The Black River near Bessemer runs cold and dark this time of year, carrying snowmelt and the particular clarity that comes before the green-up. If you’re thinking about the drive into the western UP, you should know that USGS gauge data is unavailable today, which means you’ll have to read the river itself. That’s not a handicap. It’s the way rivers worked before we had numbers, and the Black, being remote and wild, still rewards the angler who pays attention to what the water is actually doing rather than what a screen says it should be doing.

The Porcupine Mountains rise around this fishery, and the river flows through country that is genuinely remote. The waterfalls and scenic character that draw tourists are real, not marketing, and they’re connected to the geology that makes the fishing worth your time. This is freestone water, which means stability during snowmelt and good oxygenation. It also means the hatches have started, and if you make the drive now, in the third week of April, you’re arriving at the threshold of something.

What’s Happening Now

The water is still cold. Without a gauge temperature reading, you’ll need to trust what your hand and eyes tell you. Expect something in the upper 40s, maybe low 50s on a warm afternoon. That temperature bracket is the sweet spot for the hatches that sustain April trout fishing across Michigan, and the Black is no exception.

Midges are active in the slow water. Not the dramatic hatch fishing that brings trout to the surface in waves, but the reliable, all-day kind of fishing that produces fish if you’re willing to work. Dead drift a Mercury Midge or Zebra Midge, size 20, under an indicator in the pools and eddies where the current loses its push. Fish near the bottom. Use long fluorocarbon tippet, 5X or 6X, because this is technical fishing and the trout are not feeding aggressively. This is the foundation of April trout fishing: small flies, slow presentations, patience.

The Little Black Stonefly is crawling out along the banks where the water meets the terrestrial world. You can dead drift the dry, a Little Black Stonefly in size 14, along the banks where the nymphs emerge, or you can work the nymphs tight to the bottom in the riffles. Both approaches work because the hatch is in transition. The nymphs are drifting, and the adults are struggling out of their skins. Fish see both.

Blue-Winged Olives are coming. On overcast days, especially toward afternoon, you may see them. They’re small, size 16 or 18, and the trout will be selective if the hatch is heavy. Fish a Parachute BWO or Sparkle Dun on the surface, but be ready with an RS2 fished just subsurface in the film. Long, fine tippet is essential. This is where 5X or 6X fluorocarbon proves its worth. The rises won’t be violent. The trout will sip, and you’ll miss half of them unless you’re precise.

The Hendrickson Is Coming

The real event for many Michigan trout anglers is still ahead, but it’s close. The Hendrickson, Ephemerella subvaria, is the hatch that feels like a reward for winter and early spring. Peak emergence is typically 2 to 4 p.m., and when it happens on the Black, the fishing can be very good. Fish the nymphs in the riffles before the hatch comes off, using a Hendrickson Nymph in size 12, dead drifted or swung slightly. Then, when the duns begin to float, switch to the dry. A Hendrickson Dry or Red Quill, size 12, will work if you’re accurate with your cast and you wait for the rise before setting. This is classic dry fly fishing: the rise lane, the flat water, the moment when a trout commits.

Early Brown Stonefly adults are skittering on the surface now and then. Try skating a dry, an Elk Hair Caddis in brown, size 14, across the faster water. It’s aggressive fishing, and it connects you to the river’s rhythms in a way that indicator nymphing sometimes doesn’t.

Grannom Caddis will be part of the mix too. The Elk Hair Caddis, size 14, skittered across the surface, or the X-Caddis fished in the film, will take fish. The LaFontaine Sparkle Pupa, size 14, swung through the riffles on the rise, is also worth trying if the trout are looking down.

Getting There

Access is available at Black River Harbor Recreation Area and at multiple county road access points. The river is wild and remote, and that remoteness is part of what makes it worth the drive. Bring your topo map. Bring water and food. Bring all your small fly boxes because at this time of year, small is not optional.

For current flow and water temperature data as conditions change, check https://trout.chrisizworski.com.