NORTHERN MICHIGAN FISHING REPORT | SALMON, STEELHEAD & TROUT — OCTOBER 23, 2026
Need help planning your trip? Stop by the shop, give us a call, or book a guide trip. Our staff and guides are on the water daily and can help point you in the right direction.
Traverse City Weather Conditions
Lower Manistee River
We are now in full steelhead season, so it’s time to start leaving those salmon alone and focusing on the shiny fish holding behind active spawning beds, or in sandy traveling lanes.
Fishing has been fairly consistent from a guiding perspective, with a couple of adult steelhead hooked per day and a handful of skippers mixed in. The swing bite has also started to improve, with us and other guides beginning to find fish on the two-hander.Now is the time to throw some flash and target those bigger, more aggressive fish. Traditional fall colors have been working well, especially copper and gold patterns with a black base and an orange head.
For numbers of fish, bottom-bouncing beads and egg flies are still the name of the game, or below and indicator . Egg patterns have remained consistent from last week, so there hasn’t been much change in what’s producing.
Beads that closely match the size and color of natural salmon eggs are still a great starting point. Don’t be afraid to experiment with larger, brightly colored eggs, especially before the sun hits the water. Beads in 10mm and 8mm continue to produce best, with natural colors matching fresh salmon eggs remaining reliable. Chartreuse beads and larger, brightly colored egg imitations are also worth having in your box.
Steelhead Buggers are another good option. We like to trail them behind a bead and fish them as they swing out at the end of the presentation.
Recommended flies and baits:
- 10mm and 8mm beads — try Natty Light
- Halloween Leech
- Orange Nuke Eggs
- Chartreuse Eggs
- Steelhead Bugger
- Flashy fall colored swing flies in copper, gold, black, and orange
Upper Manistee River
Much the same as last week, the Upper Manistee is firmly in fall fishing mode.
Focus your fishing on days with less wind and cloud cover. Leaf debris can make things challenging this time of year, so take advantage of cleaner conditions whenever you can.Brown trout are moving toward gravel as they prepare to spawn. Focus on areas near gravel and try larger flies in yellow and brown to target bigger fish that may be becoming territorial and protective of their spawning areas before they begin making redds
Please leave actively spawning fish alone. Protecting these fish and their spawning areas is essential to the future of our fishery.
You can continue throwing dry flies on warmer days as long as leaf debris isn’t too heavy on the water. When conditions allow, larger streamers are a great option for targeting some of the bigger brown trout in the river.
Recommended flies:
- Chubbys — sizes 16–18
- Lynch D&D
- Yellow Double Deceiver
- Galloup Bang Tails