Manistee River (Upper) Fishing Map & Spots (MI)

Hatch outlook

White mayfly (Ephoron)Active window

Typical here: Jul 15 – Sep 30 · core weeks in August — shares its dusk with the White Miller caddis and gets confused with it

dundusk — the whole life cycle plays out in one evening — females mate, fly miles upstream and fall spent within a couple of hours; when the blizzard is too thick, your fly disappears in the crowd — fish the edges of the swarm
spinnerfull dark, same night

Smallmouth set up in feeding lanes like trout and will not move far — accuracy beats distance.

The best conventional surface window of late summer on smallmouth rivers: small white or bone surface plugs and propbaits in the last hour of light, white inline spinners run upstream through the feeding lanes, or a bubble with a White Wulff.

The event happens over sand- and silt-bottom runs with moderate current, feeding lanes below riffles

Blue-Winged OlivesActive window

Typical here: Mar 15 – Oct 24 · multiple broods — peaks early May and mid-June, again Sept–Oct at #20–24

dunmidday, roughly noon–3pm — the first dry-fly action of March and the last of October

Too small to match with hardware — use the schedule instead: midday, and the slow seams it pods fish into; smallest inline spinners and micro-jigs worked slow, or a bubble with an olive soft-hackle.

The event happens over seams, pool tails and flats

Isonychia (Slate Drake)Active window

Typical here: May 15 – Sep 30 · one of the Au Sable 'Big Five' — sporadic all summer rather than a dated blanket

nymphall day in fast water — often emerges by crawling out on shore or rocks — the fishable moment is the fast shoreward swim; fish the nymph with quick twitches toward the bank
dunevenings, sporadically — big fish stay watchful for the bug all summer, which makes it a searching-dry opportunity
spinnerdusk over the riffles — more concentrated action than the emergence itself

The best conventional crossover of the northern-Michigan summer: fish chase this fast-swimming nymph, so #1–2 inline spinners and small minnow plugs ripped through fast runs toward shoreline rocks duplicate it exactly, evenings May through September.

The event happens over fast riffles, boulder pockets and shoreline rocks

White Miller (caddis)Active window

Typical here: Jul 1 – Sep 30 · core weeks late July to mid-August — NOT the same bug as the white mayfly that shares its evenings

pupalate evening into dark — larvae drift extensively before emerging and the surface emergence comes at last light — swing winged wets and actively stripped pupae through dusk
ovipositingdusk into dark — females dive and swim to the bottom in slow water to lay — a sunk white wet fished deliberately is truer than a dry

The prolific, predictable dusk food-form over sand and slow water in the dog days — primarily a night-fisher's event.

A late-summer dusk window on sand-bottom water: small white or pearl inline spinners fished slow near bottom in slow runs imitate the diving egg-layers surprisingly directly; white micro-jigs after dark.

The event happens over slow sand- and weed-bottom runs and pool edges

TricoActive window

Typical here: Jun 15 – Oct 20 · midsummer spinner falls come early; drifting toward mid-morning by fall

dunearly morning
spinnermornings, roughly 6–10am — the event is the fall, not the hatch

Honest answer: hardware can't match a #24 spinner. Fish the same pools with a bubble and a trico spinner on long fluorocarbon, or work micro-jigs through them after the fall ends.

The event happens over slow flats and pool tails

Terrestrials (hoppers, ants, beetles)Active window

Typical here: Jun 1 – Sep 30 · beetles from June, ants mid-June, hoppers mid-July to the end of September

adultwarm afternoons — wind is the delivery mechanism

The most spin-friendly 'hatch' of summer: 1.5–2" surface plugs and small poppers slapped along grassy, windy banks; a bubble-and-hopper rig out-casts any fly rod.

The event happens over grassy and undercut banks

Next on this water

Hendrickson · mayflyApr 15 – May 20 · in ~8 months

Spring black caddis (Grannom) · caddisApr 20 – Jun 30 · in ~8 months

Brown Drake · mayflyMay 15 – Jul 4 · in ~9 months

Sulphurs · mayflyMay 15 – Jul 31 · in ~9 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Manistee River (Upper)

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

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Fishing Manistee River (Upper): what the data says

Cedar-lined wild-trout water from the M-72 crossing down to Smithville. The river tops out around 7 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.

Manistee River (Upper) maps at 146 acres behind 25.3 miles of shoreline. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 14.9) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. All of it is shallow-zone water — under ~15 ft across the entire basin, so the food chain has the run of the place. The basin spans about 9.1 mi end to end and 1.8 mi across at its widest. It sits in Kalkaska County. If the bite dies, Johnsons Lake is 3 mi to the northwest.

Brown Trout fishing at Manistee River (Upper)

The spring pattern is a shallow one: brown trout in 1 to 7 ft. The depth story barely changes: 2 to 7 ft through summer, 1 to 7 ft in winter. The spot to know is Current seam (mile 8.7), a current seam in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for brown trout in summer. Plan around after dark and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 7 ft	dawn & dusk	Eddy pocket (mile 2.0) (5 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	2 to 7 ft	night & dawn	Current seam (mile 8.7) (5 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	1 to 7 ft	dusk & dawn	Eddy pocket (mile 2.0) (5 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	1 to 7 ft	dawn	Eddy pocket (mile 2.0) (5 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Brook Trout fishing at Manistee River (Upper)

Come spring, look for brook trout tight to the bank in 1 to 7 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 7 ft; the winter hold is 1 to 7 ft. Start at Current seam (mile 8.7). It's a current seam holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 7 ft	dawn & dusk	Current seam (mile 8.7) (5 ft)	Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon
Summer	2 to 7 ft	dawn & dusk	Current seam (mile 8.7) (5 ft)	Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm
Fall	1 to 7 ft	midday & dawn	Current seam (mile 8.7) (5 ft)	Small spoon (orange), Spinner
Winter	1 to 7 ft	dawn	Current seam (mile 8.7) (5 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic

Notable structure

Manistee River (Upper) carries 11 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Outside-bend hole (mile 0.6), about 5 ft down.

Outside-bend hole (mile 0.6): creek channel, around 5 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 3.1): creek channel, around 5 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 5.6): creek channel, around 5 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 7.7): creek channel, around 5 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 9.9): creek channel, around 5 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 12.0): creek channel, around 5 ft
Eddy pocket (mile 2.0): eddy pocket, around 5 ft
Inside bend (mile 10.9): point, around 5 ft
Channel swing (mile 4.3): creek channel, around 5 ft
Current seam (mile 8.7): current seam, around 5 ft
Eddy pocket (mile 6.5): eddy pocket, around 5 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Burnt Cabin — carry-in, 3 trailer spots
CCC Bridge SFCG — carry-in
Hole in the Fence — carry-in, 10 trailer spots
Hole in the Wall — carry-in, 5 trailer spots
M-72 — carry-in
Yellow Trees Landing — carry-in, 5 trailer spots
Manistee River

Access data: Michigan DNR — Michigan Boating Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Manistee River (Upper) fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Michigan waters are set by the Michigan DNR — and special regulations can apply to Manistee River (Upper) specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Michigan fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Manistee River (Upper)?

Manistee River (Upper) is about 7 ft (2 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.

What fish are in Manistee River (Upper)?

Anglers target brown trout, brook trout on Manistee River (Upper).

Where is the best fishing spot on Manistee River (Upper)?

Current seam (mile 8.7) is the top-rated area: a current seam in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for brown trout in summer. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.

When is the best time to fish Manistee River (Upper)?

For brown trout, the summer bite is best in after dark and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

What are the fishing regulations for Manistee River (Upper)?

Fishing on Manistee River (Upper) is regulated by the Michigan DNR. Check the official Michigan regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Johnsons Lake 3 mi · Bear Lake 5 mi · Lake Margrethe 6 mi · Grass Lake 8 mi · Crawford Lake 9 mi · Grass Lake 10 mi · Bass Lake 10 mi · Pickerel Lake 11 mi · Blue Lake 11 mi · North Blue Lake 11 mi · North Selkirk Lake 12 mi · South Selkirk Lake 12 mi

See how Manistee River (Upper) stacks up: best brown trout lakes in Michigan · best brook trout lakes in Michigan

More water nearby: Kalkaska County fishing maps (25 charts). Browse all Michigan fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.