The Hexagenia is coming off the bay, and the walleye and perch are gorging on it. Saginaw Bay is 78 degrees, 17.9 mph out of the W and 0.7-foot chop. Summer heat has the walleye deep; work the structure early and late. The Kawkawlin reaches the bay a half mile down the shore, and the Saginaw River up the way is running 829 cfs, dropping. Degree days stand at 1153 against a normal of 1246, so the season is running about 4 days late. Against the long-term normal, accumulated heat is running ahead by 94 growing degree days. Daylight is 14 hours 56 minutes, shortening about 1.8 minutes a day, and the soil at six inches is 80 degrees, warm enough for morels and the warm-season garden. The Trico is the hatch on the water now. Joe-Pye and ironweed mark late summer and feed the first monarchs staging south. On the bay, 4 notable birds are being reported, including Wilson's Phalarope and Dunlin.
Correlation: Joe-Pye weed bloom and Saginaw Bay summer calm overlap on the calendar right now. Watch whether they track together as the years bank up.
Tap any dot for the detail and projection.
Water and iceFishHatchesBirdsBloom and colorGarden, zone 6aWildlife
Happening now
Great Lakes seasonal peaknow
Lake Huron near its annual high.
Joe-Pye weed bloomnow
Tall dusky-rose heads in wet ground.
Saginaw Bay summer calmnow
Light winds, warm bay, ideal for boating and surface life.
Walleye summer lowsnow
Walleye retreat to deep water and cool zones.
American basswood bloomnow
Pale fragrant flowers high in the linden.
Trico hatchnow
Tiny morning spinners.
White-tail antlers in velvetnow
New racks growing under velvet.
Fireflies emergenow
First flashes over the damp meadows.
Next three weeks
Katydid song begins8 d
The nighttime rasp of late summer.
Goldenrod first bloom16 d
Gold along every roadside and field.
Just past
Common milkweed bloom2 d ago
Pink heads humming with insects.
Connections in play
The signals nature is giving right now, and what each one points to on the rivers, in the woods, and in the garden. 2 are backed by today's readings.
Joe-Pye weed bloomactive now
Joe-Pye and ironweed mark late summer and feed the first monarchs staging south.
Saginaw Bay summer calmactive now
Summer calm waters and light winds are perfect for boating and garden growth, but walleye go deep seeking cool; focus structure and depth.
Walleye summer lowsactive now
Summer heat drives walleye deep and inactive; fishing is slow; focus early morning and dusk.
today's reading agrees: water 78°F
American basswood bloomactive now
Basswood, or linden, is the great midsummer nectar flow: the whole tree hums with bees and makes the surest honey of the year.
White-tail antlers in velvetactive now
Bucks are growing this year's rack in velvet, soft and blood-rich and the fastest-growing bone there is, peaking near the solstice; they hold in low-key bachelor groups until late summer.
Fireflies emergeactive now
Fireflies on warm nights run with the Hex on the rivers; high summer is here.
today's reading agrees: water 78°F
Katydid song beginsin about 8 days
When the katydids start calling, the old rule puts first frost about ninety days out.
Goldenrod first bloomin about 16 days
Goldenrod opening is the turn toward fall: monarchs and warblers begin fueling for the trip south.
River:the trout water, a trip north
AuSable flowlive
950cfs
USGS gauge
River waterlive
66deg F
AuSable, USGS
Lake Huron levellive
176.73m IGLD
Saginaw Bay, NOAA
Saginaw Bay windlive
17.9mph
out of the W, buoy 45203, 0.7 ft seas
Bay water, buoylive
78deg F
Saginaw Bay buoy 45203
Hatch and emergence forecast
computed
This season's accumulated heat against known degree-day thresholds, with the aquatic hatches cross-checked against the live AuSable water temperature. Estimates, not promises; emergence shifts with the weather.
Isonychiaon now
fast water, much of the summer
Hexagenia limbataon now
the Hex, after dark, the season's biggest
Tricoon now
tiny morning spinner falls
Japanese beetleon now
adults on roses and lindens
Dog-day cicada~3 weeks out
afternoon drone in the canopy
White Fly~3 weeks out
late-summer evening blizzard
Saginaw Bay hatches
The bay's warmwater emergences, keyed to the buoy water temperature. The Hex is the big one, and the walleye and perch feed on all of it.
Hexagenia, the giant mayfly
on now , bay water 78 deg F
the burrowing mayfly after dark; it piles on the bridges and lights and sends the walleye and perch into a feeding frenzy