Manistee River

Steelhead fishing Below Tippy Dam

The Winter Steelhead Fishing Report for Below Tippy Dam.  The Fall season was great even with low water levels we had good numbers of fish around this year, the winter session as not disappointed especially now that the Manistee River below Tippy has settled into a more constant tempature.  The drastic temperature fall in early December made it more difficult, but now that the migratory steelhead that have entered the Big Manistee are getting used to the cold water fishing is honestly heating up.     

Today’s flow at Tippy Dam  are 1690 cfs and 34.5 F. The river received a small amount of new fish this week, as big Northwest winds pushed in a few new ones, but the most amount of fish have spread out thru the system.  Fish movement slowed down with dropping temps, but we did notice they went towards the deepest woodiest parts of the Manistee River.  Fish movement during the winter slows down, so finding the winter holding spots will be key, look for dark bottom during those sunny days as thermal warming triggers fish to find those darker bottoms.

Winter Steelhead Fly Patterns

Winter Steelhead fly patterns change slightly from  the good old egg fly or beads that we run day in and day out in the fall season.  Instead of matching the hatch, its no more about grabbing the attention.  As mentioned before water temps are cold.  We need to grab the attention of the steelhead and make them curious.  Try brighter hues and larger sizes during the wanter time.

Brighter colors are recommended in the mornings and on cloudy days, while pale colors in smaller sizes work best on sunny days and during brighter times. 

Get Jiggy

Swinging flies still works but slows down in the winter, as cold water temps makes it the hardest time of year to get these fish to move.  But instead of swinging the fly, we start of thinking of jigging it.  Same type of patterns we swing in the fall we now start to downsize and try to fish them with a jiggy action.  Black, Olive, White and even pink marabou patterns fished with heavier heads to get them down fast and keep them in the zone.  We start fishing more of a floating line selection now, giving us better line control on the mend.  Look for the slowest part of the pool / run and get your flies as deep as possible.  

Booking a Trip

The Manistee River blow 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. Mangled Fly guides are available during the winter fishing for a Full or Half Day Trip. 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 Winter and Spring Steelhead Trips.  

Jon Ray