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Home › Waters › Michigan › Muskegon River
River · West Michigan · Michigan

Muskegon River Fishing Guides

The big tailwater below Croton Dam, a year-round steelhead and trout river wide enough to row all day and close enough to Grand Rapids to fish after work.

A wide sand and gravel bar on a slow river below a timbered bank

Map of the Muskegon River

62 numbered points: 18 access points, 15 campsites, 2 bait & fly shops, 2 outfitters, 11 bridges, 8 parks and conservation areas, 2 agency offices, 3 hazards, 1 USGS gauge. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Sep 25, 2026.

Printable version →
  • Access / boat ramp (18)
  • Campsite (15)
  • Bait, tackle & fly shop (2)
  • Outfitter / canoe rental (2)
  • Bridge crossing (11)
  • Park / conservation area (8)
  • Agency / conservation office (2)
  • Dam / hazard (3)
  • USGS gauge (1)
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Points are curated from OpenStreetMap and state agency sources; confirm access and hours before you go.

Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.

Open the printable map
All 62 points on this map
#PointTypeLat, LonNotes
1Reedsburg Dam
First dam below Houghton Lake		Dam / hazard44.35577, -84.85983Holds back the Reedsburg flooding at the head of the river. Portage; no through route over the structure.
2Reedsburg Dam State Forest Campground
Michigan DNR state forest campground		Campsite44.35833, -84.85825Rustic sites on the flooding immediately above the dam, at the top of the float.
3Houghton Lake Field Office
Michigan DNR · 5.1 km from the river		Agency / conservation office44.33303, -84.79432DNR field office for this stretch. Well off the water — listed for contact, not as an access.
4Launch at East Houghton Lake Road
Unnamed slipway in OSM, at the road crossing		Access / boat ramp44.33546, -84.88931Carried in OSM as an unnamed slipway beside the East Houghton Lake Road bridge; not in the DNR boating-access layer, so treat as informal.
5South Paradise Road
Road crossing		Bridge crossing44.26304, -84.89651
6East Cadillac Road
Road crossing		Bridge crossing44.24865, -84.89644
7South Dolph Road
Road crossing		Bridge crossing44.22541, -84.87524
8Canoe Camp
Riverside camp		Campsite44.21368, -84.84739Tagged in OSM simply as "Canoe Camp"; a paddlers’ camp on the upper river.
9Jonesville Road
Road crossing		Bridge crossing44.15390, -84.86020
10Muskegon Road
Road crossing		Bridge crossing44.13885, -84.89838
11Pine Road
Road crossing		Bridge crossing44.08190, -85.01311
12Duggan's Canoe Livery & Campground
Canoe livery and campground		Outfitter / canoe rental44.03727, -85.03281Livery and riverside campground at the Temple Drive crossing, which sits directly beside it.
13Great Lakes Central Railroad
Railroad crossing		Bridge crossing44.03090, -85.03843
14The Old Log Resort
Private campground / resort		Campsite43.98825, -85.09086
15River Country Campground
Campground and canoe trips		Outfitter / canoe rental43.93288, -85.20771Campground that also runs canoe trips on this reach; typed here as an outfitter for that reason.
16Riverside Park West
City of Evart		Park / conservation area43.89736, -85.25672Riverside park on the west bank at Evart; Riverside Park East sits opposite.
17Evart riverside launch
Unnamed slipway in OSM, at Riverside Park		Access / boat ramp43.89567, -85.25748Carried in OSM as an unnamed slipway inside the Evart riverside parks, below the South Main Street bridge.
18Crawford Park
Michigan DNR · 1 lane, 5 trailer spaces		Access / boat ramp43.94684, -85.14963DNR boating access site; OSM carries the ramp as an unnamed slipway at the 30th Avenue crossing.
19135th Street
Road crossing		Bridge crossing43.87257, -85.35725
20Blodgett Landing
Riverside campground and landing		Campsite43.84888, -85.43534
21White Pine Valley Recreation Area
Mecosta County · 0.8 km off the river		Park / conservation area43.78969, -85.48529County recreation area above Paris; the river frontage is a walk from the main area.
22Paris Park
Mecosta County park		Park / conservation area43.79038, -85.50104
23Paris Park Campground
Mecosta County campground		Campsite43.78647, -85.50106
24Hoover Road
Road crossing		Bridge crossing43.77878, -85.50018
25Tube launch, Big Rapids
OSM name: "tube launch" · at Baldwin Street		Access / boat ramp43.70840, -85.48115Small launch on the Big Rapids riverwalk beside the Baldwin Street bridge. Named exactly this in OSM.
26Osceola Park
Big Rapids riverside park		Park / conservation area43.70604, -85.48173
27Centennial Park
Big Rapids riverside park		Park / conservation area43.69360, -85.47214
28River Bend Bluffs
Michigan DNR · carry-in, 1 parking space		Access / boat ramp43.64223, -85.44275DNR boating access site. Very small: no ramp lanes recorded, one parking space.
29131 Bridge
State-agency site · 1 lane, 10 trailer spaces, 1 pier		Access / boat ramp43.60765, -85.49348Boating access site at the US-131 crossing; OSM carries the ramp unnamed.
30Rogers Dam Pond Boat Launch
On the Rogers Dam impoundment		Access / boat ramp43.62310, -85.47309Launch on the pond above Rogers Dam; the pond shore, not the free-flowing river.
31Rogers Dam
Hydro dam		Dam / hazard43.61335, -85.47864Portage. The pond above is flat water; the river resumes below.
32Northland Drive
Road crossing		Bridge crossing43.60765, -85.48070
338 Mile Road
Road crossing		Bridge crossing43.58393, -85.52645Public launch at this crossing is the "131 Bridge" DNR site listed above.
34River Ridge Resort & Marina
Private resort and marina		Campsite43.58173, -85.52944
35Brower Park Campground
Mecosta County campground		Campsite43.56136, -85.54883Sits on the Hardy Dam impoundment; an unnamed launch is tagged at the same point.
36Newaygo State Park campground
Michigan DNR · Oak and Poplar loops		Campsite43.50374, -85.58483Two named loops, Oak and Poplar, on the Hardy Dam impoundment; one marker stands for both.
37Big Bend Township Park
Big Prairie Township · 0.76 km from the water		Campsite43.51348, -85.58031
38Oxbow Park
Hardy Dam impoundment · 0.95 km from the water		Campsite43.50448, -85.60832Measured to the chained centreline, which runs down the middle of the impoundment.
39Sandy Beach County Park
Hardy Dam impoundment · 0.90 km from the water		Campsite43.49709, -85.63073Measured to the chained centreline, which runs down the middle of the impoundment.
40Hardy Dam Reservoir Park
On the Hardy Dam impoundment		Park / conservation area43.48548, -85.62618Hardy Dam itself is not tagged as a dam in OSM anywhere on this reach and carries no marker on this sheet.
41Croton Dam
Hydro dam		Dam / hazard43.43711, -85.66411Portage. The tailwater below is the head of the well-known Croton-to-Newaygo float.
42Charles Besemer Muskegon River Park Boat Launch
Township park launch below Croton Dam		Access / boat ramp43.43481, -85.66574First launch below the dam, beside the Croton Drive crossing.
43Pine Street
Michigan DNR · 1 lane, 30 trailer spaces		Access / boat ramp43.42343, -85.67545
44High Rollway
Michigan DNR · 3 lanes, 30 trailer spaces		Access / boat ramp43.41493, -85.71906DNR name is High Rollway; OSM labels the same ramp "Thornapple Public Boat Launch".
45High Rollway Roadside Park
Michigan DOT roadside park		Park / conservation area43.40594, -85.72106Overlook above the river, separate from the boat launch of the same name.
46Ed H. Henning Campground
Newaygo County park campground		Campsite43.42122, -85.78767
47Henning Park
County · 2 lanes, 40 trailer spaces		Access / boat ramp43.41886, -85.78999
48Riverside Park, Newaygo
Village riverside park		Park / conservation area43.42215, -85.80002
49Parsley's Sport Shop
Tagged shop=fishing in OSM		Bait, tackle & fly shop43.41884, -85.80083The one tackle shop on the river corridor that OSM records as a fishing shop.
5037 North
Tagged shop=outdoor in OSM		Bait, tackle & fly shop43.41967, -85.80016An outdoor shop rather than a tagged fly or bait shop; check before relying on it for tackle.
51New Bridge
Michigan DNR · 1 lane, 10 trailer spaces		Access / boat ramp43.41512, -85.81133
52Anderson Flats
Michigan DNR · 3 lanes, 15 trailer spaces		Access / boat ramp43.38877, -85.82839
53Salmon Run Campground
Private campground		Campsite43.38959, -85.83716
54Mystery Creek Campground
Private campground		Campsite43.38063, -85.87097Run with Chinook Campground downstream.
55Marl Pit Creek Boat Launch
Public launch		Access / boat ramp43.36269, -85.91673
56Chinook Campground
Private campground		Campsite43.34754, -85.93619
57Bridgeton Township Park
Municipal · 1 lane, 12 trailer spaces, carry-down		Access / boat ramp43.34672, -85.94005Township park launch at the Warner Avenue crossing.
58Maple Island
Michigan DNR · 2 lanes, 25 trailer spaces		Access / boat ramp43.31838, -86.03347
59Muskegon DNR Wildlife Office
Michigan DNR · 1.4 km from the river		Agency / conservation office43.29254, -86.05742
60Walleye Pond
Michigan DNR Wildlife · 1 lane, 6 trailer spaces		Access / boat ramp43.29781, -86.07919DNR name is Walleye Pond; OSM labels the same ramp "Holton-Duck Lake Road Boat Launch".
61Mill Iron Boat Launch
Public launch near the mouth		Access / boat ramp43.26864, -86.15073Last launch before the river opens into Muskegon Lake.
62USGS 04121970 — Muskegon River near Croton
Live stage and discharge		USGS gauge43.43475, -85.66532Placed on the roster gauge coordinate, which falls on the centreline just below Croton Dam.

Guides on the Muskegon River

Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.

Order on this page: premium and outfitter plans first (labelled Premium placement), then claimed free profiles, then unclaimed — one published price, no bidding for position. How placement works

About the Muskegon River

The Muskegon below Croton Dam is West Michigan’s workhorse. Cold releases hold trout through the summer, the steelhead run is long and dependable, and the river is big enough that a guide can row a full day without repeating water. From Croton down through Newaygo and Bridgeton to Muskegon Lake it is a wide, gravel-and-run river with excellent spawning habitat and a genuinely strong wild steelhead component alongside the stocked fish.

Steelhead define the calendar. Fish enter in the fall behind the salmon, hold through the winter, and the run peaks from March into April when boats line up in the classic gravel reaches. Between runs the river fishes well for resident browns and rainbows, with a heavy hex hatch in June and good streamer water all year. Summer brings smallmouth and walleye into the mix on the lower reaches, and the whole river gets recreational tubing traffic on hot weekends.

The Croton gauge is the release number. Something in the 1,200 to 2,500 cfs range is normal working water; higher releases in spring make the wading reaches unfishable and push the boats to the banks, while low, clear summer flows concentrate fish and make long leaders necessary. Consumers Energy changes releases seasonally, so check the current reading the morning of a float rather than assuming last week’s number.

Newaygo is the river town, with shops, ramps and guides, and Grand Rapids is forty-five minutes away, which is why this river gets fished so hard on weekday evenings. The reach immediately below Croton is the most popular and the most crowded in steelhead season.

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Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

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Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Flow alert

Tell me when the Muskegon River cfs

Now: 1,230 cfs, read 6:45 am CST, Mon Nov 2, 2026 (USGS 04121970, MUSKEGON RIVER NEAR CROTON, MI).

We never use this address for anything else and never share it. See the privacy policy.

Access

Croton Dam: the top of the tailwater, parking and the first ramp.
Pine Street and Thornapple: upper tailwater access points below the dam.
Newaygo boat launch and Henning Park: the main mid-river ramps.
Anderson Flats and Bridgeton: lower river launches with long float options.
Maple Island: the bottom of the standard guided water.
Muskegon Lake and the mouth: for run timing and lower-river fishing.
Summer tubing traffic is heavy between Croton and Newaygo on warm weekends.

Seasons

Year-round tailwater; it does not freeze off below the dam.
March and April: peak spring steelhead, the busiest and best-known weeks.
May through August: resident trout, the June hex hatch, smallmouth and walleye downstream.
September through December: salmon first, then fresh fall steelhead and quiet water after the leaves drop.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Muskegon River?

As of Nov 2, 6:45 am, the USGS gauge MUSKEGON RIVER NEAR CROTON, MI reads 1,230 cfs, the 24th percentile for this date, with water temperature 57.6 F. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Muskegon River?

Anglers target Brown Trout, Chinook Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Steelhead, Walleye on the Muskegon River in Michigan.

Are there fishing guides on the Muskegon River?

GuidedFloats lists 2 guides and outfitters on the Muskegon River. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.

Where can you access the Muskegon River?

Croton Dam: the top of the tailwater, parking and the first ramp. Pine Street and Thornapple: upper tailwater access points below the dam. Newaygo boat launch and Henning Park: the main mid-river ramps. Anderson Flats and Bridgeton: lower river launches with long float options. Maple Island: the bottom of the standard guided water. Muskegon Lake and the mouth: for run timing and lower-river fishing. Summer tubing traffic is heavy between Croton and Newaygo on warm weekends.

When is the best time to fish the Muskegon River?

Year-round tailwater; it does not freeze off below the dam. March and April: peak spring steelhead, the busiest and best-known weeks. May through August: resident trout, the June hex hatch, smallmouth and walleye downstream. September through December: salmon first, then fresh fall steelhead and quiet water after the leaves drop.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Muskegon River?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Michigan agency site: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/fishing/fishing-regulations