Steelhead Fly Fishing Muskegon River
January-Mid May
Mid October-December

The quality of steelhead fly fishing on the Muskegon River is of the highest caliber. Not only does one cast in beautiful, natural surroundings, but with miles of river to run in our ship-too-shore radio equipped jet boats, we River Quest guides are able to put our clients on steelhead consistently. Running to 18 pounds, Muskegon River steelhead readily take the fly. With the typically higher water levels of spring, we fish from the boats, only to spot wade the river when the lower water levels of May allow.

Most spring steelhead float trips see us deep nymphing with two fly combinations, typically with small dark nymphs and egg flies. As the spring run progresses, we sight fish as well as drift runs and glides. River Quest guides take pride in the fact that our clients' success rates run high. Fishermen for whom steelhead have been an elusive quarry find success with us-much to our mutual delight. Fly casting to steelhead moving to and fro over bright gravel on a warming Spring day excites like nothing else; all of nature coming alive while the client, rod bent and reel spinning, grins ear-to-ear.

Fall and winter steelhead fishing is a particularly memorable experience because the steelhead, hard and chrome, fight even more spectacularly than the spring fish, which are challenging enough in their own right. Multiple water clearing leaps are common. Freed of the rigors of spring spawning, fall steelhead are the best conditioned fish we hook. We fish light rods with floating fly lines, strike indicators, and two flies as conditions allow. Deep nymphing and swinging Spey flies round out our fly fishing approaches. Although the weather can sometimes test the mettle of guide and clients alike, the high quality of the fish and fight they bring makes fall steelheading one of our guides' personal fly fishing favorites.