{"id":709,"date":"2015-02-20T22:37:31","date_gmt":"2015-02-20T22:37:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/feenstraoutdoors.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=709"},"modified":"2022-01-11T15:51:16","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T15:51:16","slug":"ecology","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/feenstraoutdoors.com\/wordpress\/ecology\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n
\n

Insect Life and Hatches of the Muskegon River<\/h3>\n

\"insect<\/p>\n

The Muskegon is a unique place for a lot of reasons. \u00a0 \u00a0Its location in the state puts it on the border between largely warmer rivers to the south and colder freestone streams to the North. \u00a0 As such, it is a nice mix between warm and cold water habitats and holds warm and cold water species. \u00a0This helps to produce great insect life and hatches in the food web of the Muskegon River.<\/p>\n

Insects<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"InsectOne thing that you will notice about the Muskegon immediately if you fish below Croton, is the amazing amount of gravel and rock in the river. \u00a0 \u00a0This type of substrate is prime habitat \u00a0for a variety of types of insects. \u00a0 \u00a0The insect life continues to change in this river. \u00a0 Often external forces, such as invasive species, play a role in which insects are abundant. \u00a0Regardless of the changes that occur, mayflies, caddis, midges, and many other types of insect thrive in this resource. \u00a0Noted hatches are gray drake mayflies, sulfurs, and Isonychias<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Crustaceans<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Insect<\/p>\n

One of the most prolific food sources available is crustaceans. \u00a0 \u00a0Crayfish are available year around but are most vulnerable to predation during the summer months. \u00a0At this time, they are numerous and frequently have a soft outer shell. \u00a0 \u00a0 During the summer, the entire ecosystem can rely on crayfish, and most of the birds and small animals along the river feed gorge on them.<\/p>\n

Scuds and Sowbugs are very common as well. \u00a0 During the winter, we commonly use scud \u00a0imitations while fishing under indicators. \u00a0At times, the scuds will appear white while mating. \u00a0Later in the winter, some will have an orange line on their bodies. \u00a0Thus and orange scud can prove deadly in the winter. \u00a0 Throughout the year, you can always use a generic tan, grey, or olive scud. \u00a0\u00a0Sowbugs are grey in color most of the year but will turn bright yellow at times.<\/p>\n

Terrestrials<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though not as prolific as on other rivers, terrestrials do play a role on the Muskegon. \u00a0 Through the trout fishing areas below Croton, flights of ants make an appearance in August and September. \u00a0These can be quite tiny, ranging in size from a size 14 to a size 20. \u00a0 \u00a0In the smallmouth stretches of the river, other terrestrials play a part. \u00a0 On the grassy areas of the river, hoppers are blown into the river on windy days, adding to the productivity of small popper patterns. \u00a0 \u00a0Smallmouth take advantage of other types of terrestrials as well, and we have seen them feed \u00a0on caterpillars and cicadas.<\/p>\n

Bait Fish<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Insect<\/p>\n

This river system \u00a0holds a dazzling array of baitfish. \u00a0These bait fish can be classified into two types, the resident bait fish and the migratory bait fish. \u00a0 \u00a0Resident bait fish include chubs, sculpins, gobies, darters, shiners, and silversides just to name a few. \u00a0 \u00a0When it comes to resident \u00a0bait fish, some become seasonally abundant and you can take advantage of this. \u00a0 Another great thing to keep in mind is the spawning seasons of the bait fish. \u00a0With few exceptions, any type of bait fish will become more vulnerable when spawning. \u00a0 \u00a0Tying flies to imitate spawning bait fish is deadly.\u00a0The other category of bait fish is the migratory types. \u00a0 \u00a0These include salmon and steelhead fry, as well as strange things like sucker fry and gar fry. \u00a0 \u00a0The key to imitating these is really simple. \u00a0Look along the edge of the river for fry and imitate the size of the fry that you see. \u00a0 Fry can be deadly while fished with a nymphing presentation for steelhead. \u00a0They also play a large part in the trout fishing whether as a stripped streamer or as a wet fly.<\/p>\n

If you enjoy learning about the biology of this river, please book a trip<\/a> to experience it firsthand. Another great way to learn about the fishing in this region with baitfish patterns is to purchase Kevin’s book, Matching Baitfish<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Insect Life and Hatches of the Muskegon River The Muskegon is a unique place for a lot of reasons. \u00a0 \u00a0Its…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-709","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nEcology – FEENSTRA GUIDE SERVICE<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Insect life and Hatches of the Muskegon River: The food web of the Muskegon River includes mayflies, caddis, crustaceans, and baitfish.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/feenstraoutdoors.com\/wordpress\/ecology\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ecology\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" 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