Anglers who like to keep the occasional fish have been displaced to the sections of the P.M. below the Flies-Only water. Great fishing exists all the way to Walhalla. Prime access points include Bowman's Bridge, MacDougal's, Rainbow Rapids, Sulak, Upper Branch Bridge, Lower Branch Bridge and Walhalla. Productive methods here include rolling spawn bags, chucking in-line spinners and pulling plugs from a drift-boat. Weekends are busy, so plan a weekday trip if you can. Expect plenty of fish from 5 to 12 pounds, and trophies topping 17 pounds are taken with regularity.

For guides, tackle and river maps, contact Baldwin Bait & Tackle at 1-877-4-BALDWIN, or go online at www.fishbaldwin.com.

LITTLE MANISTEE RIVER
"The Little Manistee River is such a prolific producer of steelhead that there's no need to plant," stated fisheries biologist Mark Tonello. "The majority of the 10,000 fish that return to the Little Manistee between the spring and fall runs are naturally reproduced. Probably 15 to 20 percent of the fish that return are strays."

Fish that return to the Little Manistee are held in raceways to ripen before their eggs and milt are taken. These fish are the source for steelhead that will later be planted around the state. Once passed over the weir, the rainbows continue their journey upstream to waiting anglers. The average steelhead is 7 or 8 pounds, but fish in the 15-pound range are common.

The Little Manistee River presents anglers with quite a challenge. Swift, log-filled and loaded with snags, coaxing a feisty steelhead to the net can be quite an accomplishment. But that feat is repeated time after time each spring. Anglers camp out on their favorite holes and runs to await the April 1 opener on the "Little River."

Floating bobbers with spawn is a good way to avoid some of the snags. Others flip spinners or work plugs into the deeper holes on heavier line, which gives a better chance at landing fish. Rolling spawn is another alternative. Some of the best fishing on the Little Manistee occurs in May, long after most anglers have given up for the season.

The stretch of the Little Manistee between Johnson's Bridge and Nine Mile Bridge is one of the most heavily fished. Much of the streamside property is privately owned, but anglers can gain access at several crossings, including Fox, Dewitt, Pole and Eighteen bridges. Farther downstream, Nine Mile and Six Mile Bridges provide access.

For more information on the Little Manistee River, contact Pappy's Bait & Tackle in Wellston at (231) 898-4142.

BIG MANISTEE RIVER
The Big Manistee River near Wellston is considered by many to be the premier steelhead river in the Midwest. With plants of 55,000 Michigan steelhead and another 34,000 summer-run steelhead each year -- and improved natural reproduction -- it may have a bigger stock of steelhead than any river in the country.

Fishing in the spring can be good along the entire length of the river, but most of the angling pressure is focused on Tippy Dam. During springs when the snow suddenly melts and the river goes sky-high, the steelhead blast upstream until they run into Tippy Dam. Other years, they might just trickle up, thus providing steady action for anglers farther downstream. Just watch the weather.

Fishing on the lower Big Manistee can be good in February or early March, if the lower river breaks open. Fish poised in Manistee Lake then shoot upstream. Usually, schools of silver fish flood upstream through early April. Some great fishing can be had during May as post-spawn fish drop back to the lake. And you'll have the river all to yourself.

Good access to the Big Manistee can be found at Insta-Launch Campground in Manistee, Bridge Street, Rainbow Bend, Bear Creek, High Bridge and Tippy Dam. Bank-fishing is pretty much restricted to the area around Tippy Dam. The river is best fished from a boat.

For more information on the Big Manistee River, contact the Central Lake Michigan Management Unit of the DNR at (231) 775-9727.

One thing about spring steelheading is that you never know just what to expect. I wouldn't have it any other way.