Soggy days and steelhead go hand-in-hand. The first half of today was certainly that. Sunday nights snow is quickly melting. Combine this wi...
Shocker, the weather folks got it wrong….. Rain changing to snow with the possibility of and inch or so on the grassy surfaces was the...
High winds and weather seem too be the theme the last few days. As I write this post heavy snow is falling and I’m hopeful for some of tha...
The Heneveld Group joined Ryan and I today for their annual spring steelhead trip. It’s hard to believe we’re starting our 24th year of ...
It was a beautiful spring day here in Michigan. Definately too nice for the likes of our steelhead. Thankfully the broad size of Muskegon Ri...
When Jack contacted me last fall to purchase a gift certificate for his son Kirk’s Christmas present, given the fact that Kirk had exp...
The second and final day of the hosted Orvis event featured a much more manageable amount of angler pressure despite the wonderful weather. ...
What a delight it was to host Brian, who was part of the Orvis group, for two days. New to fly fishing for steelhead, Brian was into a numbe...
”Come fish with us” Orvis hosted trip got underway today with temperatures in the 60’s and a very busy river. I honestly can’t blame...
RiverQuest guide Captain Don Graham put his guys on steelhead throughout the day today with multiple hookups and fish brought to net with fl...
For years, Devin Boetsma, owner of Schut’s Body Shop in Hudsonville, Michigan has repaired, renewed, and—in the case of the 1972 Cor...
It’s been several years since Jim relocated to south Florida from the Detroit, Michigan. Sure, “fun in the sun” is the name of the gam...
Longtime fly fisherman, Chuck, and his son, Matt, who is new to working the long rod, prevailed over a heavy river flow (5,100 cfs) and frig...
Our annual spring steelhead trip with Mad River Outfitters concludes tomorrow. New friends were made and we look forward to seeing this fant...
Spectacularly gorgeous day on the Muskegon River chasing steelhead with Captain Don Graham today! 5,100 cfs of flow isn’t exactly idea...
Low skies and rain/drizzle provided the perfect backdrop for a successful early spring steelhead outing for Bryant, Mark, and Greg. After ye...
Man, it felt great to get back on the Muskegon River today! Some of the toughest conditions one could imagine to prompt the steelhead to coo...
March Whether it looks like spring where you live or Michigan winter-like, spring is inching closer everyday. We no longer go to work and re...
Intersted in earning a free fly fishing trip in 2019 with RiverQuest Charters? It’s pretty simple, click on the link to learn more! <Fr...
It’s certainly been quite a week here in Michigan. Six straight snow days closing all of the area schools and many area businesses! I gues...
Where’s winter? That’s the question many of us here in western Michigan are asking. As of this writing on January 7, we have no snow—z...
I spent a good part of my birthday with my favorite two-handed rod looking for a nice winter steelhead on the swing. I honestly wasn’t goi...
Ol’man winter was knocking pretty hard on the river today. No, it’s not the first snowy cold day, but with an afternoon high of 28 degre...
Great group of guys joining us for a few days from our friends at MRO. Conditions on the Muskegon are ideal for fall steelhead. 2270 fcs and...
It’s been a very tough swing this week on the Muskegon River. Thankfully Mother Nature gifted us some decent rain last night and new chrom...
The last couple days have been a tough swing on the Muskegon River. Thankfully it looks pretty likely we’ll get some needed rain tonight t...
Fall Steelhead season has arrived, and we couldn’t possibly be happier! As we thought could be the case, our fall steelhead are averagin...
If Jeff and Dan weren’t our very first customers, they were definitely the second! Today marked the 23rd year of fall steelhead fishing to...
Good finish to a great week of swinging flies for fall steelhead on the Muskegon River. Greg and his son Jordan joined me today and while th...
Bright sunny skies and ultra clear water make for a pretty day on the river, but tough swinging for fall steelhead. Every fish that have gra...
Bright skies and clear water make for challenging conditions for steelhead fishing. As was the case today, opportunities were tough to come ...
Fall steelhead fly fishing continues to impress with some tremendous successes and some memorable losses. As the salmon eggs begin to wane l...
Great group from Sun Med today. A few familiar faces and a couple new. Introducing new people to the world of fly fishing is a great privile...
Such a terrific time with former educational colleague Bob and his dear friend and bamboo rod maker Ron, both of whom have fished with me fo...
Wind and fly fishing are never things that typically go well together. The past two days have been exceptionally windy and it sounds like we...
Sure, the weather started off pretty rough, but the dropping water had the steelhead in full-send mode today. I honestly can’t think of a ...
Great time with the Poggi group today on the Muskegon River as Captain Don Graham and I had the pleasure of guiding Brad, Taggart, Ben, and ...
Spectacular day on the Muskegon River today with son Ryan and his two buddies, Ken and Brandon! With a glorious sunrise to greet us, the guy...
Opportunities the last two days have been numerous, but landing early fall steelhead lately has been tough. This time of year, they simply a...
Early fall steelhead opportunities continue to be available. Patience and “right-place and right-time” remains key. Pictured is Dave wit...
Since he had never fly fished, today was a whole new deal for Joe on the Muskegon River. In short order, though, he got his cast and drift...
No matter the date, putting your client on the first fall steelhead of the year is always satisfying. Now we just need to keep the chrome co...
Gorgeous day on the Muskegon River yesterday, though the 80 degree temp at day’s end was a bit much! Jennifer, Paul’s daughter, ...
Dark and dreary today on the river—definitely feeling like fall. Wayne and his son Jeff joined me today for an intro to salmon. Thankfully...
My salmon fly rods are 10 foot, 10 weight saltwater sticks, but they are barely enough rods for the size of some of the Chinook salmon in th...
The salmon continue to run very large this year. Landing a manageable sized fish is proving to be a task. Pictured is Mark with a salmon tha...
October is here! Its been a long wait, but finally, that most anticipated season for fly fishing the Muskegon River has arrived! As p...
Fall salmon fishing is slowly progressing on the Muskegon River. New salmon can be found scattered throughout the system all the way to Big ...
Today’s bass bugging on the Muskegon stands as a reminder that just because the calendar tells us it’s September, it’s not...
The return of warmer weather has slowed the progression of fall on the Muskegon River. Pretty typical for this time of year really. Water te...
The kids are back in school: moms are smiling; and unofficially, the youngsters hitting the books marks the beginning of our favorite season...
Uh, not so much! Double hookups on smallies TWICE? Yup! So it was for self-proclaimed “novice” fly fishermen, Chicagoans Jared a...
Introducing new fisherman to the craft of fly fishing is always rewarding. Today was Eric’s first time fly fishing and if there’s any su...
RiverQuest guide and best fishing bud, Captain Don Graham, and I love all the various forms of fly fishing RiverQuest offers, whether it be ...
Zach and his dad Tim picked up right where they left off yesterday…the action on top was pretty steady all-day long. Pictured is Zach...
Tim and his Son Zach spent the past weekend at the Orvis Fly Fishing School at the Homestead Resort in Glen Arbor, MI learning how to cast a...
RiverQuest Captain Don Graham and his buddy Gary pre-fished the Muskegon River today in anticipation of Don’s guiding our Muskegon Riv...
Husband and wife Jim and Mary are long time friends and customers, and every time we get together, whether on the river or not, we have a te...
Today, RiverQuest guide, Captain Don Graham, hosted Phillip and his grandfather Dan for some top water, smallmouth bass fly rodding action. ...
It had been way too long since RiverQuest guide Don Graham and I had fly fished together, so today amid misty, overcast skies most of the da...
Rain is desperately needed in our Muskegon River basin. Historic low-flows are the topic everywhere. Thankfully our smallmouth don’t seem ...
While the drakes & trout weren’t cooperative this morning, our pitbulls of the river were all business. Summer smallmouth bass kept us...
Last nights strong storms made for some terrific morning dry fly fishing today on the Muskegon. While we had some shots at some really “go...
Lots of effort went into Mike’s photo opt (pictured above) today. We set up on this brown trout three separate times and just when I was p...
Great group of new friends from Stryker joined Don and myself today. It finally felt like summer trout fishing with highs in the upper 70’...
Good times and Trout Spey go hand-in-hand if you’re a two-handed addict like myself. The Muskegon River is falling nicely and soon will be...
Sunny skies and afternoon temperature around 70 degrees provided a perfect backdrop for the Joyners last day on the Muskegon River. Cooperat...
First-time guests—the Joyners joined me today to fly fish for hen steelhead. While this was the first time I’ve had the pleasure hostin...
It’s been a decade or so since Kevin was in my boat, but today, there he was ready to fly fish! He and I go back some 38 years to when...
Wowzas it was windy today! I don’t know exactly how windy it was, but I was certainly glad to have something to hold onto during a few mem...
Great group of folks today for us RiverQuest Charters guides… Dave, Don, and myself. All first timers, all successful on their first...
Current Jenison Public Schools Superintendent, Tom TenBrink, and former JPS Superintendent, Dr. Dave Dresslar, are two of my dearest friends...
Todd and Mike managed to dodge some Spring thunderstorms this morning out on the Muskegon River while out Steelhead fishing with their River...
Sunshine, high 70’s temps, two dear friends, and willing and eager steelhead combined for a terrific day of Steelhead fly fishing toda...
Happy Trout Opener! No suprise, trout fishing remains a ways off on the Muskegon River. River water temps remain in the mid 40’s—spring ...
The 2018 Muskegon River steelhead run continues unabated with quality fish like the ones Jim and his former boss, Mike, now retired, found o...
Long-time guest and friend Todd Schaal introduced his friend Lisa Marie to Spring steelhead fishing on the Muskegon River today. To say Lisa...
Avid walleye man, Marc, was a bit blown away by the speed and power of gamefish, particularly the steelhead he hooked and landed today. Now,...
RiverQuest Charters guides Captain Don Graham netted what surely will be guest Jake’s steelhead of a lifetime today! Not to jinx Jake,...
We finished up our last day with the Kehl group today on the Muskegon River fly fishing. Good times and great stories were had by all, and b...
What a great time Steelhead fly rodding today on Michigan’s Muskegon River with my friend and pastor, Greg VanderMeer of Fair Haven Ch...
Wow, what a difference a week makes for Spring Steelhead in Michigan! Last week Monday we were digging from a significant winter storm, tod...
Talk about making memories! Son Ryan invited his neighbor and buddy Brandon along with Brandon’s dad to fly fish the Muskegon River wi...
Jon and his company have been fishing RiverQuest Charters with me since day one—seriously, 21 plus years! Today was a perfect cap to a wee...
The morning greeted us again with fresh snow—seriously unprecedented this late in April Steelhead season! Honestly, you couldn’t hav...
Dr. Lambert and his grandson Wyatt took the opportunity to create some new memories today Muskegon River Fly Fishing for steelhead. While Dr...
After a hefty steelhead he hooked managed a “premature release,” MSU junior Grant kept working the long rod, cast after cast, an...
Long-time friend and customer Dan Heneveld brought several of his employees for some corporate bonding on the Muskegon River Fly Fishing Ste...
Never gone fly fishing? No problem! Never gone fly fishing for steelhead? No problem! Never battled a double-digit steelhead? No problem—a...
Having been the successful bidder for the Harmony House fly fishing steelhead trip yours truly made available, Bill rounded up his two sons-...
I’m sure any number of wives of fishermen today thought their loved ones were out of their minds to go fishing given the weather forec...
Bela and his wife Lindsay are celebrating their wedding anniversary this weekend with us at the Muskegon River Lodge and took advantage of o...
Dr. Ken Thompson and his son Jon took a little time during Jon’s spring break to get out fly fishing for steelhead and bond on the riv...
Spring Break continues… Dr. Scott Westhouse and his son Caleb toughed out a pretty miserable day of weather on the Muskegon River fly...
Sure every kid loves to hit the road and soak up the sun and fun down in Florida for Spring Break. What could you do if you stick around Mic...
Wild weather was the headline for today’s Fly Fishing Charter. Heavy snow in areas, rain for others and wind for all was the name of ...
Peak-season is often filled with many familiar faces for both the Muskegon River Lodge crew and for the RiverQuest Charters guides. And toda...
Eric and Quinton escaped corporate life to enjoy some Spring Steelhead Fly Fishing with me today. Expectations were pretty high after yester...
Dr. Burgess and Dr. Afman joined me today for a rare Saturday session of swinging flies on the Muskegon River. I teased the guys about fis...
Thankfully the Muskegon River is broad and affords our steelhead degrees of comfort during periods of high-skies and clear water. As it goes...
The Muskegon River spring steelhead run continues to build with bright new arrivals mixed in with fish having been in the river longer. To...
Sunny skies and light winds made for a pleasant backdrop to swinging flies for spring steelhead on the Muskegon River today. Not really your...
The 2018 Muskegon River fly fishing for spring steelhead run is up and running! Good numbers of winter run fish with a sprinkling of fresh...
If you were office bound today, chances are it probably looked pretty darn nice outside to you but fly fishing Spring Steelhead was a diffe...
Winter weather has returned to West Michigan and has caused a push back for Muskegon River Spring Steelhead. While this isn’t ideal and ha...
Overnight the Muskegon River showed some good progress on clearing up after the water levels dropped and with it, our hope for getting out t...
Officially Spring remains a few weeks away in Michigan, but our recent high water incident has definitely brought our first significant push...
While our minds may be focused on upcoming Spring Steelhead, it’s impossible to ignore the high water on the Muskegon River. Melting...
Winter Steelhead Fly Fishing – February A balmy 5 degrees at 9am. was the best temperature reading I could find before we headed out f...
It hasn’t been the most hospitable week on the Muskegon River as far as winter trout fly fishing goes. Michigan’s Winter had tighten...
Winter Steelhead Fly Fishing In January As January’s warmup drew to a close, we began the month of February contemplating this past mo...
Last day of January and possibly the last above average temperature we see in the next week or so was reason enough to swing flies this morn...
Winter fly fishing for steelhead on the Muskegon River continues very good as the hen steelhead Gary poses here attests. Fishing with RiverQ...
Man it felt good to get on the the river today. I missed the previous break in the arctic express while I was laid up from Bronchitis. Condi...
When Mother Nature calls “Time Out!” from her daily entree of winter’s big nasties, if you love fly fishing for steelhea...
Great to be back on the river today after a snowy cold weather pattern the majority of last week. Joining me today was Nick, our fishing man...
I think it’s officially safe to say winter has arrived. While our river temperature remains well above average for early December, it shou...
