Muskegon River Fishing Report – Newaygo, MI – September 16, 2015

Muskegon River Fishing Report – Newaygo, MI – September 16, 2015

Ed, from Louisville, KY, with one of several Pere Marquette river Chinook salmon that he and friend Byron got into on their annual fall trip to NW Michigan.

The Muskegon river is a great place to be come the fall season, with migrating big game fish such as Chinook salmon and steelhead making their way up the river from lake Michigan.  The salmon are on their annual spawning run and the steelhead are not far behind to feast on the buffet of salmon eggs, nymphs and larva that salmon “kick up” and send down stream to waiting, hungry fish !

October will find the most salmon in the Muskegon river and November and December are the prime months for the most electric fresh water fish available, Michigan fall steelhead…….HANDS DOWN !

Byron, from Louisville, KY with a sampling of his catch over his and Ed’s 3 day outing.

The Muskegon river is still fishing good for smallmouth bass and with recent caddis hatch activity and dropping water temperatures, resident brown and rainbow trout are beginning to put on the feedbag in preparation for fall and the fast approaching colder months.  This will be the last of our dry fly action available, so it you’re looking to get out for any fall trout surface action, we’re into it now.

We should see signs of more salmon in the Muskegon river in the weeks ahead and steelhead once salmon spawning activity picks up.   We’ll be fishing them with both conventional tackle and fly gear throughout the fall season.

Scott, from west MI, with a nice Pere Marquette river Chinook salmon.

The Muskegon river has one of the longest fall migratory big game fish seasons, which begins as early as mid/late September, but goes well into December, often right up Christmas.  Chinook salmon shows themselves around this time and will be present up to early November, even a week or so later some years.  The long fall steelhead season is a big appeal to many….where else can one find a “fall” steelhead season in a river, that extends for nearly 3 months !

Present water levels are in the 1400 cfs range and water temperatures in the upper 60’s.