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Au Sable River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Au Sable below Grayling: nine miles of flies-only, no-kill water from Burton's Landing to Wakeley Bridge, on the river where Trout Unlimited was founded in 1959.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
854 cfs
Air / High
55 / 58 F
Wind
SSE 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 04136000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Au Sable River fishes cold and honest: earn your bites in the deep stuff. The river is running 854 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings cloud cover, wind SSE around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 58. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:13 AM-12:13 PM and 10:43 PM-12:43 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown troutExcellent

Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Tomorrow: Similar at 62 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Michigan requires a fishing licence from age 17, from $26.00 for residents. What a Michigan licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with DNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Michigan, read off the agency, are on the Michigan seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Au Sable River near Red Oak.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 04136000.

811905999854 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 37 years of October 23

At 854 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 04136000 (Au Sable River near Red Oak) is at the 75th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 37 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 718 cfs; the highest was 1,240 cfs and the lowest 519 cfs.

p10 561median 718p90 1,116

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 04136000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp55 F
High / Low58 / 39 F
WindSSE 5-7 mph
Pressure1026.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain69% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset08:04 / 18:40
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)49 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~47 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Au Sable River this week

The best day on Au Sable River this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:13 AM-12:13 PM and 10:43 PM-12:43 AM
Minor period
4:36 AM-5:36 AM
Sun
08:04 to 18:40
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 6 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Au Sable River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

When to come: the Au Sable River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Au Sable River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 65 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Michigan requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Michigan fishing license (required from age 17). Burton's Landing to Wakeley Bridge: flies only, no possession (children under 12 may keep 1 trout, 8 to 12 inches), open all year. Wakeley Bridge to McMasters Bridge and Mio power line to McKinley Bridge: artificial lures only, 2 trout, browns 18-inch minimum. Rules from the 2026 Michigan Fishing Regulations (April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027).

Access

Burton's Landing State Forest Campground (boat launch, 12 rustic sites, Recreation Passport required for vehicles); Wakeley Bridge and McMasters Bridge mark the regulation boundaries downstream.

About this water

A Lake Huron river that flows east from Grayling through Crawford and Oscoda counties, Michigan; the flies-only reach below Grayling is 9.0 miles long.

Fishing Au Sable River: the full guide

Where Trout Unlimited began

Trout Unlimited says it was founded in 1959 on the banks of the Au Sable River near Grayling. The main stream runs east from Grayling through Crawford and Oscoda counties toward Lake Huron, and Michigan DNR regulates it reach by reach. Burton's Landing State Forest Campground, 3.5 miles east of Grayling via M-72 and Burton's Landing Road, has 12 rustic sites and a boat launch on the main branch; DNR lists brown, brook and rainbow trout in this part of the river.

The flies-only water

From Burton's Landing to Wakeley Bridge (9.0 miles), the 2026 Michigan Fishing Regulations allow artificial flies only, keep the river open all year and set a zero possession limit, except that children under 12 may keep one trout between 8 and 12 inches. From Wakeley Bridge to McMasters Bridge (8.0 miles) the rule changes to artificial lures only, with brook and brown trout kept only from the last Saturday in April to September 30, two trout a day, no more than one of 18 inches or more, and an 18-inch minimum for browns. Upstream, from Business Loop 75 in Grayling to Burton's Landing, the river is Type 2 trout water, open from the last Saturday in April to September 30.

Below Mio and the branches

In Oscoda County, the 15 miles from the Mio power line to McKinley Bridge are artificial lures only, with the same two-trout limit and an 18-inch minimum on brown trout. The North Branch from Sheep Ranch to the main stream is flies-only with harvest allowed in season, and the South Branch from Chase Bridge to Lower High Banks is flies-only with zero possession. The USGS gauge on this page, Au Sable River near Red Oak, sits well downstream of Grayling, so it shows flows for the river as a whole rather than for the flies-only water.

Common questions

Can I keep trout between Burton's Landing and Wakeley Bridge?

No, with one exception: children under 12 may keep one trout from 8 to 12 inches. For everyone else the possession limit is zero all year, and only artificial flies may be used.

Can I use spinning lures anywhere on the Au Sable near Grayling?

Yes, on the artificial-lures-only reaches: Wakeley Bridge to McMasters Bridge, and the Mio power line to McKinley Bridge. Bait is allowed on Type 2 water such as Grayling to Burton's Landing, which closes after September 30.

Where was Trout Unlimited founded?

On the banks of the Au Sable River near Grayling, in 1959, according to Trout Unlimited.

Is fishing good at Au Sable River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Higgins Lake12 miHoughton Lake23 miTorch Lake40 miGrand Traverse Bay46 miLake Charlevoix49 miPlatte River70 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 04136000 — Au Sable River near Red Oak
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 17:15 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 44.6600, -84.6800 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 6, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 6, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.