Presque Isle River Fishing Guides
A wild western Upper Peninsula river of waterfalls and gorges ending in the Porcupine Mountains, with brook trout above the falls and a Lake Superior steelhead run below.
Guides on the Presque Isle River
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About the Presque Isle River
The Presque Isle rises in the swamps and lakes of the western Upper Peninsula near the Wisconsin line and runs north through the Ottawa National Forest to Lake Superior at the western edge of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The last mile is the part most people have seen: Manabezho, Manido and Nawadaha Falls drop the river through a slate gorge in a series of cascades that make the river’s mouth one of the most photographed places in Michigan. Those falls are also a hard barrier, and they divide the fishery into two very different halves.
Below the falls, the short reach to Lake Superior receives a run of steelhead in spring and again in the fall, along with the occasional salmon, and it fishes as a Great Lakes tributary. Above the falls the river is a wild northern trout stream – brook trout throughout, browns and rainbows in the larger water, and long stretches of tea-stained water running over slate ledges through country with very few roads. Smallmouth bass hold in the warmer, slower reaches of the middle river. Fishing above the falls is a walking and wading proposition and rewards anglers willing to bushwhack a long way from the truck.
This is remote water. Access is by Forest Service road and by foot, the country takes deep lake-effect snow, and the river runs hard with snowmelt into May. It is also unusually well instrumented for a wild river: this gauge near Connorville reports discharge, stage, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance and turbidity, which gives anglers a much clearer picture than the single flow number most northern streams offer. Use the temperature series in midsummer and back off the brook trout water when it climbs.
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Access
Connorville area forest-road crossings - access at and near the gauge in the Ottawa National Forest.
Presque Isle Scenic Area in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park - the falls, the mouth and the Lake Superior reach.
South Boundary Road access - park-road access to the lower river above the falls.
Forest Road 400 crossings - middle-river walk-in access.
Marenisco area on the upper river - roadside access near the headwaters.
Steiger Creek and other tributary crossings - small-stream brook trout access.
Black River Harbor area to the west - a nearby alternative when the Presque Isle is running high.
Seasons
Spring: heavy snowmelt through May, with the steelhead run below the falls the main event.
Summer: settled flows, brook trout above the falls and smallmouth in the warmer middle reaches.
Fall: a second steelhead run below the falls and excellent trout fishing above as the water cools.
Winter: deep snow, limited road access and effectively no angling on the upper river.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Presque Isle River?
As of Sep 17, 5:30 am, the USGS gauge PRESQUE ISLE RIVER NEAR CONNORVILLE, MI reads 42 cfs, with water temperature 60.1 F. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Presque Isle River?
Anglers target Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Steelhead on the Presque Isle River in Michigan.
Where can you access the Presque Isle River?
Connorville area forest-road crossings - access at and near the gauge in the Ottawa National Forest. Presque Isle Scenic Area in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park - the falls, the mouth and the Lake Superior reach. South Boundary Road access - park-road access to the lower river above the falls. Forest Road 400 crossings - middle-river walk-in access. Marenisco area on the upper river - roadside access near the headwaters. Steiger Creek and other tributary crossings - small-stream brook trout access. Black River Harbor area to the west - a nearby alternative when the Presque Isle is ru...
When is the best time to fish the Presque Isle River?
Spring: heavy snowmelt through May, with the steelhead run below the falls the main event. Summer: settled flows, brook trout above the falls and smallmouth in the warmer middle reaches. Fall: a second steelhead run below the falls and excellent trout fishing above as the water cools. Winter: deep snow, limited road access and effectively no angling on the upper river.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Presque Isle River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Michigan agency site: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/fishing/fishing-regulations