Muskegon River Trout and Smallmouth Bass News Letter for Muskegon River Fly Fishing 2010. Spring Steelhead Fishing Report for the Muskegon River.

~ Muskegon River Summertime Trout 2010 ~

Time for Trout! As most of you will remember, the summer of 2009 left us wondering if it would ever warm up. While this certainly meant we would wearing be jackets most of the time, the trout of the Muskegon River were on an extended party! Cool water and higher than normal flows produced growth rates that rivaled Western streams at 1.5 inches or better a month! As we head into the height of trout season, the Muskegon River holds some of the best trout we have seen in years!

Currently, both rainbow and brown trout are gorging on Chinook Salmon fry and copious amounts of Black Stoneflies. Caddis hatches are just getting started and will be quickly followed by Gray Drakes over the next few weeks.

Good News about the Croton Dam "Bubbler" System.
The big news last summer was the installation of the cold water Bubbler at the Croton Reservoir in July. This cold water bottom-up cycling compressor was tested during the summer to keep water temperatures down through the hot summer months on the main tailwater and increase dissolved oxygen. From Consumers Power's testing studies it was a success and they committed to a permanent unit to be installed July 2010 and it will run indefinitely. With this, the Muskegon's Trout and Wild Steelhead Parr will be more comfortable and feed heavily all summer like they did in 2009. This should make for some excellent trout fishing during the summer months!!

Muskegon River - "Hatch fishing at it's finest"
With the new bubbler system installed and in full swing, the Muskegon comes into it's finest hour... Hatch fishing for trout in the upper river. Large, expansive riffles with plenty of room to wade on fire long casts on a dry line to rising Trout. Best hatches on the Mighty Mo during June and July are the Gray Drakes, Isonychias, and lots, and lots of Caddis!

Streamers for Trophy Trout & Smallmouth Bass
Trout season brings about our first real opportunity to bring our "game" to the fish. By this, I mean we are able to present fly patterns, or more specifically, streamers to the waiting trout. So much of the year, whether it be for steelhead or resident trout, we rely on well-drifted small flies swung through likely holds to entice soft takes from holding fish.

Streamer tactics, on the other-hand, afford the fly fisherman an opportunity to take advantage of aggressive, predatory behavior of larger trout. Armed with a sink-tip line and stout fly rod the fly fisherman "strip retrieves" large streamers through likely holds, hoping to trigger the smashing strikes of large trout. Stripping streamers is my preferred method to pose large trout consistently for the camera.

Streamers for Trophy Trout & Smallmouth Bass
Nate, Jim and I plan on guiding this year's bountiful Rainbow and Brown Trout run through June/ July/ August - right into Salmon Season! If your looking into fly fishing for Skamania Steelhead on a day that is 70 degrees and sunny, now is your chance, as June weather in Michigan is beautiful. We are also booking trips for the Gray Drake spinner fall and Trout fishing behind the spawning suckers. It's an absolute hoot to catch lots of Trout with a chance at a trophy Brown on the fly.

Alaska Fly Fishing during the Summer of 2010.
I just found a really great fishing experience in Alaska! It's a very personalized Lodge with huge Rainbows (Large as Steelhead, Chinook salmon, Grayling, and Silver salmon, Sockeye salmon) I plan on going there to guide from June 15th through Early September.. I would be your personal guide with fly outs each day to different rivers for the best fishing!
Normal price is $5900 per week, the owner said if I take care of my own clients and guide, I can charge $3995 for the week. It's an awesome experience and wanted you to come up there for a week with me. Alaska Lodge

Now is also the time to book Salmon on the Manistee, Pere Marquette, and Muskegon River.
We will be guiding the Pere Marquette, Manistee, and the Muskegon for Salmon starting on August 20th through
October 20th. Steelhead begin their Migration anytime after mid October.

I hope this e-mail finds everyone is good spirits for the upcoming summer, we're looking forward to a later run of Steelhead, Great Trout fishing and Smallmouth Bass fishing in July and August. I hope that you all have a great Spring-Summer Season that includes lots of fishing and time with your families. We look forward to fishing with you!

Thanks, Chad Betts

Check out our Fishing Reports: BettsGuideService.com/Report
My Cell Number: (231) 519-7348

~ Winter & Spring Steelhead News Letter 2010 ~

Looks like Ole Man Winter finally has lost his grip on the Muskegon River! There are plenty of fish around, crowds have left and now is the time to book a Winter Float Fishing trip with Betts Guide Service and be one of the “Chosen Frozen.” Check out some of the recent Muskegon River Fishing Report to see some great fish being caught!

I just wanted to keep you up to date on the fishing possibilities this winter and spring.
Winter offers peace, serenity, and some fantastic Steelhead fishing!

After a great Fall run for both Salmon and Steelhead, we are now fully into the Winter season. We enjoyed a very mild November, but Winter showed up with a vengeance in early January but the forecast looks promising. Warmer than average tempratures forecasted for the rest of January. We also don't have the huge amounts of snow we had last year, creating some great opportunities for both Steelhead and resident Trout. Water levels are lower this winter making things a little easier.

Most of the Steelhead we are catching are Fall run - Winter holdovers, but there are a few bright chromers in the system. This Fall -Winter season, we have seen an increase in size, there have been plenty of fish in the 10-12 pound range! Water levels are a bit lower with above normal clarity due to little runoff. Float fishing has been great, flies are working well also.

The fishing has been good to great depending on the day. Changing weather patterns can and do influence the fishing sometimes hourly it seems, we have been catching fish early in the morning and throughout the day, averaging over a fish per hour!

I am running a winter 1/2 day special for 1-2 anglers for only $200 for 5 hours on the river.
Full day-trips 8 plus hours on the river for $350 for 1-2 anglers.

I do have plenty of handwarmers to keep your hands toasty warm after you pose |
for the "grip and grin" photos of your Winter Steelhead.

We are also booking our spring trips and dates are filling up, so please contact me if you are interested in doing some spring Steelheading as well.

Please contact me if you have any questions:
(231) 519-7348

Check it out! Fall Steelhead Video

Spring Steelhead dates start in February of 2010. I also encourage everyone to check out our new fishing reports on the website, Muskegon River Fishing Report
I now have updated daily fishing reports, stream flow data, lots of fish pictures, and weather reports.

We enjoyed fishing with everyone last Fall and look forward to getting you into some great fish this Winter and Spring!
We look forward to fishing with you!

Tight Lines, Chad

www.BettsGuideService.com chadbetts@hotmail.com (231) 519-7348

~ Mid-Spring Steelhead 2010 ~

Spring Steelhead season is in full swing, after a long and very cold winter. The Muskegon River is in prime condition for fly fishing for Steelhead at this time. Water temperatures have warmed up and water levels have receded to a normal and manageable range. For the past two weeks, Steelhead fishing in the upper river between Thornapple and Pine St. has been fantastic! For those who fly fished with me in late March and earlier April, you know what I'm talking about! We enjoyed double digit hookups before noon. This Spring's fly fishing has been some of the best if ever seen in the past 10 years.

The Spring of 2009 was also much later and colder than usual, water temperatures have not yet reached the mid 40 degree mark. During the past week and a half, we have just landed nearly 100 chrome mint silver hens that are not even close to spawning, which is the reason for me sending out this e-mail. May is going to be the month for fly fishing Steelhead on the Muskegon with lots of fish and hopefully less anglers.

Water levels are perfect and there are good numbers of Steelhead in the river at this time. Usually the Muskegon River peaks around the last week in April, but it looks like this year, Steelhead fishing will peak nearly 2 -3 weeks later than usual. I believe the optimum time for Spring Steelhead Season with be May 15th, with numerous fish still in the system through early June.

Are you tired of chuck and duck fly fishing?
This is the perfect time to try fly fishing for Steelhead with floating lines and strike indicators and/or Spey with floating lines. This is the first year in a very long time with perfect conditions for sight fishing with floating lines to fish on or near gravel. It's very exciting to watch a big double striped buck hammer the fly as it swings past the redd.

Nate, Jim and I plan on guiding this year's bountiful Steelhead run well into late May - right into Trout Season! If your looking into fly fishing for Steelhead on a day that is 70 degrees and sunny, now is your chance, as May weather in Michigan is beautiful. We are also booking trips for the Gray Drake spinner fall and Trout fishing behind the spawning suckers. It's an absolute hoot to catch lots of Trout with a chance at a trophy Brown on the fly.

I hope this e-mail finds everyone is good spirits for the upcoming summer, we're looking forward to a later run of Steelhead, Great Trout fishing and Smallmouth Bass fishing in July and August.

I hope that you all have a great Spring-Summer Season that includes lots of fishing and time with your families!

We look forward to fishing with you!

Thanks, Chad Betts

Check out our Fishing Reports: BettsGuideService.com/Report
My Cell Number: (231) 519-7348

Chad Betts Po Box 608 Newaygo, MI 49337 www.BettsGuideService.com

Chad-
The trip my wife and I took with you on September 16 and 17 was phenomenal. To catch quality and numbers during a stale run is simply awesome. Seeing the other guides with one or two and knowing that we had just boated 6 on the same stretch of river is amazing! I used a bit of my new found expertise to land an 18 plus on 8lb fluorocarbon, Friday the 18th. Wading the small public stretch above the Walhalla Ramp we watched two drift boats stop and cast to some fish hanging just below gravel. After the second boat left, we moved in and on my third cast one took it deep. The hook was 2 inches back in the roof of her mouth. Unbelievable! Tracie hooked up twice but couldn’t hang on. Not bad for the two hours we spent there. Thanks again for the experience. We’d like to re-book with you next September so I’ll keep in touch. Thanks again, Matt Steen

Chad: Thanks for a very memorable day -- again -- on the Muskegon. Wally and I really appreciate your extra efforts. It was a thrill landing many Steelies. I'll tell you, we always have a taste for Michigan fishing. It's truly magical. I'll also admit I am still haunted by the two that got away. I'll keep learning and trying. Thanks again. I can't imagine another guide on the planet who knows as much, and does as much for his clients.
Steeling is legal in Michigan. Thanks. Walt Riker

Dear Chad Betts,
I wanted to forward a note of thanks and a testimonial to what a superb job you did for my party and myself today. Bringing customers in from Chicago to fish these waters is always a highlight for us. However, when I saw the weather and the water levels I thought it might be a difficult day. At breakfast my guest mentioned to me that this might be the highlight of our day.

Fortunately, I knew better. I knew we would catch something but I was awed by the success we had in such conditions. Within ten minutes of leaving the dock we had boated a nice chrome bullet. The pressure for me was off and I could settle into a great day of nature. Your knowledge of conditions, locations and patterns turned a potentially long day into a successful business fishing trip! It was hard to keep the smile off my partner's face when we saw the other trips out there not enjoying our level of success.
Your equipment, knowledge, attitude,and ability to observe and instruct will keep you in quality customers for as long as you guide.When it goes down.. Set !!!

........................................................................................Thanks Again, Don Hodgman

Hey Chad, I just wanted to drop you a line to say that I had a GREAT time Sunday. With sunny conditions, I really didn't have high hopes of a great day on the water. I have to hand it to you, you put us on fish and did evrything you could to ensure me and my dad a wonderful day on the Muskegon. As you probablly know we have been coming to Newaygo for about the last 5 years and have used many different guides.

You have been the most knowledgeable and fun Fly Fishing Guide! I knew some of the basics of "Chuck and Duck" for steelhead and salmon prior to fishing with you, but I've learned a lot from you these last few trips. Thanks for taking your time with us to explain the finer details. That being said, I CANNOT stop thinking about these fish and all I want to do is to learn and fish for them even more. I guess you could say I have "Steelhead Dreams" ha-ha just kidding!!!!! . I'm glad my dad found you. Anyway, thanks again for a great day fishing and I'm looking forward to next year. Who knows you might see me on the water wading in those spots you've shown me.

...........................................................Good Fishing,.....Bob Hummer

And now for somesomething OUT OF THE ORDINARY...

This is by far the largest creature we have ever seen swim the currents of the Muskegon River. It took an hour and a half to land this 65 # sturgeon on an 8 weight fly rod!..

These rivers are loaded with Salmon, Trout and Steelhead but you never know what you'll catch when on the water!! 14 lb walleye taken while casting Rapala's for trout!!

What are Pike doing in the in the Pere Marquette River? We were trying to catch early salmon! Great fight though!!

Denny and I with a giant Muskegon River Bone fish! Although we don't try for "bone fish" You just never know....

Betts Guide Service
(231) 652-3189

Guide Chad Betts
PO Box 608
Newaygo, MI 49337
ChadBetts@hotmail.com

www.bettsguideservice.com