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

Do you remember those beautiful February days of 2024—warm afternoons melting the snow, an open river flowing strong, and the bite absolutely on fire. Fast forward to 2025, and it’s a completely different story. Portions of the river are frozen solid, water temps are hovering at a bone-chilling 34 degrees, and nearly two feet of snow blankets the banks. But when the sun breaks through, you can feel its strength—spring is on the way. 

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.

Water Levels

Water levels are looking good right now, sitting in the 1,660 CFS range. Ideally, we’ll see a slow, steady snowmelt rather than a sudden flood. 

As for water clarity, the Manistee is holding a nice green tint, one of my favorite colors for this river. It’s a big change from the gin-clear water we had last fall. With this added color, running larger presentations has been the most effective way to grab a steelhead’s attention.

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 7,9,11,16-21,25-27 April 6-8

Ed McCoy – March 7,11,14,16-21,27,28,30,31 and April 1,6-11,13,15,17,18

Jeff Topp – March  11-20, 25-27, April – 1,2,7,21-25,28-30

 

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 Fishing Report

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Pere Marquette Fishing Report

The Pere Marquette river never disappoints. We had a chance to float the river the day before Thanksgiving it was a beautiful day. After spending the fall on the Manistee River it was great to do a nice quiet float. 

 
The Pere Marquette Fishing Report are very low and gin clear. The good news is that we did find some great fish. Both the browns and steelhead gave us a battle. . With the river being so clear a stealthy approach is a must. It is best to stay as far off the runs as possible. Down sizing your presentation is a must right now. 
 
When float fishing using a small float, longer leader and smaller bead. This will help combat the low, clear water. This will also help as the water temps drop into the winter lows. 
Pere Marquette Trout Fishing
 

Lures and Swung Fly

 
The lure and swung fly game is a great bet. Get your offering as close to the lumber as possible and hold on. With the fall being very mild the water temps are still warm the steelhead are still willing to move to a bait. It is the best grab in steelhead fishing. Perch pattern with almost no flash has been working. Sculpin patterns and small bait fish streamers has got some looks. Lure fishing in the wood and deep runs has been key. Smaller dull baits, low flash and a slow retrieve has worked the best. 
 
As we get this temp drop and some white stuff on the ground the bite could change. As the water temps drop that will turn the bite on and off. The steelhead will slide deeper into the wood as the river temp cool off.   
 
Winter is a great time to get out and enjoy mother nature and with good numbers of fish in the system let go fishing!

 

Capt. Jeff Topp

 

 

 

 

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 October has our fish starting to spawn.  As water temps continue to cool the spawning activity will accelerate.  With some unseasonably warm weather still hanging around the fishing has been for our entire season.  We have had a few rainy days, but we could use inches upon inches at this point.  

Streamer fishing has been good on the cloudy days and you have to grind in the sun.  Make sure to keep a dry fly rod on deck as there have been some BWOs on the cooler cloudy days.  Look for the streamer fishing to pick up after the fall spawn is completed.  Some timely rains, a bump in flow, and some cooler weather could provide some excellent post spawn opportunities on streamers.   

Water conditions currently are very low and clear as we haven’t had much rain over the past few months.  The river has been dropping and clearing  with the current warm weather and lack of rain.  The water temperatures have been warmer but mostly stable with temps ranging 48-55.  The forecast shows another warming period heading our way for next week

Streamer Fishing

The Streamer bite on the Upper Manistee River has been decent to good in the low light.  Cooler Mornings have been the best for us.  Smaller streamers have been getting the most attention, but you have to play the game of “lighting dictates color”.  Black has been good for us during the low light periods.  Tan and olive based combinations have been better during the brighter sunny conditions.   Play with size and color throughout the day and from one day to the next.  Grinding through the slow periods and keeping the faith is still key for success.

With the current water conditions you will need a couple of different setups to fish effectively.  You will need to consider the water type, depth, and retrieval speed you are fishing and match the proper line to the situation.  In deeper sections you can still get away with a 200-250 grain line, but as temps drop you will need to slow down your presentation.  I would consider carrying a floating line and/or an intermediate line as well.  This will allow you to fish slower and maintain your flies in the strike zone longer.  

Cooler, cloudy days are always the best streamer days, but the current heat has made it challenging at times.  This time of year I look for cold fronts with rain to provide a bump in flows to offer anglers the best streamer fishing opportunities.  With all the recent heat our water temps have been pretty stable, but the clarity and sun have been the biggest limiting factor.  As we head into late October the forecast remains unseasonably warm which means the spawning period will likely get stretched out until some cooler weather sets in. 

Didymo

Upper Manistee Trout Fishing

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).

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 Fall Trout Season.   Also make sure to follow along on our social pages and our online fishing report page  for more updates. 

 

Tight Lines,

Ed