Newaygo County, MI • Steelhead • Brown Trout • Smallmouth Bass

Muskegon River

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Current Conditions

Flows are around 1,420 cfs and rising, about normal for mid October (Gauge near Croton, at the head of the tailwater — the Newaygo gauge downstream has not sent a real-time value since 1993). Water was 63°F at the gauge. The hatch calendar has Blue-Winged Olive and Mahogany Dun on this water in October.

Conditions as of Oct 16, 2026

Been out on the Muskegon?

Muskegon River Fishing Report

Steelhead: ExcellentBrowns: GoodClarity: Slight Stain

Excellent conditions below Croton Dam. Steelhead are holding in the deeper runs and can be targeted on swung flies on sink tips in the early morning. Resident browns are hitting caddis in the evenings. Water is running slightly above average but clarity is good.

Live Flow Conditions

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1350

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Normal Today

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USGS Site: 04121970 • Muskegon River near Croton • View full data ↗

Gauge near Croton, at the head of the tailwater — the Newaygo gauge downstream has not sent a real-time value since 1993

Hatch Calendar

SpeciesJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Blue-Winged OliveBaetis spp.

SulphurEphemerella dorothea

Caddis (Tan)Hydropsychidae spp.

HexHexagenia limbata

Mahogany DunParaleptophlebia spp.

Gear Recommendations

The Muskegon is a big tailwater below Croton Dam — wide, cold, and powerful. Drift boat fishing is standard. World-class steelhead, brown trout, and Chinook salmon.

Gear	Dry Fly	Nymphing	Euro Nymph	StreamerRecommended
Rod	9ft 5-weight	9ft 6-weight	11ft 4-weight	9–10ft 8-weight
Line	WF5F floating	WF floating	Euro mono rig	WF floating, intermediate sink, or full sink (Type 3–6)
Leader	9–12ft tapered to 4X	9ft to 3X	Long heavy mono rig	6–9ft to 0X
Tippet	4X–5X	4X fluorocarbon	4X–5X fluorocarbon	0X–1X fluorocarbon or 20lb mono
Waders	Chest waders with wading belt	Chest waders with wading belt	Chest waders with wading belt	Chest waders with wading belt
Boots	Felt-soled with studs or aggressive rubber studs	Felt with studs	Felt with studs	Felt with studs

Dry Fly Tips

Dry fly fishing on the Muskegon is spectacular during the summer hatch season (June–July). The river is wide — look for rising fish in the softer water along grassy banks and shallow inside bends.

Wading staffDry fly selection focused on Sulphurs, Hex, Brown Drake

Nymphing Tips

The Muskegon's powerful flow requires heavy nymph rigs. Steelhead nymphing with egg patterns and rubber-leg stoneflies in spring and fall is the primary approach from the bank.

Large indicatorsHeavy split shotEgg patterns, Stoneflies, Woolly Buggers size 8–12Wading staff

Euro Nymph Tips

Euro nymphing on the Muskegon requires heavier flies than most Michigan rivers. Focus on the seams below Croton Dam and the runs between Newaygo and Bridgeton. A 4-weight handles the heavier rigs better than a 3-weight on this water.

Heavy tungsten bead nymphs size 8–14Wading staff

Streamer Tips

The Muskegon is Michigan's premier streamer fishery. An 8-weight handles the big flies and fall salmon. From a drift boat, cast to the bank and strip through — brown trout stack in the grassy edges. Steelhead respond to a swung streamer on a sink tip in cold water.

Large articulated streamers (Zoo Cougar, Circus Peanut, Drunk & Disorderly)Stripping basketDrift boat or pontoon boat for best coverage

Find Your Guide

Betts Guide Service

Independent

📍 Newaygo, MIFloat (drift boat)

One of the Muskegon's most active guide services — detailed weekly reports posted online. Covers steelhead, salmon, and trout throughout the season.

Specialties

Muskegon steelheadKing salmonBrown troutFly fishing and spin

Nomad Anglers Guide Service

Fly Shop

📍 Grand Rapids & East Lansing, MIFloat and wade — fly fishing focus

Grand Rapids-based outfitter with expert guides on the Muskegon for trout, steelhead, and smallmouth bass.

Specialties

Muskegon fly fishingSteelheadSmallmouthSalmon

On The Fly Guide Service — Jeff Bacon

Independent

📍 West MichiganFloat (Stealthcraft drift boat or jet sled)

25+ years guiding the Muskegon River in a first-class Stealthcraft drift boat. One of the river's most experienced independent guides.

Specialties

Muskegon drift boatSteelhead swingTrophy brown trout

Guide listings are researched and updated periodically. Contact guides directly to verify current availability and pricing.

Local Fly Shops

Great Lakes Fly Fishing Co.

Full-service shop specializing in the Muskegon River — steelhead, brown trout, and salmon guide trips from Croton Dam down.

Visit website ↗

Muskegon River Fly Shop

Newaygo-area fly shop with Muskegon River-specific guides, gear, and steelhead expertise.

Visit website ↗

Public Access Points

True-traced river course, Croton Dam tailwater ·accessdam

1Croton Dammi 0.02Pine St Launchmi 1.33Thornapple Launchmi 6.64Bridgeton Parkmi 28.5

🎣 MDNR Regulations 💧 USGS Gauge 📋 Fishing License

Regulations on This Water

The Croton tailwater is Type 3 — and Type 3's famous 15-inch minimum is a trout rule, not a blanket one.

Croton Dam → M-120 (Type 3)

Open all year to fishing and possession. Brook and brown trout 15" minimum. Steelhead, salmon, lake trout and splake 10" — the same as on every other stream type. Five trout and salmon a day in any combination, no more than three of them 15" or greater.

Rainbow trout, specifically

Up to five rainbows may be in the daily limit, but no more than one at 20 inches or greater.

Aug. 1 – Nov. 15, from the mouth up to Croton Dam

Terminal tackle restricted to single-pointed hooks or jigs ½" or less point to shank, or trebles ⅜" or less and only when attached to a body bait, plug, spinner or spoon. In force for the whole salmon and steelhead run.

Read from the printed 2026 Michigan Fishing Regulations digest and verified 16 September 2026. Regulations change and reach boundaries are what matter — check the current digest before you fish, and see how the Michigan Type and Gear Restricted systems work.

Salmon & Steelhead on the Muskegon

Run status is rebuilt twice a day from the live gauge and the DNR's own run windows. The windows are typical timing, not a forecast — what actually moves fish is water temperature and a rise, and the run tracker carries both for every river at once.

Kings Chinook Salmon

Tailing off

Typical: Aug 30 – Oct 30, peak Sep 20 – Oct 10

Later than the northern rivers — fish have 45 miles to cover and the river is big enough to hold its heat.

Coho Coho Salmon

Peak

Typical: Sep 15 – Nov 17, peak Oct 3 – Oct 30

Steelhead Steelhead

Peak

Typical: Sep 25 – Apr 15, peak Oct 25 – Dec 20

A genuine year-round steelhead river. The tailwater keeps flowing and fishing when everything else is locked up.

Browns Lake-run Brown

Peak

Typical: Sep 18 – Nov 18, peak Oct 4 – Nov 3

Upstream limit

Croton Dam Croton is the upper stop, about 45 river miles from Muskegon Lake. That is a long way for a fish to travel, which is part of why the Muskegon runs later than the rivers to its north.

Access

Croton Dam, Pine Street, Thornapple, Henning Park, Bridgeton, Newaygo. Mostly float. There is wadeable water below Croton and at Newaygo, but the Muskegon is a boat river.

Crowding

Busy below Croton, spread out everywhere else. The size of the river absorbs people better than the Manistee does.

Regulations

Open year-round below Croton. Gear restrictions vary by reach.

What to throw

Big water, big flies for kings. For steelhead the Muskegon is classic indicator-nymphing and swung-fly water in equal measure.

DNR The state's weekly fishing report of Oct 14 named salmon on this water. Read the report.

More: the salmon run tracker for where every river stands today, and steelhead rivers for whose fish these are and what you may keep.

River History & Character

The Muskegon River stretches 216 miles, making it one of Michigan's longest rivers. Croton and Hardy Dams regulate its flow, creating a productive tailwater fishery below Croton Dam that stays cold year-round. The river was once a major logging corridor — its watershed supported significant Ojibwe settlements for centuries before European contact. The tailwater below Croton is among the best steelhead fisheries in the entire Great Lakes region, drawing serious anglers from across the country.

Did you know

The Muskegon receives one of the largest steelhead runs of any Michigan river — spring and fall runs can number in the tens of thousands of fish.

Did you know

It is one of the few Michigan rivers where you can target trout in summer months thanks to cold dam releases keeping water temps fishable.