BirdTrout
Big Manistee — Manistee River, Michigan
Also called The Big Manistee, Below Tippy, Tippy Dam water.
Tippy Dam to Manistee.58 NHD reaches, 25.0 miles of drawn channel — side channels and braids included, so more than the distance downriver. Nearest reporting gauge 8.7 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
The Manistee below Tippy Dam, running to Lake Michigan — a different river from the upper, wide and cold-released, and the destination for the salmon and steelhead runs that come in from the lake.
Open all year below Tippy Dam. Salmon and steelhead regulations apply rather than inland trout rules; check the current Michigan Fishing Guide before the fall run.
Where it is
- From
- Tippy Dam (44.2599, -85.9432)
- To
- Manistee (44.2648, -86.3027)
No access site in this state's file falls within 3 miles of the mapped reach.
Regulations on this stretch
Open all year below Tippy Dam. Salmon and steelhead regulations apply rather than inland trout rules; check the current Michigan Fishing Guide before the fall run.
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
Chinook from late August into October, steelhead from October through April, with a second push in spring.
Live water temperature
| Gauge | Distance | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Manistee River Near Wellston, Mi | 8.7 mi | 62.6 °F |
| Manistee River Near Mesick, Mi | 16.2 mi | 62.2 °F |
| Manistee River Near Sherman, Mi | 23.8 mi | 53.4 °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
- Andy's Tackle Box — 6.0 mi
- Schmidt Outfitters — 8.5 mi
- Johnson's Pere Marquette Lodge — 28.2 mi
- Ed's Sport Shop — 28.4 mi
- Baldwin Bait & Tackle — 28.5 mi
- Pere Marquette River Lodge — 29.2 mi
Straight-line distance from the centre of the mapped reach.
Sources for the name
BirdTrout did not name this water. 3 independent sources below use the name, and it ships only because more than one of them does.
- guide DIY Fly Fishing
- guide Current Works Guide Service
- flyshop The Northern Angler