Tippy Dam to Manistee Lake

Please call for available dates (231) 884-2198

Spring, Fall, & Winter

We fish from September to April on the Rivers  for Salmon, Steelhead and June for Smallmouth.

Fishing from a Jet boat   From November through March the boat is covered and heated and is truly comfortable.    The heated cabin makes those cool mornings very pleasant, on those late fall, winter or early spring days when temperatures flirt with the freezing mark.  We will use a combination of oars and anchor to skillfully work through the long runs and holes of the Manistee River, looking for migrating or holding Steelhead.  The large jet engine allows us to skim across inches of water at full throttle, while the custom designed boat built in Wellston Michigan allows us to effectively work plugs and spawn off the back of the boat. 

Our River fishing season takes off at the end of August with King Salmon,  Monsters of the Manistee.  These start showing up in August and continue to run well into October.  These are bruiser fish and it's one on one, you against the fish on light line. When fishing for these beasts we generally use either skein spawn or Cast plugs into the wood.  The King Salmon Action can last well into October, however we generally get our first run of Fall Steelhead toward the end of September. These fish are ready to do battle and will crush anything that is placed in front of them.

As fall rain raises our river water and the leaves turn colors (November & December).  Our best Steelhead fishing of the year begins.  This is the best time to catch the biggest Steelhead of the year, it also happens to be the hardest time of the year to land Steelhead. These Fall Steelhead are fresh from Lake Michigan and are amazing. They can leap tall log jams with a single jump, and dive between large rock in a single turn,  their stronger than any fishing line, and they can bend steel hooks straight. 

     Winter Steelhead fishing is awesome and the boat is heated and covered so staying warm is not a problem even on the cold days, however as the mercury dips to below zero temps, we generally cannot fish because of shelf ice and motor issues.  (This only happens on very very few occasions)  Winter Steelhead are generally easy to find living in the deep runs and pools, it takes a skilled guide to maneuver you into position to get you hooked up with a Winter Steelhead.  These fish are regularly trophy classes steelhead.  So if cabin fever has you down and your up for the adventure try Winter Steelhead (January & February).   This is by far becoming our most popular time to fish. 

End of February to end of March, Winter has loosened it's grip and daytime temps are into the 30's to mid 40's and the Winter Steelhead are getting ready to move into the spawning areas.  This is perhaps the second best time of the year to catch River Steelhead.  Spring rains fill the river with fresh water at the time filling the river with fresh Steelhead from Lake Michigan.

By the end of March to the middle of May Steelhead will have moved onto the Gravel and started spawning.  This is the time to break out the Spawn, flies, or Spinners and throw it toward the gravel or it could be time to work the deeper main runs with plugs for fish that have spawned out returning to Lake Michigan.

River fishing is a special experience's.  If you have ever wondered how people could fish on the open rivers while everyone else is sitting over an hole in the ice, give us a call.  Try fishing out of a boat with a heated cabin.  The fish won't be the only one hooked on Steelhead fishing.