Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing

Manistee River Trout Report

The Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing report for the last week of April has us through the opening weekend of Trout fishing in Michigan.  With the trout opener this past weekend, we are officially entering our trout season on the Upper Manistee River.  With a very mild winter and an early spring, the hatches are moving right along. 

Water conditions before the rains Saturday night had the river at or just below average flows and mostly clear in the upper sections.  The water temperatures have ranged anywhere from the upper 40’s to the mid 50’s. Water temps have been dependent upon ambient temperature and the amount of sunlight we are getting.  Saturday night we received our first big Thunderstorms of the season and a soaking rain so I would guess the river will come up the next couple of days. 

Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing

Streamer Fishing

The Streamer bite has been decent on the Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing despite the mostly sunny skies over opening weekend.  We weren’t setting the world on fire, but honestly it was the only applicable approach with the strong winds we experienced on the trout opener.  Smaller streamers and long casts gave us plenty of chances at some quality fish.  Grinding through the slow periods and keeping the faith has been the key to success.

The best streamers have been primarily small baitfish and leech patterns.  The fish have seen a lot of presentations at this point so I’m always looking for something different to throw at them this time of year.  Best colors have been White, Black, Tan, and Yellow recently, but you need to play with color and size as it can change frequently.  

Warmer cloudy days have been the best, but this time of year you just go when you can.  Water temps were creeping into the mid 50’s this weekend so you can grip it and rip it now if that’s your thing.   Weighted flies are typically more productive for us with colder conditions, but the swim flies are starting to get the fish motivated to come take a look.  

Upcoming Hatch Season

The Trout Opener is typically a peak time to fish the Hendrickson Hatch on the Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing. However, this year it feels like the Hendrickson hatch is nearing its end.  The numbers of hatching mayflies were pretty light and the numbers of Black Caddis were surprisingly strong.  So far this hatch season is following the same pattern we experienced with our steelhead run.  Our winters are becoming milder and our seasons are shifting forward.

The recent warmer days and sunshine are currently turning our thoughts towards the Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing.  With that being said our fishing has been decent and our hatch timing is ahead of what we would consider normal.  Chasing the hatches on the Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing is something we look forward to every year.  Recently we have been seeing BWO’s, Hendrickson’s, Black Caddis, and various stones including a couple of Mattress Thrashers.  It won’t be long before the Light Hendrickson’s/Sulphurs start hatching.  

Didymo

Didymo on the Upper Manistee continues to be a problem with a high level of concern.  I would consider the whole Upper Manistee River System to be contaminated with this Diatom. There was new Didymo growth above CCC bridge and it has been documented as far upstream as Yellow Trees Landing.  The Didymo mats in sections below CCC are still breaking down and to my knowledge there isn’t any blooming like we saw in the 2022 season.  Didymo is considered a very resilient invasive species so you need to educate yourself on safe cleaning techniques.  River Users will need to clean their gear or anything that touches the water.  Didymo can easily be spread between watersheds and can be detrimental to our trout streams.

I would consider the ENTIRE RIVER TO BE CONTAMINATED and treat it as such. Clean, Drain, Dry your gear before entering another Body of Water.  Currently, there are no effective methods to eradicate didymo once it is established in a river.  To prevent spreading Didymo and other aquatic invasive species to new locations, it is critical for users to thoroughly Clean, Drain and Dry waders, equipment, and boats upon leaving a waterway.

• Clean by removing mud and debris from all surfaces.
• Use a 10% Solution of Dishwashing Soap with hot water for 10 minutes (Example 1 gallon of water is 12.8 oz of Dawn Soap). Then it must dry for 48 hours (mandatory if your fishing different water systems).

New Shop Items

Have a few new Items in the Shop, besides the Stickers, we have Night Fishing Leaders,  a new Assortment of Night Flies that is perfect for the wade angler, and coming soon the ultimate boat anglers Night Fishing Assortment (coming soon).

Trout Guide Trips 

We have limited openings available during the peak hatch season, so make sure to book your dates now!  If you’re looking to book a Trout Guide Trip you can reach us at 231-631-5701 (leave a message) or shoot us an email.  We are excited for the upcoming Trout Season.   Also make sure to follow along on our social pages and our online fishing report page . for more updates. 

Tight Lines,

Ed