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

April is flying by and that means Spring Steelhead is about done on the Manistee River below Tippy Dam. I can imagine that dropback steelhead will be in the river for about a month longer, and I’m sure some fresh fish will continue to trickle in.  But for the majority of our guiding, we will be focusing on Trout and Smallmouth Bass.

Manistee River  Water levels are about normal for this time of year.  After some big water nice to have normal flows again.

Spring Steelhead Fly Patterns

Spring steelhead fishing calls for a selection of flies that match the conditions and feeding habits of these migratory fish. As water temperatures rise, steelhead become more aggressive, making it a great time to experiment with a variety of patterns.  Water levels currently require throwing some big stuff.  Big yarn or rag style eggs, the biggest soft bead you can find, and black marabou with some bright flash. 

Egg patterns, such as the Glow Bug or Beads, remain highly effective, as steelhead are still keyed in on spawning activity. Nymphs like the Stonefly, Hex Nymph, and Fry Patterns also produce strikes, especially in slower runs and pockets.

Swinging streamers, can trigger aggressive takes as the water levels drop, particularly in stained water. Bright colors like pink, orange, and chartreuse at the head of the streamer work well in high water, while more natural tones excel in clear conditions. Adjusting fly size and presentation to match the day’s conditions will help maximize success. This is especially effective in a few weeks on the Big Manistee as water temps break 40’s again. 

Smallmouth Bass

One of the best time of years to target the largest smallmouth of the season is right now, as Lake Michigan smallmouth are migrating the river to eat and setup for the spawn.  With millions of salmon fry and thousand of steelheads smolts.  Baitfish, Baitfish, and more Baitfish is the pre spawn menu.

Once water water temps reach 45 degrees (already 47 as of 4/21) smallmouth can be found down stream of the Tippy Dam.  Casting streamers or using light tackle with crank baits is highly effective.  Fishing for smallmouth is a great way to spend the day.  Plus it’s less about the conditions being perfect (ie trout fishing on sunny days) and more about finding the smallmouth.  Early season these fish are aggressive and make a great way to spend a day on the water.

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.  We are currently booking spring Steelhead, but also a great time to get your Trout Streamer Trip or Early Season Smalmouth Bass Trip in the books.  

Jon Ray

Upper Manistee Trout Fishing

Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing

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Manistee River Trout Report

Upper Manistee Trout Fishing

The Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing report for the third week of April has us fishing for trout with streamers.  Our weather this past month has been up and down, but mostly on the cold side.  It’s been an old fashioned spring this year as we have been slow to warm. Water conditions are improving after some heavy rains and a long sustained high water period.  Visibility is pretty clear in the upper sections, however, as you venture downstream the levels and color intensify below each tributary. Water temps have been in the upper 40’s to low 50’s with some sunshine.  

As a reminder, access sites are now snow free, but some of the upper sections were affected by the ice storm a few weeks back. Some heavy rains the first part of April also produced some of the highest flows I have seen on the Upper Manistee River in quite some time.  There has been a lot of wood that moved around and several tree falls along the river course.  Make sure you have a saw and be prepared to portage your craft as we have all ready found a few challenging obstacles so far. 

We have had a typical spring so far and the river is currently dropping and clearing.  Flows are going to be higher for a while after another heavy rain event before the weekend. If you’re a wading angler be careful and use caution.  The water temperatures have been 45-52 depending upon the overnight lows and how much sunshine we receive.  The 10 day forecast shows a significant warmup heading our way with some more precipitation mixed in.

Streamer Fishing

The Streamer Fishing on the Upper Manistee River has been slower than expected recently and we have had to grind thru long periods of inactivity. The lack of consistency has stemmed primarily from the longer high water cycle and cold weather patterns.  More stable weather has been producing better bite windows and fish activity.  Colder mornings have been the slowest for us, but warming trends have been the most consistent.  SmallerUpper Manistee Trout Fishing streamers are getting the most attention and fly color has been all over the board.  Black, yellow, tan, and white, have all had their moments, even over the course of the same day.  

Presentation and the depth you are fishing your fly have been the most important factors so far.  Fly color can be important, but right now retrieval speed and the depth of your fly seem to be more critical for success. Weighted flies are currently outpacing unweighted swim fly style patterns.  You will also need to play with fly size and color throughout the day.  This time of year conditions can change quickly and so will presentation and fly selection.  Grinding through the slow periods and constantly changing things up will be your key to success.

Streamer Tactics

With the current water conditions you will need a couple of different setups to fish effectively while streamer fishing. You will need to consider the water type, depth, and retrieval speed you are fishing and match the proper line for that situation.  In deeper sections you can still get away with a 300-350 grain line, but with colder temps you will need to slow down your retreival.  I would also consider carrying a 200-250 grain line as well.  This will allow you to fish slower and maintain your flies in the strike zone longer. Right now a 250 grain line has been about right in the upper sections. 

Cloudy days are always the best streamer fishing days, but colder weather can make it challenging sometimes.  Interestingly enough, the better bite windows this week have come as the sun popped out from behind the clouds.  The fish have been sluggish lately and warmer water will help our fishing. On colder days you may find several bite windows, especially under moderately sunny conditions.  Right now water temps and flow will be the biggest factors controlling your current level of success.  Understanding fish behavior in cold- high water will be critical to catching more fish. 

Dry Fly Fishing

So far we haven’t had many days of good insect activity, but we did have some good numbers of Blue Wing Olives and Stones over the weekend.  With the current water temps we didn’t find many rising fish, but we did see a couple of small fish taking advantage of the bugs.  For the most part we have only seen Black Stones and BWO’s hatching and no Hendrickson sightings as of yet.  With the Michigan Trout Opener this weekend, and some warmer weather heading our way, I would expect to see our Hendrickson hatch start by the coming weekend.   

Didymo

Didymo on the Upper Manistee continues to be a problem with a high level of concern.  I would consider the entire Upper Manistee River System to be contaminated with this Diatom. There hasn’t been any recent Didymo growth to my knowledge and we haven’t seen any blooming like during 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).

Trout Guide Trips 

We have very limited openings available during the peak hatch season, so make sure to book your dates now for 2025!  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

Pere Marquette Trout Fishing

Pere Marquette Fishing Report

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Pere Marquette Fishing Report

Pere Marquette Trout Fishing

 

Hello fishing friends! I hope this spring season finds everyone healthy and finding fish! The spring season is in full swing. It has been great watching nature waking up after a long cold winter.

Steelhead Fishing

Steelhead fishing has been good. Our best fishing has been in the dark water down river of shallow water. The pre-spawn fish have been staging in the deeper runs close to the spawning gravel. There has been a good number of steelhead spawning. It is nice to see them making more for our future fishing. As the spawn continues the dropPere Marquette Trout Fishing back steelhead fishing should start to gain momentum. Fishing beads under floats has produced some good action. The stone flies are starting to hatch and the salmon fry are starting to show up in the slow water and eddies.

Minnow Patterns

With this starting look for the steelheads to start keying in on stonefly nymphs and minnow patterns. When this time of the year happens it is time to put the float rods away and get the streamer and lure rods out. Great fun watching the chase down your bait and punish it! With the water warming the brown trout fishing has been getting better everyday. At this point the best trout fishing has been behind the areas that steelhead are or have been spawning. But that being said this will be changing shortly. With the insects starting to wake up and the steelhead spawn slowing, the brown trout should start to transition into more of a classic holding water. Back into the log jams and bubble lines. This is a great time to catch a good brown on a dry fly, streamer or lure.

The river has dropped and is looking real good. Wading should be doable this week. Spring has sprung! Get out there and enjoy some therapy time in nature. We still have a couple open dates in April if you would like to float. May is the time to start chasing smallmouth bass and that is something to look forward to. If you haven’t fished bass with us yet you should! They pull hard! Be safe out there!

Captain Jeff

 

2024 Fall Fishing Review

2024 Fall Fishing Review Video

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New YouTube Video

Have you checked out the new YouTube Video?  Ed, Jeff, and I sat down with Brian Pitser from the Northern Angler to discuss our thoughts about the 2024 Fall Fishing.  This is a new format that we tried and I’m open to any thoughts you have or comments.  So please drop us an email positive or negative on what your thoughts are.

With still a few weeks left before the Spring Steelhead season, we would like to kick out some more content before the season ramps up again.  Thank you for watching.

Jon Ray

 

 

 

 

Fishing the Moon Phase

Fishing the Moon Phases

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Can Moon Phases Influence your Angling Opportunity?

Fishing the Moon Phase

Understand how to fish the Full Moon

Moon Phases are known to influence both fish and wildlife populations.  The major effects experienced during the new and full moon phases primarily occur through changes to ambient light and gravitational forces.  A full moon will produce more ambient light and stronger gravitational forces creating stronger tides.  These influences can alter the behavior and feeding patterns of fish and wildlife.  Furthermore, the moon phases are believed to impact the reproductive cycles in some species.

Certain animals time their breeding seasons around the lunar cycle.  This is a possible strategy to ensure their offspring are born under favorable conditions.  One advantage for open water fish species is the tidal dispersion of eggs.  This is more favorable during a full or new moon phase due to tidal influences.  Another Hypothesis is that fish experience brighter conditions during a full moon allowing greater nocturnal activity.  For example, bass tend to lay their eggs during a full moon, as do bluegill.  It’s theorized the increased lighting aids in nest building, mate recognition, locating suitable spawning sites, and protecting their eggs from nest invaders.

While the lunar influences are interesting to consider, it’s also important to note that there are other environmental stimuli.  For Example, spawning activity is often closely associated with water temperature and photoperiod.  The new and full moon phases may in fact act as a secondary trigger significantly altering the amount of ambient light available.  Many nocturnal animals, such as owls and bats, benefit from the increased lighting during a full moon.  The increased light at night aids in hunting and navigation.

Heightened Feeding Activity

Fish tend to come to the surface during the full moon.  This is mainly because the brighter lunar lights attract them.  Some prey species will follow phytoplankton towards the water’s surface.  This behaviour typically peaks during a full moon making prey species more vulnerable to predators.  It’s theorized that the full moon’s increased light levels at night can stimulate feeding activity in predatory fish.

Muskie for example, is a species relying heavily on its eyesight to hunt.  The additional light gives them an advantageFishing the Moon Phase in low-light conditions. Muskies, often called “the fish of 10,000 casts,” are apex predators that prefer to ambush prey. The full moon enhances their ability to feed at night and can make them more active and aggressive around the full moon.  This heightened activity should increase the encounter rates of Muskies for anglers fishing around the full moon.

Conversely, prey species might also adjust their behavior to avoid predators.  During the new moon some predators may struggle to hunt while prey species might take advantage of the reduced visibility to move around more freely.  Brown Trout, known for their nocturnal habits, tend to become more active at night around the new moon.  During the full moon, the brighter ambient light seems to have the opposite effect.  The larger Brown Trout may experience more vulnerability under the brighter full moon while patrolling shallow waters for food.

Alignment of Lunar and Solar Influences

Fishing during the major moon phases has long been a topic of debate among anglers.  Some chalk it up to folklore, but many experienced anglers agree that moon phases impact fish behavior.  Peak feeding activity times for fish such as Muskie and Brown Trout can align with lunar events.  Anglers can use this information to plan fishing efforts in advance.  The alignment of the sun and moon during the full and new moon can create “major” and “minor” feeding periods.  These periods indicate peak fish activity and are considered peak fishing windows for anglers to target.

During a full moon, lunar and solar gravitational forces align to create strong tidal effects in marine environments.  Even larger freshwater systems like the Great Lakes can experience subtle water level changes.  While these effects may not create visible tides in freshwater ecosystems, they subtly influence fish behavior, including feeding and movement patterns.  Water clarity is also a strong influence on fish behavior as it relates to ambient lunar light penetrating into clear waters.

Steelhead are a freshwater species that tend to show a strong movement pattern around the full moon.  We will often see increased Steelhead movement associated with a full moon phase.  As the full moon approaches Steelhead accelerate their upstream movements every fall and spring.  Many anglers have also observed that species like Muskies and Brown Trout are often active around moonrise, moonset, and other peak lunar periods during a new or full moon.

Solunar Calendars

Solunar fishing calendars are a popular tool used by anglers to target specific times of increased fish activity.  These charts are characterized by two “major” and two “minor” periods during a 24 hour day.  The major’s are during the moon overhead or moon underfoot times.  The minor’s are typically focused around moonrise or moonset.  These same conditions can be found during both the new and full moon phases.

More emphasis has been put on the full moon phase as the ambient light at night is greater and therefore is considered to have an extended influence on fish behavior.  The best fishing days and times are typically found around the new and full moon events each month. The best fishing times on those days are typically detailed as “major” and “minor” times.  Typically I find the better days of fishing are associated with either 2 “major” events and 1 “minor” period or 2 “minor” events and 1 “major” period during my outings.

I have used Solunar calendars with some success targeting both Muskies and Brown Trout during my fishing trips.  Personally I feel there is a greater correlation with using Solunar times as a predictor of fish feeding behavior for pursuing Muskie.  I have found the moon rise and set times during a full moon to coincide better with increased Muskie activity while fishing.  Brown Trout on the other hand tend to break the rules and more often than not I find that predictable Brown Trout activity is situational at best.

Conditions Still Matter

In summary, the moon’s phases have a multifaceted impact on fish and wildlife populations from influencing their behavior, feeding habits, reproduction, and to their overall survival strategies. While the major moon phases can offer excellent opportunities, success also depends on other factors, such as water temperature, weather conditions, and local fish habits. Conditions still matter and you must still consider the local weather and water conditions.  By themselves, Solunar times are simply a best guess recommendation.  For optimal results, pairing new and full moon insights with local knowledge and conditions is the key to expanding your success.

cold weather fishing gear

Cold Weather Fishing Gear

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Cold Weather Fishing Gear
Cold Weather Fishing – New Updates Dec, 2024

Fall and Winter Steelhead Gear

One of the more difficult challenges we face in the Midwest during Steelhead season is staying warm. This leads to many questions when preparing for your fishing trip. What do I wear? What cold weather fishing gear do you bring on your trip? With over 30 years of fall/winter steelhead fishing under my belt, I thought I would share how I layer myself before each steelhead trip.

I live by the philosophy that if I get hot I can always take it off. I’ll also share a few bonus tips, tricks, and some new technology along the way. We found some new tech last year that we used with great success and I’ll share that as well.

Base Layer

Once I determine wether the day is going to be wet or dry and what the overall forecast is, I can make my base layer choices. I have two layering systems that I can choose from based on what the weather forecast might be for the day. If I believe it’s going to be wet I prefer my base layer to be a Merino Wool based material. Having tried almost every other type of layering fabric, wool is my go to choice for wet days. No matter how cold and wet I get, wool based materials still keep me warm. The majority of my favorite wool base layers I purchase have been from Patagonia and now Duckworth. Duckworth is a new company for me, but to say I’ve been impressed is an under statement . Make sure to check out the Mens Powder Hoody, you will not be disappointed.

One more quick tip here, no matter if it’s a wet or dry forecast, I will NEVER wear cotton based materials! Even on the unseasonable warm days I still go with a synthetic base layer on dry days. Synthetics are always my go to base layer, wether the forecast is wet or dry. I always start with some sort of wicking layer for my base. Some of my favorite wicking layers range from our hoodie less sun-shirts to any of the Simms fabrics.

To complete the base layer system I choose for the day, I may double up on my base layers depending upon the low and high temperatures for the day. It’s not uncommon for me to start with lightweight layers and then add a mid or expedition weight base layer before adding one of my favorite layers of all, the Puffy Jacket.

Read more

Northern Michigan Smallmouth Bass

Northern Michigan Smallmouth Bass

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Smallmouth Bass

Northern Michigan Smallmouth Bass

Smallmouth bass fishing on Grand Traverse Bay was a blast this summer. I have had the opportunity to learn a lot about the deep water behaviors.  Which has been great.    Something that I really struggled with last year.  But with more time on the water comes more learning and it’s translating to success.  Water temps still remain in the area I have been working in the upper 60’s to low 70’s.  We had a solid North wind last week that mixed up the water, dropping it a few degrees.

A good population of 3-4 pound smallmouth are hunting and looking for food.  This past few weeks it started to shift to baitfish presentations.  Some of the same tactics we use in the Spring time to search for them are starting to work again as Fall Smallmouth season at our doorstep.

Smallmouth Tactics for Fall

 

Bait fish balls are start to really form out deep, Smallmouth will work almost like wolf packs and target these bait balls.  This pattern will continue as we continue go into Fall.  Swim baits, umbrella rigs, and drop shot will play best as bass stay deep.

But some good signs of smallmouth coming back to shallow haunts have started to occur.  We found nice size fish in the 3-4 pound range hunting some of the top rock piles.  We caught fish this week on underspins with boot tail style swimbaits.  If this trend continues the fly rods will be coming back out.  With some of our favorite swimbait style flies tied on.  The new style game changers in shad had worked well earlier in the year and can’t wait to expand on the techniques that will trigger a few more bites.

 

Booking a Smallmouth Trip

Interested in booking a Smallmouth Bass Trip or going for Lake Trout on light tackle, drop us a message via email, or text/call us directly 231-631-5701.  We are booking next summer already as prime pre-spawn and post-spawn spots are open.

Jon Ray

Mousing for Trout

Match the Hatch with Ed McCoy

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Ed McCoy Podcast

Since Jim Bashline wrote the Bible on night fishing in 1973: “Night Fishing for Trout”, our passion for stalking big Truttasaurus browns at night on big mayfly hatches like drakes, Hexes, Isonychia and big stoneflies has become an obsession! Add in the whole new mousing craze, you now have fly fishing in the night a state of art much different than just feeling the tug and hearing creepy things that go “ bump in the night” . With Infrared night vision head lamps, and glo- in- the dark lines and fly materials, we have perfected the passion to the next level. Our Night Stalker guest is a trained fisheries biologist and guide who rows in the night in search of sounds foretelling a big, night monster Truttasaurus brown on the hunt for flesh and blood- don’t miss this one!

Fly Fishing the Manistee River

Trout and Steelhead on the Manistee River Podcast

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The Wadeoutthere Fly Fishing Podcast

I had the opportunity to give my opinions on a few different topics ranging from Steelhead to Trout and everything in between on the Wade Out There Podcast.  If you looking for a fly fishing podcast to listen to give this one a try.

I go into some of my thoughts on what fish see.  How I use colors, sun, and water clarity to crack the daily code of catching a few fish.

 

Conditions Matter

Conditions Matter

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Conditions Matter

Every spring we enter a transitional period between our annual spring steelhead run and our peak dry fly fishing for trout. In some years this period can be long and drawn out while others transition rapidly. This period is often overlooked and regarded as “hard fishing” as weather conditions can change rapidly and behave differently from year to year. However, if you use a conditions based decision making process to plan your outings, you can eliminate some of the frustrations often associated with transitional fishing. After all, you’re only as good as the conditions you’re fishing in. As a guide, dealing with changing conditions is a daily consideration and I am constantly looking for the best conditions based approach for my anglers.

April and early May can often be characterized by inconsistent weather patterns, but the angling opportunities available at this time are unique and often overlooked. Two of my personal favorites are 1) streamer fishing for trout while searching for the first hatches of the season and 2) the pre-spawn smallmouth bass fishing. Both of these angling opportunities offer different types of fishing, but more importantly they require different conditions for success. Having multiple opportunities to choose from allows us to cater to a conditions based approach to what, when, and where, we will fish on any given day. This is just one example of two overlapping fishing scenarios that have independent factors determining the outcome.

Trout Opener

The annual trout opener is always met with great anticipation, but more often than not we find ourselves fishing during a cold front during this weekend. Negative conditions will often make fishing tough, but understanding your target species and how it will respond to these changes is really what we should consider under these circumstances. Another scenario we often experience under stable conditions are weather patterns that impact the effectiveness of certain techniques making the fishing less productive. Understanding how certain weather parameters affect the behavior of the fish we target is important, but how do these same conditions also impact the food resources available to the fish during these same times?

One of the most common examples of this that I often have to consider is; how does a bright sunny day impact the trout fishing during early spring? Understanding that under low water conditions and bright sunny skies the streamer fishing for trout will often be tough. Another consideration I will make here is understanding how these same conditions will impact my dry fly fishing for trout. I know that under bright skies and colder conditions my hatching Hendrickson’s will be low in density. Even under bright skies and warmer conditions the Hendrickson’s tend to be lower in number, but more importantly the bugs have an easier time leaving the waters surface making them less visible to the trout. When these early hatches of insects are not drifting long distances on the waters surface, trout will often not key in on the surface to feed.

Smallmouth Bass

Under these same conditions smallmouth bass may be far more active and provide a much better alternative species to fish for especially on the bright sunny days. Cold fronts will often push bass into deeper and slower water, but I still feel that they will be more receptive and less neutral than trout under these same conditions. On the flip side, if conditions are calling for heavy cloud cover and moderate temperatures, I know the trout will be more receptive to streamers and the hatching Hendrickson’s will typically last longer and drift further on the waters surface. Not everything in nature is black and white, but if you consider the fishing conditions that are presented to you, often you will find your success improves even in the face of adversity.

Over my guiding career I have seen a lot of changes, weather patterns today are definitely less predictable and the timing of our seasons feels different as well. Being adaptable in my approach and considering the conditions I’m presented on a daily basis has definitely led to more success over time. I have always been passionate about the spring fishing for trout, but often it has been met with frustration as day to day conditions didn’t provide the opportunities I was looking for. Having a backup plan for those situations is a far less stressful strategy and it will often prevent you from getting stuck in a rut. So when planning your next trip consider choosing your target species based upon the fishing conditions you are presented, it may provide everyone with a better overall angling experience.

Ed McCoy