Little Manistee River, Michigan Fly Fishing Reports & Conditions
Fly Fishing Map of Little Manistee River, MI
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Little Manistee River, Michigan Fly Fishing Reports & Conditions
My tips of the week
Bring your biggest rod! The salmon are here and the fish are huge. We are already sending back rods left and right. We would suggest 9 and 10 weights as the ideal rod. The Orvis Clearwater 9'4'' 11 wt has been a very popular rod so far this year. The 4 inch fighting butt allows you to keep the butt of the rod against your hip when fighting these large fish and allow your reel to spin without hitting your waders. When fighting such large fish make sure not to grab the reel as they are peeling off line or you can bust up your fingers pretty good. Another thing to keep in mind is that if they didn't put cork there, you shouldn't grab from there when fighting a fish! some people have a tendency to grab the rod higher up to get more control, but this is a great way to break your rod!
Fishing Conditions

Fly Fishing Little Manistee River is currently Excellent

Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby:
Pere Marquette Lodge

Water flow: 1840

Visibility: 40 inches

Water temperature at mid-day: 55 Degrees F

Water condition: Stained

Best time of day to fish: Early and Late

Best stretch:

Best access point: Below the weir

Fly fishing hatches in order of importance:

Fish species: Steelhead, Trout, and Salmon

Fishing season: Year Round with seasonal periods around the fish weir.

Nearest airport: Baldwin, Michigan

Little Manistee River Description

The Little Manistee River is also one Michigan's blue ribbon claims to fame. Our migratory fish runs are earlier on this river from most. The mighty King Salmon start showing up around late August and take over the river by the tens of thousands until mid October. Fall Steelhead come up the river to feed on the King's caviar, these fish are explosive and acrobatic this time of year. March and April we are visited ...

Techniques & Tips

Chuck'n'duck fishing with a running or shooting line has been the most productive form of fishing for salmon. Using 9 and 10 weights will be your best option. For the trout fisherman, we would suggest running a tandem egg/nymph set up and fishing the pools or troughs behind the salmon reds for feedings browns. Tight lines!

7-Day Forecast

There has been a decent amount of rain lately so we are expecting to see a bigger push of fish coming up soon. We are seeing a lot of fish in the middle sections of the river. We are starting to see larger reds (fish beds on gravel) forming in the fly water and fish starting to spawn. As the temp drops a little bit we are into the full swing of salmon season!


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