Waters · United States
Manistee River (Tippy Dam) fishing report
Updated Friday, 9 October 2026 · refreshed automatically through the day
The tailwater below Tippy Dam is Michigan's most crowded and most productive steelhead water, with kings stacking into the same holes from late August. Water temperature below the dam lags the air by weeks.
Today's report: excellent (80/100)
Coho salmon is the most promising species on Manistee River (Tippy Dam) today. Water temperature at the gauge is 14.6°C (58°F) and barometric pressure is stable. Gauge MANISTEE RIVER NEAR WELLSTON, MI shows the water level falling (0 cm/24h).
Manistee River (Tippy Dam) water temperature and flow
- Water temperature: 14.6°C (58°F)
- Discharge: 42.8 m³/s (1,511 cfs) — down 1% over 24 hours
- Level trend: falling (0 cm/24h)
Measured at gauge MANISTEE RIVER NEAR WELLSTON, MI · reading 30 min ago. Published by the national hydrological service, not estimated by us.
Best time to fish today
- 18:00–20:00 local time — score 79/100
- 01:00–03:00 local time — score 79/100
- 07:00–09:00 local time — score 79/100
3-day outlook by species
| Species | Friday 9 Oct | Saturday 10 Oct | Sunday 11 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steelhead | 70 — good | 70 — good | 68 — good |
| Chinook salmon | 79 — good | 80 — excellent | 79 — good |
| Coho salmon | 80 — excellent | 82 — excellent | 80 — excellent |
Why this score
Cast & Scan uses a deterministic, published scoring model — no black box. The strongest influences on today's Manistee River (Tippy Dam) rating:
- season: helping (+1)
- water temperature: helping (+0.98)
- precipitation: helping (+0.9)
- wind: helping (+0.75)
- river flow: helping (+0.6)
- depth profile: helping (+0.6)
Forecast computed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 22:15:15 GMT · data: Open-Meteo + gauge MANISTEE RIVER NEAR WELLSTON, MI · refreshed automatically through the day · see our published accuracy
Wondering how this stacks up against the apps you already know? Cast & Scan vs Fishbrain vs BassForecast — an honest comparison, including where they beat us.
Read before you go
- Trout stream tactics, read through the forecast
- How river flow trend changes the bite
- Barometric pressure and fishing, explained
More steelhead waters
- American River (Fair Oaks) — California, USA
- Au Sable River (Foote Dam) — Michigan, USA
- Cowlitz River (Castle Rock) — Washington, USA
- Deschutes River (Sherars Falls) — Oregon, USA
- Feather River (Oroville) — California, USA
Nearby waters
- White River (Whitehall) — Michigan, USA (91 km away)
- Muskegon River (Croton) — Michigan, USA (94 km away)
- Grand River (Lower) — Michigan, USA (138 km away)
- Au Sable River (Mio) — Michigan, USA (150 km away)
- Green Bay — Wisconsin, USA (161 km away)
- Au Sable River (Foote Dam) — Michigan, USA (200 km away)