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The Manistee River, also known as the "Big" Manistee,
is a Lake Michigan tributary harboring resident trout
with runs of steelhead and salmon. It is a medium sized
trout stream in its upper reaches and a large dynamic
steelhead and salmon fishery below Tippy Dam. When the
trout fishing slows in late fall steelhead pick up the
pace and vise versa.
Originating a few miles to the east of Mancelona the
Manistee flows south for approximately twelve miles
while paralleling the famous Ausable River which is
just a few miles to the east. The difference between
the two rivers is that after paralleling each other
the Ausable turns east and flows into Lake Huron while
the Manistee turns southwest and flows into Lake Michigan.
The Manistee flows for nearly a hundred miles from
its headwaters to Lake Michigan.
The best trout water is found in its upper reaches
from the vicinity of Mancelona Road (M-38) downstream
over thirty miles to M-66. This stretch of river is
small at first (approximately 15-25 feet wide) and
gradually gets larger and swifter as it nears the M-66
bridge (approximately 100-120 feet wide) The upper
reaches of this stretch is home to beautiful brook
trout. The farther downstream you venture the more
brown trout you will find. There is also a healthy
population of rainbow trout in the lower reaches of
this section. The size of the fish can vary greatly.
The overall consensus is that the farther downstream
you venture the larger the fish (There are very large
trout found in the mid to lower reaches of this section). |
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The river consists of a sand, silt, and gravel bottom
with fallen logs, undercut banks, deep runs, beautiful
pools, and sharp bends all creating good holding habitat
for trout. In the upper reaches you will find a lot of
over-hanging brush and good cover to provide shelter
for the trout. There is a Special
Regulations area for artificial flies only, located
from M-72 downstream to CCC Bridge. This is a productive
stretch of river that has a lot of good holding water
and some trophy fish as well. The special regulations
put upon this stretch have helped to preserve this great
resource. |
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Below Tippy Dam is the area of the Manistee River known
for its quality runs of steelhead and salmon. Every year
anglers come to fish for the thousands of steelhead and
salmon that enter its lower reaches. The water is big
and in some areas tough to wade. A drift boat will certainly
help to cover the water. The river below Tippy Dam flows
aggressively towards Lake Michigan over a sand and rocky
bottom. Fallen logs, deep pools, swift runs, and charming
riffles all help to create classic holding water for
steelhead and salmon. Bear Creek is a feeder to the Manistee
that is found on the north side of the river. This creek
is also an excellent fishery for steelhead and can be
found along River Road near where it enters the Manistee
or off of Coates Highway to the north.
Access can be found in many areas along the Manistee
River. Access to the upper section of Manistee River
can be found near M-38 (Mancelona Road) and is best
fished with a light fly rod (2-4 weight). Below Mancelona
Road you will find access in the town of Deward off
of Fayette Road, County Road 612 Bridge, the CCC Bridge,
and Sharon Bridge. There are also plenty of other areas
to access the upper river. Access to the lower river
can be found from numerous side roads off of M-55.
River Road (parallels the north side of the river)
and East River road are found near and lead to Tippy
Dam. North High Bridge Road crosses the river a short
distance below Tippy Dam while other roads parallel
and lead to the river.
The Manistee River is most famous for its steelhead
and salmon fishing. Trout fishing is also excellent
and provides anglers with exciting action on both the
surface and subsurface for a wide size variety of trout
from little brookies to large shouldered brown and
rainbow trout. Hatches are prolific stirring the surface
with hungry trout during the spring and summer. Streamers
and nymphs will produce at almost any time. Steelhead
and salmon can be caught on the usual Great Lake fly
patterns; egg flies, woolly buggers, wet flies, spey
flies, nymphs, etc. If your looking for an excellent
Lake Michigan tributary for exciting steelhead and
salmon or for a great trout fishery take a look at
the Manistee River. |
