From the fabled Flies Only Catch and Release section which offers some of the best spawing gravels in the entire river, to the slow pools near Lake Michigan you find trophies lurking throughout.
Winding nearly 90 miles across the hilly countryside and making its way to the Pere Marquette Lake this river is the only free flowing river in Western Michigan. The wildlife is abundent and you can see deer, beavers, eagles, minks and turkey while enjoying a beautiful ride down the river.
With migratory runs of salmon, steelhead and great resident rainbow and brown trout this river offers anglers of all levels great opportunities.
The Little Manistee...Is a meandering spring creek that stretches over 75 miles through the heart of the Huron Manistee National Forest. This small river is a walk-in only river and is quite demanding on the fly rodder. The brushy banks and tight holes require a careful approach in this gin clear shallow river. Even though it is tough, the rewards are high. This river provides the brood stock steelhead strain that are planted across the entire Midwest. The Little Manistee strain of steelhead are some of the toughest fighting, highest jumping, most acrobatic fish in Michigan. Combine this with the small size of the Little Manistee River and you have a real rodeo on your hands.
Known for its early runs of King Salmon, The Little Manistee can be a blast during the dog days of Summer. It is not uncommon to find salmon entering the river as early as June. There are select stretches of the river that have abundent hex hatches this time of year as well.
The Manistee River...Can be a formidable piece of water, in fact it can be downright intimidating if you have never fished it before. The most popular section to fish is below Tippy Dam. There are 30+ miles of tailwater fisheries below Tippy. The top 3-5 miles are certainly the prime spawning waters, however there are many fish that stage throughout the remaining runs, holes and pools. This is the only part of the river that recieves migratory species.
Above the dam at Tippy you can find sections that hold trout up to 30"!!! The Manistee River originates in the cedar swamps of Northern Michigan and features trout fishing the entire length.
Below Hodenpyle Dam the river takes on a real Western look and feel. This stretch is amazing in the Spring and can fish well throughout the whole Summer. If you have never visited this section you owe it to yourself to take a shot at the 'Pyle.
The Muskegon River...Features on of the largest runs of salmon and steelhead in the entire state below Croton Dam. This classic tailwater has huge gravel bars that make for some great action in the Spring and Fall. These same gravel bars create just the right combination of riffles and runs for some prolific Drake and caddis hatches.
During the Summer months you can catch trout, walleye and small mouth bass in the same day, using the same gear.