Traverse City, MI • Brown Trout • Brook Trout • Rainbow Trout
Boardman River
Loading live conditions…
—
CFS live
Water temp—
Flow (CFS)—
Barometric—
Air temp—
Cloud cover—
Wind—
Normal CFS—
Current Conditions
Flows are around 124 cfs and rising, above normal for mid October (Gauge above Brown Bridge Road near Mayfield — 04127000 and the Beitner Road gauge both stopped reporting). The Northern Angler reported eggs on Oct 9. Swinging and streamers for steelhead and chinook in recent reports.
Brown Trout: GoodEvening Rise: GoodAccess: Excellent
Post-dam-removal habitat continues to mature and improve. Browns are actively rising in the evenings throughout the restored reaches. Afternoon caddis hatches have been strong. The stretch through downtown is surprisingly productive and a unique fishing experience.
Live Flow Conditions
CFS
Current
105
CFS
Normal Today
°F
Water Temp
Loading live USGS data...
USGS Site: 04126970 • Boardman River above Brown Bridge Road near Mayfield • View full data ↗
Gauge above Brown Bridge Road near Mayfield — 04127000 and the Beitner Road gauge both stopped reporting
Hatch Calendar
SpeciesJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
HendricksonEphemerella subvaria
SulphurEphemerella dorothea
CaddisHydropsychidae spp.
HexHexagenia limbata
TricoTricorythodes spp.
Gear Recommendations
The Boardman is Traverse City's home river — the birthplace of the Adams fly pattern. Accessible, beautiful, and productive for resident browns and steelhead.
Gear
Dry FlyRecommended
Nymphing
Euro Nymph
Streamer
Rod
9ft 4-weight or 5-weight
9ft 5-weight
10.5ft 3-weight
9ft 6-weight
Line
WF5F floating
WF floating
Euro mono rig
WF floating or intermediate
Leader
10–12ft to 4X
9ft to 4X
Long mono rig
6ft to 1X
Tippet
4X–5X
4X–5X
5X–6X
1X–2X
Waders
Chest waders
Chest waders
Chest waders
Chest waders
Boots
Felt-soled wading boots
Felt-soled boots
Felt-soled boots
Felt-soled boots
Dry Fly Tips
The Adams dry fly was invented on the Boardman River in 1922 — carry a full box. Excellent evening hatches from May through July. The lower river near Traverse City is accessible and productive.
Adams (the Boardman's home fly), Elk Hair Caddis, Hendricksons, HexFloatant
Nymphing Tips
Nymphing between hatches in the Boardman's pools and riffles. The river has a diverse invertebrate population — match the size and color of naturals in the drift.
Euro nymphing on the Boardman is gaining popularity with local guides. The river's classic pool-riffle structure is ideal for tight-line techniques.
Small jig nymphs size 14–18Putty weight
Streamer Tips
Night mousing on the Boardman during the Hex season (June) is a northern Michigan signature experience. A large mouse pattern stripped across the surface in flat water produces explosive strikes.
Medium articulated streamers size 4–6Olive and black Wooly Buggers
Find Your Guide
Hawkins Outfitters
Orvis Endorsed
📍 Cedar, MIWade
Orvis-endorsed guide service with 30+ years on the Boardman River system near Traverse City.
Specialties
Boardman dry flyHex hatchSteelheadStreamers
Pricing (2 anglers unless noted)
Full Day~$525
Half Day~$375
What's Included
All tackle and flies
Expert Traverse City river knowledge
What to Bring
Chest waders
Wading boots
Polarized sunglasses
Michigan fishing license
The Boardman is the birthplace of the Adams fly — guides know every pool
Run status is rebuilt twice a day from the live gauge and the DNR's own run windows. The windows are typical timing, not a forecast — what actually moves fish is water temperature and a rise, and the run tracker carries both for every river at once.
Kings Chinook Salmon
Tailing off
Typical: Aug 22 – Oct 22, peak Sep 12 – Oct 2
Coho Coho Salmon
Building
Typical: Sep 8 – Nov 10, peak Sep 26 – Oct 23
Steelhead Steelhead
Building
Typical: Sep 23 – Apr 13, peak Oct 23 – Dec 18
Upstream limit
Union Street Dam, Traverse City The dam has NOT been removed. It is being replaced in place by FishPass — phase 2 was due to complete October 2026 and phase 3 runs into mid-2027. DNR’s own weir page is worded in a way that reads as though passage is already restored. It is not.
Whose fish
Stocked
Access
Union Street Dam, the Boardman Lake outlet, Cass Street. Wade. This is a short, urban run stretch.
Crowding
Downtown fishing with all that implies. Convenient, crowded, and it fishes better at dawn than at any other time.
Regulations
City ordinances apply on top of DNR regulations near the dam.
What to throw
Small-water tactics in a small space.
DNR The state's weekly fishing report of Oct 14 named salmon on this water. Read the report.
The Boardman River flows through Grand Traverse County into the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay at Traverse City. Once impounded by four dams that degraded the fishery for over a century, a landmark dam removal project (2012–2019) restored miles of natural river habitat and dramatically improved trout access and spawning conditions. Today the Boardman is a model river restoration success story — and an urban-accessible gem that flows right through downtown Traverse City, the only trout river in Michigan accessible on foot from a walkable downtown.
Did you know
The Boardman River dam removal was one of the largest river restoration projects in Great Lakes history, removing four dams and restoring over 22 miles of naturally-flowing river and trout spawning habitat.
Did you know
Brown trout can be spotted from the walking paths and bridges through downtown Traverse City — making it one of the most visited and photographed trout streams in Michigan among non-anglers.