December 1st
Prayers for good health to you and your families and may you all have a Safe and Blessed 2024 Winter Steelhead season!!!! From now until next May it will be all about the Steelhead with a Brown Trout trip or two to mix it up a bit. Well December is here and so is the snow and cold but we are still out chasing Steelhead and things have been pretty dang good Thank God!!!! The enclosures are on the boats and the heaters are running so don’t let a little cold weather stop you from getting after it. We have been catching Steelhead in just about every type of water lately. Anything from wide tailouts like you would fish in the early Fall to slow deep woody winter water float fishing with Center Pins and Bait Casting rods on 8-10mm beads in natural colors. Covering lots of water has been the name of the game! There are Steelhead spread out through the whole system so we have been fishing it all. All the Steelhead we have been catching(big and small) are super healthy and still charged up even with the cooling water temps!!! The river temps have been dropping a bit, the flows are normal for this time of the year and the water is clear through out the system but all in all the Manistee river is in good shape and fishing good for Steelhead. The Brown Trout fishing has been ok on the Manistee River above Tippy Dam as well but some sections are fishing better than others. Streamers and nymphs will all help the fly angler bring some fish to hand and jerk baits and spinners will help the gear guys and gals. The Pere Marquette River is fishing good for Brown trout and there are good numbers of Steelhead being caught down there as well. It is also that time of the year to start chasing late season Grouse in all the surrounding covers and Pheasants out at Thundering Aspens which is a nice way to mix it up this time of the year in Northern Michigan. There’s a lot to do up here right now so it’s time to get out and enjoy what we have been given!!! We are taking bookings for 2024 and 2025 Winter Steelhead trips as well as upland bird hunts so keep us in mind when you are making your fishing or hunting 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 or Upper 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 2024 and looking forward to seeing you in 2025!!! 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 1390 cfs and the water temps are in the 42-43 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 Steelhead and there are still a few Coho’s around as well. Load your vest with all the tricks, Streamers, beads and various nymphs for the fly angler. Crank baits, spinners, spawn, beads and nymphs will help the Steelhead and Salmon gear anglers get it done. Think about the future of our fishery guys 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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