What time of year is best if I’m planning a fishing trip?
The salmon fishing in the rivers really starts picking up by early to mid August all the way through the end of October. Usually the first two to three weeks of September can be prime, when the salmon run begins to peak. This is when the most chrome fish are in the system. As September moves into October, there will usually be a higher quantity of fish in the system, meaning more numbers, but fewer “eaters.” Every year is different, and is dependant on the weather. Many steelhead enter the rivers in the late fall and will spend the winter in the Manistee River. We can target these fish almost all winter. As the snow begins to melt, more steelhead fresh from Lake Michigan will enter the river, making an early spring run. This is generally from early March on into mid to late April, with some fantastic steelhead fishing.
