Fly Fishing the Manistee River

One of Michigan's most celebrated trout rivers, the Manistee offers a spring-creek-like upper section and a productive tailwater below Tippy Dam, anchored by the legendary Hex hatch that draws dry-fly devotees every June.

3 shops nearby

See fly shops ↓

When to fish

May–October

Best months: May–October

Best
Off-peak

Hendrickson / Black Caddis: late April–mid May. Sulphurs / March Brown: May–June.

Today's conditions

Where to fish

Along the Manistee River

Hayes Township1 shop

Green Lake Township1 shopGrayling1 shop

The upper (flies-only) section is accessed via M-72 in Kalkaska County down to the CCC Bridge; the tailwater below Tippy Dam (Manistee County) is reached off Coates Highway with parking at the Tippy Dam Recreation Area.

The water

Freestone

Key hatches

Blue-Winged Olive
Little Black Stonefly
Blue Quill
Caddisfly
Hendrickson

Hatch calendar

Conditions

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6-day forecast

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Forecast from the National Weather Service ↗

Hatch calendar

Months each hatch is active on the Manistee River, with hook sizes and local timing notes.
Hatch · hook	M	A	M	J	J	A	S
Blue-winged Olive(mayflies)hook #18–22	March	April	May	June	July	August
Little Black Stonefly(stoneflies)hook #14–16	March	April	May
Blue Quill(mayflies)hook #16–18		April	May
Caddisfly(caddis)hook #14–18		April	May	June	July	August	September
Hendrickson(mayflies)hook #12–14late April–mid May		April	May
Brown Drake(mayflies)hook #8–10			May	June
Gray Drake(mayflies)hook #10–12			May	June
March Brown(mayflies)hook #12–14May–June			May	June
Sulphur(mayflies)hook #14–16			May	June	July
Giant Black Stonefly(stoneflies)hook #4–8				June	July
Hexagenia(mayflies)hook #4–8late June–early July, evenings				June	July
Light Cahill(mayflies)hook #12–14				June	July	August
Mahogany Dun(mayflies)hook #10–12September–October				June	July	August	September
Trico(mayflies)hook #22–24mid-July–September, mornings				June	July
Yellow Sally(stoneflies)hook #14–16				June	July