Conditions: Map of Upper and Lower Manistee coming soon with access points and float distances
Upper Manistee: 10/2 updated
Trout season on the upper is winding down, and after this cold front, don't expect a ton of surface activity. The water is down in to lower 50's and only the little guys will be looking up. The real action is throwing streamers. That's the program until the henny's and blue quills start hatching next spring.
Look for days where it's overcast and there's a slight uptick in the temp. And switch up your offering from small to big, light to dark, slow to fast, until you find the right combination. Starting with a circus peanut or some weighted bunny leach pattern is a good bet. Don't overlook chartreuse on this river. There are days when the fish go nuts only on this color.
The river will stay open through the new year, but depending on the conditions ice might lock things up for a bit. If that's the case, tying flies might with an adult beverage might be a better option.
Manistee below Tippy: 10/1 updated
The run of salmon on the lower was a little dissappointing this year. They are still around, mostly on redds, but you'll run across a few worth catching. Coho's are in (not great numbers) along with the occasional steelhead. Fish the buckets behind any salmon and you're likely to hook some kind of trout. Hopefully, it's a bright and 10lb's!
Betsie: 9/26
King's are mostly done on the betsie, with a few fresh ones making it in daily. Coho's are the main focus now. Look for them in pools and in structure. They should be a viable option for another couple of weeks until the steelhead start making their way upriver. The chrome bullets are a little hard to find in the betsie, but they are there and are full of energy when hooked.
