Though the Au Sable and Manistee Rivers are remarkable in their similarities, they are as striking in their contrasts. Their headwaters lie merely 5 miles apart near the village of Waters. At this point, they are small brook trout streams, running parallel courses south for several miles.
Upon nearing Michigan highway 72 in western Crawford county, their paths separate. The Manistee now heads southwest toward Lake Michigan, and the Au Sable turns east to Lake Huron.
Perhaps the most notable contrast is the amount of public land along the Manistee river. Great stretches of this waterway remain undeveloped. This remains fairly consistent nearly to the rivers mouth at Manistee Lake. A feeling of remoteness in fishing the river is available that is unusual in the lower peninsula. There also no towns to speak of along the Manistee which also enhances it wildness.
The Au Sable, on the other hand, flows through several towns, and some other extensively developed areas before emptying into Lake Huron. There are large public holdings on the river, but the Au Sable is the more popular of the two. It is more revered also, and was the founding point of Trout Unlimited. More people come here, and more people work to protect the resource
They also boast of great tributaries. The Au Sable has the North, South, and East branches, and the Manistee has the Bear, Pine, and Little Manistee rivers. Oddly, while the streams flowing into the Au Sable flow largely though public land, the Manistee’s feeders are more urbanized than the mainstream itself.
Further downstream, both rivers are harnessed by hydroelectric dams. Deep water with heavy currents make this a boat fishery. Lake run salmon and trout are the inhabitants here. Both basins are at near capacity at this point. The big water signals the end of their journey. The Manistee at the city of Manistee at Lake Michigan and the Au Sable at Oscoda on the shore of Lake Huron.
