Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing

Manistee River Trout Report

The Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing report for the middle of September has our fish stuck in a late summer mode.  Currently our fall programs are in a holding pattern.  With some unseasonably warm weather hangin around, our fish are still looking up and the streamer fishing has been limited to the low light periods.  The last rounds of night fishing were pretty solid, but the full moon has put a damper on that.  With the high heat and low water the streamer fishing has been mostly slow.  Hoppers and hatch matching with dry flies have been the most consistent, but even that has been limited by the bright sunny conditions.  Some rain would go a long ways at this point.

Hoppers, Ants, and Beetles are currently the best options to search the banks and structure for active fish.  The fall Isonychia and White Millers have been the most prolific bugs, but most of the activity has been compressed into the late evenings. Look for the streamer fishing to pick up with some rain and a bump in flows along with some cooler temperatures.  We haven’t had any significant rains since mid August and the water levels have been really low and clear.  

Water conditions currently are very low and clear as we haven’t had much rain over the past month.  The river has been dropping and clearing  with the current warm weather and lack of rain.  The water temperatures have been warmer but mostly stable with temps ranging 59-63 .  The forecast shows an extended warming period for the remainder of the week with some more seasonably weather heading our way hopefully late next week.

Streamer Fishing

The Streamer bite has been limited to the low light periods of the day.  Cooler Mornings have been the best as of late.  Smaller streamers have provided the best activity recently, but it’s been limited by the heat and lack of water.  The hopper fishing has still been the best approach lately, but even that has been inconsistent at best.  The fish are still focused on surface feeding, especially during the warmer days or when insects are present.  Grinding through the slow periods and keeping the faith is always the key to success.

Cooler cloudy days are always the best streamer days, but the current heat has put a damper on the activity.  This time of year I look for cold fronts with rain to provide a bump in flows to offer anglers the best streamer fishing opportunities.  With the recent heat wave our water temps have been getting into the low 60s and the fish have been mostly active at the surface and not really chasing streamers outside of the early mornings and late evenings.  As we head into late September the water temps should cool down and the streamer bite should gain consistency. 

Night Fishing

McCoy’s Mouse – Adult

The Upper Manistee River trout fishing at night in late August and early September was pretty consistent.  The darker nights around the New Moon will always be the preferred conditions for success.  Just like our daytime fishing the best Night bite can be dependent upon stable weather.  There were a few nights where we had to grind it out and take advantage of limited opportunities, but that’s fishing nowadays.  The Northern Lights this year have been very active and I don’t remember seeing them as intense or as frequently as I have this season.  

Overall the fishing was pretty solid and some great fish were caught during our recent outings.  The best flies have been McCoy’s Mouse and Amphibious Assault.  This Frog pattern continues to put the biggest fish in the net year after year.  The late season saw the annual migration of Mice and the fish were keyed in on that profile.  Mouse patterns were key to our success on the last moon phase.  It’s always bitter sweet putting a stamp on another mousing season, but I am already looking forward to next season as the age structure of our Brown Trout showed a lot of promise for next season. 

Didymo

Didymo on the Upper Manistee continues to be a problem with a high level of concern.  I would consider the whole Upper Manistee River System to be contaminated with this Diatom. There was new Didymo growth above CCC bridge and it has been documented as far upstream as Yellow Trees Landing.  The Didymo mats in sections below CCC are still breaking down and to my knowledge there isn’t any blooming like we saw in 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).

New Shop Items

Check out the latest Mangled Fly T-Shirt plus Flex Fit Hats are back in stock. 

Trout Guide Trips 

We have very limited openings available during the peak hatch season, so make sure to book your dates now!  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 Fall Trout Season.   Also make sure to follow along on our social pages and our online fishing report page  for more updates. 

Tight Lines,

Ed