Muskegon River Fishing Report – Newaygo, MI – August 30, 2015

Muskegon River Fishing Report – Newaygo, MI – August 30, 2015

“Uber”…….friend and fellow guide, with a low light screamer, fresh out of lake MI and onto his line !!!!

The Muskegon river near Newaygo, MI is running around average flows for this time of late August and even a bit on the cool side as we head into the last bit of summer in west Michigan.

Smallmouth Bass are still the fish being pursued throughout much of the river system, although cooler air and resulting water temperatures, have some trout active up close to Croton dam.  

Trout are being fished on 4 & 5 weight fly rods, with indicator nymph fishing rigs and/or small streamers with long leaders or light sink tips.   We have some signs of our late summer #18 green caddis beginning to get more active and they will provide some dry fly fishing opportunities here shortly.

Smallmouth are being fished with both fly fishing and light spin tackle equipment and we’re getting them on both topwater poppers and waking flies/lures, as well as subsurface imitations of crayfish and baitfish. 

What has been getting some anglers attention as of late and certainly will more so in the weeks ahead, is the beginning of our annual Chinook salmon migration up rivers in west Michigan.  The Muskegon rivers run won’t get going in full swing for a few more weeks, we’re seeing fish show up and fishing to them, in the lower reaches of the Pere Marquette.

We have been fishing them with most conventional tackle, using crank/body bait lures and spinners that we cast and retrieve, as well as floating some special “offerings” under bobbers.  We had some pretty good fishing for a couple days earlier last week, but as the fish pushed up the river, the bite slowed where we were fishing and we’re anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new batch, fresh out of lake Michigan ?  I do have a stout 10 weight fly rod on board, with a great large arbor reel and some select flies that WILL be cast to salmon in the weeks ahead !

Present water temperature in the Muskegon river is hovering around the 70 degree mark and in the low to mid 50’s in the lower PM.