Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing

Manistee River Trout Report

The Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing report for the last week of June has us staying out later.  The water levels are still up 6- 7″ above normal for this time of year. The water was finally getting into prime shape early in the week and we were blessed with a couple more big rain events. It’s been a long drying out period since the flood this spring, but now we have some very hot weather coming and water temps will be too warm by the middle of the week for safe catch and release angling.

Heading into the weekend the upper sections near 72 have been clearing and dropping quicker with a couple of big drops in the morning temps around 54 in the mornings.  The forecast is calling for some Overnight temps staying in the 70’s so the river is only going to warm fast with the tannic stain and full sunshine hitting it.  The cold front stretched out our hatches the past 10 days, but our Hex hatch still started in the cool weather and has been mostly sputtering along at this point.  With the incoming heat it’s likely to finish up pretty fast and furious as we have been seeing bugs on most days this week.  

Hex Hatch

The most anticipated hatch of the year has started on the Upper Manistee River.  We have had hex hatching and/or spinning in every section this week and it’s already finishing up in a few.  Like the rest of our hatches, it’s been an up and down affair lacking consistency so far.  This should all change now and I expect the rest of the hatch to go pretty fast in the incoming heat wave.  

The Hex hatch always brings the crowds unfortunately but the fishing offers a good chance at larger trout.  Water conditions this year have been pretty high since the flood so Im sure this is adding to some of the inconsistency.  The weather so far this June has mostly been cold, these bugs love the heat.  Looks like we have that coming. Look for spinners right around dark and hunt the mud after the spinner fall is over for any hatching Hex. It’s a busy time of year so be courteous to your fellow anglers.

Hatch Matching Opportunities 

The dry fly fishing improved and then got weird again this week as our Hex hatch started to take over the hatch schedule.  We had some good days of fishing and some very difficult days as well.  It has been very evident this year that if you have bugs you will have the opportunity.  Carry over from “yesterday’s” hatches have had  less of an influence on the following day this year.  Stable conditions have been the best for our bugs, but we haven’t had a lot of that this year.  We did have a few days with Hex hatching daytime in the inclement weather mid week, rare, but a cool experience to say the least.  

The Isonychia spinners fired up this week for us and then fizzled as the heat came back.  We had some really solid fishing a couple of nights with plenty of Iso spinners on the water.  There are also some very large Stoneflies(Golden, Pteronarcys), Olive Stones, Yellow Sallies, Dark Sallies, Dobson Flies, Alder Flies, Light Cahill’s, Yellow Cahill’s, Apple Green Sulphurs, Isonychia, and a few Brown Drake Spinners. Most of the hatching occurred during the daytime on the wet days and then right before dark on the warmer evenings.

Make Your Cast Count

Presentation has still been key. Match the tippet to fit the flies you are fishing, plus the fish we are encountering are larger and well fed.  It’s still very important to have clean drifts and accurate casts, we have had some fish shut down if you miss them or cast too close. Most days we haven’t had a ton of bugs on the water and in that situation the fish are more aware of their surroundings, stealth and accuracy has been making the difference for success.  

The bigger tippets have been making it easier to land some of the larger fish, but the overall weight of the fish this year has added a new challenge and made it harder to lift them off the bottom.  We had a rod fold on one earlier this week.  The big flies are getting lots of attention, but sometimes you need to size down to get the bite, be observant and the fish will tell you what they want that day.

Didymo

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)

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 text) or shoot us an email. 

Tight Lines,

Ed