The Manistee River runs 190 miles through the northwestern Michigan Lower Peninsula. It passes through the villages of Sharon, Smithville, and Mesick, and enters Lake Michigan at Manistee. It is considered to be one of the best trout fishing rivers east of the Rockies. The river originates in the sand hills in Antrim County, about six miles southeast of the town of Alba. These deep glacial sands produce incredibly stable flow of clean cold water year round, making the Manistee River a great river for fishing. The river is a popular destination for recreation, offering excellent conditions for canoeing, boating, and fishing. It has been restored from the destruction of the logging era, and is again considered among the best trout and salmon rivers in the country. Commercial navigation is possible only in the lower parts of the river below the Tippy Dam.
Manistee, Michigan
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