Fall Steelhead trout fishing on the beautiful Muskegon river in Michigan can be as fun as it is cold! Especially if you hire a guide.
We left early for our three hour trip on Saturday morning to go up to Newaygo, MI to meet up with our hired fishing guide for the day, Chad Betts of Betts' Guide Service.
Betts, himself a Michigan native, has been fishing on the Muskegon river since he was 12 years old and is truly passionate about this kind of fishing. Once we had the boat in the water and were underway the fun began. First stop was to give me and my fishing buddy Eric Stimpson a little lesson about the type of fishing we would do today. Those familiar with the sport will recognize the term "float" fishing where one uses a bobber, some lead weight a small hook and some bait -- in this case, spawn sack-- to to lure these eager and powerful fish into your net.
Once the basics were covered we were off to catch some fish. Along the way I asked Betts how he got into this business. "I worked at a small bait shop, It was there I found my calling...fishing guide."
While the morning chit-chat turned to fishing time the obvious cold we were feeling was made even more noticeable that we weren't on the fish. Betts explained that with the conditions the way they were that fishing may be a little challenging today.
"Friday night a cold front came through the area and brought the temperature down to around 9 degrees (F). The water level was lowered in the river and there's been no runoff for several days so the water was extremely clear and to top things off we had a bright sun and blue skies all day". Apparently not at all good for Steelhead fishing. Several hours into the trip and with me putting Chad on his last nerve he decided to take us to a secret spot on the river.
With our guide expertly laying out the flow of the river and the sun now going behind some cover. Chad set me up with fresh spawn and with-in a few casts and with great excitement in my voice I proclaimed "FISH ON". The bobber succumbed to the pull of the fish and I instinctively set the hook. Betts took action immediately and guided me on how to land a fish that could easily snap the line that was in between me and the prize I came here to find today. "Easy left", "Easy right", "tip up", "tip down" were the confident commands I heard coming from Chad as he readied boat to land the fish. With net in hand and in one fail swoop Chad brought the writhing fish into the boat. A ten pound, silvery, chrome bullet hen.
Betts prefers catch and release over keeping the fish and so do I. With that in mind there was just enough time to take a picture of
me with my fish and plop her back in the water (First picture above).
With the boat back in position and the rods ready for more action it was now Eric's turn. "FISH ON" I hear coming from the back of the boat.
I turn to see Eric wrestling with his rod. Eric, having already experienced this type of fishing before, was on his game. Chad was impressed with his fishing skills. Before too long we netted another chrome beauty and roughly the same size as my first.
We fished a while longer. I netted one more and Eric fought a short-lived fight with a Steelie that just decided he'd rather stay in the river today.
With our backs aching and the Sun rapidly setting it was time to call it a day. We eased back to the boat launch, gathered our belongings and bid a farewell to our guide and new friend Chad.
The next day I checked Betts' website to see our smiling mugs up there with our catches and a few nice words from Chad about the experience.
I will say that we did not catch a lot of fish that day but it was a day that would challenge the best of fisherman. I will say that Chad Betts worked his butt off for us. He truly enjoys the experience with his clients and wants nothing but to show them the best day of fishing they've had in a long time.
Even if you've done this type of fishing in your life, it's better with an experienced and knowledgeable guide. If you're planning a trip to fish in Michigan's Northwest Lower Peninsula, give our new friend Chad a call. He offers trips not only on the Muskegon river but several other rivers in the area.
Here's a couple other pictures from the day:
