As the fall season arrives in full bloom in West Michigan, so do angling opportunities on the Muskegon River. Migratory chinook salmon and fall steelhead are entering the river and will be the quarry of choice for many in the weeks ahead. Resident rainbow and brown trout will be feeding heavily as well, in preparation for the cooler months ahead. Smallmouth bass are also on the bite, as they sense the arrival of shorter days and colder nights.
The chinook are in the river system now, but not in big numbers and not congregated in any given stretch just yet. Resident trout are seeing the emergence of late summer insects such as #18 Green Caddis and #20-22 Midge, which are providing for some dry fly fishing action close to Croton Dam. The smallmouth are still actively taking topwater flies/lures in low light conditions and chasing down crayfish and bait fish lures and streamers during the day. Fall steelhead are not likely in the Muskegon River, but once the salmon start to spawn, they will show up.
Present dry fly fishing for trout during the mornings and evenings is best fished with 4-6 weight fly rods, a 9′ leader tapered down to 6x or even 7x will be necessary for casting the smaller flies that fish will “look up” for. Fly patterns to have include #16 Teardrop Emerger Green Caddis patterns, #18 Green Elk Hair Caddis, as well as #18 Goddard Caddis. For those looking to cast spin gear for trout, small Mepps & Rooster Tail spinners will get some looks by fish, as they imitate some of the smaller bait fish that are prevalent in the river at this time.
Once the salmon are in the river in better numbers, they can be fished with both fly and spin gear. Fly gear setups for early run fish include using 9-10 weight fly rods, reels spooled with floating line and sink tip for casting-retrieving streamers, as well as reels spooled with running/shooting line for fishing them via the “chuck-n-duck” method. Spin gear options would include 7-8′ medium action rods, with reels having 30-40# braid for casting-retrieving lures such as Rapala’s and Thundersticks, as well as heavy mono (18-20#) on reels for casting-retrieving spinners and 8-9+’ long rods with braid and slip bobbers for running spawn/skein under bobbers.
The best trout fishing to be had right now is in the water close to Croton Dam, just east of Newaygo. This is the best area for both cooler water temperatures and prime habitat for the insects that inhabit the upper reaches of the river. Prime water would be the first few miles downstream from Croton Dam itself.
If we get good rains over the next few weeks, the salmon will likely arrive in larger pods/schools, with steelhead right on their tails once they’re spawning. If we don’t get good precipitation, then we may see the “trickle affect” from the salmon and the steelhead will probably hold up in the middle sections of the river, down from Newaygo itself. BEWARE…..the chinook are BIG this year, prepare for some epic battles!
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