Happy New Year!!
February 24th
Prayers for good health to you and your families and may you all have a Safe and Blessed 2026 Winter Steelhead season!!!! Welcome to the quiet time of the year! You can’t over look the winter months, it can be some of the most peaceful and beautiful times of the year to be catching Steelhead without the crowds. Looking for warming trends, steady weather patterns or if you just need a break from the winter blah’s it can be great time to be on the river! We will be fishing Steelhead from now until May with a Brown Trout trip or two mixed in to change things up a bit! Well it’s been a pretty rough go this winter as far as the weather but things are starting to warm up and it is time to put some serious time in on the river! We have plenty of snow on the ground which will be good for the river once we start to get a thaw. The boys and I have been out Steelhead fishing a couple of times and have ran a few Steelhead trips in the last week and there seems to be a good number of Steelhead around to play with. The weather last week was absolutely wonderful but we are back to cooler temps for a few days and then a nice warm up is ahead of us as we start March so if you’d like to get out on the water we would love to have you up!! We have been seeing a mixture of Steelhead lately some have been blushed up but most of them have been newer chrome fish and we are seeing about three age classes of fish so things are looking good as we start our late Winter early Spring Steelhead fishing charters. The flows on the Manistee are up for this time of the year due to the rain and snow melt we have had, water temps have warmed a bit and the clarity is a bit stained . We have been finding Steelhead in all types of water but mostly in that 5-7 foot range and are definitely liking the slower woody winter stuff! We have covered the Manistee River from the upper river to the Lake and there doesn’t seem to be anymore Steelhead in one section than the other. 8-10mm beads in natural and dead egg colors have been best float fishing with Center Pins or Bait Casters. It is the season to watch the floats Drop! There are still some Brown Trout fishing opportunities for those not wanting to fish for Steelhead and the Brown Trout fishing has been ok on the Manistee River above and below both Tippy and Hodenpyle Dams, but some sections are fishing better than others. The Pere Marquette River is fishing good for Steelhead and there are Brown Trout opportunities as well. All is good, so no matter if your a Gear angler or Fly fisherman there is fun to be had! The enclosures are on the boats and the heaters will be going and 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 2026 Winter and Spring Steelhead and Brown Trout trips at this time. We have Steelhead days for February, March and April open, 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 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 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 1830 cfs and the water temps are in the 34-35 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 Trout and Steelhead. 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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