THE BOYNE RIVER

The Boyne River is located in northern Michigan. It is 
named after the River Boyne in Ireland. Both it and the 
Jordan River flow into Lake Charlevoix. Boyne River is
formed by its North and South branches. They flow 
together just above Boyne Falls to form the main part of 
the Boyne River which is 5.6 miles long.

Both the North and South branches have good 
populations of brown trout. Fly Fishing the Boyne River 
is usually good in both these streams as well as the 
main river. These are relatively small streams  
averaging about fifteen feet in width.

The main stream section has some larger size browns 
and runs of salmon and steelhead from Lake Michigan. 
The migratory fish run through Lake Charlevoix into the 
river. The best fishing occurs below the dam and 
downstream to Lake Charlevoix. Access to the North 
and South branches is available from roads leading off 
U. S. Highway #131.

The lower section also holds some large brown trout. 
The Boyne River in this area probably averages about 
forty feet in width. This section has some very good 
hatches of aquatic insects and dry fly fishing can be 
good at times; however, most of the fly fishing for both 
steelhead and trout is done using nymphs and 
streamers.

Fly fishing the Boyne River can be good year-round. 
The migratory species and/or resident trout one or the 
other can be caught throughout the year. We should 
also mention that Lake Charlevoix has another fine 
trout, steelhead and salmon stream that enters nearby - 
Lake Jordon. Lake Jordon is covered in another section 
of this website. Both rivers offer plenty of fly fishing 
opportunities for this part of the state.

Seasons:
The season follows the standard Michigan trout season 
in all areas except the Special Regulations Area open to 
fishing year-round.
Spring:
Springtime is a good time for fly fishing the Boyne River 
for trout due to the plentiful aquatic insect hatches. It's 
also the best time for steelhead.
Summer:
The action usually slows down some during the Summer 
but the water stays fairly cool in the headwater sections 
of the North and South branches as well as below the 
dam above Lake Charlevoix.
Fall:
Fall is a good time to catch a large brown trout and a 
trophy steelhead.
Winter:
Winter can be good during decent weather. The 
steelhead and trout can be sluggish when the water 
temperature is very low.