:?: At the price of gas I no longer go crusing looking for spots to fish and camp. So I need some help locating campgrounds along the Big Manistee and I hope some of my fellow Michiganders can clue me in. I’ve never fished the river so I really nead help!!
Our group and I prefer primative with pit toilets and water.
Thanks in advance.
Hey Jack. A couple of years ago our club stayed at Pine Lake, just West of Wellston. Easy access to the Manistee around Tippy Dam. Also easy access to the Pine and Little Manistee. it was a primitive campground with no showers. I think it did have running water if I rmember right. The Bass and Panfishing was pretty good on Pine lake too. It might even be a state forest campground, not sure on that one though.
Jack
What areas of the Manistee were you considering? Since the Manistee runs through a lot of National & State forest lands, there are plenty of camping spots.
One on the upper river north of Grayling is: Upper Manistee River State Forest Campground. It’s located near the town of Frederic off County rd. 612. The Manistee flows right by it-you could walk right to the river. It’s rustic & nice. There is another one right on M-72 next to the river- it’s a bit close to M-72 though and there’s another campground at the CCC bridge access south of M-72.
I think the one near the CCC bridge fits what you’re looking for
I second the CCC campground recommendation. That is primarily the area I fish. There is great fishing and lots of access sites upstream and downstream from there. I primarily fish upstream of CCC bridge though.
Yonks
Not sure what the temps are around the CCC bridge now, but that is great water (was where I went for my first solo fly fishing trip. Caught my first brown trout on that water, been hooked ever since 8) ). You may need to go further upstream to get to cooler water, plus the tubers and canoers can be thicker than hair on a dog in the CCC stretch. But the campground there can still be a good mobilization point. Not familiar with any other places upstream, but I am sure there are some. Time to do some googling. 
Thanks guys;
I’ve located both the CCC Bridge and the Upper Manistee River campground in my Delorme Gazetteer. They are with in an hour to an hour & 1/2 from me.
Jack
The Delorme Gazetteer is great book. I’ve used a lot. The Upper Manistee Campground is written about in a book called " Lower Michigan’s
75 Best Campgrounds by Jim DuFresne. Kneff Lake Campground is profiled along with Keystone Landing on the Ausable Mainstream in the book.
I found it and the Gazetteer good references to find nice places to camp & fish.
- The upper campgrounds north of 72, and then go fish the Deward stretch. Less canoes, wilder. Crystal clear water, need to be stealthy. Hopper right now, got a 13" brook last year at this time and a 16" brown on Hennys this spring. Few people, nice stream and colder water.