Boardman River Fishing Map & Spots (MI)

Hatch outlook

White mayfly (Ephoron)Active window

Typical here: Jul 15 – Sep 30 · core weeks in August — shares its dusk with the White Miller caddis and gets confused with it

dundusk — the whole life cycle plays out in one evening — females mate, fly miles upstream and fall spent within a couple of hours; when the blizzard is too thick, your fly disappears in the crowd — fish the edges of the swarm
spinnerfull dark, same night

Smallmouth set up in feeding lanes like trout and will not move far — accuracy beats distance.

The best conventional surface window of late summer on smallmouth rivers: small white or bone surface plugs and propbaits in the last hour of light, white inline spinners run upstream through the feeding lanes, or a bubble with a White Wulff.

The event happens over sand- and silt-bottom runs with moderate current, feeding lanes below riffles

Blue-Winged OlivesActive window

Typical here: Mar 15 – Oct 24 · multiple broods — peaks early May and mid-June, again Sept–Oct at #20–24

dunmidday, roughly noon–3pm — the first dry-fly action of March and the last of October

Too small to match with hardware — use the schedule instead: midday, and the slow seams it pods fish into; smallest inline spinners and micro-jigs worked slow, or a bubble with an olive soft-hackle.

The event happens over seams, pool tails and flats

Isonychia (Slate Drake)Active window

Typical here: May 15 – Sep 30 · one of the Au Sable 'Big Five' — sporadic all summer rather than a dated blanket

nymphall day in fast water — often emerges by crawling out on shore or rocks — the fishable moment is the fast shoreward swim; fish the nymph with quick twitches toward the bank
dunevenings, sporadically — big fish stay watchful for the bug all summer, which makes it a searching-dry opportunity
spinnerdusk over the riffles — more concentrated action than the emergence itself

The best conventional crossover of the northern-Michigan summer: fish chase this fast-swimming nymph, so #1–2 inline spinners and small minnow plugs ripped through fast runs toward shoreline rocks duplicate it exactly, evenings May through September.

The event happens over fast riffles, boulder pockets and shoreline rocks

White Miller (caddis)Active window

Typical here: Jul 1 – Sep 30 · core weeks late July to mid-August — NOT the same bug as the white mayfly that shares its evenings

pupalate evening into dark — larvae drift extensively before emerging and the surface emergence comes at last light — swing winged wets and actively stripped pupae through dusk
ovipositingdusk into dark — females dive and swim to the bottom in slow water to lay — a sunk white wet fished deliberately is truer than a dry

The prolific, predictable dusk food-form over sand and slow water in the dog days — primarily a night-fisher's event.

A late-summer dusk window on sand-bottom water: small white or pearl inline spinners fished slow near bottom in slow runs imitate the diving egg-layers surprisingly directly; white micro-jigs after dark.

The event happens over slow sand- and weed-bottom runs and pool edges

TricoActive window

Typical here: Jun 15 – Oct 20 · midsummer spinner falls come early; drifting toward mid-morning by fall

dunearly morning
spinnermornings, roughly 6–10am — the event is the fall, not the hatch

Honest answer: hardware can't match a #24 spinner. Fish the same pools with a bubble and a trico spinner on long fluorocarbon, or work micro-jigs through them after the fall ends.

The event happens over slow flats and pool tails

Terrestrials (hoppers, ants, beetles)Active window

Typical here: Jun 1 – Sep 30 · beetles from June, ants mid-June, hoppers mid-July to the end of September

adultwarm afternoons — wind is the delivery mechanism

The most spin-friendly 'hatch' of summer: 1.5–2" surface plugs and small poppers slapped along grassy, windy banks; a bubble-and-hopper rig out-casts any fly rod.

The event happens over grassy and undercut banks

Next on this water

Hendrickson · mayflyApr 15 – May 20 · in ~8 months

Spring black caddis (Grannom) · caddisApr 20 – Jun 30 · in ~8 months

Brown Drake · mayflyMay 15 – Jul 4 · in ~9 months

Sulphurs · mayflyMay 15 – Jul 31 · in ~9 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Boardman River

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Boardman River on the board.

Fishing Boardman River: what the data says

Brown-trout water winding from Brown Bridge down into Traverse City. The river tops out around 6 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.

Boardman River maps at 261 acres behind 37.3 miles of shoreline. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 16.5) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Nothing on this chart breaks 15 ft, which makes the whole surface littoral: weeds, bait and ambush cover everywhere. The basin spans about 10.4 mi end to end and 5 mi across at its widest. It sits in Grand Traverse County. Its nearest charted neighbour, High Lake, is 2 mi to the east.

Brown Trout fishing at Boardman River

Start shallow in spring: brown trout sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 2 to 6 ft covers summer, 1 to 6 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: Current seam (mile 2.1), a current seam in the 5 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in after dark and early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	dawn & dusk	Dam tailrace (5 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	2 to 6 ft	night & dawn	Current seam (mile 2.1) (5 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	1 to 6 ft	dusk & dawn	Dam tailrace (5 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	1 to 6 ft	dawn	Dam tailrace (5 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Brook Trout fishing at Boardman River

When the water first warms, brook trout slide up into 1 to 6 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 6 ft, winter 1 to 6 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Current seam (mile 2.1): a current seam around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	dawn & dusk	Current seam (mile 2.1) (5 ft)	Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon
Summer	2 to 6 ft	dawn & dusk	Current seam (mile 2.1) (5 ft)	Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm
Fall	1 to 6 ft	midday & dawn	Current seam (mile 2.1) (5 ft)	Small spoon (orange), Spinner
Winter	1 to 6 ft	dawn	Current seam (mile 2.1) (5 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic

Notable structure

Boardman River carries 15 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Dam tailrace, about 5 ft down.

Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 5 ft
Lowhead weir tailrace: dam tailrace, around 5 ft
Boardman Weir tailrace: dam tailrace, around 5 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 0.6): creek channel, around 5 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 3.7): creek channel, around 5 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 6.2): creek channel, around 5 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 8.4): creek channel, around 5 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 14.9): creek channel, around 5 ft
Channel swing (mile 10.7): creek channel, around 5 ft
Current seam (mile 2.1): current seam, around 5 ft
Eddy pocket (mile 4.9): eddy pocket, around 5 ft
Tailout eddy (mile 13.1): eddy pocket, around 3 ft
Tailout eddy (mile 18.7): eddy pocket, around 3 ft
Tailout eddy (mile 18.7): eddy pocket, around 3 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Shumsky Road — carry-in, 4 trailer spots

Access data: Michigan DNR — Michigan Boating Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Boardman River stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
May 4	Chinook salmon	96,113	~9"
Apr 29	Coho salmon	57,380	~13.9"
Apr 29	Coho salmon	33,993	~13.9"
Apr 13	Rainbow trout	8,497	~20"
Apr 13	Rainbow trout	8,450	~20"
Oct 16, 2025	Lake sturgeon	10	~17.3"
Oct 12, 2025	Lake sturgeon	160	~15.8"
Sep 27, 2025	Lake sturgeon	137	~16.7"

Source: Michigan DNR fish-stocking database, retrieved 2026-08-18.

Boardman River fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Michigan waters are set by the Michigan DNR — and special regulations can apply to Boardman River specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Michigan fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Boardman River?

Boardman River is about 6 ft (2 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.

What fish are in Boardman River?

Anglers target brown trout, brook trout on Boardman River.

Where is the best fishing spot on Boardman River?

Current seam (mile 2.1) is the top-rated area: a current seam in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for brown trout in summer. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.

When is the best time to fish Boardman River?

For brown trout, the summer bite is best in after dark and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

Is Boardman River stocked with fish?

Yes — per Michigan DNR fish-stocking database records, Boardman River was most recently stocked May 4 with 96,113 chinook salmon. The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Boardman River?

Fishing on Boardman River is regulated by the Michigan DNR. Check the official Michigan regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

High Lake 2 mi · Arbutus Lake 3 mi · Indian Lake 4 mi · Boardman Lake 4 mi · Rennie Lake 5 mi · Silver Lake 6 mi · Dollar Lake 7 mi · Bass Lake 8 mi · Cedar Lake 9 mi · Coffield Lake 9 mi · Long Lake 10 mi · Ellis Lake 10 mi

See how Boardman River stacks up: best brown trout lakes in Michigan · best brook trout lakes in Michigan

More water nearby: Grand Traverse County fishing maps (23 charts). Browse all Michigan fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.