October 4th
Prayers for good health to you and your families and may you all have a Safe and Blessed 2026 Fall Steelhead season!!!! It was great having every one in the boats pulling on King Salmon sharing some old memories, making some new one’s and we are looking forward to doing it more as we get started with our Steelhead fishing! We will have Steelhead on the brain from now until next May but will be putting a few Brown Trout trips in to mix it up a bit. The last couple of weeks have been absolutely wonderful here in Northern Michigan. Cold nights, cool mornings with low day time temps and it looks like we are going to have about the same weather for the next ten days. We have had quite of bit rain the last couple of weeks and it has brought a good number of new King Salmon and Steelhead into the system to tangle with! This past week was pretty dang good with lots of smiles and good times had in our boats! Fall has begun and so has the craziness of King Salmon and Steelhead fishing!!! The flows on the Manistee are normal for this time of the year, water temps are cooling and the water is clear in the upper river but has a bit of stain to it in the lower. The Manistee river is fishing good for King Salmon and Steelhead about anyway you would like to do it. We have been fishing Stick baits and Skein for the Kings and either Bottom Bouncing or Float fishing various sizes of beads in natural colors for Steelhead. The Pere Marquette River is fishing good for Brown Trout with Streamers and Twitching bugs for the fly anglers and our gear guys are doing good with Crank Baits and Spinners and the King Salmon fishing has been good down there as well. The Back waters above the Dams are still fishing ok for Smallmouth Bass on Top water and Minnow patterns both on Fly and Spinning gear for those interested in fishing Fall Smallies. There are Brown Trout opportunities on the upper stretches above and below Hodenpyle Dam both with Spinning tackle and Fly gear for those that aren’t into the Steelhead. All is good, so no matter if your a Gear angler or Fly fisherman there is fun to be had! There are fish to be caught up here right now, so it’s time to get out and enjoy what we have been given!!!! We are taking bookings for Fall Steelhead and Brown Trout trips at this time and do have a few days available in October and November so keep us in mind when you are making your fishing plans and don’t miss out on the action. We are Thankful to be doing what we Love and we will be at it everyday keeping up on what’s going on, so if you have a date or dates in mind and would like to get out for a full or half day on the Big Manistee, Pere Marquette, Upper Manistee or Little Manistee please give us a shout. Real quick, I would like to put out a Big Thank You to all of you that fished with us in 2025 and looking forward to seeing you in 2026!!! Thank You Very Much and God Bless!!!!!!! Stay safe and healthy!!!! If you would like to view more pictures check us out on Facebook @ Premier Angling Guide Service. Tight Lines & High Fives!!!
Manistee River Below Tippy Dam
The flows below Tippy Dam are 1670 cfs and the water temps are in the 59-60 degrees. For the wade fisherman, the fishing above and below the coffer and down stream to the bottom of Suicide Bend has been good for Brown Trout, King Salmon and there is a few Fall Steelhead being caught up there as well. Load your vest with all the tricks, Streamers, beads and various nymphs for the fly angler. Crank baits, spinners, beads and nymphs will help the gear anglers get it done. Think about the future of our fishery guys and gals if you don’t need them then put them back. Help protect the resource!! Have fun and be safe, Bent rods and tight lines!!!
To check flows and water temps on our local rivers, please click on the USGS links below:
Manistee River below Tippy Dam
Manistee River below Hodenpyle Dam
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