Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing

Manistee River Trout 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.

Currently, the river is very low and clear with water temps running in the lower 50’s.  The water temperatures shouldn’t be an issue moving forward due to the shorter days and colder weather patterns.  Water temps have finally dropped into a favorable streamer pattern and the dry fly bite has started to come to an end this week.

Streamer Fishing

With the big change in the weather earlier this week the fish really showed some interest in chasing streamers.  Despite the low clear water and sunny skies we had some pretty good activity streamer fishing.  Smaller weighted streamers with very little flash fished on lighter sink tips were the best.  The fish still liked it moving and were eating on the pause so be sure to mix up the retrieve.  Deeper water with plenty of structure provided most of our action.

Smaller leech like patterns in black, tan, and chartreuse moved the majority of our fish.  We tried a number of combinations, but 3-4″ length, articulated, and weighted eyes won first place.  Fish were tight to cover and concentrated in the deeper pits and cuts.  With the low clear water you need to fish way out in front of you. A medium to fast jerky retrieve received the most bites.  If the river gets a bump in flow I would expect to see some really good streamer opportunities as the fish begin to enter the fall spawning period.

Didymo

ref=”https://www.michigan.gov/invasives/news/2021/12/10/dreaded-didymo-found-in-upper-manistee-river” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”> Didymo on the Upper Manistee continues to be a problem with a high level of concern.  I consider the entire Upper Manistee River System to be contaminated with this Diatom. There isn’t any recent Didymo growth to my knowledge since the <strong>2022 season.  Didymo is 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 spread easily between watersheds and can be detrimental to our trout streams.

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 known effective methods to eradicate didymo once it is established in a river.  To prevent spreading Didymo and other aquatic invasive species, it is critical 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)</em>.

Trout Guide Trips 

We have very limited openings available during the peak hatch season. Make sure to book your dates now for 2026!  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 currently focused on the Lower Manistee for the Fall months chasing migratory Steelhead. Check out our open dates though, and you can always talk us into a late season trout streamer trip. 

Tight Lines,

Ed