Manistee River

Brown trout and rainbow trout water; 21 stockings on the 2026 record.

Manistee County · Michigan · see it on the national map

21 stockings 2026

May 13 last stocked

348,903 fish reported

The year here

stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details

What swims here

Brown trout 10 stockings

Rainbow trout 10 stockings

Coho salmon 1 stocking

Stocking record 2026

Date	Species	Size	Fish	Status
Mar 25	Brown trout	adult	23,197	completed
Mar 26	Brown trout	adult	23,200	completed
Mar 26	Brown trout	adult	9,997	completed
Apr 6	Brown trout x 3 sections	adult	14,100	completed
Apr 7	Coho salmon	adult	62,600	completed
Apr 7	Brown trout	adult	14,100	completed
Apr 28	Rainbow trout	adult	26,490	completed
Apr 29	Rainbow trout	adult	34,838	completed
May 1	Rainbow trout	adult	19,064	completed
May 4	Rainbow trout	adult	13,333	completed
May 4	Rainbow trout	adult	13,327	completed
May 6	Rainbow trout	adult	13,331	completed
May 12	Brown trout	adult	10,128	completed
May 12	Brown trout	adult	7,073	completed
May 12	Rainbow trout	adult	2,630	completed
May 12	Brown trout	adult	10,126	completed
May 13	Rainbow trout x 3 sections	adult	7,723	completed

Getting on the water

Access point	Type	Notes
Bridge Street	boat ramp
Tippy Dam State Recreation Area Lower	boat ramp	Recreation Passport required · accessible facilities
First Street	carry-in launch	Recreation Passport required · accessible facilities

Access points from the Michigan DNR boating access inventory. Ramps, fees, and hours change; check before towing a boat a long way.

Gear for this water

It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.

For the trout (brown trout stocked 10 times here in 2026, moving water)

Inline spinners	1/16 to 1/8 oz silver or gold; swing them across the current seams
Drifted bait	single salmon egg or half a crawler under light split shot, rolled along the bottom
Small jerkbaits	floating minnows in the 2 to 3 inch class for the deeper bends

For the salmon and steelhead (coho salmon stocked 1 time here in 2026, moving water)

Beads and egg imitations	drifted under a float where bait rules allow
Trolling flies and dodgers	for landlocked salmon in the lakes, early and late in the day
Medium spinning rod	8 to 9 ft with 8 to 12 lb line; big water, big runs

Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.

Nearby stocked waters

The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.

Water	Distance	Most recent
Little Manistee River	4.2 mi	May 6
Portage Lake	9.6 mi	Jun 2
Hamlin Lake	13 mi	Jun 2
Bear Lake	16 mi	Jun 30
Big Sable River	17 mi	May 13

Records from Michigan DNR (official page). Placement from USGS GNIS. Schedules change without notice. Seasons, limits, and licenses: Michigan fishing regulations.