Muskegon River Steelhead Fly Fishing

Running up to 18 pounds, Muskegon River steelhead readily take the fly. RiverQuest’s guests are guaranteed to cast in beautiful, natural surroundings, and with miles of river to run in our jet boats, we are able to put our clients on steelhead consistently.

Spring

(March – Early May)

Most early spring Muskegon River steelhead float trips find us deep nymphing with two fly combinations, typically with small, dark nymphs and egg flies. Swinging Spey flies has grown increasingly popular with our clients, whether in the Spring or Fall. We fish single-handed and two-handed fly rods with shooting, sink tip, floating, and Skagit lines-the choice of tackle is determined by conditions of the river, the stage of the steelhead run, and the client’s preference. RiverQuest guides take pride in the fact that our clients’ success rates run high. Fishermen for whom steelhead have been an elusive quarry find success with us-much to our mutual delight. 

Fall

(Mid October – Mid December)

Fall and early winter Muskegon River steelhead fly fishing is a particularly memorable experience because the steelhead, hard and chrome, fight even more spectacularly than the spring fish, which are challenging enough in their own right. Multiple water clearing leaps are common. Freed of the rigors of spring spawning, fall steelhead are among the best conditioned fish we pursue. We swing Spey flies on two-handed rods primarily. Grabs are often sudden and violent, making for spectacular action. If you have yet to swing streamers for fall steelhead, you really ought to give it a shot. This can be a game of chess, but without question it is the most rewarding fly fishing method available for steelhead. If clients prefer, we can also deep nymph and indicator nymph for our fall steelhead too. The high quality of the fish and extraordinary fight they bring render fall Muskegon River steelhead fly fishing our guides’ personal fly fishing favorite.