September is the month of the king salmon here on the Big Manistee. These fish enter the river in late August and September to start the fall spawn. As they enter the river fresh from the lake, these fish hold in the deep pools and runs around or near a cold water source (springs or creeks) before making their way to the spawning gravel in late September and early October.
As they make their way up the river, we target these big chrome beasts with crank baits, bobbers, and skein and for the fly angler big flashy streamers. The king salmon can be targeted throughout the 32 mile river system, from Tippy Dam to Manistee Lake. Key periods or times of the day are typically early and late (low light periods, mornings, and evenings).
They also tend to bite consistently on rainy or cloudy days. As we move through September and get closer to the end of the month we start seeing a fair number of steelhead showing up in the river and that is typically the game changer going into October. This is a great time of the month for kings in the morning and steelhead in the afternoon.
I feel the run of salmon this year may be a little less than most years from talking to the captains on the lake. It has been a little slower out on the lake but that could be because of the lake temperature and weather being unstable. If we are lacking the numbers of returning fish, there is one thing for sure the size of them will help make up for it. Some of the kings I have seen in the river and on the lake are averaging 22 to 27 pounds.
The 4-year old adults are definitely running bigger on average. Gear up heavy with 10-20 pound or 12-25 pound rating rods and reels should be spooled with 30-40 pound braid using Storm and Rapala crank baits. All-in-all September should be good fishing. If this is something you have not done or it is something you’ve been wishing to do, come on up and meet the king of September.
Capt. Larry Raney
Premier Angling Guide Service
( 231) 510-5862
www.premieranglingguideservice.com
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