Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing
Manistee River Trout Report
Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing report for the first week of June has given us another big change in the weather. We went from fairly cold temps to unseasonably hot weather for most of this week. Water temperatures were pretty high for this time of year so seeking colder water was necessary. The water temperatures remain warmer than usual for this time of year, but the cooler nights are helping. As we move thru June and closer to the summer solstice, continue to pay attention to water temps as the sun has been having a dramatic affect upon our water temps. The forecast moving forward has more seasonable weather coming and things should stabilize and fishing should be more consistent.
With the warmer weather our hatches picked up and sped up. Over the last few days the hatches have been lighter as most of the bugs we see this time of year prefer cooler water. This week should help us get back on track. You can also check out our recent Trout Fishing reports for the Pere Marquette River as Jeff continues to keep us up to date for that watershed. So far the trout fishing recently has been pretty good and some key hatches have started.
Open Guide Dates
Jeff Topp – June – 12,13
Upper Manistee River Trout Fishing
Streamer Fishing
The Upper Manistee River trout fishing can present the angler with several techniques to catch trout. Streamer fishing is usually a go to method we use more often in the early spring or anytime the river is up and dirty. As of late the streamer fishing has been pretty slow in the high bright sunny skies. Right now the dry fly fishing has taken precedence and we desperatly
Dry Fly Fishing
The Light Hendrickson’s and Sulphurs are starting to wane for the most part. The Mahoganies have been the main hatch of interest on the Upper Manistee River this past week. On a few nights we had Sulphur spinners and bat flies mixed in with the Mahoganies. The Mattress Thrasher Stoneflies are also in good numbers right now and have been good in between times of Mayfly activity.
We continue to see March Browns, Yellow Cahill’s, Light Cahill’s, and Olive Stones hatching. The Mahoganies started to thin out the past couple of days and we have had sporadic sightings of Isonychia and even a couple Brown Drakes. Caddis hatches have been waning as of late, but I would keep them on hand as we have still had a few days where Caddis were present. Robert’s Yellow Drakes #10-18, Borcher’s Drake #16-10, McCoy’s AP Drake and AP Spinner #14-10, McCoy’s All Day Dun Iso and Brown Drakes #12-10, McCoy’s Boondoggle Iso and Brown Drake #12-10, McCoy’s Iso Dun #12-10, McCoy’s Cherry Bomb Iso spinner #12-10 have been the most productive fly choices as of late.
Don’t forget your Stonefly imitations as we are seeing some better stonefly activity on the warmer days. This can be a great option when nothing seems to be rising. Right now look for fish to be sitting in deeper slow woody runs closer to structure until the hatches move the fish out into the feeding lanes.
New Flies Available
With June just a few days away, our Isonychia and Brown Drake hatches will be here before you know it. Now is the time to stock up on flies as the drake hatches will be here very soon. Make sure to pick up some of my new patterns from Montana Fly Company while supplies last. New for this year is the McCoy’s Iso Dun in #12 and #10 along with the McCoy’s Iso- Cherry Bomb in #12 and #10. June will be here before you know it and these flies flat out hunt!
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).
Trout Guide Trip
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 currently have limited availability, so if your looking to book a trout trip I would encourage you to do so soon.
Ed
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