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Fisheries biologists believe that were Croton Dam, the first
dam upstream from Lake Michigan, to have a cold water draw
from its reservoir, Muskegon River trout fly fishing would
be national, if not world class in quality. As it stands as
a so-called warm water draw impoundment, the Muskegon offers
good, if not very good at times, classic fly fishing for trout.
Hatches of caddis and May flies - most notably blue wing olives,
sulphers, brown and grey drakes, caddis, and mahogany duns
- occur up and down the river. May fly emergences are increasing
in numbers, duration, and variety as the ecology of the river
continues to evolve. The result is reliable, good to excellent,
dry fly fishing.
Moreover, the river is loaded with steelhead
and Chinook salmon smolts, as well as crayfish, making the
Muskegon a premier streamer river for larger trout. Sculpin,
bunny strip, and zonker streamer patterns "match
the hatch" of the smolts and crayfish patterns are reliable and
effective. The result: large brown and rainbow trout hooked on
sink tip floating lines - trout that sometimes put our clients
well into their fly line backing. In short, stripping streamers
on the Muskegon River is a blast. The clear water allows one
to see the takes and follows of the trout, only adding to the
excitement of the day.
A unique resident trout fly fishery also occurs on the Muskegon
River when we fish the so-called "sucker hatch." Using four
weight rods with floating lines and strike indicators rigged
with #18-20 egg patterns, we sight fish some special trout. Large
browns and rainbows shoulder up behind the spawning suckers to
snap up their eggs - and our clients' flies. These fish may run
to over 20" so lots of care is required to bring them
to hand. Once landed, these fish make memories sure to be long
remembered and valued.
When the Muskegon River warms in mid-July to a point where mortality
rates begin to increase when we release our trout, we head down
river to target the Muskegon River "run" of smallmouth bass - an
often overlooked and underutilized fly fishing experience of high
quality.
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