The Arctic lockdown is set in. Fishing should be very good if it ever warms up. The steelhead have been unmolested as access is limited on the river. Poor things are probably getting hungry- unless they've adapted to eating slush! The river was still a welcome sight today even though we couldn't get out. Many ducks are taking to the river as is the only open water around, and bald eagle came down and made for a spectacular view.

The smiles say it all. We managed to get out the last few days and enjoy the beauty that is the river in winter. A temporary reprieve from the bitter cold that the winter has thrown our way so far this year, was a great opportunity to search for, and find some awesome steelhead!

  Here are Robert and Mark with just a few of theirs from yesterday, and Erin and Andrew back from Colorado for the holidays fishing with me today. Erin was able to land her first steelhead, actually a couple of dandies. A rookie no longer!

Every day we've managed to put a fair number of fish to the net. Hopefully we get some more opportunities to get out with breaks in the cold.

The snow continues to fall, the steelhead continue to feed, and we continue to fish for them.

Nothing has really changed on the river. As the water temperature has dropped to normal December levels, the bite may be a little more hit or miss. But we have managed to hit more than miss. This should continue as we go through the holidays. The boat launches can be a little treacherous, so be careful;). Hope to see you out there.

Here are some photos from this week. First, Tom and his 11 year old daughter Megan show some great steelhead from her birthday trip. Caught and landed some all by herself, some with a little help from dad. Way to go Megan, quiite a show for your first steelheading venture. Also some steelhead and a great brown trout courtesy of Tom and John .

I had the rare chance to get out for a couple hours by myself yesterday and excercize the center pin. The water has dropped and cleared to more normal winter levels, and water temps have dropped considerably. Thankfully steelhead numbers are very strong and fishing appears good yet. I did have to fine tune my presentation a little to counteract the lower/clearer conditions, but as you can see the steelhead were still willing to come out and play. There is something strangely quiet and beautiful about winter fishing that is unique and always envigorating. Maybe it's just the body and souls reaction to the fresh air after being stuck inside for a while. It's supposed to warm a bit next week. You know where I will be- hope to see you out there.

Nathan

Good fishing continues with the good flows. There are a lot of steelhead in the system. We should see some continued strong winter fishing. This week there were some BIG steelhead landed in my boat. Here are Jason and Cal with the biggest, a 17lb bruiser. Big fish=Big fight, this one gave us all we could handle, going airborne like an early fall fish. True to form though,Jason brought him to the net for a few quick pictures. Did I mention he had just landed one weighing in a little over 15lbs less than an hour beforehand. What a day!

2013 has been quite a year on the mighty Muskegon river. An epic salmon run has been followed up by an equally impressive run of fall steelhead! We've been so busy in that I have to apologize for the lack of river reports.   Here are a sample of photos from our latest outings. Winter steelhead fishing should be good when old man winter grants us reprieve. I've got a feeling my tire chains are going to get a workout this winter!

Well after flirting all fall with the 30 pound mark, John finally put us across the threshold. This beast bottomed out my Boga Grip, and we had to borrow a higher scale from a fellow guide that was fishing nearby. 32.5 lbs and just shy of 44 inches long.

Steelhead have started to show in modest numbers, and more salmon continue to show up. A very bountiful fall. It's an absolutely beautiful time of year to be on the river. Make sure you get out and enjoy it.