BirdTrout
The Little Manistee Flies-Only — Little Manistee River, Michigan
Also called Spencer's Bridge to Johnson's Bridge.
74 NHD reaches, 67.9 miles of drawn channel — side channels and braids included, so more than the distance downriver. Nearest reporting gauge 8.0 miles away.
Open in BirdTroutThe line is the water this name refers to, drawn from the NHD reaches it resolves to; the dots are the nearest gauges reporting water temperature, coloured by what they read now.
What it is
Seven and a half miles of the Little Manistee between Spencer's Bridge and Johnson's Bridge, flies-only. A narrow, sand-bottomed river with a heavy steelhead run below and resident trout here; parts of the bank are club ground, so stay in the water. The regulation covers part of the stream, not all of it — the extent above is the agency's wording. What is drawn here is the whole named stream, because there is no boundary anywhere we could check it against.
Artificial flies only. No live, dead, preserved or processed bait may be used or possessed on the water or on shore, and scented material is not allowed on flies-only water.
Where it is
This name covers a stretch whose boundaries are posted on the ground rather than held in any file this site reads, so the map draws the named stream and the boundaries are described in words above rather than guessed at with a line.
| Access | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Harper Lake | boat launch | 0.7 mi |
| Fox Bridge | canoe launch | 1.4 mi |
Distance from the centre of the mapped reach, not along the road.
Regulations on this stretch
Artificial flies only. No live, dead, preserved or processed bait may be used or possessed on the water or on shore, and scented material is not allowed on flies-only water.
Rules change every year and the posted signs are the authority, not this page. Check the current Michigan regulations before you fish. Where this stretch sits inside a larger river, that river's general regulations apply everywhere this stretch's do not.
Best times
Resident trout through the summer; the steelhead run that made the river's name is below this stretch, at the weir and downstream of it.
Live water temperature
| Gauge | Distance | Now |
|---|---|---|
| L Manistee R At Nine Mile Bridge Nr Freesoil, Mi | 8.0 mi | 54.5 °F |
| Manistee River Near Wellston, Mi | 9.2 mi | 62.6 °F |
| Pine River At High School Bridge Nr Hoxeyville, Mi | 10.3 mi | 51.3 °F |
Live from USGS — the number above is current rather than whenever the page was written. A gauge miles away is a gauge miles away: the distance column is there so you can discount it.
Fly shops nearby
- Schmidt Outfitters — 6.1 mi
- Andy's Tackle Box — 12.5 mi
- Johnson's Pere Marquette Lodge — 16.2 mi
- Ed's Sport Shop — 16.5 mi
- Baldwin Bait & Tackle — 16.6 mi
- Pere Marquette River Lodge — 17.4 mi
Straight-line distance from the centre of the mapped reach.
Sources for the name
BirdTrout did not name this water. 2 independent sources below use the name, and it ships only because more than one of them does.
- agency Michigan Department of Natural Resources
- guide DIY Fly Fishing