Muskegon River Fishing Report – March 27, 2022 – Newaygo, Michigan

Muskegon River Fishing Report – March 27, 2022 – Newaygo, Michigan

Hendrick with his first Muskegon river steelhead !…well done.

The Muskegon river fishing report for March 27, 2022 in the Newaygo, Michigan area of west Michigan is about the spring steelhead run going on now.  Each spring, these magnificent fish return to their natal rivers to spawn at 3 and 4 years old.  These runs differ a bit from river to river as far at the onset of them, however most rivers will see them arrive from late February to early May, with April being the month when we’ll find the greatest number of adult steelhead in the Muskegon river.

With both fly fishing and conventional equipment setups, we can target steelhead for nearly 2 months on the Muskegon river.   Fly fishing setups include shooting line used for bottom bouncing, a.k.a. “chuck & duck”, as well as beefed up versions on trout indicator nymphing rigs and once things warm up a little, swung flies on sinking or sink tip lines is an option as well.  Most common weight rods for steelhead are 7 & 8 weights, in 9-11′ long.   Conventional equipment setups would be similar, with 10-11+’ rods used for bottom bouncing and running bobber rigs through likely runs. 

Steelhead migrations don’t take place at one time, but spread out over several weeks.  Factors that play a role in their migration include river levels and temperatures, which we’ve seen bounce up and down a bit over the last week+.   Click HERE for current Muskegon river water flow data.

The recent rains we had come through much of Michigan…and some snow mixed in there as well….is helping to thaw the last of the ice on Croton Pond, which is above Croton dam on the Muskegon river.   This is keeping river temperatures down around 35-36 degrees, but this should change in the coming week+, as there is warmer weather on the way.  Click HERE for current and forecasted weather for the Newaygo, Michigan area.

Once the steelhead complete their spawn in May, the onset of prime trout dry fly fishing will be upon us some time around latter May, weather dictates some of this.