Muskegon River Rainbow Trout

Quality Trophy Trout fishing on the Muskegon River.
(All year long, peak May thru July)
Rainbow Trout, Brown, and Brook
Michigan Rainbow trout are native to North America, but they have become so popular that and well known for their amazing fighting that other countries have introduced them to their waters.  If you have ever had a rainbow trout from Michigan on, you will know doubt know why they have become such an obsession amongst fisherman.   Besides being outstanding fighters, rainbow trout from Michigan are also one of the best tasting trout you will ever taste.   Once you taste a rainbow trout that has been baked, grilled or deep fried, you will definitely be hooked on the flavor.

Michigan Rainbow trout are a member of the Salmon Family and are very beautiful fish.  Just like their cousins, rainbow trout can grow very large in size.  A twenty inch rainbow or above is common in Michigan, but they can grow up to 3 feet long and weigh in as much as 20 pounds.   Granted that size is rare, but large numbers in Michigan of rainbows of all sizes are being caught on the Muskegon River, near Newaygo Michigan.   If you want to catch large rainbow trout then you should definitely consider trying your luck on the Muskegon, Pere Marquette, Au Sable or Big Manistee Rivers.  They are often called Michigan Steelhead because of their intense chrome like colors.   A Rainbow trout typically has a faint pint streak down its body, a white streak down their belly, and black spots on their backs and fins.   Rainbow trout is a great name for this amazing fish as they truly are as pretty as a rainbow itself.

Chad Betts of Betts Guide Service lands a Rainbow on the Michigan's Muskegon River.

Rainbow Trout from Michigan, eat insects and other small fish.   It is always a challenge to know what a rainbow trout will hit on any particular day.  This is exactly why your odds of catching a huge rainbow trout in Michigan go up significantly if you are willing to hire a guide.  Our guides at Betts Guide Service make careful observations of insect hatches and other activities on Michigan's Muskegon, Pere Marquette, Big Manistee, White, and the Ausable Rivers.  Those observations of what is working on any given day, week, or month add up to you being able to catch more Rainbow trout!   If Salmon are in the river, rainbow trout love to eat salmon eggs.  We have perfected the art of painting beads our own custom beads that look almost identical to real salmon eggs.  It has taken us years of testing different colors to know what works best.  As a result, our clients catch more large rainbow trout on the Muskegon River and other rivers in Michigan day after day.

People often ask us is it really worth the cost of hiring a guide in Michigan to fish a river like the Muskegon just to catch some rainbow trout?   Without a doubt the answer to that question is yes!  Here are just a few reasons why it is more affordable than you might think to hire a guide for the day.  First, you do not have to spend thousands of dollars buying fly rods or spinning gear that is suited to land a world class trophy rainbow trout.  We provide you with all the equipment, a very stable jet boat, and the lures necessary to catch monster rainbows.  We know the runs in the river that hold the largest fish.   You gain the advantage of our years of experience fishing a particular river.   Most people we take on these exciting float trips are amazed at how many 5 to 20 pound rainbow trout we help them catch.  Our clients continually express their appreciation at just how easy we made it for them to catch the trophy sized rainbows.   When you consider the cost of gas and hotel accommodations and the danger associated with wading a fast moving river like the Muskegon, the safety of being in an 18 foot wide Jet boat alone, is worth the cost of the trip.  While we do not promise you will catch a specific amount of fish, it is not uncommon to catch your limit of big rainbows on any given day.  We regularly see 7 to 15 nice rainbows being landed on the Mighty Muskegon River near the town of Newaygo. 
If you live in Grand Rapids or are visiting the area, you really should consider taking a float trip down the Grand River or Muskegon to catch some rainbow trout.   When you look back on a great day of catching rainbow you will know doubt realize that price of hiring a guide was worth every penny.  Holding one of these amazing rainbow trout in your hands and feeling the amazing battle they provide is going to provide you with an adventure that keep fisherman up nights dreaming of their next trip.   Of all the fish that we catch, rainbow trout are truly the best fighters of them all.   A rainbow trout when hooked will often jump out of the water and thrash about and put on the most amazing show of strength and determination you will ever encounter.  What better way of spending a day out in the beauty of nature can you dream up?   So, why wait? Call Betts Guide Service today and schedule a fishing trip of a lifetime. 
We make scheduling a fishing trip easy.  For you convenience you can book your trip on-line.  Simply click this link and pick the day you want to go fishing.  Book your rainbow trout fishing trip securely using a credit card or PayPal.  We do not store your credit card information.  PayPal has invested millions of dollars to protect your information and that is why we use them exclusively.   You can also mail in a check to hold a date on our schedule.  For more information about the booking process visit our scheduling page.
Rainbow Trout Fishing:
If you were to ask any serious serious fisherman to recall one of their best fishing memories, it would no doubt be of the time they had hooked a great rainbow trout, often referred to as a Steelhead.  Here is one such great memory as described by author Mike Bleech in his article entitled: Great Lakes Steelhead Fishing – There’s No Better Time Than December
“During a fight with a big Michigan Rainbow Trout time becomes irrelevant. I do not know how long this one lasted. The fish made only one long, low jump in the midst of its first run. Had it jumped more, certainly the fight would not have lasted so long. What that jump did accomplish however was reveal the steelhead’s size which made every moment of the struggle more stimulating.
I thought the fight was nearing the end when I started to work the fish toward me. Just as I caught a glimpse of it the water exploded as the huge fish swung its broad tail. The fight was nowhere near its conclusion.
During one of its line-sizzling runs my reel, an English-made Hardy reel, which was a gift several years earlier, just died. I think it got so hot that the spool warped. From that point I had to manage the fish by stripping line. And it seemed like I was going to win when the hook came out on a tight line. The battle had lasted too long.
My immediate reaction was to slump my shoulders in grief. That lasted only briefly. Visions of the magnificent steelhead were making it a great memory less than a minute after the encounter ended. An image of a long, silver fish with a wide iridescent stripe of pink and purple was already burned deep into my mind. It had given me everything I could ever hope for a steelhead to give. Had I worked it into shallow water there was no one around to take a photo. I had no tripod to set up a timed photo, and I would not have taken the chance of killing the fish to do it anyway.”