Tailwater · Sand Gravel · Michigan, US

Muskegon River

Muskegon River
Today · Not the day for it
San Juan Worm
Forecast · Today
Not the day for it
Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
80% projected
Today's fly
San Juan Worm
San Juan Worm
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
1.52 m
Lifting fast
Water temp20.9°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather7°C
WindN 5 km/h
Pressure1032 hPa
Rain · recent5.1 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
21°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°

A dam sets this river's temperature, not the weather, so it can shift several degrees within hours when the release changes. It also warms as it runs away from the dam.

How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Good — water clarity is right today, though time of day could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Low insect activity predicted today

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
SulphurHatch
2
3
2
Trico (Eastern)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Eastern Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Eastern Summer BWO (Drunella)Hatch
2
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Brown Trout
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Michigan licence
  • Flow tracks the Croton Dam release
  • Verify gear rules with MI DNR
  • Introduced, harvestable sport fishery.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
White River
52 km
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Grand River
52 km
85
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Pere Marquette River
76 km
85
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Big Manistee River
94 km
85
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Betsie River
134 km
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. Muskegon River
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 78 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature86 × 28%24.1
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity56 × 12%6.7
Conditions total= 78
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts