# Salmon fishing the Manistee, Platte, Betsie rivers



## Taiga (Sep 10, 2015)

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum and hoping to find some information on fishing the NW rivers for fall run salmon/steelhead. I live in Ann Arbor but now have a place to stay for a few weekends spent up in the NW area and am eager to get into fishing the nearby rivers! Unfortunately I can't find much written information on fishing holes and access points for the Manistee, Platte, and Betsie rivers. I know per forum rules this information can't be distributed, but if anyone could PM me some tips or point me to other resources (books, maps, etc) it would be much appreciated! Part of the experience for me is getting into nature and away from crowds so I'm not too interested in fishing the tippy/homestead dams and would rather sacrifice fish numbers for a little more seclusion. I'm willing to hike quite a ways for a quiet spot so direct road access isn't a big issue as long as the land is publicly accessible. 
Thanks!


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## toto (Feb 16, 2000)

Your best bet is purchase a Delorme atlas and go from there. Highly doubt anyone will give up any secret spots, and finding access isn't all that hard.


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## cowboy48098 (Aug 20, 2015)

Good fishing on those rivers, but avoiding the crowds this time of year!!! Bhahaha, in a few weeks weekends on those rivers are going to look like a mix between a Jethro Tull and a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert.


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## piscatorial warrior (Sep 14, 2011)

Don't forget the Asian contingent. They will be tailgating in the parking lot grilling up boot chunks on the Hibachi .


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## Taiga (Sep 10, 2015)

I figured no one would want to give away their secret spot, but I'm hoping for advice on some of the other more known access points. For instance I've heard people mention High Bridge and Bear Creek on the Manistee but I can't find any information about the stretch of river between the lake and dam. I'm wondering if there are any landmark areas to fish that don't suffer as much from the insane crowds.


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## Vicious Fishous (Sep 12, 2006)

Believe it or not, there was once a time before the internet, and helpful forums existed. In these dark times fishermen actually had to go on exploratory missions, finding rivers and honey holes by using maps, plenty of miles on the boots, a six pack, and some fishin' ambition. You have a place to stay, you're halfway there. Get a book on Michigan rivers. Jim Bedford's is very helpful. I personally keep a journal of any "new"spots, water conditions, fishing activity, etc. soon you'll have your secret spots. (That someone else will inevitably beat you to after you drove 4 hours to get there...)Plus you can generally wade in from most bridges, just stay in the water if needed, respect the laws, blah blah. And the rivers you mention are all within an hour of each other.
But my advise for what you're looking for this time of year, is fish for trout, bass, pike , etc. As mentioned the rivers are about to get trashed by all walks of life. It's not the worst thing to fight the crowds to get to get to salmon fish, but personally everything that goes with it is starting to take its toll on what I'm looking for in a fishing experience. I am appreciating solitude these days more than fighting humanity to fight fish. That being said I need to go get some stupid skein... Off to the circus/Skynard concert


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## cowboy48098 (Aug 20, 2015)

Vicious Fishous said:


> Believe it or not, there was once a time before the internet, and helpful forums existed. In these dark times fishermen actually had to go on exploratory missions, finding rivers and honey holes by using maps, plenty of miles on the boots, a six pack, and some fishin' ambition. You have a place to stay, you're halfway there. Get a book on Michigan rivers. Jim Bedford's is very helpful. I personally keep a journal of any "new"spots, water conditions, fishing activity, etc. soon you'll have your secret spots. (That someone else will inevitably beat you to after you drove 4 hours to get there...)Plus you can generally wade in from most bridges, just stay in the water if needed, respect the laws, blah blah. And the rivers you mention are all within an hour of each other.
> But my advise for what you're looking for this time of year, is fish for trout, bass, pike , etc. As mentioned the rivers are about to get trashed by all walks of life. It's not the worst thing to fight the crowds to get to get to salmon fish, but personally everything that goes with it is starting to take its toll on what I'm looking for in a fishing experience. I am appreciating solitude these days more than fighting humanity to fight fish. That being said I need to go get some stupid skein... Off to the circus/Skynard concert


Well said Sir. Well said indeed. Lmao


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## lancenelson (Jun 10, 2009)

cowboy48098 said:


> Good fishing on those rivers, but avoiding the crowds this time of year!!! Bhahaha, in a few weeks weekends on those rivers are going to look like a mix between a Jethro Tull and a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert.


Oh man... That sounds like the worst concert ever! Flute solo's and extended lawyer rock solo's, yeah stay away from those rivers!


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## Taiga (Sep 10, 2015)

Yes I've done my share of fishing before the internet and forums. I've walked around and scouted out just about every inland lake within reach of home and learned to fish them the old way. But the difference now is work is no longer 40 hours it's 50-60 and the areas I'm interested in are a 4 hour drive away. So gaining familiarity with one of those rivers over a couple of weekends without doing prior research seems unlikely. It's unfortunate but hours on the internet or in a book have replaced "miles on the boots" in this situation and this forum stands in for the local tackle shop which I can't routinely visit for helpful information. I'm not expecting to be told where the secret spots are but from what I can tell there's 25 miles of river between Manistee Lake and Tippy Dam and some general reference points about where to avoid the crowds along this stretch would be very helpful.


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

You will have to do your homework. Go on a scouting mission to find a spot. Once you find the spot you will have to find the good fishing holes. No matter how you look at it you will have to invest some time. You will not get out of your car and fill your cooler with fish in 20 minutes. Those days are long gone. Salmon numbers are down and most of the salmon that spawn are picked off by the thousands of boats that fish for them all summer long. If you want to invest the time more power to you. I would concentrate my efforts fishing for something a little more local if your time is limited. If you are driving 4 hours to fish that is 8 hours that you are not fishing. I am fortunate I live by some of the best fishing spots in the world most are within an hours drive. I hate to say it but many of those spots I have never fished. The reason, if I am on the road I am not fishing.


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

Robert Holmes said:


> You will have to do your homework. Go on a scouting mission to find a spot. Once you find the spot you will have to find the good fishing holes. No matter how you look at it you will have to invest some time. You will not get out of your car and fill your cooler with fish in 20 minutes. Those days are long gone. Salmon numbers are down and most of the salmon that spawn are picked off by the thousands of boats that fish for them all summer long. If you want to invest the time more power to you. I would concentrate my efforts fishing for something a little more local if your time is limited. If you are driving 4 hours to fish that is 8 hours that you are not fishing. I am fortunate I live by some of the best fishing spots in the world most are within an hours drive. I hate to say it but many of those spots I have never fished. The reason, if I am on the road I am not fishing.





cowboy48098 said:


> Good fishing on those rivers, but avoiding the crowds this time of year!!! Bhahaha, in a few weeks weekends on those rivers are going to look like a mix between a Jethro Tull and a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert.


A bit of added advice I would hit the crowded spots and fish at night ( midnight till 8 am) then sleep during the daytime when the LL Bean and Orvis family are fishing. You will be surprised at how much better the fishing is and no competition. I do 90 percent of my salmon and steelhead fishing under the stars and I have no competition even during the daylight hours. I laugh at the guys that show up in the sunlight with a cup of coffee in their hands and $1500 + worth of gear. I have yet to see these guys even catch a fish.


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## RobW (Dec 6, 2012)

Taiga said:


> Yes I've done my share of fishing before the internet and forums. I've walked around and scouted out just about every inland lake within reach of home and learned to fish them the old way. But the difference now is work is no longer 40 hours it's 50-60 and the areas I'm interested in are a 4 hour drive away. So gaining familiarity with one of those rivers over a couple of weekends without doing prior research seems unlikely. It's unfortunate but hours on the internet or in a book have replaced "miles on the boots" in this situation and this forum stands in for the local tackle shop which I can't routinely visit for helpful information. I'm not expecting to be told where the secret spots are but from what I can tell there's 25 miles of river between Manistee Lake and Tippy Dam and some general reference points about where to avoid the crowds along this stretch would be very helpful.


A boat many of us are in. 58 doesn't do like 40 used to, what with the 20 being the new five dollar bill and all...


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## piscatorial warrior (Sep 14, 2011)

Well said.


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## OH-YEAH!!! (Jun 18, 2009)

Tippy Dam

Homestead Dam

You're welcome.


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## steeler (Mar 11, 2010)

As everyone has pretty much said, us folks who found our fishing spots the old fashioned way recommend that others do the same. I believe thats part of the enjoyment and adventure. My DeLorme Atlas county map is well-worn from years of use.


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

Here is what fishing at night in popular places gets you. A chunky 13 pound steelhead.


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## AdamBradley (Mar 13, 2008)

Nice man, that's a pig for sure! Is that already from this fall? And a fall run not a slam? Can't tell for certain from the angle. Dont worry, I won't ask where lol


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## JVoutdoors (Sep 23, 2013)

to the OP: People are not being jerks on here, but like some comments, we all started somewhere and I will tell you it will be very satisfying when you do it the hard way and have a lot of skin in the game. I started right where you are about 3 falls ago. Got a place to HQ out of about 15-30 from the Betsie, Big Man, PM, Bear, Platte, (kids bought an up north place thank god) but takes me about 3 hrs to get there. I read the forum, picked up some clues and a couple of PMs, bought exactly the map book recommended here, and spent more time scouting than fishing for the first fall and next spring. But I learned a lot and have caught some fish. I went as far as to trade in vehicles for one that got much better mileage to support my efforts. My typical routine was to scour the web looking at articles, maps, reports during the week then put together a plan for early Sat AM. Leave early, bring fishing stuff, find the places I identified, fish or realize it was a bust and on to the next one, keep some notes. Then work the area by my HQ and then a different route, targets on the way home. You may be driving by better fishing than you are headed for. My favorite trip now is to hit the White on the way further north. By scouting as mentioned, I have found a few road side accesses and fed/state land access sites. Fish the river, keep moving north, maybe I hit the Little Man on the way and explore that for access and conditions, etc. Leave Sunday to hit the Big Man for a early night fish like Robert speaks of, still be home by 11pm. In fact I am planning on scouting exactly the section of the Big Man and then Bear Creek you are looking at as that is one piece of the puzzle missing for me while enroute home this weekend. Will fish a known spot to me on the Betsie Saturday but am going to explore another section/area based on a tip I got on the river last weekend. (I have gotten the best help from the guy standing in the river with me that I have shown I am learning but respectful and trying) Maybe I will see you there stumbling around also LOL. Best of luck.


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## Floater (Feb 8, 2003)

No offense, but you're not going to get a lot of sympathy from the guys here. I'm guessing that virtually all of the members here are in the same position as you. Work too many hours, too many items on the to-do list, too many kid things to attend, too far to drive, not enough time, not enough expendable income, etc, etc, etc... When the real world issues impacted my fishing, I did the same thing. Chased internet reports, hit the high pressure- easy access spots etc... Ended up spending most of my very limited free-time and resources to trying to get dialed-in to current conditions. Very frustrating trips for sure. Considering the window for decent biting kings is only a few weeks long, my king seasons were disappointing. 10 or 12 years ago I bit the bullet and hired a river guide. I originally planned on using the guide to find out of the way spots and come back to them on my own later. However, the trips have been so great that I continue to do them every year. Just did a 2 day trip with Another Limit guide service on the Big M this weekend and did fairly well. Not as good as some years but still plenty of action and enjoyment and a full cooler of filets to take home. What I'm saying is that you shouldn't be afraid of the sticker shock for guided fishing. When you consider what you get in return, it is actually a decent value. Every year I take a guided two day trip for kings. I definitely get my king fix in, in a big way, during that weekend. The rest of the season, I venture on my own. I've been in your position. I'll bet that you are wasting far more by trying to find fish on your own than you would by hiring a charter. There's plenty of great guides out there. I've fished with many over the years. But, you really need to book way in advance. Something to consider for next year rather than relying on internet experts...


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## MIfishslayer91 (Dec 24, 2013)

You can look at maps on your phone or computer through either the dnr or usfs with public access, boat launches, campgrounds, etc. I actually use google satellite maps quite a bit for finding points of access, holes and tribs. Hope that will help a little.


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