Fly Fishing the Manistee River, Michigan: Sections, Seasons and Trip Plan
Location Details / Michigan / Manistee River
Fly Fishing the Manistee River, Michigan: Sections, Seasons and Trip Plan
The Manistee River is two fisheries. Above Hodenpyl Dam it is a stable, spring-fed wild brown and brook trout river with flies-only water from M-72 to the CCC Bridge. Below Tippy Dam it is Lake Michigan water, with steelhead, chinook and coho salmon. Fish the upper river April to September, the lower river fall through spring.
No Fly Fishing Insider Podcast episode covers the Manistee River by name yet. The closest is Cody Kowitz, who guides migratory fish in Michigan, on our October 29, 2024 episode: fresh fall fish sit in shallower, faster runs, winter fish settle into deep holes, and spring drop-backs chase fry and sculpin right to the bank. That is the season map for the water below Tippy Dam.
Species
Wild brown and brook trout above Hodenpyl; steelhead, chinook and coho salmon, resident browns below Tippy
Best months
April to September upstream; September to November and March to April below Tippy (our reading)
Character
Groundwater-fed freestone upstream; dam-regulated big river below
Nearest towns
Grayling, Kalkaska, Sharon, Wellston, Manistee
Nearest airports
Traverse City (TVC); Grand Rapids (GRR)
Rule to know
M-72 to CCC Bridge: artificial flies only
Manistee River Section by Section
Headwaters to M-72
Michigan DNR's 2020 Upper Manistee report lists the top of the river as Type 2 trout stream from the headwaters to County Road 612, then artificial lures only from County Road 612 to M-72. Flow grows about 65 percent between County Road 612 and M-72 from spring seepage and Goose Creek.
Flies-Only Water: M-72 to the CCC Bridge
The 16.9 miles from M-72 to the CCC Bridge (Sunset Trail) are flies only, the heart of the upper Manistee. Drift boat launches named in the DNR report include the M-72 State Forest Campground, Hole in the Fence, Hole in the Wall, Tree Farm, Burnt Cabin, Yellowtrees Landing and the CCC Bridge Campground. DNR says browns over 20 inches are not uncommon; brook trout rarely pass 8 inches.
CCC Bridge to Sharon and Hodenpyl
Below the CCC Bridge the river becomes a Type 4 trout stream, bigger and slower toward Hodenpyl Dam Pond. Launches at 3 Mile Bend, 4 Mile Bend and the Thayer Road site, built by DNR in 2008 just upstream of West Sharon Road, make easy floats.
Hodenpyl Dam to Tippy Dam
Between the dams the river runs through the 7,900-acre Manistee River Semi-Primitive Nonmotorized Area, beside the Manistee River Trail and North Country Trail: hike-in water few visiting anglers fish.
Tippy Dam to M-55: the Lower Manistee
Tippy Dam stops Lake Michigan fish, and the 26 miles from the DNR ramp below the dam to the M-55 bridge are a National Recreation River. The Forest Service lists access at High Bridge, Sawdust Hole, Blacksmith Bayou, Udell Rollways, Bear Creek, Rainbow Bend and Seaton Creek, and names Suicide Bend and Sawdust Hole as angler favorites. USFS Manistee River.
Reading the Manistee Flows
Live USGS gauges: near Grayling, near Sherman, near Mesick and near Wellston, below Tippy Dam. DNR calls the upper Manistee one of the most stable-flowing rivers in the United States; its habitat surveys at Cameron Bridge ran at 68 to 102 cfs. At Wellston, USGS monthly means from 2011 to 2025 peak in April near 2,500 cfs and drop to about 1,550 cfs in August.
Our reading: the upper river wades at normal flows almost anywhere you can get in. Below Tippy, wade the edges near normal, and when Wellston runs well above the April mean, float with a guide.
When to Fly Fish the Manistee River
Our reading of both rivers in one, not agency data; Lake Michigan runs swing with rain and water temperature.
| Target | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper river trout, dries | ||||||||||||
| Hex and drakes (night) | ||||||||||||
| Upper river streamers | ||||||||||||
| Chinook salmon below Tippy | ||||||||||||
| Coho salmon below Tippy | ||||||||||||
| Steelhead below Tippy |
Intensity:LightModerateHeavy
Blank cells mean closed or not worth planning around. The Forest Service names the fall salmon season as the main angling period below Tippy Dam.
Manistee River Rules to Know
- County Road 612 to M-72: artificial lures only, two-trout limit, 18-inch minimum on brown trout (Michigan DNR 2026).
- M-72 to the CCC Bridge: artificial flies only, two-trout limit, 18-inch minimum on brown trout (Michigan DNR 2026).
- Tippy Dam to the railroad bridge below M-55: special artificial lure rules, and terminal gear limits from August 1 to November 15; read the current digest before you rig (Michigan DNR 2026).
- Trout season: Type 1 and 2 streams open the last Saturday in April and close September 30; other types and gear restricted reaches differ (Michigan DNR 2026).
- Watercraft: no Forest Service watercraft permit is required on the Manistee (USFS).
Plan a 3-Day Manistee River Trip
Day 1: Wade or float
M-72 to the CCC Bridge
Base in Grayling or Kalkaska. Launch at the M-72 State Forest Campground or wade a road crossing; dries in May and June, small streamers otherwise.
Day 2: Float
CCC Bridge to Sharon
Float from the CCC Bridge Campground or 3 Mile Bend down toward Thayer Road. In late June, stay for the evening drake and Hex window.
Day 3: Pick by season
Tippy Dam Downstream
September to April: drive to Wellston and fish High Bridge or Rainbow Bend for salmon or steelhead, ideally with a guide in a drift boat.
What to bring: a 9-foot 5-weight for the upper river, a 7- or 8-weight with a sink tip below Tippy, egg flies, streamers, warm layers and a Michigan fishing license.
Want it planned for you?
Book a Local Pro on the Manistee River
Guide, lodge or outfitter on the Manistee River? Get listed. No FFIP Certified pro is listed on the Manistee River yet. Put your business in front of anglers planning this river.
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Plan a Manistee River Trip with Frontiers
No Manistee River lodge is on our Frontiers list yet. We represent many great lodges through Frontiers International Travel, roughly 250 worldwide, so if a Great Lakes steelhead river or a wild trout week is on your list, ask anyway.
Manistee River Tips from Podcast Guests
No Manistee guide is in our Tips Library yet; the first two come from a Michigan migratory fish guide, the rest are transferable.
-
Change fish, not flies, when nothing is working
Cody Kowitz, Michigan and Alaska migratory fish guide -
Use a heavier sink tip to manage streamer depth
Cody Kowitz, Michigan and Alaska migratory fish guide -
Let the fly hang at the end of the swing
Transferable: Tippy Dam steelhead.
Roger Hinchcliff, Great Lakes steelhead angler, Episode 88 -
Stop bombing casts: steelhead sit closer than you think
Transferable: the lower river.
Jeff Liskay, Ohio steelhead guide, Episode 90
Browse every tip in the Fly Fishing Tips Library.
Hear the Manistee River on the Podcast
How to Streamer Fish for Migratory Fish: Cody Kowitz on Michigan and Alaska steelhead and salmon, inside bends, slack seams and jigging a streamer. Listen to the audio episode or read the episode notes.
Shop the Water: Flies for the Manistee River
Adams Wulff, Size 8
Parachute Adams, Size 12
Kaufmann's Brown Stonefly Assortment
Slumpbuster and Bunny Streamers
Mini Sex Dungeon, Black, Size 6
Dolly Llama, Black and White
Hot Orange Egg, 6 Flies
Clown Egg, 6 Flies
Manistee River Fly Fishing Questions, Answered
When is the best time to fly fish the Manistee River?
For trout, fish the upper Manistee River from late April through September, with dries peaking in May and June. For Lake Michigan fish, fish below Tippy Dam: chinook salmon in September and October, coho into November, and steelhead from October through April, strongest in fall and again in March and April.
Can you wade the Manistee River?
Yes, most of the upper Manistee River wades well at normal flows, and Michigan DNR notes most road crossings allow wading access. Below Tippy Dam the Manistee is big water: wade the edges at High Bridge or Rainbow Bend, and float with a guide when the Wellston gauge runs high.
How big are the trout in the upper Manistee?
Big for wild fish. Michigan DNR's 2020 Upper Manistee report says brown trout over 20 inches are not uncommon, while brook trout rarely live past age 2 or grow beyond about 8 inches. Both are wild: DNR has not stocked brown trout there since 2000 or brook trout since 1994.
Manistee or Pere Marquette for steelhead?
Choose the Manistee River for big water and a run that stacks below Tippy Dam with no watercraft permit needed. Choose the Pere Marquette for a free-flowing river with no dams on its mainstem and a flies-only reach at Baldwin. Both rivers fish best in fall and spring.
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Tight lines, everyone!
By Christian Bacasa, host of the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast. Last reviewed November 2026.
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