October 24th, 2024
Fishing Report for October 24th, 2024
It’s steelhead time! They are in the system in fishable numbers and our guides have been getting good numbers of fish to the boat. Plenty of adults are being seen already and of course skippers are making their debut as well. We are finding good luck with beads, bags, and flies. Eggs patterns, stone flies, wigglers and buggers are always a classic go to. The river conditions are still low and clear, the rain we got last week wasn’t enough to change the flows for very long but with more rain coming this week hopefully that will mean a good push of fresh fish along with it. The Big Man is sitting at around 1200 CFS and temperatures around 54 degrees. Kings and Cohos are still around but they are getting ripe. With the Salmon still hanging around through that means an easy place to look for Steelhead, sitting behind them eating eggs! The weather is still very nice for the end of October, we are looking at temperatures in the 60’s for the week ahead. Steelhead are all throughout the system of the Big Manistee River making their way up to the dam as we speak. Creeks and smaller rivers may take a bit of time before the chrome is up in those areas, as we are just about to the peak season for fall, mid-October to end of November, before we hit the winter run! Of course, the fly and tackle shop is stocked up full and we always have knowledgeable folks working to help take some of the guess work out of your trip! Give us a call for more information and follow us on social media to see more updates on the fishing and river reports! 231-848-4844
RIVER CLEAN UP
November 2nd Manistee River Lodge is hosting a river clean-up!
When: 10am – 1pm
Where: Manistee River Lodge
918 Seaman Road, Wellston MI 49689
We will provide · Gloves · Trash Bags · Annual T-Shirt · Bring a boat · Or walk in · Sections will be assigned
MEETING AT 10AM AT M.R.L.
There will be RAFFLE PRIZES of:
- Gear
- Tackle
- Shop Swag
- Lodging Nights
1PM: Meet back up @ MRL for:
- Trash Collection
- Raffle
- Food
- Drinks
- Huge shop discounts
- Vendors
- Local Artists
JOIN US:
Each person to sign up is entered into the raffle! We will have vendors, local artists and huge shop discounts! Join us for food, drinks, fun and a great cause.
Call 231-848-4844 to sign up, it’s free
Fly and Tackle Shop Hours
- Sunday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Monday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Tuesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Wednesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Thursday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Friday - 7 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 6 PM
Fly and Tackle Shop Extended Hours
- March 15 through April 30
- September 1 through November 15
- Friday - 7 AM to 7 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 7 PM
Stop by and and get the gear you need at the Manistee River Lodge Fly Shop!
September 4th, 2024
Fishing Report September 4th, 2024
Trout:
We are still sitting around 66-68 degrees for river temps. The Pine River is still the exception, faster flows and cold-water creeks set the Pine apart providing cooler water temps, in favor of trout. Hopper season is still in effect along with beetles and anything buggy and twitchy! Reliable patterns include “dry skunks”; tied with chenille, rubber legs and some deer hair. Cinnamon Ants, Clod Hoppers, Chernobyl Ant, Damsel Flies, DK Hopper, Tarantula and Bionic Ants. If you’re looking for under water action, try Prince Nymphs, Pats Rubber Legs, Wolly Buggers and small baitfish patterns. Streamer fishing in streams with cooler temps should start to pick up. Slower retrieves may yield better results as fish may be reluctant to chase past the sun line of the water. Strip fast with longer pauses, or slower long strips with an exaggerated twitch. Some rain came two weeks ago but those effects have come and come, rivers are starting to low and clear. We have been seeing an average of 75-80 degrees for the last two weeks (depending how close to the lake you get; it can sway up to 10 degrees). This is also a good time to stock up on your small spinners like Panther Martins 2/46 and Mepps 1/6 oz in gold, red/gold, black/gold, blue and a Rainbow trout’s personal favorite, silver.
Smallmouth and Pike:
Not much is changing with these guys as of late…Smallmouth fight hard and Pike are just plain fun to hunt down, they are driven by their meat-eating urges and that can lead to aggressive chases and huge top water explosions. Pike love smashing large streamers, red and white are reliable. The more chaotic the better. These toothy fish are drawn in by the fast and flashy! Try throwing a clouser minnow, crawfish pattern or popper for Bass in our area. These warm water fish tend to hang out in the lower ends of the river. Think low and slow, look for bayous and slow-moving pools.
Salmon:
They are OFFICALLY here! Tippy Dam area is a hot spot for Kings and some Coho are starting to work upwards as well. The Pere Marquette River has a good run as well! Places in our area to check out include, of course, Tippy, Sawdust and Highbridge. The Little Manistee River closed its gates on August 14th meaning that fishing above the weir will at this time produce little, as fish cannot pass the weir due to the egg take process. So how can you hook into one of these migratory heavy weights? Thundersticks, Rapalas and spinners. Fly wise, try stones, woolly buggers, egg sucking leaches, wigglers and hot butt hackles. We provide all of the abovementioned gear in store along with local knowledge on day-to-day changes and works working best! Make sure to follow us on social media at Manistee River Lodge for day-to-day updates!
Phone #: 231-848-4844
Address: 918 Seaman Rd Wellston MI 49689
Fly and Tackle Shop Hours
- Sunday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Monday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Tuesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Wednesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Thursday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Friday - 7 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 6 PM
Fly and Tackle Shop Extended Hours
- March 15 through April 30
- September 1 through November 15
- Friday - 7 AM to 7 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 7 PM
Stop by and and get the gear you need at the Manistee River Lodge Fly Shop!
August 7th, 2024
Fishing Report August 7th, 2024
Trout:
Fishing for trout can be a bit tough this time of year, water temps are still around 67-71 degrees in most of the streams in our area. The Pine River is the exception, the fast flows, countless numbers of small cold-water creeks flowing into it, this sets it apart and provides cooler water conditions for the trout. Hopper season is in full blown, and the amount of top water hits you can expect on those juicy flies makes for a fun day! Try throwing any general hopper pattern, foam ones are easy to find and float well. I personally love the “dry skunk” pattern. These are made to mimic a small common hopper, or any jumping insect; tied with chenille, rubber legs and some deer hair, they are effective for me! Other reliable patterns to look for are the Cinnamon Ant, Clod Hoppers, Chernobyl Ant, Damsel Flies, DK Hopper, Tarantula and Bionic Ants. If you’re looking for under water action, try Prince Nymphs, Pats Rubber Legs, Wolly Buggers and small baitfish patterns. We have had a few good storms lately, thank goodness for that. We have been seeing an average of 80-85 degrees for the last two weeks (depending how close to the lake you get; it can sway up to 10 degrees) this paired with high sun……let’s just say we aren’t complaining about the rain, and neither are the fish. This is also a good time to stock up on your small spinners like Panther Martins 2/46 and Mepps 1/6 oz in gold, red/gold, black/gold, blue and a Rainbow trout’s personal favorite, silver.
Smallmouth and Pike:
Not much is changing with these guys as of late…
Smallmouth fight hard and Pike are just plain fun to hunt down, they are driven by their meat-eating urges and that can lead to aggressive chases and huge top water explosions. Pike love smashing large streamers, red and white are reliable. The more chaotic the better. These toothy fish are drawn in by the fast and flashy! Try throwing a clouser minnow, crawfish pattern or popper for Bass in our area. These warm water fish tend to hang out in the lower ends of the river. Think low and slow, look for bayous and slow-moving pools.
Salmon:
August is the month that calls are starting to come in, and everyone wants to know the same thing; are they in yet? To answer that question as of August 7, 2024, I can say that they are, BUT we are seeing them in the Big Lake a lot. The lake has been super strong this year, they are starting to make their way up the rivers. You may see one or a handful in a few deep holes, or you’ll be startled when one single wakes past you super-fast! Manistee and Pere Marquette lakes are starting to be reliable places to jig up a few. I am guessing within the next week they’ll be in the smaller waters, and you won’t be able to step foot in knee water without seeing some. We carry everything you need to wrangler the big guys, from egg flies, streamers plus Thundersticks and other body baits.
Make sure to follow us on social media at Manistee River Lodge for day-to-day updates!
Phone #: 231-848-4844
Address: 918 Seaman Rd Wellston MI 49689
Fly and Tackle Shop Hours
- Sunday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Monday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Tuesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Wednesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Thursday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Friday - 7 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 6 PM
Fly and Tackle Shop Extended Hours
- March 15 through April 30
- September 1 through November 15
- Friday - 7 AM to 7 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 7 PM
Stop by and and get the gear you need at the Manistee River Lodge Fly Shop!
July 6th, 2024
Fishing Report July 6th 2024
Trout:
Well, things have been off to an interesting start around here. The number of storms and heat waves we have had lately are making predictability a bit more difficult. We are going to continue seeing storms for the next week, paired with daytime highs reaching into the 80’s. You can count on the flows bouncing up and down and the visibility the same. This only means that you may need to bring a few more options in your arsenal. As we wind down the end of the Hex hatch, that does not mean night fishing is over. Mousing is still a great option to beat the heat, stay clear of crowds and keep trout safe while warming rivers tend to slow them down. Safe handling is important to the river system and the fish that keep us all coming back. Throw a mouse pattern along wood structures near the banks of the river, swing them back around and or twitch them slowly along the jams and long grassy areas. Remember mice aren’t super-fast when they are struggling to swim, they are butt down and trying to be as quiet as, well as quiet as a mouse. Streamer fishing this time of year isn’t the best option normally. Warm waters slow fish down, and they tend to stick to their homes and sip emergers and dries. This preserves their energy and rewards them for not exerting themselves too much, again because of the warm waters. However, you may find some luck on Streamers this week only because the rainstorms and lower air temps have lowered the overall water temps. Storms provide overcast days when trout are more likely to come out of hiding and hopefully end that chase with a big meat meal. However, things look hot the next little while and that tactic may not produce. I would still recommend throwing a dry or emerging fly. You can count on stone flies, yellow and black. Sulhurs should be hanging around for a tad longer. Blue Winged Olives, Iso’s and Cahills cover the majority of the bugs you will find this time of year. These bugs can be found on any of the local rivers we fish. These rivers include The Big Manistee, Little Manistee, Pine, Pere Marquette and many of the cold-water creeks.
Smallmouth and Pike:
These guys are often an overlooked species in this area, and I am not sure why. We have an awesome fishery that offers so many types of fishing. When waters are too warm for trout you can always visit many different sections of the river to try your hand at some hungry warm water players. Smallmouth fight hard and Pike are just plain fun to hunt down, they are driven by their meat-eating urges and that can lead to aggressive chases and huge top water explosions. Pike love smashing large streamers, red and white are reliable. The more chaotic the better. These toothy fish are drawn in by the fast and flashy! Try throwing a clouser minnow, crawfish pattern or popper for Bass in our area. These warm water fish tend to hang out in the lower ends of the river. Think low and slow, look for bayous and slow-moving pools.
What’s coming up?
We start doing a lot of terrestrial fishing when we near the end of July and especially in August. This includes ants, beetles and hoppers. These bugs like to hang out on the tall grass along the riverbanks. When other conventional hatches are coming to a close, you can bet fish are still looking up, for an even more a meaty eat! This works so well because as I said above, warm waters (which in august, we are hitting peak water temperatures, sometimes 75 and above, depending on the year) fish of any kind, especially trout, may be reluctant to chase down a meal when they can very easily sit along the banks and wait for a juicy grasshopper to fall into to a giant fish’s home! Of course, when August arrives that means one very important thing to a lot of people……Salmon! They will start to move in and that’s a whole new season. I will not try to predict the fishing that far out, but you can look forward to the Big Dogs moving in about that time. As we get closer, look for more reports on the coming season!
We carry 100’s of patterns of flies, hard body baits, beads and all the accessories and gear that goes along with that. We provide the only fully stocked shop, both of fly, spey and conventional gear.
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Thank you for reading
Chelsea
231-848-4844
Fly and Tackle Shop Hours
- Sunday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Monday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Tuesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Wednesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Thursday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Friday - 7 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 6 PM
Fly and Tackle Shop Extended Hours
- March 15 through April 30
- September 1 through November 15
- Friday - 7 AM to 7 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 7 PM
Stop by and and get the gear you need at the Manistee River Lodge Fly Shop!
May 22nd, 2024
Fishing Report May 22, 2024
Conditions
-Manistee River at Hodenpyle: 1100 cfs & settling
Water Temp: 61
-Manistee River at Tippy Dam: 1750 cfs Water Temp: 63.5 dropping
-Pere Marquette River: 651 cfs & rising
-Pine River: crested at 360 cfs
Water Temp: 60.5
Lately
Over the last week or so the trout fishing has been productive from mid-day throughout the evenings with small streamers and dry fly opportunities. I’m sure if you hit the river at first light you could have some decent streamer fishing as long as your target stream isn’t currently blown out from the heavy rains the last 2 days we’ve had. Before the big jump in flows we just experienced I was seeing a smorgasbord of bugs on the surrounding rivers. It felt like a little bit of everything, small dark tan caddis, small black stone, yellow sally stone fly, Hendrickson mayfly “the last handful I believe”, BWOs, large stone fly daytime, and few gray drakes if you’re in the right areas and even kicked up a couple hoppers along the bank when it was 83 degrees the other day.
We have been playing with small streamers in the 2-4” range for daytime action. Yellows in the bright sun and some small olive woolly buggers did okay for us. On the overcast day black fished well for us and I switch to white in the late evenings so my fishermen could track their streamers better for the visual take. Nighttime fishing is just starting up and should be on the uphill trend with the seasonal warming nights and water temps. After the rivers settle from this last rain and predicated rain starting this upcoming weekend, we will start to mix in some nighttime mouse fishing. Til then take advantage of the extra water and fish the hunt for browns stripping streamers. On fair weather days be prepared for midafternoon/evening dry fly opportunities. It would be hard for me to show up with just a streamer in hand if I was out during the evenings, bring that spare floating line spool and a gray drake. If you get into some yellow Sally’s a size 12-14 yellow body stimulator did the trick for us the other day, trout prefer these guys as a nice snack!
To get dialed in with what flies to fish with during the local hatches, stop by the fly shop and we can help you select some productive patterns.
Catch a Big One!
-Capt. Jake Kopec
Fly and Tackle Shop Hours
- Sunday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Monday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Tuesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Wednesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Thursday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Friday - 7 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 6 PM
Fly and Tackle Shop Extended Hours
- March 15 through April 30
- September 1 through November 15
- Friday - 7 AM to 7 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 7 PM
Stop by and and get the gear you need at the Manistee River Lodge Fly Shop!
May 10th, 2024
Fishing Report May 10th 2024
Manistee River at Hodenpyle: CFS: 1190 Temp: 58
Manistee River at Tippy Dam CFS: 1790 Temp: 58
Pere Marquette River CFS: 844
Pine River CFS: 258 Temp: 53
Overall: We hope everyone had a great trout opener if you got to get out and experience the perfect temps and awesome rivers in the area, although that didn’t last too long! Soon after the opener, the next week, we have nothing but heavy rains almost 4 times a week here, and that has made things a little different than you may expect. The Pine River is pretty chocolate milky as we say, meaning that because that river is mostly made up of a clay bottom, when rain comes it stirs up that clay up and it takes a while to clear out. With as much rain as we have had lately there hasn’t been a chance for it to clear up too much. Before that happened, we were seeing quite a few BWOs bouncing around though! Rapalas and small spinners work great as well, especially when the clarity is down, and you need to get deep. However, it appears that we are in the clear until later this week! This will give the streams in the area a great chance to get to the perfect clarity and flows. The Little Manistee River is not as affected by the rain as much as the Pine, reason being is that the Little Manistee is mostly sand and gravel, so the rain has helped bring up flows and cooler water into the system. Salmon Fry or small streamer patterns work well this time of year. Along with Buggers, Leeches, Stones both dry and nymphs. Hatches have started, as mentioned before, and a great example is up at Hodenpyle there have been huge Little Black Stone Fly hatches, probably the largest I have seen in years! When I spent the last few days up there the spinner and body bait bite was slow, that’s due to the fish having 100’s of emergers to gulp up. Focus on nymphs and emergers right now for the best bite action! Hendrickson’s haven’t made a big appearance this year, but we have seen BWOs (Blue Winged Olives) and Stones so far. With hot days and muggy rainy nights, this should make for an absolutely BUGGY year!
Flies to use:
Size 18/20 Blue Wing Olive Mayfly
Size 16/18 Slate Wing Mahogany Mayfly
Size 12/14 Dark Hendrickson Mayfly
Size 16/18 Little Black Caddis
Fly and Tackle Shop Hours
- Sunday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Monday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Tuesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Wednesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Thursday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Friday - 7 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 6 PM
Fly and Tackle Shop Extended Hours
- March 15 through April 30
- September 1 through November 15
- Friday - 7 AM to 7 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 7 PM
Stop by and and get the gear you need at the Manistee River Lodge Fly Shop!
April 26th, 2024
MRL Fishing Report April 26, 2024
Real Steel
This week we wrapped up our steelheading guided trips and it was a fun one to close the season on. The big river is clear but has small pods of fish, smaller sized ones as of late near tippy area and some of the smaller streams have had a few late pushers come in if you cover water and put your time in hunting for the fresh ones. They have been grabby with warming water temps. The big man is hovering around 52-degree water temp as of now and what fish that are left are full spawn mode. Lots of fry and stocked trout smolt in the system as well.
A few days this week we spent some time swinging streamers and it was productive. An abnormal time of the year to think of spring swing but it was worth attention. We fished smaller streamers, smolt and sculpin flies in natural color ways with a hint of steelhead flash to them. Swinging flies seemed to outperform stripping streamers as well.
Trout Opener
Saturday April 27th marks the opener for trout season regulations and opens a lot of Michigan’s small streams and rivers that have been closed all winter. I’d expect to see anglers on foot and a boat quite a bit this weekend, it is nearly a national holiday for many locals. I’m personally ready to focus on trout season and our beautiful surrounding streams that we over drift float trips or drift and jet style fishing. The best way to focus on fishing and to enjoy the watershed can be by boat on a half or full day trip with our professional guide staff here at the shop.
If I was spending some time fishing for trout this week, I would focus on stripping streamers, maybe swinging a few soft hackle mid-day if the bite is slow and sunny. Keep a sharp eye out mid-day and evening for hatches of caddis and Hendrickson mayflies. I have seen Hendrickson’s flying mid-day till mid evening in very small batches. If you’re lucky enough for some spinner fall action I’d recommend keeping a dry fly, leader, floatant in the fly vest handy. Till you see the bugs flying, have fun with the streamer hunt and take advantage of cloudy days and shaded cover on the sunny days. If your trout fishing a stream that has salmon or steelhead fry maybe think about twitching tandem fry on the swing to get the action going. We have several Hendrickson and fry patterns in the shop, come talk trout with us at the fly shop or Trout Opener Party Saturday 27th at the Manistee River Lodge Trout party 5-7pm.
See you there,
Captain Jake Kopec
Fly and Tackle Shop Hours
- Sunday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Monday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Tuesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Wednesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Thursday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Friday - 7 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 6 PM
Fly and Tackle Shop Extended Hours
- March 15 through April 30
- September 1 through November 15
- Friday - 7 AM to 7 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 7 PM
Stop by and and get the gear you need at the Manistee River Lodge Fly Shop!
April 14th, 2024
Manistee River Below Tippy dam
-April 14th, 2024
-Current Conditions- 2050cfs and rising & water temps steadily climbing at 47.5 degrees
Season Recap
Spring steel heading this season had its highlights in the boat this year. Across many of Michigan’s western steelhead streams we saw an abnormal run with timing and waves of fish. The multiple early weather warmups in February and early March this year seemed to adjust a lot of the fish to come and go quicker than expected. The last part of the steelhead run as of recent has been challenging compared to what we’re used to typically, but with the right approach and stick to it attitude we have found a few highlighted moments each day to remember back on in the days ahead.
I personally have been fishing several rivers as of lately and my last day on the Big Man was a couple days ago. I saw more fish in the water with my eyes than I have all season just because they’ve been so come or go in quick manner this year. We hooked a handful of biters and then it seemed like a lot more of the fish had a spawning focus of mindset…. a good time to move on and look for willing fish and let them do their thing. Still wasn’t a lot of fish, but if you knew where to look you could talk a few males into grabbing your offering. I bet a few chromers will come up each day, but it will take a well knowledgeable river guy to find them. This rise in the water the big man is having from the recent heavy rain will push the tail end of the run up and flush the old ones out and once the river drops, I’d expect a day or two of okay fishing. Other than that, I don’t see steelhead being worth much more than a half day guided trip at this point unless you go half day trout and half day steelhead to mix it up.
Trout Season
With Spring here in full effect, it feels like trout time! I love this time of year, after 6 months of steelheading it can be so refreshing to change the gears to hunt and fish for trout. Plus, the last Saturday in April is our season opener for closed streams. We have streamer and light tackle fishing we’ll be converting too over this week for future trips. I already have seen some trout bugs on the water, stones, Hendrickson, bows and midges. With the river warming up with the touch of spring expect more bug activity to come sooner than later this year. Everything this year so far has been ahead of schedule with the warm weather. Until I start seeing trout take notice, we will be chucking streamers and working the rivers cover for grabby browns.
Probably a handful of nymphing in pocket water or behind any remaining steelhead. Glo bug, 6 or 8mm bead, stonefly, caddis, or searching pattern like bead head prince, or pheasant tail are good patterns to start with. For streamers think 2-4” long and changing colors often as clouds move in and out and the sunlight appears. Bright days stay bright or small and natural. Overcast days think dark, black, browns, olive mixes.
Legends
I was once told by a known legendary guide around these parts that he fished a white streamer for 17yrs straight productively, now that is awesome! The good old days before internet fishing reports lol. When I think of that I think wow I wish fishing was still like that, but I think it was more the angler than the fly. “You catch fish with what you fish with” and confidence. I think that guy knows how to work a streamer better than 95% of anglers and his many logged river hours show for it! Now you don’t just want to think I’m confident I’m going to fish this random fly all day and nothing is happening. You need a reason to your rhyme and an educated one (basically you know exactly why you’re sticking with that fly pattern most of the day) If you don’t know that reason that’s when I would start rotating through a few colors, shapes & sizes or if nothing is happening I’d downsize my leader size especially if the river is clearing or close to it.
The biggest mistake I see anglers repeating is just stripping the streamer fly with only the fly line. I personally believe if you can’t learn how to move the streamer with the rod tip you already failed. Learn how to manipulate your streamer by twitching and darting movements while stripping the fly line and moving the rod tip away from the fly at the same time. Once you concur this you just become more “fishy”. At the fly shop I feel our entire staff is well knowledge with trout angling and can help you become a better angler and teach you when or not to do what techniques. Even better, let’s book a guided trip and get you into trout season shape and boost that confidence while learning in the water with a professional.
**Important**
- Now remember this trout season that it’s not about catching your limit but limiting your catch. All guided trips through the fly shop are catch and release for trout fishing always. Please be kind to these guys when handling them. Don’t drag them on the shore, keep the small ones over the side of the boat and above the water & use pliers to quickly release them without even touching them. Trout have a way better survival rate that way. It takes a lot of years for some trout to get BIG, who doesn’t like a big trout? Believe it or not we catch some of the same river monsters each year between friends, it’s so cool to see the same fish with the same spots and markings get caught the following year and so on!
Stop by the fly shop and we’ll get you dialed!
-Capt. Jake Kopec
Fly and Tackle Shop Hours
- Sunday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Monday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Tuesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Wednesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Thursday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Friday - 7 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 6 PM
Fly and Tackle Shop Extended Hours
- March 15 through April 30
- September 1 through November 15
- Friday - 7 AM to 7 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 7 PM
Stop by and and get the gear you need at the Manistee River Lodge Fly Shop!
April 3rd, 2024
Manistee River Below Tippy dam
-April 3, 2024
Current Conditions- 1990 CFS swollen river and started to drop with 41.7-degree water temp
Dennis with a real one to hand!
Recently
Fishing as of recent has been a fun time to be out in the Stealthcraft raft or power drifter with friends. I mixed my normal fishing schedule up this week and hit a handful of different rivers after the spring push of fish. Everything from big to small rivers produced fish this week. It seemed like timing was crucial for those memorable fishing days compared to the other reports I have heard. But that’s why you hire a professional outfitter to help increase the odds of success in your favor… timing, skill and even luck have so much to do with success out on the water. Once you learn how to manage those in a timely manner you just put yourself out ahead and beyond many other anglers that we share the water with. Struggling with catching steelhead? Our guides have been boating fish every day, we can help you manage your time effectively out on the water and even teach you a thing or two!
Time Management
Steelheading was full of big wild chrome fish in the net this week. The on and off waves of rain helped push the fish around and kept them eager for a drifted egg or fly. Float fishing has still been the best producing tactic for me this season. Once fish start to group up more in the spring holding water, we will do some more chuck n duck tactics to fish spots more thoroughly rather than the run and gun approach of covering lots of water with the float setups. When rivers are fluctuating up and down rapidly with rainwater, I like to try to cover more water quickly rather than fish every square inch of the hole. When the fish are moving so am I, but wisely and with purpose.
My purpose as guide outside of teaching is to keep my guys fishing in the most effective holding water their skills obtain and then drop them in the correct spot the river conditions point too and repeat, repeat. When the river bumps up in the spring, I target pocket water around the gravelly areas looking for steel in search of an egg, fry, or nymph waiting on a drop off or tucked into some wood debris near gravel areas. Fishing spots that are mid depth 2-3ft-ish or so can be too shallow to hold steelhead but when you add 6-10” + of water to the river the value of the spring pockets start to get a lot more of my focus this time of year.
Spring Run
Spring spawning has had its moments and moments to be. Feels like some of the smaller rivers are starting to fade out of quick spawning stints but with this week’s forecast, a lot of on and off rain is on its way. Even warm consistent temps forecasted above 50 degrees this weekend & all next week. It will be interesting to see how many new fish get brought into the river systems in time for the spring spawning dance.
As I type this, the Big Manistee is swollen after a healthy dose of rain yesterday. She is starting to settle and has some stain, but it looks like good things to come soon, shiny things to be exact! If I was going to hit the river after a big rise in water, I would upgrade the size of my egg patterns to get noticed if the river still holds a stain. Fishing near gravelly areas I might go more natural in egg size and double my offering in two different colors or tag a hex, stone, green caddis, or fry fly along with it. It’s still not too late to get out in the river in chase of spring steelhead, we have available guides for full and half day trips and can accommodate group trips with multiple boats. Reach out to the shop for openings and stop by to get the info on what is working right now.
Hope to see you around the fly shop,
-Captain Jake Kopec
Fly and Tackle Shop Hours
- Sunday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Monday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Tuesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Wednesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Thursday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Friday - 7 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 6 PM
Fly and Tackle Shop Extended Hours
- March 15 through April 30
- September 1 through November 15
- Friday - 7 AM to 7 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 7 PM
Stop by and and get the gear you need at the Manistee River Lodge Fly Shop!
March 23rd, 2024
Manistee River Below Tippy dam
-March 23rd, 2024
Current Conditions- 1650 CFS near average flow with a 41-degree water temp and slowly dropping.
Spring Run or Winter?
Fishing this past week has been interesting from the nice warm-up we had the week before. Winters cold temps just could not resist making an appearance again with the past 4-5 days being much chillier than the week’s average temps before. We have been boating steelhead every day, win some you loose some. On the slower days we’re still catching a handful of fish and losing a few fun-filled battles. Yesterday I had one of my regulars in the boat with his buddy and it finally felt like the fish wanted to bite a bit better than earlier in the week, we had a pretty solid day of fishing action. With the wild cold front and winter storm hitting us with a bit of shock and surprise, it did the same for the steelhead. I personally had to go back to the heated vest and insulated layers to get comfortable. The steelhead in theory almost needed to do the same.
Earlier in the week the bite slowed quickly with the dropping temps. Took a couple days of the cold front settling in to seem to get the steelhead to be bitey. Our daily fish hooked numbers dropped quickly and have been slowly rising again each day as the fish get used to the shock of dropping water temps. When we have a sudden temp drop it can really slow the bite down or make one have to make a few extra drifts or fly changes to get the fish to commit to biting. I personally like to downsize my offering or leader size to accommodate this and keep you in the game. Persistence and the right mindset have paid off daily.
Spawning
We were seeing a handful of fish thinking about spawning or doing real quick stints of gravel polishing, not many but a bit. Just enough to get the fish excited and the fresh chromers thinking about the big show. With a few more eggs tumbling through the river system, it can make an exciting time to fish for fresh fish wanting to chomp eggs or nymphs being lodged from the gravels. Fishing the dark water or pockets behind spawning areas has paid off but there has still been fish holding in the holes well, freshies and colored up fish in the mix. Water temps went from 42.5 degrees to 41 degrees in just a few days, that has seemed to pause some of the spawning and make it feel like the tail end of winter steelheading. This should pro long the run for the season and keeps steelheading longer this year.
The forecast over the next week looks like a small consistent warm up with over 1.5” of rain on its way over a few days. This should warm the water temp and bring water levels up and make fishing great again. Until then stop by the shop and pick up some fingerless wool gloves or hand warmers on the way to the river to compliment your day. We have a pretty solid selection of nymphs and eggs flies and beads in the shop on hand along with our newly stocked float wall looking primo.
Fly Selection
I’ve heard fish caught on everything this week. Seemed like the nymph bite picked up when the water temp dropped with egg pattern still being highly valued. With the river being settled and chilly I have switched to smaller egg patterns that are more realistic in size, nuke egg and 6-8mm bead on some 8lb fluorocarbon being a favorite currently. Salmon fry/alevin are showing, and the new stocked batch of browns have been munching them well I hear. My favorite nymph this week was stonefly tied behind a 6 mm bead, that’s a nice sniper rig in tougher conditions.
Trout
A few days ago, the DNR stocked some brown trout up at Tippy Dam. They are getting used to their new home and hungry. It’s important when you find yourself fishing through a small pod of these you try your hardest not to handle these little guys and just use the pliers to de hook and let them back on their way. These guys are fragile and would be nice to get some to live a year or two for some improved catch and release trout fishing at tippy. The trout population is counting on you! Aside from the little guys I have hooked a couple nice trout with clients this week and have heard the same from other guides. Seems to be like some of the same few hungry trout hanging in the egg lanes behind the gravels stacking up on salmon fry and loose eggs a drift. If you catch one of these hardy trout, handle it with care and let him back to do his thing. I personally feel like our river cannot support catching and keeping trout angling anymore with pressure and way the summer water temps we have now.
Fly and Tackle Shop Hours
- Sunday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Monday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Tuesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Wednesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Thursday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Friday - 7 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 6 PM
Fly and Tackle Shop Extended Hours
- March 15 through April 30
- September 1 through November 15
- Friday - 7 AM to 7 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 7 PM
Stop by and and get the gear you need at the Manistee River Lodge Fly Shop!
March 13th, 2024
Manistee River Below Tippy dam
-March 13th, 2024
Current Conditions- 2200 cfs and settling, water temp 42 degrees and rising. It’s spring!
Todd and Zeke with a morning Buck!
River & Technique
The High water on the big Manistee over the past week has made angling productive but interesting and fun. Well… we all have been asking for water all year and we have it now; the river looks swollen but is settling down and the clarity is slowly coming along but still holding a medium stain with 3-4ft of solid visibility in the upper stretches of the river. I’d imagine once you get into the lower river below some of the feeder streams/tribs you’re going to lose some fishability unless you go bold/bright or upgrade the size of your egg pattern or offering in your go to color.
High water or a very full river are some of my favorite conditions to target fresh run steelhead in, as long as you have some kind of visibility and not “chocolate milk” clarity. It may be a challenge finding them in the added water but if you can get your offering in front of a fresh steelhead there is a solid chance he won’t hesitate to grab it. I think the challenge with high water is that most folks don’t adapt and stick to their typical routine/spots. You must not forget that you’re ANGLING while HUNTING for steelhead, not HOPING. One should never hope to catch a steelhead, you must hunt that steelhead out and cover water with choices that equal effective reasoning. That’s right HUNT don’t hope!
I would start with looking at the river differently, most of the main bubble lines and seams you catch steelhead in low to average flows are going to be too quick and turbulent to hold fish taking a break from their upriver cruise in these current flows. Find the slowest water shouldering the main stuff in your spots and start there, typically edges of holes, or runs will have a break in current for traveling and resting fish in these flows. (If you were a steelhead, but let’s say you are rowing a canoe upstream, you’d take the easiest upriver route possible to get up stream. Right? steelhead will do the same right now. Find the slow water and fish it!)
The Fish
The couple days I got out recently fishing was pretty productive on the Big Man. Solid enough to have a half day trip feel like a full day’s worth of angling, you can say we all left the river happy. Yesterday was awesome, we knocked on several fish’s doors with quick answer. We had the center pins rocking 3 deep in my buddy, good friend of the shop Owen with his spacious 18×60 center console StealthWeld. Holy crap what a sweet boat to wrangle steelhead in, it almost has me thinking of upgrading from my 16ft power drifter, but I love that model boat too much for its stealth and row ability. Let’s wait for the lotto win and just pair up with both boats, that’s why they make a standard garage with two stalls right? lol. For real though that was the platform for bringing all the gear you could ever want and having 3 guys fish at once without getting in each other’s way while dancing around the deck with each other and a hot chrome fish stripping line. Stay Stealthy!
This morning was good but a hair slower than the day before, but we still did great. Managed to hook 4 fish in a few hrs. and head out early before the sun peaked at mid-day with about zero cloud cover, a job well done in my book. Fish have really loved the 12 mm beads first drift in the right spot, but 10 mm has held its own value to stay on the lines most of the day.
The fish of the week so far Zak did stick on an 8mm Guide Bead UV cheese pearl in a spot we were beating up pretty well and about ready to go then wham, mega hook set and this 10-11lb class hatchery hen hit the net with a fun boat chase. In that moment that’s when I knew this was the boat if I ever upgrade in size of vessel, 18ft full of gear, 3 guys and the sled was just rowing in place with ease, even I was surprised in a good way, just slowly floating there in the heavy swollen current. A happy guide is a guide who loves his boat!
Seasonal Changes
Two Big changes this week, the weather is way ahead of schedule, very April feeling already if not warmer and a lot more hatchery steelhead in the big Manistee have finally shown in this recent high water. This entire steelhead season up north I have only boated a handful of hatchery fish since October, I’d say over 90% of my landed fish have been wild steelhead holding an adipose fin up top. The last two days I’ve boated more hatchery fish than I have all season, that’s a good thing! More fish equals more targets for more action. Let’s be super thankful for the wild reproduction of steelhead that supports the river and us guides/anglers so much of the year now days. I think a bunch of hatchery fish will continue to fill in with wild fish throughout the rest of the season.
**NOTE**: steelhead limits have changed on most steelhead streams across Michigan this year from 3 fish a day to 1 fish a day harvested if you choose to do so. Limiting our fish harvest will ensure that we all have more fish to hunt for, it’s a good thing! I always play catch and release with my river fish and pretty much all freshwater fish. If you choose to bring your one fish home, choose a hatchery fish with a fin clip (no adipose fin) and not a wild fish. We need those wild fish to keep reproducing successfully more and more and more.
We have way too few fish these days compared to your dad or neighbor’s stories. Those wild hens should be handled with extra care and never mistreated; they matter so much to the life of the river. We’re counting on you to think about the river and let that girl go and save it for the next fin clip. These practices are practiced all along the northwest but in many different circumstances than here.
*Important *
The spring steelhead run is here right now, if you’re waiting around to your annual spring date you might want to bump it up sooner, if possible, for late season bookings or book that day right now. The season could end a couple weeks earlier up here with the warming river temps and such spring weather already. I wouldn’t sleep on your bookings this year. Late spring steelheading will be played day by day and we will see where it takes us. To book a Guided River Experience with one of our professional guides to learn the hunt for steelhead or need to get dialed in with the hot color bead this week stop by or call the fly shop we are open 9-5pm 7 days a week.
Hope to see you on the river or in the fly shop!
-Captain Jake Kopec
Fly and Tackle Shop Hours
- Sunday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Monday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Tuesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Wednesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Thursday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Friday - 7 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 6 PM
Fly and Tackle Shop Extended Hours
- March 15 through April 30
- September 1 through November 15
- Friday - 7 AM to 7 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 7 PM
Stop by and and get the gear you need at the Manistee River Lodge Fly Shop!
March 7th, 2024
Manistee River Below Tippy dam
Current Conditions- 2800 cfs and dropping, water temp 41 degrees and rising.
This past week on the Big Manistee has been productive to challenging depending how you have timed it. Fishing before the big rain event 2 days ago was a hurdle to get a few to hand then the next day we felt like we couldn’t make a wrong choice. Since the big rain the river has risen well along its banks at 2,300 cfs as of yesterday and peaked around 3000cfs today. It’s safe to say the Man is finally a big river again and stained the “Manistee Green” that we are all excited to see when launching our Stealthcraft power drifters at the ramp. My last day on the river was yesterday and it was an exciting day for our friend of the shop Dave, he booked a couple days to learn his hand at center pin float fishing. It paid off huge and we got most of the kinks out on day 1 and day 2 Dave hooked into 9 steelhead of all sizes. Most of the fish we have been hooking are dime bright, with a few winter hold overs once in a while in the mix.
There sure has been some big adult fish showing up each day, 2 of the fish we lost this week were easily in the top few biggest fish I’ve seen this season. It’s a very exciting time to drift a float or fish fly as we transition into spring conditions. With the water temp quickly rising a few degrees from the added rain water. This gives the river a warming effect in the cold season. Steelhead are going to start thinking soon about hugging near gravel areas and getting ready for the spring spawn as water temps rise. Until then I expect this next week to be mighty fine fishing in the holes and soft water edges of long runs. The river kept rising overnight yesterday and she is swollen today with one more rain in this next week’s forecast. I see the next week or two being the time you need to get out on the river if you haven’t planned to already with the rise in flows there will be happy new fish moving up into the river every day.
We have been using mainly beads in 10mm and 8mm sizes, peaches, yellows, chartreuse being the winners this week. If I was out the next couple days, it would be a good idea to stop by the fly shop and pick up some bigger bead patterns in 12mm to get noticed more easily in the Manistee green stained clarity we have right now. As far as flies, nuke eggs and stonefly nymph have been the winners. Around mid-day every day when the sun has made an appearance we have been seeing a light blanket hatching of winter stones flies hatching a flying around. I’d imagine the stream bottom is covered in those guys right now as they let go of their rock or log & tumble/wiggle along the bottom making a great early spring steelhead snack!
If you haven’t booked your guided river experience yet it looks like the spring push will be early this season and ahead of schedule. We have several professional guides in the shop available to make your time on the water count where it matters most, give us a call, or stop in the shop so we can help you pick out the perfect egg color and stonefly nymph to restore that steelhead confidence. Thanks every one and hope to see you in the water or in the shop!
-Captain Jake Kopec
Fly and Tackle Shop Hours
- Sunday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Monday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Tuesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Wednesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Thursday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Friday - 7 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 6 PM
Fly and Tackle Shop Extended Hours
- March 15 through April 30
- September 1 through November 15
- Friday - 7 AM to 7 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 7 PM
Stop by and and get the gear you need at the Manistee River Lodge Fly Shop!
February 14, 2024
Spring is not only NEAR, spring is HERE!
Springtime is nearing faster each year, that couldn’t be truer in northern Michigan. We started February out with a huge snow dump that covered the trails and gave the ski hills a perfect base! We continued to get dumped on and even the smaller rivers started to ice over, along with some boat ramps! Things were looking very “winter” around here, we got to do some ice fishing on the local lakes too. However, as I sit here on the 14th of February, I am looking at an open pond and zero snow on the ground. We had a major warm up last weekend, I’m talking high 40s and sunshine! All the snow melted away and that means a lot for the river systems. As you may know the rivers have been, for a long time now, exceptionally low, and clear, but with the extremely fast melting brought us a huge push of run-off water. We have been needing this though, so it was a welcome change. Flows went up and the water had a super great stain to it. As you can imagine we were all so excited to take advantage of the weather and water! Our guides were out every day playing around and picking apart the rivers up and down. Nothing like a break in the weather to get everyone pumped for the spring! Each trip had produced plenty of opportunities to set that hook and begin the fight. We have been seeing many mid-size steelhead and a lot of trout as well. The Steelhead that our guides have been netting this last week have been a lot of WILD hens! What more can you ask for in February? Beads have been our go to as of late 8/10/12mm translucent paler colors are a great start, if you’re not seeing results, you can always go wild and throw on a neon yellow or green and switch things up a bit. A very important message is that the runs have been coming earlier and earlier each year, this year is no different. We are coming up SOON for prime time, it’s happening, as this last week has proven. Lots of opportunities are earned each day that we’ve been out and about, numbers are going up and up! The weather will be in the mid to high 30s and even some 40s next week. This is your official notice to start planning on fishing, don’t wait around much longer to book some dates with our guides, who are on the river every day! Keep watch with our social media at Manistee River Lodge on all platforms. 231-848-4844. Call the shop for more information or day-to-day river conditions and catch report.
Fly and Tackle Shop Hours
- Sunday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Monday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Tuesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Wednesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Thursday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Friday - 7 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 6 PM
Fly and Tackle Shop Extended Hours
- March 15 through April 30
- September 1 through November 15
- Friday - 7 AM to 7 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 7 PM
Stop by and and get the gear you need at the Manistee River Lodge Fly Shop!
January 27, 2024
Finally!! This is an exciting update to the fishing reports we’ve had in the past few months. Things have been changing for the better in the last week! Northern Michigan has been hit with feet of snow and ice built up with some completely iced over at their mouths or along edges. A warmup is upon us and that means melting snow and ice, which brings along with it higher waters and a stain! Which is more than welcome, as we have been seeing only low clear water for the past few months. We were seeing (in the fall and early winter) very few bites a day if any. These days with our guides out with clients and on their own, reporting they’re seeing more strikes and catching a couple a day to the net has everyone reignited to get out there and take advantage of the season. You may not realize that this time of year is one of our favorites. The rivers have much less pressure and the fish are more apt to bite while the water has some color as a cover and higher water levels means more fish on the move. Flies that we are using include stone flies, wigglers, egg patterns and leaches. Beads are effective as well, depending on the day, hot colors can be pale oranges and pinks or chartreuse. It’s never a bad idea to switch up tactics, the more you try to, the quicker you are to figure out what it is they want that day! Be careful of moving shelf ice, as the weather warm ice can break free and make its way down river. This can lead to cut lines or caught up on anchor lines. We have been seeing quite a lot of stone flies lately as temps have warmed up, that’s something to keep in mind. Now is the best time to get out and enjoy the rivers! Steelhead and trout or active with the slight warming and more bugs on the move. Contact us for more information or to book a guided trip! Information given by Guide Avery Kieztman! 231-848-4844
Fly and Tackle Shop Hours
- Sunday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Monday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Tuesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Wednesday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Thursday - 9 AM to 5 PM
- Friday - 7 AM to 6 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 6 PM
Fly and Tackle Shop Extended Hours
- March 15 through April 30
- September 1 through November 15
- Friday - 7 AM to 7 PM
- Saturday - 7 AM to 7 PM
Stop by and and get the gear you need at the Manistee River Lodge Fly Shop!
