Strong King Salmon Bite Continues

King Salmon

King salmon have set up straight out from Manistee, as well as north toward Onekama and south toward the point. It’s August, and the fishing has been lights out in Manistee. We’ve been fishing south of town and getting into plenty of fish. The shelf has been producing from before first light into mid-morning.

The king salmon bite has been consistent over the last week and weekend. They have been hitting plugs well, but seem to prefer a blend of flasher/flies, meat rigs, spoons, and plugs. If we get a north wind and the lake flips again, a full plug spread may be the ticket.

We almost always start the morning with a Dreamweaver Double White Slick paddle paired with a Riverside or Pickled Sunshine fly. This setup almost always produces two or three fish at first light. Last weekend, the break was about 60 feet down.

Coho Salmon & Steelhead

We found some steelhead in the 12s in 350–400 FOW. They were in the top 50 feet, with smaller Finn, Moonshine, and Stinger spoons producing the best. These fish are a lot of fun to catch because they often go airborne and put on a show.

The coho seem to prefer plugs right now. Iridescent colors have worked well, including an iridescent rainbow Silver Horde Ace Hi.

For Manistee fishing charters, the variety of salmon and steelhead available right now has made for some good fishing. The fish are spread out from the shelf to deeper water, giving us several options depending on conditions. Give us a call at 231-299-7114 to book a charter fishing trip.