Manistee River Trout Report

October 4, 2024 – Trout Report

Last Thursday and Friday I got to fish the upper with long time friends, Jay and Joe. Water temps were in the 67 degree range, the water was low and clear and the skies bright blue.

We managed half a dozen fish on the first day but nothing was over 14 inches. In the bright sun, the go-to flies were small and white. Also a little action came on small olive and black. The patterns were Little Rascal and Hat Tricks.

The second day we had twice the action with the best fly being a size 10, white Little Rascal. The biggest fish was 19 inches

It was great to be all alone and out of the migratory fish madness!

Tight Lines,

Capt Chuck

Didymo Reminder

On another note some of you may have heard about the Didymo, or rock snot, issue in the Upper Manistee. Around the CCC Bridge and Sharon area it is extremely prevalent, completely covering the bottom in certain sections. It also is free floating and looks like chucks of wet paper towels floating down streams. Everyone needs to be diligent after fishing and clean their gear. If you are floating, power wash your boat and trailer and have a separate anchor rope when floating the Upper Man. To cleans boots and waders many companies suggest the following:

The best thing to do when dealing with Didymo is to dry gear thoroughly between drainages – even after cleaning with the recommended washing instructions, invasives can still live until they are dry. With that being said, folks can follow the ’10 for 10′ rule, where their gear is saturated with a 10% concentration of dish soap, and left to stay saturated for at least 10 minutes (Bleach is another method that is commonly suggested for sanitizing for invasives, but we DO NOT recommend bleach on gear. Same goes for very hot water, for the same duration – around 140 degrees – again, we DO NOT recommend that for gear).

For boots, it’s extremely important to remove all deposits of mud and algae – a stiff-bristled brush is best to make sure that stitching is clean and clear, as well as soles and any traction devices (like studs or aluminum bars). Aluminum bars can be removed, cleaned and dried, as invasives could potentially live for longer in the microscopic spaces between the sole and the aluminum bar, since that’s a tricky area to completely dry without removal. Felt is difficult to clean, but drying is the best method – felt boots can take days to dry completely, though, all the way through (that’s why I would never suggest to allow a felt boot that has been in a drainage with didymo go to a different drainage).

Please take the time to follow these suggestions and help mitigate the spread of this invasive species.