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| Muskegon River |
| Mid May-Mid July |
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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 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.
More important, though, is the fact that the river is loaded with steelhead and Chinook salmon smolts, as well as crayfish, making the Muskegon a premier streamer river for larger trout. One may catch trout all day long with nymphs and the evening hatches can be productive, but sculpin, bunny strip, and zonker streamer patterns "match the hatch" of the smolts. 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 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 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 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 very high quality.
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