Muskegon River Fishing Report – August 23, 2018 – Newaygo, Michigan

Anita with another “smally” from the Muskegon river.

The Muskegon river fishing report for August 23, 2018 in the Newaygo, Michigan area is about the long overdue arrival of RAIN !!!!

With such a hot and dry last month+, the rivers of west Michigan were low, clear and most running very warm for mid to late August.  Click HERE for current data on Muskegon river water flows.

I am still pursuing Smallmouth Bass on the Muskegon river north of Grand Rapids, but also running into the occasional Walleye and Northern Pike.  With both fly fishing and light spin tackle equipment, we’re focusing on prime spots to get into “bronzebacks”.  Using both subsurface imitations of baitfish and crayfish, as well as surface poppers/topwater flies and lures, we’re getting into some nice fish by simply covering water.  

What looked like some relief in the weather may be short lived though, as next weeks forecast is calling for the return of hot summer conditions.  Click HERE for current weather information and forecast.

Not to be left out by any means is the onset of our fall Salmon runs on several west Michigan rivers and we’re getting into PRIME SALMON CONDITIONS on the Pere Marquette river right now.  This will be casting-retrieving lures with conventional gear or fishing articulated flies with light sink tips on heavier fly rods, to get one of these BIG LAKE BEASTS to bite…..and there are some big ones in lake Michigan this summer !

The next week will find all kinds of changing taking place on the Muskegon river, as we’ll likely see water temperatures drop to below 70 for the first time in a while and I’m hoping that cooler nights will keep it there, despite warm day time temperatures forecasted for next week.

Present water temperature hovering around 70 on the Muskegon river as of yesterday.