Posts by Captain Matt McQueen

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…

It has been an interesting week on Lake Michigan. Strong currents resulted in some major tangles one evening. The following morning our autopilot stopped working while fishing in 4-foot waves, and then a trolling bag rope broke, wrapping the bag around the prop. Hopefully we got all of that out of the way for the…

Here’s the latest Manistee fishing report from Copperhead Sportfishing. King Salmon The break has come up, and kings are settled into the top 50–65 feet. Fish 90–150 FOW first and last light and 200–300 FOW mid-morning and late afternoon. The 9s–15s definitely have a lot of fish on them. Gold Finn Spoons have been productive.…

If you’ve been following the weather, you already know the story—wind, and lots of it. Last weekend, strong conditions forced us to cancel a couple of Manistee charter fishing trips, but we still managed to get several groups on the water. The wind scattered fish for a few days, but king salmon are still holding…

King Salmon King salmon fishing out of Manistee slowed after last week’s strong north blow (Thursday through Saturday), but reports have steadily improved throughout the week. If conditions remain stable, the Manistee salmon bite should be very good again by the weekend. Top-producing gear has been: – Double Pearl Slick paddles with Riverside flies –…

July 8, 2026 After getting back from a Canadian fly-in walleye trip, we’re back on Lake Michigan and getting caught up on the Manistee fishing scene. The thermocline is beginning to set up around 50–60 feet down, and fishing conditions continue to improve. King Salmon Report King Salmon are still providing good action out of…

June 25, 2026 Another great morning on the water out of Manistee. We fished straight out from Manistee and north past Onekama, continuing to find a mix of King Salmon and Lake Trout on Lake Michigan. Storms moved through the night before, and there were a few Kings ready to play on the shelf first…

June 21, 2025 – Father’s Day Father’s Day was spent doing what we love most — spending time on the water with family. We blocked out the date for a special family trip, and Carrie and the boys had a great day catching Lake Trout on Lake Michigan out of Manistee. We spent the day…

June 7th, 2025 Fishing out of Manistee has been solid over the past few weeks with plenty of silver fish to keep anglers busy. Lake Michigan conditions have been providing good opportunities for both King Salmon and Steelhead, with fish being found throughout the water column. King Salmon Report King Salmon fishing has been productive,…