I have long preferred the soothing and varied tempo of the Manistee River- ‘Spirit of the Woods’ as legend would have it, restores and refreshes me. It’s more popular sister river to the east, The Au Sable, can hold the title/moniker birthplace of Trout Unlimited, but the 190 miles of Manistee has plenty of space for anglers, hikers, kayakers and other recreational users to enjoy. Designated Wild & Scenic, the Manistee has three distinct sections, The Lower, Middle and Upper Man. The Lower Manistee has a significant salmon and steelhead run from Lake Michigan, drawing thousands of anglers ..read more

The Mitten State has a thriving trout population, a fly fisherman’s dream, to say the least. However, it hasn’t always been this way, and it could change in the near future. Four trout species inhabit Michigan waterways; most are not native to the state; some, like the aggressive brown trout, have pushed out beloved native species, like the arctic grayling (a close relative of trout commonly found here). While restoration efforts are underway to bring arctic grayling back to their native streams, anglers and scientists must walk a delicate balance between recreational fishing and determin ..read more

Evening float along the Boardman River.   The mere thought of Fly Fishing usually summons an image of some serene location. Standing in moving water, crabapple blossoms tree fills the air with fragrance, Cedar waxwings dart from tree limb to deadfall waiting for the next mayfly, and dimples on the surface sporadically appear as trout race to engulf an emerger. Something out of a Hemingway picture. It is really not that far off, you just have to time it properly, get some basics down and be in the river when it is happening. Does this sound enjoyable? Relaxing? Welcome aboard! The Pandem ..read more

Another great year in the books with headliners George Daniel, Landon Mayer, Tim Flagler and Jake Villwock. Ann Miller was busy talking her new book- beautiful photography and added sections. Ann Miller was on hand with her much anticipated new Midwest Bugs book. You need a copy? Get to your local fly shop and pick one up! The weekend was fairly well attended. We saw steady crowds Saturday from 10am thru early afternoon. A few fly shops were missing and other dealers not present, but the MFFC did some live podcasts with Ash Angler to get the younger crowd interested and we shall see how that ..read more

As the mercury hangs at a balmy 10 degrees, the only thing to keep you warm might be coffee and the thought of the first rise on the river. What flies are going to be key in the new year? Are there some new tying styles or developments that can alter your strategy? I have found in the most recent years, going back to some of the classic ties and tying styles have proved beneficial on many selective trout. Classic Parachute Adams always comes to mind, No-hackle Comparaduns and the Hackle Stacker style fly will find a place in your fly box. Let’s get our vices out and begin. Bob Quigley gave us ..read more

As I look outside, the river is slowly meandering, with frosted banks and a high of 8 degrees on Friday, I personally can’t wait for the month of MARCH- It’s Coming!! A little more than a month away, it is time to start making plans to attend the Best Fly Fishing Show in the Midwest. Some would consider this a first sign of Spring, perhaps as solid as the robins returning, we are ready for a fly show. The 2023 Midwest Fly Expo promises to be an event worth attending. Guest speaker Tim Flagler form TightLine Productions, Landon Mayer, George Daniel, newly added Jake Villwock and Eric Naguski wi ..read more

I was featured on the Wet Fly Sling podcast: Brian Kozminski, headman at True North Trout, is here today to shed some light on fishing streamers for brown trout. We find out the best times to go fishing in Manistee River, MI. We talk about TFO rods – Brian tells us the types of rods he uses for each season and his go-to flies. We learn how we can help prevent these water invasive species from spreading, which is one of our primary responsibilities as anglers, if we want to keep our waters fishable and clean. We learn what size of native browns we can take that is actually beneficial for the ..read more

We were excited, some of us more exuberant than others. We finally get to attend the F3T after a two year hiatus. Actually, this exact event was the last publicly attended social event we did back in 2020 before we were confined to our domiciles and forced to cook for ourselves, which wasn’t a bad thing. As we waited in line, like cracked out junkies waiting for the soup kitchen to let us in, the guys behind us offer some of their Little Caesars Pizza, but we politely decline because we know we have destination with Brewery Vivant after the early show. Texts were sent to let the rest of the ..read more

By now, word has spread much like the algal bloom that has made the rock snot a top news concern for trout anglers in Michigan. Didymo confirmed in the Upper Manistee River from November streamer float with water quality specialist Sam Day from LTBBOI. When I first saw it, I was admittedly caught off guard, but apprehensive about the severity. Now, a couple months later and there is a thick mat across the rocky substrate in front of my cabin. I have heard mutterings on social outlets that there is no ‘new discovery’, it’s always been there. Perhaps it has, but not to this extent. What has chan ..read more

Catch limit Harvest limit is one. Proposal by the DNR actually the NRC. Which is confusing to me. Many are misled to believe this is DNR generated amendment to the Fisheries Order and often these proposals do have their genesis in a meeting of DNR biologists and NRC commissioners. There seems to be some special interest party who has fronted this FO, and many are jumping on the bandwagon. This is the actual proposal by NRC Commissioner Dave Nyberg FO 200.22 Amendment. Basically, From March 15- May 15 you can only keep one ‘rainbow trout’ on the Pere Marquette, Manistee, Bear Creek, Carp ..read more