Grand River Fishing Report

Grand River Steelhead

Spring has finally started to arrive here in West Michigan and so have the steelhead. Fishing on the Grand River has started to pick up over the last few trips. Fresher fish from Lake Michigan have started to show up in and around Grand Rapids, as well as nice mix of darker hold over fish. 

Water temps are in the mid 40s, which is perfect for beads and spawn. 10mm and 12mm beads have been the ticket in bright oranges and peach colors. Try colors such as Super UV Orange, UV Fireball, and Super UV Peach. Spawn bags around the size of nickels to quarters in pink, chartreuse, and white have also been working as well. 

With waters temps being more on the warm side, try fishing faster speed water around 4-6 feet deep. Some fish will also start to be in pockets behind gravel beds. These will most likely be your darker winter run fish. Warmer water temps mean the fish have need for oxygen and will be in faster water than in their slower winter holes. 

Typically, I like to run 8-11 gram bobbers with according sized split shot to weigh the bobber correctly. Remember that this is the time of year when fish are spawning and to be very concise with harvesting fish, especially females. 

Soon it will be time to start thinking smallmouth bass and northern pike.  With that said, check out our line of handcrafted tackle and lures for musky and northern pike.  

If you’re interested, click on the button below to make sure you’re ready for the spring and summer months. 

Handcrafted Lures

We still have some steelhead dates open so drop us a line if you want to get outside and enjoy a Michigan spring in Grand Rapids with us and come and see what the Grand River is all about.  

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Grand River Fishing Report

Grand River Steelhead caught in downtown Grand Rapids
Grand River Steelhead caught in downtown Grand Rapids

With arrival of spring, warmer temperatures are starting to arrive and that means one thing on angler’s minds; steelhead. The Grand has bumped to around 6500 cfs as a result of the melting of what little snowpack we had. This bump in flow is what we need to start our spring steelhead run. Recent trips have shown that the run has yet to start. Not many new fish have arrived to the system yet. Water temperatures have been around the 36 degree mark, which is still a little cold for the fish. All the fish we have encountered over the last few days have been dark, hold over fish that have been living in the river all winter long. Not seeing the new, fresh fish from Lake Michigan has made fishing tough. Next weeks forecast is showing more rain and warmer air temperatures, which will help bring new steelhead into the system.

Right now, larger beads and spawn bags have been what is bringing fish to the boat. With the high and dirty water, these presentations are what works best this time of year. The fish need to be able to see and / or smell what you’re presenting in order to have results. Try presentations with brighter beads such as Super UV Orange, Super UV Peach, UV Fireball, and Chartreuse in 10mm-14mm. Beads are usually the preferred presentation this time of year but larger “Choker” bags with 8-12 or even more eggs in them will work as well. Because the river is running “fast” and the water temp is still “cold” we’ve been running 11-20 gram floats, which slows your presentation down and allows time for the sluggish fish to see or smell your presentation. Remember to use the correct amount of weight to match your float bobber. This will allow your beads or bags to get near the bottom quickly.

Bottom bouncing is also a great technique to use as well. This method allows you to be on the bottom, in the strike zone, at all times.

Remember that this is the spring run. Be selective of fish you’re taking out of the river. Let the females go so they can continue their journey to the tributaries, create the redds, spawn and return back to Lake Michigan. This helps ensure we have a healthy, wild population of steelhead for the future.

Any day now large numbers if fish will be in all of West Michigan’s rivers, so come fish with us and experience what the spring run on the Grand River is all about.

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Grand River Fishing Report

This has been a crazy winter with the mild temps. Ice has been non-existent to mostly unsafe and the Grand is finally in good shape. Here is our Grand River fishing report as of February 18, 2020.

Steelhead Fishing:

With temps around freezing we’ve been able to get out on the river and chase some steelhead. Along with the dark fall hold-overs, fresh chrome fish have been showing up in the systems. This means that our spring run of steelhead is just starting and fishing will continue to get better.

  • Man holding a steelhead caught on the lower Kalamazoo

Eggs and spawn have been the most productive. Chartreuse and white colored bags are what works best. Usually running around 4-8 eggs in a spawn bag.  Beads such as peachy king, glow roe, and egg yolk are also working. Try using sizes 8 millimeters all the way to 12 millimeters based on water level. Jigs tipped with wax worms have also been bringing some fish in. 

Ice Fishing:

Safe ice has been hit or miss on area lakes. Last week the ice was safe and we could get out. With this weekends warm up, much of that ice will melt. Please pay attention to weather and call local bait shops to make sure there is safe ice. Many people have ventured out only to fall through.

When we could get on safe ice, the bluegill fishing was good. Small jigs tipped with spikes are the number one bait. Slowly jig a foot or two off the bottom in about 6 to 10 feet of water.

Perch fishing has been on fire. A live minnow will always work. Use double perch rigs just off the bottom as well as jigging something with a rattle in it. Your target water depth will be between 20 to 40.

Spring is just around the corner and so are the steelhead. Give us a call to book your trip. March and April are excellent times to get in on the run.