Muskegon River Fishing Report – July 30, 2020 – Newaygo, Michigan

Muskegon River Fishing Report – July 30, 2020 – Newaygo, Michigan

A Largemouth bass has made its way up the Muskegon river to join his cousins in the Newaygo, MI area , the Smallouth bass.

The Muskegon river fishing report for July 30, 2020 in and around the Newaygo, Michigan area is focused on the warm water species of fish that make up a bulk of our fishing come this time of summer.   Giving the trout a break at this time, we’re fishing for mostly Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike at this time.

With a very warm run of weather in early July, river temperatures across the Midwest reached near record highs, with an extended run of 90+ degree heat that lasted for nearly 2 weeks.  We have had some rains along the way to help counter that, but the best thing for all Michigan rivers will be the cool nights that we look forward to coming on in August.  Click HERE for current Muskegon river water flow data.

With both fly fishing and light spin tackle equipment, we’ve been having a lot of fun fishing topwater poppers and waking flies and lures.  There is nothing quite a like a vicious topwater “take” !  Although not in reliable numbers, a few Walleye have been brought to net over the last couple weeks.  As daylight hours begin to shorten, these fish know it’s time to start packing on some weight for the cooler months ahead.

Just around the corner is the onset of the fall Chinook and Coho salmon run, which gets into full swing starting the end of August or early September.  We have already seen some early run salmon scoot up some smaller, spring fed systems like the Little Manistee, but that’s pretty common to see some fish trickle in at the first “flip” of lake Michigan around the first week or so of July.

Right on the tails – literally – of the salmon spawning run, will be fall Steelhead, the top prize amongst many Michigan anglers and they will start to arrive around late October on the Muskegon river and we fish those up to and through the holiday season and new year.  

Weather will be playing the biggest role in how the fall great lakes big game fish season pans out, but based on how we’re coming out of the scorching heat of early July, we’re in pretty good shape right now.  Click HERE for current and forecasted weather for the Newaygo, Michigan area.

Present flows in the Muskegon river are just a touch above normal around 1500 cfs and water temperature in the 73 degree range.