August 16th
Prayers for good health to you and your families and may you all have a Safe and Blessed 2026 Brown Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Pike and King Salmon season!!!! It has been a great having every one in the boats this summer sharing some old memories and making some new one’s and looking forward to doing it more this Fall! We are still chasing Brown Trout, Smallmouth Bass and Pike but we have been seeing a few King Salmon so our mindsets are about to change!!! Well the last couple of weeks has been absolutely wonderful in Northern Michigan! It looks like we are going to have lower temperatures for the next ten days and I know the Trout will be happy to have some cooler water temps and it has triggered some early King Salmon to start moving!! Summer is flying by and the weather and the fishing has been decent on all the rivers and lakes we have been guiding on for Brown Trout, Smallmouth Bass and Pike!! The flows on the Manistee are normal for this time of the year, water temps are warm and the water is clear in the upper river but has a bit of stain to it in the lower. It has been pretty good on the Big Manistee below Tippy and Hodenpyle Dam for Trout, Smallmouth Bass and Pike with our Fly and Spin anglers. The Pere Marquette River is fishing good for Brown Trout with Streamers Dry Flies and Twitching bugs for the fly anglers and our gear guys are doing good with Crank Baits and Spinners and there are some King Salmon showing up in the lower river 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 but the weeds are growing and they have more places to hide so it can be work some days. The upper stretches above Hodenpyle Dam is shaping up and the Brown Trout fishing has been pretty good both on Spinning tackle and Fly gear. 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 Fall King Salmon and Steelhead trips at this time and have a few days available 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 1540 cfs and the water temps are in the 69-70 degrees. For the wade fisherman, the fishing above and below the coffer and down stream to the bottom of Suicide Bend has been ok for Trout and Summer Run Steelhead and there has been a few King Salmon 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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