Michigan Steelhead
Muskegon River Steelhead Fishing
(Fall, Winter, and Spring)
Michigan Steelhead Fishing on the Muskegon River. Light Tackle and guided fly fishing adventures for both expert to novice anglers. Guided trips include all gear, tackle and flies. All equipment is included in all fishing trips, both full and half days.
Warning Steelhead fishing is Addictive!
Warning! Going Steelhead Fishing is addictive! At least it is good for your health and it sure is fun! Chasing Steelhead may cost you countless hours of your life and thousands of dollars but that will not matter in the end. You will only remember the amazing times you had on river battling these amazing chrome beauties and the rest will seem trivial.
As we all know, there is no know cure except to pick up a rod and get back out on the river, knowing full well that there is no way to catch every steelhead you have on. But, who really cares right? Nothing can suspend time in its place like a giant Steelhead on your line! When you have a giant Steelhead on, your mind goes into a place than can only be described as utter joy and exhilaration! Your heart starts racing as you watch the fish leap 3 to 5 feet in the air and shake its head back and forth in a violent display of sheer determination and excitement. No other show on earth is perhaps as great as the show a steelhead can perform as it dances across the top of a misty river. Perhaps that is why so many of our clients end their day with some of the biggest smiles on their faces you have ever seen! Yet, somehow we must admit that we know we are openly promoting an addiction that has no cure. We shamelessly load people into our Jet Boats knowing full well that they might not be able to sleep at night after a great day of catching steelhead. Yes, we know all about steelhead in terms of when they are in the Muskegon river and what to fish to catch them, but what we know most of all is that they change attitudes and hearts out on the river. These are not just giant rainbow trout coming back to spawn in the rivers, these are game changers, real attitude lifting kinds of creatures. Think you are above getting hooked on steelhead fishing? Read this story of a professor named Ron who is living proof that Steelhead fishing on the Muskegon River is highly addictive and has no know cure.
His name was Ron. He had been on away from fishing for awhile and his Brother Bob convinced him that some time on the river would do him good. Oh, they had grown up catching bass all night long in a small town in Michigan like so many other kids, but this was different. The idea of wading out into a river was somewhat daunting. He was not really comfortable with a fly rod and preferred to set up a spinning rig. So, his older brother Bob was gracious enough to rig up a spin casting rig with a brown muddler minnow attached to end of his line. And so the casting began and continued for what seemed like hours with no luck. Just about the time he was about to give up and pronounce the sport of river fishing as boring, Wham! A giant female steelhead of about 8 to 10 pounds just slammed that muddler minnow. The fish jumped at least 3 feet into the air and darted every which way in the river. Even more impressive, its mate joined in the show and jumped alongside her as if to say, “Hold on Honey I know you can get out of this Jam! Jump! Jump! Jump! And so the show was on!
Ron says he doesn’t really remember exactly how long the battle lasted, but everything seemed to slow down like a slow motion movie where time just stopped. Then the unthinkable happened, his mono line bunched up on the reel and he was unable to control the drag and poof perhaps the best fish of his life was gone. As Ron recalls, the worst part of losing that amazing Michigan Steelhead was knowing that he had approached the river too casually. His rod was not really suited to handle such a magnificent trophy fish, his line was not fresh, and so the greatest show of a lifetime ended with a deep sense of loss that would haunt him for years to come. Needless to say, these two fishing brothers went on numerous other such wading expeditions up and down the Pere Marquette River and others but rarely had the good fortune of finding Steelhead in great numbers to fish during the past decade. It was not until Ron met Chad Betts of Betts Guide Service and went down the Muskegon River that he learned the truth about Steelhead fishing. It can take a lifetime of wading nearly every river in the state of Michigan to match one day on the Mighty Muskegon River! In the one day Ron and his brothers went with Chad Betts down the Muskegon they each caught three or four nice sized Steelhead. That is more Steelhead than they had caught collectively over the past decade wading noteable rivers like the Manistee and Pere Marquette. If you want to see the some of the Spring Steelhead they landed, watch some our videos.
As with any great fishing adventure the river changes daily. No one can predict exactly when the Winter Steelhead run will give way to the Spring Steelhead run, but you should book your trip early as the action really heats up as temperatures break and Spring is in the air. This year has been a great year for Steelhead fishing on the Muskegon River. We are routinely seeing clients land their limits and that translates to a lot of great memories. So, why wait and miss out on the greatest show on earth! Book the dream Steelhead float trip of your life and take home some memories that are sure to keep you up nights dreaming of your next Steelhead fishing adventure! But, remember Betts Guide Service is not responsible for your addiction to catching Steelhead. But, we happen to think it is an addiction that you will truly come to enjoy and appreciate with every run you take down the river.
Call Betts Guide Service today!
To schedule a fishing trip of a lifetime:
Phone (231) 519-7348
or visit online at
Where you can book a trip online using PayPal’s secure forms of payment.
