improves. Avoid everything over 180 percent of median until flows drop mid-week. By Wednesday or Thursday, systems currently at 160 percent may become fishable as discharge recedes.

For real-time conditions on your target river, visit https://trout.chrisizworski.com.