Manistee River Steelhead Report

Manistee River Steelhead Report below Tippy Dam

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Manistee River

Manistee River Steelhead Report

Spring Steelhead Report Below Tippy Dam

Spring Steelhead Report below Tippy Dam water levels remain high but are slowly dropping. However, the Pine River upstream of Tippy Dam is dumping a heavy mud stain into the Manistee, creating very low visibility and poor clarity. As of today, flows are 4,360 cfs and the water temperature is 41.4°F.

All of our guide trips have been canceled or rescheduled since last week’s big rain events, but it’s looking like we’ll be able to get back out there very soon. High water is a common spring issue—especially after a heavy snow year—so we knew this was bound to happen at some point during the spring steelhead season.

The good news: conditions should improve shortly as flows continue to drop and the river clears. With water temps just getting into the 40s, we’re approaching the peak window and things should be firing again soon.

We will have a new update coming soon once we can get back on the Manistee River.

Booking a Trip

The Manistee River below Tippy Dam is one of the best west side rivers in the state of Michigan.  We specialize in Steelhead and Trout fishing on this section of the Manistee River Watershed.  Now is a great time to book your Spring Fishing adventure as well, with Steelhead, Trout, and Pre-Spawn Smallmouth on the agenda.

If catching a Great Lakes Steelhead in on your wish list give us a call to join in the fun at (231-631-5701), you can also shoot us an email.  We are currently booking Spring Steelhead, Pre-Spawn Smallmouth Bass, and a few remain peak Trout Dates for Michigan Dry Fly Fishing. 

Jon Ray

Pere Marquette Spring Fishing

Pere Marquette Fishing Report

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Pere Marquette Fishing Report

Pere Marquette Trout Fishing

What a crazy week of weather. It seems like Mother Nature needed to get it all out of her system—hopefully she did.

On the bright side, the cold temperatures and the snow/ice storm should slow the spawn down and extend our steelhead season. Water temps dropped from the mid-40s to the mid-30s last week. River levels rose with the rain ahead of the snow and ice, and then—did we ever get snow and ice. With frozen ground and colder temps, the river is now dropping slowly. As levels continue to fall and water temperatures gradually creep back up, the next couple of weeks should fish well. With a mix of winter holdover fish and a slow trickle of spring-run steelhead, this could shape up to be a great spring steelhead season.

Our go-to method for targeting steelhead this time of year is float fishing. With water temps still in the winter range, steelhead are holding in softer, slower water, and the float is the best way to cover those lanes effectively. Beads have been the top producer. With the water high and dirty, 10mm–14mm beads in bright colors have been working well. That will change as the river warms, but it’ll be a bit before we see a real shift. There’s not much insect activity yet—we’re still waiting on that first spring stonefly to signal that spring is truly here.

Brown Trout

Pere Marquette Brown Trout Fishing

Brown trout fishing has been hit-or-miss. Between the weather and the stained water, trout have been tucked into some hard-to-reach spots—especially log jams. If your timing is right and they’re willing to bite, you can do well. Most trout have been eating beads. Nymphs haven’t been very consistent, though we’ve had the occasional fish chase a streamer. Minnow patterns have also been getting a few looks.

The river is high and stained, so if you’re walking and wading, please be careful. Over the last few days we’ve also seen some new logs show up in the river, which could make wading more challenging than usual.

We still have a few open spring dates available—if you want to float the PM, let us know!

Captain Jeff

 

 

Pere Marquette Water Levels at Scottville, MI

USGS Water-data graph for site 06025500

Upper Manistee River trout fishing report

Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing

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Manistee River Trout Report

Upper Manistee River trout fishing report

The Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing report for mid-October has us transitioning into the fall spawn. Fall is in the air, you could feel it this past week during the cool down. As we enter late October, we will see most of our Brown and Brook Trout enter the spawning period.  Streamer fishing this past week was pretty productive for us as most of the fish appear to be prespawn and still actively feeding. Despite the low water and bright sunny conditions we had decent activity as water temps dropped into the low 50s.

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