The Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing report for the First week of July has us wrapping up our Hex hatch. First off we would like to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Fourth of July celebration. Most of our Hatches have gone through their course now. As we enter July, we are starting to focus on our late summer programs such as Terrestrial fishing and Mousing. Our Isonychia hatch is still dribbling along with some Hex, but the major hatches have phased out at this point. As we enter the late summer Trout fishing season, we can now venture out at about anytime of the day to catch fish.
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 levelsare 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.
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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
https://mangledfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/manistee-river-dropback-steelhead.jpg14401920Jon Rayhttps://mangledfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/mangled-fly-northern-michigan-300x181.pngJon Ray2025-04-21 05:03:002025-04-21 15:58:57Manistee River Steelhead Report below Tippy Dam
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 drop 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!
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.