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Big Manistee; Tippy Dam to Lake Michigan
From the foot of Tippy Dam to the confluence with Manistee Lake, the lower Big Manistee River offers over 25 miles of world class fishing. Depending on what time of year you ply its cold clear waters you have the chance of finding more than a dozen species of game fish. The river’s best known for it’s fall and spring run of anadromous species such as Chinook Salmon, Brown and Lake Trout, and Little Manistee |
strain of Steelhead. One more bonus for the summer angler would be the decent run of Skamania (Summer Run Steelhead).
The first mile below Tippy Dam is a high gradient riffle area which is very conducive to the spawning of anadromous species as well as a few others such as Walleye and Suckers. Further downstream the river changes moods and becomes wider, slower and favors species more attuned to this type of water such as Bass, Pike, and even a couple Muskie.
While the entire stretch of river is accessible, within the lower parts access is quite a bit sparser; most anglers choose to access it via boat. Shallow drafting V-Bottom boats have little problem navigating the lower waters, however the unfamiliar boater should still keep eyes to the water as there’s a number of submerged hazards.
Walk in access is very good for the first couple miles below the dam, as well as at a number of access sites spread out down the river. Wading is at your own risk. While the current slows considerably the further downstream you get, you can still easily take a wrong step and “float your hat”. |
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