In my 26 years of guiding the Muskegon River I have never seen the river this low–it’s honestly shocking to see it like this. I honestly...
When a son hops a plane from his home in San Francisco to fish steelhead on the Muskegon River with his Dad and four of their friends, it...
The Muskegon River remains extremely low. This is the first time in my 26 years of guiding that I’ve ever seen it this low in the spring. ...
The Muskegon River is back to being extremely low after the river fell around 600cfs today. To say our steelhead were unhappy about it would...
Roger and Al have been with me for the last several days. We’ve known and fished together for well over 25 years. The river treated both R...
Meet Jim, who, along with his wife Mary, one day decided to check out fly fishing. A referral to RiverQuest from a Kalamazoo sport shop put ...
Good start to the week—some much needed rain fall fell over the weekend and gave the Muskegon a little extra water. I don’t expect this ...
My son Ryan is a journeyman machine builder for JR Automation Technology of Holland, Michigan and works with two other journeyman machine bu...
The Muskegon River continues to be extremely low for their time of year. Negotiating the river is causing consideration for area guides. I...
“Some days are diamonds; some days are stones,” Dr. William Kamstra, Jenison High School Principal and my boss when I was an Ass...
What a day we had today—Dr. Scott and his Dad, Roger—with whom I served a number of years on the governing board of our church! Roger ha...
One of the best parts of a fly fishing guide’s time of the river is how some customers return year after year, resulting in ever deepe...
The Glaspie family joined Jay and I today for their first spring steelhead outing. High winds continue to be the common theme over the last ...
Spent the day with Kristine hoping the Mo’ would treat her a little more kindly than our past two outings. Thankfully, despite the howling...
Yes, spring steelhead are coursing Michigan’s Muskegon River, and yes, today was a bluebird, Chamber of Commerce kind of day. Yet, as ...
A little reminder that’s it’s still early spring as wet snowflakes and a stiff Northwest wind raced up and down the Muskegon River today...
Steelhead fishing on the Muskegon remains challenging—sure, there are a few more fish in the system, but combined with the ultra clear flo...
Beautiful weather is forecasted for the next few days. Certainly not “steelhead weather”, but it’s hard to complain about the vitamin ...
February days like today are pretty tough to complain about. Sunny skies, light wind, and afternoon temperatures in the mid 30’s made for ...
Merry Christmas! May all the joys of this happy season be yours this holiday season and into the New Year! Sincerely, Steve, Ryan, Jay, Tom,...
Tyler and his Dad, Jeff, have fly fished with me a number of times now, and Dad selflessly does everything he can for Tyler to hook the most...
Great finish to a shorty holiday week with the Martin Family. Jonathan and his three sons joined us for a quick steelhead trip before their ...
Pretty cool when Dad asks his three sons gathered for Thanksgiving, if they would like to chase some chrome on the Muskegon River with us at...
Peter and his son Peter joined me for their annual Spey fall steelhead trip on the Muskegon River. It couldn’t have possibly been a more b...
Tony and his daughter Kristen joined me the last two days to swing flies on the Muskegon River. I’ve fished with Tony a number of times ov...
It certainly felt seasonable today on the Muskegon River today swinging flies. The temperature hovered around 40 degrees most of the day, on...
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a stretch of November weather like this before. The 70 degree weather continues…. Judging by the kaya...
The Muskegon River is ultra-clear right now. Combine this with bright skies and near 70 degree weather and Steelhead fishing has been like h...
Last couple days swinging flies with the Stewart group has made for enjoyable days on the river but tough overall steelhead fishing. We’re...
Hannah and her brother, Jace, joined RiverQuest guide, Jay Allen, and me along with their dad and longtime family friend and business collea...
Much needed rain fell over the region today. It was not a nice photography day by any means… Jay and his crew from Houston TX were ple...
The old saw “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!” must have been Nebraskans Byron and his son Alex’s mantra to...
The 2020 Chinook salmon run on Michigan’s Muskegon River is winding down, big time. Fewer and fewer may be seen with each passing day....
Nick and his wife Chelsey joined me on the Muskegon River today. While Nick has fished with me a number of times before, this trip was token...
Long-time guest and friend Jon Rudolph joined me today for one of his annual fall trips. The weather and fishing didn’t disappoint with a ...
Sheesh! What a day on Michigan’s Muskegon River today: gorgeous sunrise; then clouds; then sleet and hail; then lightning and thunder;...
Hoosier Kaden spent three days with his dad and friends in the McKay group with us fly fishing the Muskegon River for steelhead and Chinook ...
The McKay group is with us just as they have been for past nearly 20yrs this week in October. Always a group we look forward seeing each sea...
Early this year, John’s wife, Karen, called me to request a RiverQuest fly fishing trip gift certificate, which she wished to gift Joh...
Having fly fished with me for over 20 years, my dear friend and former colleague, Tom, had long hoped to get his son Trevor, who works in Wa...
Suzy and here sister Barb joined me for a fun filled day of good stories, laughter and some nice fly fishing on the Muskegon River. While we...
The fall Chinook salmon run continues to build on the Muskegon River. Nephew-in-law Travis hosted his long-time friend Jeff for whom the the...
The operational definition of a gracious host surely must be one who’s seeks the best for his or her guest, and especially so, when th...
Sunny skies and beautiful fall colors provided a pretty nice backdrop for Dr. Scott Westhouse and his father. Probing the dark water behind ...
One just has to love days like today on the river: misty, moody fog as Paul and his daughter Jen and I pulled away from the boat launch; t...
Fall fishing on the Muskegon river is slowly coming along. Some Kings, some Coho, and some steelhead are available in relatively low numbers...
What’s not to love about this time of year on the river? The Russomanno group joined guide Bill Haagsma, Captain Steve Kuieck, and me ...
Today day marks the last official day of summer as Fall officially begins tomorrow. I had the opportunity to go fishing this morning persona...
Cooler weather (at least nights) look to have us slowly transitioning away from summer fly fishing. The river temperature in the Big Rapids ...
Longtime customers and friends, Pat and Terry, and I enjoyed a simply wonderful day on the Muskegon River yesterday. No, the smallmouth were...
The Muskegon River continued to fish very well this week for smallmouth bass. No matter which section we fished it produced about the same...
Smallmouth bass fishing on the Muskegon River is very good right now. Thankfully this warm summer weather favors these fun river fish. Bill ...
Kristine has been itching to get back on the river for some top-water smallmouth bass fishing but the oppressive heat kept us hopeful for a ...
The last time Jake and I fished together was in 2018. We and four families spent a couple weeks taking in all that Yellowstone Park could of...
Michigan DNR is not requiring the recommendations of MUCC “safe return to work practices.Link Here. For the time being we will be discoura...
Statewide, trout season opens today. Traditionally this “holiday” means a lot to many across the State of Michigan as rivers that have b...
It was great escape to the river today with my son Zach and his soccer buddy Bryson and his dad Corey. Though we couldn’t escape the const...
John and his son Johnny kicked off sons spring break from Wake Forest law school chasing spring steelhead. While I’m sure there was plenty...
I’m honestly not disappointed that I didn’t have to shovel snow out of my boat all day today one bit. The forecasted snow storm shifted ...
When we started our day we were anticipating a significant winter storm tomorrow. Now it looks like a false alarm? Who knows really….....
“Unusual” would is the only way to describe this winter’s weather. High water, mostly from rain events, and some family vacation time ...
Wishing you a very merry Christmas filled with fun and laughter, and very best wishes for a fabulous New Year! Steve, Ryan, Tom, Don, Jay, &...
Tranquil weather has not been the theme lately, at least for any length of time. Yesterday was truly a rare day with decent temperatures and...
When I first spoke to Dr. Milan he mentioned he had finally purchased a proper two-handed rod to swing for steelhead on the Muskegon River. ...
I’ve been reluctant to start using the word “winter” in my posts mostly cause I really haven’t been ready, but I think it’s time. ...
Nebraskan Byron told me at the outset of his two days of fly fishing with me that although he had fly fished for steelhead on most of the st...
With the bilge pumps whirring again and again throughout the day, avid steelheader and Nebraskan, Byron, pressed on with nary a whimper as w...
Long-time guest and friend Bill Sidor and his college buddy Dave Hartley joined me for their annual fall steelhead trip today on the Muskego...
I can’t exactly explain the fishing over the last three days. It’s been a tough swing, plain and simple. The fish have been willing, but...
Flat-out gorgeous, but 17 degrees chilly, the Muskegon River valley, draped in new fallen snow, today shared its steelhead bounty with long ...
Crazy fall, warm and wet, now winter? Looks like Ol’ man winter is going to stick around for a while too. Don and his wife Wendy are here ...
Not many words necessary to sum up Logan’s satisfaction. Congratulations! The weather looks to dry out by mid-week, hopefully we can shed ...
It looks like the weather will trend towards drier conditions as the week progresses. This should allow us to get back to a more normal patt...
Mother Nature continues to let the faucet run. Rain and snow continue to be the daily theme on the weather front. The Muskegon was falling n...
Swing flies for steelhead hasn’t been easy the last day or two as the Muskegon River rose again from the recent rains. Thankfully the rive...
TGIF isn’t something that you typically hear from a fishing guide anywhere, everyday is a Friday for us wink wink. However, TGIF was the c...
Last day with the McKay group today and were already looking forward to 2020! It’s been a great few days with the crew–many nice steelhe...
Temps finally dipped low enough for a good frost and the morning fog was thick as it lifted off the relatively warm river water. Bruce (part...
Fall fly fishing on the Muskegon River marks the annual return of many of our longest returning clients. Many have shared this time of year ...
High skies and dropping water made for some tough fly fishing on the Muskegon River for steelhead today. Perseverance and determination ar...
After trying to prompt fall steelhead to play all morning long to no avail, Dr. Greg, Nate, and I relaxed over a shore lunch, after which we...
Heart break this morning as our first fall steelhead of the season for my boat fell short of the net. It was really a comedy of errors as bo...
Fall fly fishing on the Muskegon River is well underway. The river has fallen nicely and things are getting back to normal. Salmon are well ...
Last weeks warm weather has slowed our turn toward fall. The overall mood of the trout, smallmouth, and salmon has been off all week. Thankf...
Fall is Here! Even though the current weather is more like summer, the cool weather from earlier this month has brought fall to the rivers. ...
Orvis released its new line of two-handed rods last month and I’ve been chopping at the bit to get one on the water. I had the pleasure of...
Dad Jeff and 11 year old son, Tyler, cast fly rods for smallmouth bass for their first time today with me on the Muskegon River. Although th...
RiverQuest Captain Don Graham and I hit the Muskegon River today to chase smallmouth bass. Gorgeous weather; no boats; three retired couples...
Fly fishing for summer smallmouth continues to be very good on the Muskegon River. Whether you’re a fan of top-water action or twitching s...
Great day fly fishing the Muskegon River today with two of my dearest colleagues and friends from my teacher/administrator days with the Jen...
Matthew and his daughter Sofia joined me for the day to try their hand at some top-water smallmouth bass fishing. Having spent most of their...
Dad Talal and son Kadin had long wanted to learn how to fly fish, so into my boat and onto the Muskegon River they went today. Since neither...
Smallmouth bass fishing on the Muskegon today didn’t disappoint father Dick and son Doug or their guide, yours truly. With flows at ...
Summer smallmouth fly fishing is heating up. While the warm weather has us leaving our resident trout alone, smallmouth bass love the hot we...
Sorry for the delay in reports. Between the weather, kid travel sports, and my real estate business the last week and a half has been crazy....
The Muskegon River is a diverse fishery, some days you just don’t know what you’re in for. As the river slowly warms up streamer fishing...
Two dads, two sons, and two days on Michigan’s Muskegon River from parts near and far—that’s what Gil and Tom and their sons N...
Here is our May newsletter! Good things on the horizon–drop-back steelhead, trout Spey, streamers, dries, and nymphing. Thanks for readi...
Man, do I love it when I have the privilege of guiding a family group assembled from near and far by a grandfather whose love for his grands...
Gotta love it, forecast was breezy today…..20-25mph gusting to 40, just breezy…..not a single meteorologist could possibly be a ...
Just a great time with Dad Gil and son Marshall on the Muskegon River chasing spring steelhead. Marshall had fished steelhead with RiverQues...
Another postcard perfect day on the Muskegon River. Eric and Dave joined me today after several weather related postponements earlier this s...
Picture perfect weather made for a very nice day on the Muskegon River today. Despite the abundant sunshine steelhead fishing was pretty sol...
Just about the most perfect day on the Muskegon River one could possibly ask for: sunshine that had us shucking layers all day; river flow t...
Nice to have had a few days off for the holiday. Rest always does the mind & body good. The Muskegon River is falling nicely after sever...
Plenty of steelhead action early morning and later in the afternoon today with longtime friends and customers Bob and Ron. The fish were esp...
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...
