Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing

Manistee River Trout Report

The Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing report for the second week of March has us starting to pursue trout with streamers.  Our weather this past week has seen temps reach 70 and fall back to freezing.  Currently it’s snowing again as I type this.  Water conditions are high and dirty due to some recent rains and snow melt.  The upper sections have a slight stain.  However, as you venture downstream the levels and color intensify below each tributary coming in.  

It’s important to mention that most of the access sites are buried in snow.  The snow is deep enough that you will get stuck, especially on the warmer days.  If you plan on accessing the Upper Manistee River anytime soon be prepared to put a lot of extra work in launching and retrieving your water craft.  Also keep in mind that we have had a lot of heavy winds and snow to this point, fallen trees will be an issue up and down the river.  Make sure you have a saw if you’re floating a section of the Manistee River anytime soon.

We have had a typical spring so far this year and I don’t see the river dropping and clearing very fast.  There is still significant snow pack in the wooded areas and with the current cold front it will likely be a slower melt.  The water temperatures have been warming up with temps ranging from 37-47 depending upon the overnight lows.  The 10 day forecast shows another week of up and down temps over the next week with some more precipitation mixed in.

Streamer Fishing

The Streamer Fishing on the Upper Manistee River has been decent to good.  Consistency has been primarily influenced by the weather patterns.  More stable weather has been producing better bite windows and fish activity.  Colder mornings have been the slowest for us, but warming trends are usually the most consistent.  Smaller streamers have been getting the most attention and fly color has been all over the board.  Black, yellow, tan, and white have all had their moments even over the course of the same day.  

Presentation and the depth you are fishing your fly have been the most important factors so far.  Fly color can be important, but right now retrieval speed and depth of your fly seem to be more critical for success. Weighted flies are currently outpacing unweighted swim fly style patterns.  You will also need to play with fly size and color throughout the day.  This time of year conditions can change quickly and so will presentation and fly selection.  Grinding through the slow periods and constantly changing things up will be a key to success.

Streamer Tactics

With the current water conditions you will need a couple of different setups to fish effectively while streamer fishing. You will need to consider the water type, depth, and retrieval speed you are fishing and match the proper line for that situation.  In deeper sections you can still get away with a 300-350 grain line, but with colder temps you will need to slow down your retreival.  I would also consider carrying a 200-250 grain line as well.  This will allow you to fish slower and maintain your flies in the strike zone longer.  

Cloudy days are always the best streamer fishing days, but colder weather can make it challenging sometimes.  This time of year I look for little warm ups to offer anglers the best streamer fishing opportunities.  Even on colder days you may find several bite windows, usually under moderately sunny conditions.  Right now water temps and flow will be the biggest factors controlling your current level of success.  Understanding fish behavior in cold- high water will be critical to catching more fish throughout the snow melt period.

Didymo

Didymo on the Upper Manistee continues to be a problem with a high level of concern.  I would consider the entire Upper Manistee River System to be contaminated with this Diatom. There hasn’t been any recent Didymo growth to my knowledge and we haven’t seen any blooming like during 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 Trout Season.   Also make sure to follow along on our social pages and our online fishing report page  for more updates. 

Tight Lines,

Ed