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Benzie Fishing Service

River & Lake Fishing in Michigan

Spring

Our boat is docked on the river at Potters Landing a private camp located between Bear Creek and Rainbow Bend in the heart of Steelhead Country. No waiting to launch and private secure parking.

  click on the link for a
map to Potters landing

Our season begins in late February for steelhead on the Big Manistee and runs through April. There are Steelhead in the river all winter long, but as the days become longer and the weather starts to warm, they become more active.

Most of our time is spent drifting spawn bags in the slow  deep water. When the spring runoff begins we will do some plug fishing, using baits such as hot n tots and wiggle warts, fish hit the plugs with a vengeance, no question about having a bite. lure fishing provides us with the opportunity to fish more water and get into some of the spots that are not for bottom fishing, such as snag infested waters filled with woody debris.

As the spawning run gets under way the number of fish in the river increases dramatically these fish can be found in runs and holes, so most of the time we can catch them with plugs or spawn. When the fish are actively spawning on their nests they can be viewed with the aid of polaroid sunglasses, but remember when you see them they see you.

When they are done spawning they go on the bite again on their way back out to the lake. My idea about sport fishing is not to kill everything you catch but i am not opposed to keeping a couple for the table.  river trips are a minimum of 7 hours on the water, with all bait and tackle provided.

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RIVER TRIPS, 7 hours $350 for 2 people and $400 for 3 people.

Half Day Trips, 4 hours $250 for 2 people and $300 for 3 people.

Fall

As the Summer begins to wind down big things start to happen on the Manistee River.

The King Salmon run starts, by the end of August , good numbers of fish are in the river. These fresh run fish have a taste for spawn and we are there to offer it to them. A big chunk of spawn about the size of a golf ball behind a half an once of lead drifting through a big deep hole is a good way to get the rod ripped out of your hand.

Twenty pound fish are not uncommon and much of the time a limit catch of three apiece is the norm. with the salmon keeping your limit is up to you , i will fillet them for you. This is my favorite type of fishing , I wish it would last six months, but about six weeks is all we get. From late August until early October the are on the bite. We start our salmon trips just before daylight so we are at the secret hole and ready to go at daybreak, this is the time of day when the bite is at its peak. These dates go fast , many are booked from year to year.

By early October the Salmon are spawning and there are still fresh fish moving up the river, but our attention turns to Steelhead. It seems as soon as there are salmon eggs in the river the Steelhead are there to eat them. When we start to catch steelhead while fishing for salmon it becomes time to change tactics. At this time we break out the spinning rods and start casting spawn bags. We rig up with eight or ten pound line a number six hook and a couple of splitshot . These fish are eager biters and jumping is their favorite sport. When fishing for steelhead we often move around the river, making a few casts here and there. It is more like hunting than fishing until you find them, they tend to be in the runs below areas where the salmon are spawning. It is not uncommon to find find several in a small area. We continue to fish for steelhead until about Christmas time , with October and November being the peak months. December can provide some excellent fishing and there are far fewer anglers on the river.

Salmon - Trout - Steelhead

David Kane
14610 King Rd.
Thompsonville, MI 49683
231-510-2527
dave@benziefishing.com