Manistee River Steelhead Report

Manistee River Steelhead Report below Tippy Dam

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Manistee River

Manistee River Steelhead Report

Spring Steelhead fishing Below Tippy Dam

Manistee River Fishing Report

March is here and that means Spring Steelhead on the Manistee River below Tippy Dam.  Water levels defiantly changed this week.  With an inch plus of rain the snow pack took a major hit.  Water levels as you see in the image below came up almost a 1000 cfs, but have since settled.  I would estimate this week melting snow pack keeps us close to 2300 cfs with warm weather on the horizon.

Manistee River Steelhead Report 

If you haven’t booked your Spring Steelhead trip yet, now’s the time! Give us a call or shoot us an email to lock in your dates before the season fills up.

Book Your Winter or Spring Trip

Our guides are available, and now is the perfect time to take advantage of this late-winter / early-spring fishing window. If you’re thinking about booking a trip, don’t wait—email or text us to secure your date.

Looking ahead, Spring Steelhead fishing is shaping up to be phenomenal. With strong fish numbers already present, we expect an exciting season. We highly recommend booking early to ensure your spot!

Early Spring Steelhead Fishing

Manistee River Steelhead Report

As we transition from winter to spring, understanding steelhead behavior is crucial for success. After a long, tough winter, these fish will start moving again, transitioning into spring runs and holding slots. Pay attention to water types, but also take note of the bug life present—it plays a major role in feeding behavior this time of year.

In fall, it’s all about the egg bite, but as spring approaches, other food sources come into play. Two key patterns to have in your box right now:

•Winter Stoneflies – We’ve already spotted tiny black winter stones crawling around. A black stonefly imitation in size 12-16 is a must-have.

•Salmon Alevins – With the massive 2024 salmon run, expect a strong alevin hatch. Steelhead will key in on these nutrient-rich baitfish, making them a prime target for your patterns.

With a strong population of steelhead already in the system and a healthy food base, this spring is setting up to be one you won’t want to miss. Book your trip now before the crowds arrive!

Open Spring Steelhead Guide Dates

Steelhead Open Dates

Jon Ray – March – 16-20,25-27 and April 6,8, 

Ed McCoy – March – 16-21,27,28,30,31 and April 6-11,13,15,17,18

Jeff Topp – March – 12-20, 25-27, April – 1,2,21-25,28-30

New Swag

Booking a Trip

Manistee River below Tippy Dam is one of the best west side rivers in the state of Michigan.  Mangled Fly guides are available all winter fishing trips so give us a call soon to join in the fun at (231-631-5701) you can also shoot us an email.  Also it’s not too early to get your Spring Steelhead trips on the books. 

Check out our [recommended winter clothing guide] for tips on staying warm and comfortable. Keeping your hands warm is key—investing in quality gear (this [electronic hand warmer] is a game-changer) will make your experience much more enjoyable.

One new item that I’ve been testing out this winter is a wool glove with exposed finger tips.  Allowing me to still tie up bead rigs but keep warmth to the rest of the fingers, still in the test phase but the limited days so far I’ve been liking the warmth. 

Jon Ray

Pere Marquette Trout Fishing

Pere Marquette Fishing Report

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Pere Marquette Fishing Report

Pere Marquette Trout Fishing

Good Day fishing friends!!! It’s been a long cold winter. We have finally had a winter, a real good one. The winter activities are coming to an end. Now it is time to put the sleds away and ramp up the gear for our spring fishing season.

We fished the Pere Marquette this past week and it really felt like spring was in the air. The birds were going ballistic chipping. Woodpeckers knocking the bugs out of the trees. Squirrels are running around happy to be out of their winter slumber. It is a fun time of the year to be outdoors. The fishing has been good. The river is in great shape! Slightly up and has a beautiful tea colored stain. It’s the kind of stain that makes you giddy when you get to the river and see it.

Float Fishing

We have been mostly float fishing using beads and nymphs. The bead bite has been most productive in the morning hours. As the weather warms throughout the day the nymph bite turned on. 8 and 10mm beads are the go. The stone fly and caddis nymphs got bit as the day moved on. We found the majority of our action in the tail outs of the gravel runs. It feels like thePere Marquette Trout Fishing steelhead are in a pre-spawn mode. With the water temps in the low 40s this is typical for this time of the year. We did see some gravel turned in the classic early spawn areas. I would think that the browns will start to migrate towards the steelhead spawning grounds any day now. We didn’t find many browns in the fast water yet but it shouldn’t be long. The trout we did catch were still in the slower winter water.

Streamer and Lures

Good streamer and lure fishing water. With the salmon fry starting to leave the river the streamer/lure bite should pick up. If you are using the boat ramps be careful they are sloppy and slippery. Most launches are doable but please check them before you drive down those hills. Walking and wading could have its challenges as well. Due to the amount of snow we have had on the river banks getting in and out of the water could be a challenge. This next warm up should melt enough snow to make walking in much more user friendly. We still have a few open spring steelhead and trout days available. LET’S GO FISHING!!!!!!!

Jeff Topp