Suburban trout fishing is found in Portage Creek, which joins the K-Zoo River in the city of Kalamazoo. The north-flowing creek begins as a trout stream and ends up as a Super Fund Site because of paper-mill waste. Obviously, the place to fish is upstream near the town of Portage. The prime reach is between Center and Milham roads. There are trails and parkland along parts of the stream here. Like Augusta Creek, this stream is stocked with brown trout, and it is open enough to fly-fish in some areas.

North of the city of Kalamazoo, Spring Brook joins the big river. It is home to an excellent population of wild brown trout and a few brookies. Interestingly, I have caught as many tiger trout -- a brook/brown hybrid -- here as I have brookies. This is probably a testament to the scarcity of the brook trout. If this stream were larger, it would surely be classified as a "blue-ribbon" trout stream. Much of lower Spring Brook flows through back yards, which makes it open enough to fly-fish but also requires that you get permission from the landowners. An abandoned railroad trail provides access to the middle of the creek, and this is probably your best bet for good trouting. The growth rate is good here, and the DNR has raised the minimum to 12 inches for browns below DE Avenue.

Just north of Spring Brook, Silver Creek offers small-stream trout anglers another chance at wild browns. There is a better chance at brookies in this stream than Spring Brook, and the best fishing is in the first few miles up from the main river.

North of the city of Kalamazoo, Spring Brook joins the big river. It is home to an excellent population of wild brown trout and a few brookies.

The outlet of Gun Lake becomes a trout river a few miles downstream from the lake. Gun Creek is stocked each year with brown trout. The best fishing is found in its middle and lower sections in the southeast corner of Allegan County. Most of the stream has been dredged and straightened, but there is plenty of wood in the water for cover. Access is at its many road crossings. The stream is open enough for fly-fishing in its lower half.

The next two trout tributaries to the Kalamazoo join the main stream from the south. Pine Creek is a fairly good-sized stream that flows through three counties and joins the Kalamazoo just west of Otsego. However, the people who named Michigan's streams must have been confused here, because this flow is known as Sand Creek in Kalamazoo County, Menthe Drain in Van Buren County and Pine Creek in Allegan County. While the water quality is good and quite cold, this stream lacks spawning habitat and therefore must be planted each year with brown trout. The fishing is fairly consistent throughout its length, and many road crossings provide access.

Swan Creek is found in southern Allegan County and joins the main river a short distance downstream from the Allegan Dam. Lakes in its headwaters keep the water too warm for trout until about 109th Avenue, and the best fishing is downstream from 112th Avenue. The creek is stocked with browns, and the lower creek flows through the Allegan State Game Area, so there is very good access to the better trout water.

While the Rabbit River joins the Kalamazoo fairly near its mouth in western Allegan County, you will have to travel east to Wayland to find trout in this tributary. There are wild browns in the headwaters of the Rabbit, and it is stocked as it nears Wayland. This is small, tight water, but large brown trout are possible. Bridges provide access, and most of the stream flows through wetlands and forest in this area.

The last trout feeder stream joins the Kalamazoo just downstream and across the river from the Rabbit confluence. Mann Creek is a small stream that used to be planted with brook trout and now supports a wild brookie fishery. Parts of this creek are also in the state game area, plus a number of bridges provide access.