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 has not disappointed especially now that the Manistee River below Tippy has settled into a more constant temperature.  December we had some tough conditions and had to cancel too many trips, but since we have been getting out in January fishing honestly has been really good. 

Today’s flow at Tippy Dam  are 2400 cfs and 36.0 F. The local area had a good mix of rain and snow this weekend. The has bumped up to the biggest number of the season so far.  I love it that we got this water right now, should set us up nicely for the next month.  With a bump in flows should shuffle the deck as we had some lower flows that we want for winter fishing.  

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 was the case this past week size 12mm beads in pink fished the best for us.  This was before the bump in water. We need to grab the attention of the steelhead and make them curious.  Try brighter hues and larger sizes during the wanter time are commonly the best choice.

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. Been playing around with a bunch of balanced leeches, a balanced pink worm, and soon I’ll be throwing a balanced baitfish pattern for those alevins that should be hatching from the gravel.

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