# Pine River Difficulty



## motroutfisher

I'm planning to do a couple of day floats on the Pine River above Peterson Bridge next week to do some trout fishing and enjoy the scenery, along with a few other folks from here in Missouri. I have been given the task of figuring out exactly what we're getting into. I've heard conflicting reports about the difficulty of paddling this stretch of river-I've read some places it's fairly harrowing, others that it's gentle enough for those with a little experience. None of our party are beginning paddlers, though we're far from experts. We have some experience canoeing low to mid Class II white water on the quick streams here in the Ozarks, but we're leery about taking on anything more significant than that. We like a good adventure and plenty of riffles and fast water, but on the other hand would hope to be able to relax and enjoy the trip a little bit too. Is this the right stretch of river for us? If not, we might consider doing the lower Manistee instead and just fishing for smallmouth, pike, etc. Right now, either sounds better than baking in the 100 degree heat in Missouri!

Thanks!


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## -Axiom-

If you have some paddling experience you will be fine.
The Pine is fast but it's not whitewater fast.
You would be hard pressed to find a prettier stretch of river, there are plenty of trout to be had also.


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## motroutfisher

-Axiom- said:


> If you have some paddling experience you will be fine.
> The Pine is fast but it's not whitewater fast.
> You would be hard pressed to find a prettier stretch of river, there are plenty of trout to be had also.


Thanks! That's exactly what I was hoping to hear.


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## FlyFishMich

Paddling the pine is no problem. Some big rocks in the middle but no problem. The problem was trout fishing.

Water WAY low and hot. I was looking for some trout out there last weekend and the water was mid 60's at noon. There was a heavy stain/merky flow. Visibility was about a foot. Sorry man. I'd say canoe and have fun or find another spot for trout. 
Not saying I'm an expert but I am seasoned in trout. Between 6 of us we caught a few bluegill and small bass on Tippy Dam. We went there after being frustrated on the Pine. The Pine owned us. Plus there was a tremendous aluminum hatch (canoes and floats).

Good luck if you go there. I always hope a guy does better than me.


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## FlyFishMich

PS
It is a pretty stretch of water. Pretty fast riffles but nothing that will throw you over. 

The coldest river In the state is not supposed to be that warm and flow more than 250 cfm. Hopefully the mud has settled a bit too.

Your absolute best bet is to give a call to Schmidt Outfitters. They will give you an update on the river .they are 1 of 2 guide services licensed to fish there and they might have another spot for you. Ask for Gary he is a good guy. Hawkins is the other guide service. I have never talked to those guys but they off advice on their website too. River conditions can change quick but I have to tell you the weather has been pretty consistent up here. Not as hot as the Ozarks but too hot for trout. 


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## motroutfisher

Thanks guys. The advice is much appreciated. We did call to reserve permits for a couple days...We'll be bringing our own boats up there with us. We'll also be going on weekdays to hopefully beat the crowds a little.

We're doing the Pine mainly because, at least based on the temperature gauges, it's just about the only floatable stream we can find where the water temps are not 70+. As for the fly fishing, all we can do is give it our best effort and see what, if anything, we come up with. We're going in eyes wide open, knowing that the trout fishing is likely to be tough given the weather conditions, and we are okay with that. If the scenery is as good as it sounds like it should be worth the trip anyway. For the latter five days of our time up there, we're staying in a campground on Lake Michigan, and we can always check out some of the warm-water lakes around there if we get too desperate to catch some fish.


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## Splitshot

I read this a little late, but here are my 2 cants anyway. The Pine can be very difficult when the water is above 450 cfs and dangerous in my opinion for all but above average canoers. Currently the water is very low which reduces the danger, but many more obstacles are present like rocks and logs which cause other problems. I see more people tip over in very low water than high water, but in high water they probably have more experience.

I fished the Big Manistee below Tippy last week and there were plenty on fish but few trout. I do good on the Pine, but it is much more difficult as it is hard to fish from a canoe or even stop at many of the best spots in a canoe. The Big Manistee is slower and more manageable for those at any level and from the reports Im hearing, quite a few walleye in the river in all sections.

Both rivers are great but if you decide on the Pine, make sure everything is well secured. Let us know how you did. The water temperatures in the Pine hardly ever reaches 70 degrees and cools quickly to the low 60's at night even in mid summer and the fish are seldom if ever stressed out on this river.


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## salmonslammer

Bring some hopper patterns with you... tis the season!

Id 2nd the mansitee river... gotta hunch your going to be banging lots of rocks right now on the pine!


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## motroutfisher

Once again, thanks. This is a great forum. We'll likely get on the Manistee for at least one day, so I'm glad to hear it's fishing well for warm-water species. Anyhow, the fishing and floating on the Pine sounds like a fun challenge. I guess we'll see, and I'm looking forward to it. And I'll add some Dave's Hoppers to the list of flies to pick up...


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## FlyFishMich

Bring a camera. Waterproof that is.
3rd vote for Manistee below Tippy. Lots of non cold water fish. 


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## motroutfisher

Sorry to ask yet another question...but I've noticed with recent rains water flows have risen a fair amount. It is now at 325 cubic feet/second, but is still slowly coming up. Does anyone know about what the maximum flow range on the Pine is where the floating will be safe and the fishing worthwhile? And if it's blown out, will the Manistee below Tippy be more likely to be fishable/floatable? I was thinking the dam could possibly lessen the effects of potential high water, but I wasn't sure. It'll be a couple days 'til we're on the river, so none of this may end up mattering anyway...But it's a long way up, and we'd like to have a back-up plan in case. The help is much appreciated.


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## Ranger Ray

The Manistee below Tippy would be better after a heavy rain as the Pine stains fast. If you are lucky, the Pine will be up some during your trip. As long as there isn't heavy rains while or just before, like day or two, you should be alright. If its not stained, it actually fishes better at higher levels. Be more worried of cold fronts, if you hit one of those, trout fishing will just plain stink for a couple days.


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## FlyFishMich

Photos ???


Sent from the innerwebs.


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## motroutfisher

Thanks for all the help guys. It was a good trip up there. The Pine is as tough as advertised (both the canoeing and fishing aspects) but still a lot of fun. Both of the Manistees were both a bit more friendly to us, but we had a good time throughout the trip. Canoes were flipped, quite a few small trout were caught, and we saw some awesome scenery. I'd be more than happy to post some pictures, but no fish pictures-unless you all really feel the need to see a bunch of photos of 8 inch rainbows and browns 


Thanks again for the suggestions/tips. They definitely gave us some good ideas for where to start and helped us enjoy the trip more!


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## FlyFishMich

glad you enjoyed our part of the world. sounds like you had better luck than I did. but I am glad you did. I am only a few hours from there. Had you come all of the way from your home and got skunked then that would have been bad. I have been all over the US with some exceptions I have to say that Northern MI is tough to beat. Hope you come back next year and hit the Pere Marquette or the Au Sable.


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