S pring fishing is here, and April on the Grand River is a great time for steelhead fishing. Usually, April means high water on the Grand and lots of steelhead moving through to the tributaries upstream from Grand Rapids. 6th Street Dam in downtown Grand Rapids is usually the best place to intercept these fish as they ascend the river to their natal streams.
There are also other dams upstream that will halt their migration as well such as Webber, Portland, and Lyons. Use extreme caution if you plan on fishing near any of the dams or anywhere else for that matter. There are strong currents and spring floods that wash down trees or other large objects and they can get tangled in your anchor line or take out your legs if you are wading.
The water is usually high and murky in the spring on the Grand so go big and gaudy with your baits for steelhead. You want something that will grab their attention fast. Large spawn bags or beads in bright colors such as pink, orange, and chartreuse are a great bait to use either under a float or drifted along the bottom. Great Lakes Steelhead Fishing Company makes some great colors for dirty water fishing, check out their Atomic and UV colors. Plugs that rattle in chrome, gold, or fluorescent colors work well at times sitting in the current, forward trolled, or back trolled on the Grand. Jigs fished under floats tipped with waxworms, spawnbags, or other baits have their days. Wobble glos in bright oranges, reds, and yellows are another fun way of catching fish on the Grand River, drift them along the bottom with a 3 foot leader from your weight and hold on tight.
If the main stream of the Grand is too warm, high, or muddy, you can always check out one of the tributaries that feed into it. The Rogue River, Prairie Creek, the lower Flat River, and some other smaller creeks can fish pretty well as you wait for the Grand to recede and clear up. If you plan on fishing some of the smaller creeks check out the DNR regulations book as some of the smaller creeks are closed until trout opener.