When the weather has been mild, you are likely to find steelhead around the juncture of the Kalamazoo River and the Rabbit River, which is about halfway between Allegan Dam and Lake Michigan. Both rivers freeze here during cold spells. Occasionally, there will be a good winter run in the Rabbit, but it is a better spring fishery, with the best fishing in Hamilton and downstream from Wayland.

The Grand River receives a strong run of wild steelhead due to natural reproduction in its tributaries, as well as good numbers of hatchery fish. The prime spot for winter steelhead is the area below Sixth Street Dam in Grand Rapids. Anchor ice can be a problem here during cold weather if the river above the dam is not frozen. Floe ice coming over the dam can also interfere with fishing. Once we have had enough cold weather to completely freeze the river above the dam, ice becomes much less of a problem down below.

The Grand remains quite wadeable throughout the mile of rapids below Sixth Street unless we have a major thaw or other runoff event. Access is excellent with walkways paralleling each side of the river. You can also launch small boats on the east side just below the dam. Many steelhead will also hold just below the rapids in the winter, and a boat is very helpful here. There is a boat ramp at Johnson Park about seven miles below the dam.

Concentrations of steelhead can also be found upstream below the Lyons, Webber, Portland, Grand Ledge and two Lansing dams. A cooling water discharge at the Moore Park Dam in Lansing keeps the river in town ice-free all winter. The Rogue River, which joins the Grand just north of Grand Rapids, is the most heavily stocked tributary, and late fall rains will put steelhead in it for the winter. The Rogue will be better in the spring, and you will want to try the other planted tributaries, such as Crockery, Prairie and Fish creeks, along with the Flat River when the weather starts to warm.

For more information on the St. Joseph, Kalamazoo and Grand rivers, contact the DNR Fisheries office in Plainwell at (269) 685-6851.

HEADING NORTH
Continuing north with Lake Michigan tributaries, the Muskegon River is an excellent winter steelhead stream. It is heavily stocked, and the reach between Croton Dam and Newaygo remains ice-free all winter. You can fish this upper reach fairly well on foot even though the river is rarely crossable. But, again, a boat will allow you to cover all of the holding water. The public boat ramps at Croton Dam, Pine Avenue, Thornapple and Newaygo provide access for both boat and wading anglers.

The long gravel bars that alternate with deep pools and classic tailouts give the upper Muskegon the look of a classic Western steelhead river. The water is very clear, so lighter line and small baits are preferred here. Steelhead also stack up in the slow, deep sand holes farther downstream. You'll need a boat to fish this water and the weather must cooperate because prolonged cold spells will put ice on the river.

The storied Pere Marquette River near Baldwin hosts a very strong run of wild steelhead, and many of them migrate in the late fall, thus they provide an excellent winter fishery. The P.M. is also one of the few rivers that can get a spurt of fresh fish from Lake Michigan when we have a good midwinter thaw.

This free-flowing river is especially beautiful in the winter, with wild turkeys, deer and grouse frequently encountered along its banks. Most of the upper river between Upper Branch Bridge and the upstream limit for winter fishing -- M-37 -- is wadeable in the winter, although you may not always be able to cross where you want. Many anglers now opt for floating in a drift boat, small cartopper or canoe. Motors are not allowed on the upper river.