River Conditions

January 19th

Things on the river are looking more like normal...average water levels finally,nice chunky resident trout and a good push of fresh winter chrome ! Recent high waters brought in a much needed new run of winter steelhead on the Muskegon River. I was out all week and had good to great days with some very nice sized fish, several pushing 10-11 lbs....very nice ! This weekends cold snap will give the fish a chance to settle in and get acclimated to their new environment and the fishing should be great this coming week.

Get rid of those winter blues with a day on the water !!!

Half day trips for $200

Spring dates are booking up, call or email now for open dates.

January 12th

I hit the river with a couple friends today, first day since Wed. The river has crested and fallen a few inches with decent visibility from Newaygo to the Dam. We had a decent day landing several but still working for everyone. This has been a year where you must stay focused and concentrate on every drift or you might miss your chance. The fish seem to be pretty happy with the new conditions and fought very scrappy for the cool winter temps. Slow water with good bottom cover has been the key the last two times out. We did see a few brighter fish, this could be a good sign. Bigger,brighter has been the key...clowns and chartreuse did the job this week.

Plenty of days open for this winter, also getting calls for spring. Don't wait book now before its too late.

January 8th

Just a quick update.....

As expected the river did come up big time ! We finally have the much needed water and this should start bringing up a few new fish. Congrats goes out to Mike Craig of Ft. Smith Montana for landing an awesome buck today !! A great wild fish pushing just over 12 lbs ! We had a great am but the rising water quickly caught up with us shutting the fish down right around noon. Look for the upper river to clear first maybe a day or two.. Finally we can up our tippet and fly size .

I will keep you posted on the river conditions.

January 4th

Happy New Year !!!

Well the start of the new year looks very similar to the end of 2007....cold snowy and low water.

I did fish the Muskegon on Jan. 1 2008... there were no New Years Steelies to be landed that day, we hooked a fish or two but landed none... I did put a good hurting on some nice gills this week and have a few dinners worth... I will be back on the Muskegon and will hopefully get a few steelies to kick off the count for the new year. We are for casted to get a decent warm up early next week and this should spike the water again and shuffle the deck a bit. Look for small stones and nymphs to start producing a little better with the passing months. Also don't be afraid to try bigger brighter patterns from time to time to catch the eye of a passive fish. Fish slow and with confidence in your flies and location.... they are there....just be patient. Big numbers this winter are a rarity....the norm has been a few hookups a day rather than a few hookups per run. It will get better....But a day on the river no matter how slow still beats doing just about anything else...

See you on the water !

I am now offering 1/2 day winter instructional's on the water.... the where's,when's and why's....for winter steelies. Fly selection,technique (flies,floats,plugging) your choice and water reading ....putting the emphasis on the learing rather than the catching. 2 ppl $200.00 4 hours.

December 30th

Here comes the new year!
And it looks as if there are a few new fish on the way! Recently the river spiked and that has pulled a few more fish up. By no means has the fishing gotten easy....or even close to the numbers we have had in the past couple winters. But there are fish here to be caught. All you need to do in to adjust your expectations, fish hard and you will be rewarded. Egg patterns both real and fake still fooling the majority of the fish...clowns,Oregon cheese,pale pinks and oranges doing the best. As for nymphs...stones,pheasants and caddis. We guide all winter and would love to get you on the water.

Happy New Year !

Now is the time to book up your prime time spring dates.

December 22nd

We are in full winter mode now. Clear and cold...fish slow and thoroughly. Don't be afraid of switching patterns. There are fish in the rivers to be caught but they have been making you work for them most days...others...they seem to come a little easier. The mornings have been better in my boat and after the sun gets high it has been a tough go. Due to the extremely low clear water the sunny days have been VERY tough. We are getting a good snow melt right now and I am sure that the water will spike in the next day or two. Look for fish from the lower stretches to move up and those in the upper sections to let their guard down a bit. The honest truth is that there are a fair number of fish but with the conditions they have been very weary. Be ready to work for your fish and make the most of every hook up. Eggs flies in naturals have been the best recently,along with very small caddis and stone flies. Get rid of those holiday blues and away from all the in-laws...book a trip between the holidays....Full and 1/2 days available.

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas !

Thanks to all for making it another great year for Riversbend Guide Service. I hope to see everyone in 2008 !

December 13th

Things are looking a little better..... We finally got a good dose of fresh snow and the river looks like a true " Winter Wonderland" This should give us a much needed dose of water. The extended forecast shows above normal precip and temps for the rest of the month. The Muskegon got a slight bump in water the other day and when this happens the fish seem a little happier. Eggs still getting it done mostly, but small Pt's,hares ears, and caddis also getting some play.Although the fish numbers are still low. We are in winter mode now and offering 1/2 day trips for only $200.00 and full days are $325.00. Everything included.

Book a trip with Riversbend Guide Service....The premier guide service on the Muskegon from the Dam to the Lake ! Since 1992

Guided trips make great gifts for that special family member !!! Contact us for details

December 10th

Well I haven't updated in a while and it is about time....Still things are about the same..most days a fish or two..or three...then you get a day where you get into a few pools with several. Due to the clear water small nymphs are finally producing....tiny trout size stuff on light small hooks,and natural egg patterns. I have been exploring a few other rivers and have found very similar conditions....good one day....tough the next. We are still getting into fish everyday..but still has been a work in progress... Look for similar fishing thru the winter unless we get a good dose of water. Visibility on the upper Muskegon is well over 15'..

Guide trips make great gifts...contact us for that special unique gift...

November 29th

Brrrrrr........ Winter has arrived. The fishing remains about the same....one day great the next....slowwwwwwwwwwww...The river continues to drop and clear making the fishing a little tougher. Most of the fish that remain in the upper to middle sections all have phd's in tackle identification. With the lower river only holding a few new fish it doesn't make the numbers any easier. Still fishing mostly eggs, both real and yarn. Look for the bite to possibly get a little better with the cooler temps taking some of the pressure off the fish.

Gift certificates ???? Make great Christmas gifts.

1/2 day specials are now available. $200.00

November 22nd

Big News!!! The fishing this week has defiantly improved, we did see another small push of fish this week and they are hungry ! Cooler temps and less people and a slight increase in flow is to blame. We generally see a good push sometime between deer opener and the first of December so it looks as if they are right on time. Eggs still getting it done with the real thing kicking the butt outta the fake stuff. The leaves are almost fully down, so those wanting to pull plugs will soon be able to do it with ease.

Still a few open dates this month and plenty in December, please contact us if you are interested. Also I will offer a 1/2 day special for 200.00 from now through the end of February. This is about 4-5 hours on the water with hot Coffee and snacks in a heated jet boat.

Guide trips also make great gifts! Gift Certificates available.

November 13th

Currently the fishing has been a roller coaster.....One day fairly good...next surprisingly slow ! (Although we are catching several each day) This has mostly been due to changing weather patterns and small groups of fish moving through the river , without a huge overlap of fish as they move upstream. Also the aggressiveness of these fish adds to the slower fishing , meaning the biters are getting picked off very quickly. making it all that much more important to be first. Without the normal wet,cold,windy weather we are seeing an increasing amount of fishing pressure.

Eggs still seem to be the favored fare....with nymphs slowly getting noticed as natural eggs disappear from the drift.

Still a couple openings around the up coming holiday weekend ! And into December...

November 5th

Just a quick update...

As you can see we are catching some very nice steelies, however the fishing hasn't been easy by any means. In fact it has been rather tough most days. The super bright sunshine and vodka clear waters have made it very important to downsize everything. Most of the action has been in the early am and then about 11 am.....its like a switch..the bite is off.We need alot of rain to get this run back on track. Pray for rain !!!



Still catching most of the fish on egg patterns but nymphs have also played a role as of late...small dark and natural.

Still have a couple days open in November and plenty in December.

October 29th

As the picture show we are still getting some very nice steelies! But did you see the pic of that awesome river brown? Congrats to Bob for landing a true trophy river brown....this fish was almost 5 lbs! The steelhead fishing did slow slightly due to the dropping and vodka clear water. A good rain would do wonders for the rivers now. One thing for sure.....these conditions defiantly separate the "men from the boys" as the water clears the fishing gets tougher forcing the top guides to adapt and adjust in order to get their clients into chrome!

Egg patterns,nukes and glo bugs in natural colors and clowns. Beads also starting to produce in the natural tones. Streamers too!

Still a few days open in November and December....Please call for openings 231.250.9745

October 23rd

Well as you can see from the recent photos.....Michigan's silver gems have began to return. We have targeted steelies exclusively the last few days and have been rewarded with some beauties. BUT .... don't be mislead... we have had to work very hard for the fish. They are here but not in huge numbers by any means, be ready to cover lots of water and be ready to loose some tackle looking for them. You may hook 3 in one spot then fish literally hours before you find another. There are still fishable numbers of Chinooks in the river too.

Only a few open dates for the fall including this coming Saturday. And a couple in November.

Don't miss out... December dates are starting to book now.

October 20th

I have spent the last week or so on the Muskegon river, My game plan for my guided trips was to target steelhead for the first few hours then go after the much more numerous kings..... Well.... We were able to hook up a couple steelies each day but only have a couple pics due to cold weak batteries and camera shy fish.....not to mention that they are fighting very hard due to the warm water temps. The steelie numbers are down from last year but with the river rising almost 10 inches the last few days it is just a matter of time now? Possibly tomorrow ? There are still numerous kings in the river if thats your thing...but be ready to cover lots of water looking for Mr. Chromer. The reward will be worth the effort...not to mention these fish EAT IT !!! Eggs .....Eggs..... Eggs.....My focus turns to Steelhead full time this weekend. See you out there.

Pere Marquette.... stil has decent numbers of salmon and a few steelies turning up very close to the salmon.

The Big Manistee...... fairly good numbers of kings close to the dam....fresh steelies near the kings and down low.

October 12th

Well the peak on the Pere Marquette has defiantly come....This week spawning kings were falling off like crazy. There are still a good number of freshies in some of the pools but it looks as if the run has peaked. There will be fish-able numbers here for weeks to come and the lack of pressure will help keep the action going strong.

I begin on the Muskegon river Saturday the 13 th. Our main focus will turn to steelhead mostly but I am sure we will target a few kings for the next week or so.The main fly pattern ??? EGGS !!! Hope to have a few pics of chrome here in the next day or so. Check back for more info on the Muskegon river.

October 9th

Well it was kinda nice having a few days off, it was time to recharge the batteries. I was able to get out and do some fishing on the lower Muskegon river. I fished three mornings and had pretty good fishing throwing hardware for kings, tried a few runs for steelhead but no luck on them. Did see a few though. The Pere Marquette has a good number of salmon still and looks to be fishing almost normal for the calendar date. Pretty full from here till December,although I do have a day or two if you are interested or I can sure steer you in the direction of a great guide. The weather is starting to cool finally and it looks as if we are going to get some rain ......See you on the river.

October 4th

Ok....is the fishing has gotten a little better....or am I just finally realizing we wont see a big push this fall on the PM ???? We did see a few small groups of fish move through the last several days, these groups moved very fast and ended up in the flies only water in just a day or two. The river remains very low even though we did get a couple showers this week. Steelhead numbers continue to increase, we hooked a couple this week and saw a few landed. Look for the Pm to have good numbers well into October this year.

September 26th

Well................nothing really new to report, the fishing is still fairly slow. There are way more pools that are empty than those with fish. The fish are spread thru the entire river at about the same consistency. We did get two steelies last week ,that was a welcome treat. I am guessing at this point we will not see a huge push, only a constant trickle into the system. There are plenty of fish spawning and those fish are starting to look pretty rough as they finish their life cycle. Hopefully this weeks rain will get things fired up a bit.

Muskegon is starting to see a few fish. I fished it this past weekend way downstream from newaygo and we managed a few on cranks. I was however suprised that we did not see many fish in the pools, mostly singles in the pools. New pics soon.

September 18th

Still nothing has changed, I am sure that all of you are reading all the reports all over the internet and wondering ......is it really that tough ???? YES !! The fishing is very tough and unless you are on the right spot alot of water has to be covered in order to make a day out of it....We are catching fish everyday ...but.. like I said you need to cover alot of water. There are fish in pools.runs and many spawning for those into the sight fishing. The lake finally rolled last weekend and this should help. But as of today it looks as if there are just enough fish coming in to replace those that are spawning out. Pray for rain to send the main push up the river.

The Muskegon has a few fish already but no big numbers there either. Another 2 weeks until this river fires up.

September 14th

S L O W ......S L O W ..... Thats the current status of the PM. The fish are coming in at a snails pace and many are spawning under the cover of darkness. So far no big number days. But if you are willing to loose some tackle you can hook a few each day. Hopefully by next weeken the lake will roll over and send them to the rivers. The Big M has a few more than the PM down low. The Muskegon is also a little behind. Pray for wind and rain.....

September 7rd

Not much to report this week, the fishing has been very tough. Unlike what other reports may "say" the salmon run is way behind as far as numbers. There are fish spread out thru the system but a "good " hole is only holding about 4-8 fish. We need some rain as everyone says but a good strong north or east wind will help immensely, as this will finally push the near shore waters (which are very warm) off and allow the cooler water to help the fish up the river. Not many fish landed this week but we have managed to hook about a dozen each day, some fair others not. Things should improve by next weekend. See you out there.

September 3rd

The Salmon Circus kicks off full gear for me on Sept 4. Tis the season for the return of the King. My forecast is a great run again on all rivers with really good numbers but unfortunately I feel that the size will be down, judging by the size of the fish we caught on the lake fish over 20 lbs will be rare.....but who knows for sure. The steelies will however be large like last falls wonder full run. Photos and reports will be updated daily or as needed....please keep in mind that I am on the water everyday and that there is not always time to update EVERYDAY like some may like. I will keep the info current and update as needed.

August 28th

Sorry for the delay, most of you know by now I spend alot of time on the Big Lake in the summer months chartering out of Ludington, however i do sneak away to the rivers here and there. The fishing has been kinda slow mostly due to the low water levels and hot summer weather......true dog days of summer. Although recent rains and cooler nights have began to bring a few kings in the rivers. Mostly still fishing best in the lower ends. Look for hardware to be your best option for biters in the next week or two.

July 3rd

Sorry for the lapse, I have been on the big lake alot recently but had the opportunity to take a great couple guys on the Mo for smallies.WOW !! Quite possibly one of the best summer trips I have ever had, we lost count of all the smallies our best guess was well over 4 dozen ! 2 pike, and couple nice trout rounded out the day.Our biggest was 16 1/2" but alot of fish between 12 - 15 " About half of the fish were taken on clouser minnows and the other half on ultra light rods with floating rapalas. The water is very low due to the lack of rain over the last few weeks.

The PM has been fishing great round the clock, morning and afternoons have produced some nice trout on hoppers and attractor patterns. Evenings are still seeing a few hexes and various spinners. Also the mouse bite has been on! Great fishing is to be had on most of the rivers.