{"id":3054,"date":"2019-07-18T15:32:53","date_gmt":"2019-07-18T15:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/feenstraoutdoors.com\/wordpress\/?p=3054"},"modified":"2019-07-18T15:44:34","modified_gmt":"2019-07-18T15:44:34","slug":"about-this-summers-smallmouth-fishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feenstraoutdoors.com\/wordpress\/about-this-summers-smallmouth-fishing\/","title":{"rendered":"About this Summer’s Smallmouth Fishing"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Muskegon

2019 is producing some big fish!<\/p><\/div>\n

Each year is different, but this one has certainly been like none other. \u00a0 \u00a0We had a delayed steelhead run, followed by a high water spring. \u00a0 That high water followed us well into July. \u00a0 Up until earlier this month, we were at water levels that you would expect in March. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Only in recent weeks have we backed off into normal water levels. \u00a0 Our cool water fish such as trout survive much better on years with high water. \u00a0Good water levels also benefit the fry of migratory fish such as salmon and steelhead. \u00a0 \u00a0High water is healthy for the Muskegon River as a whole; resident baitfish thrive in these water conditions. \u00a0Elevated water floods the shallow edges of the river, submerging a lot of \u00a0vegetation that would normally be out of the water. \u00a0 \u00a0These flooded, weedy areas provide cover for small baitfish and fry, and as a result we end up with a lot of food in the river.<\/p>\n

\"Muskegon

High water levels have helped the baitfish in the Muskegon River thrive!<\/p><\/div>\n

This abundance of food in turn creates some very heavy predator fish, including the smallmouth bass. \u00a0As the baitfish mature we will imitate bigger minnows, especially common shiners and gobies. \u00a0Gray and tan are great colors to imitate a broad array of these fish. \u00a0 As water levels drop, the gamut of smallmouth flies works great. \u00a0 This includes crayfish patterns but it also includes some of the funnest patterns–poppers that are fished on the surface. \u00a0 \u00a0Because of the drop offs in the Muskegon, the smallmouth are often located along the edges, bass feed along the edges and this is prime territory for explosive surface bites. \u00a0 \u00a0Our guides have excellent surface patterns. \u00a0One of our guides, \u00a0Matt Zudweg, \u00a0has his own line of great poppers. \u00a0He is well regarded throughout the region for his flies. \u00a0 \u00a0His large patterns elicit some fantastic bass over the course of a summer. \u00a0You can see a sample of his poppers below:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BzEAhSPhuNV\/<\/p>\n

Because food continues to be super abundant, the smallmouth feed erratically. \u00a0 \u00a0 Water levels are currently dropping, which will concentrate baitfish and raise the metabolism of the fish, making for prime smallmouth fishing opportunities. \u00a0As the water drops and warms, expect the rest of the summer to be very good for smallmouth.<\/p>\n

Typically smallmouth fishing is very good well into September. \u00a0 \u00a0The remainder of summer is a fun, high quality time of the year to fish. \u00a0 There is something really awesome about being on the river in sandals and a t-shirt. \u00a0 As someone who fishes in the dead of winter, I can’t help but being struck by the stark contrasts in our fishing seasons. \u00a0 \u00a0The variety of warm water, cold water, and migratory fish makes the Muskegon River a great place to fish at any time.<\/p>\n

If you are interested in smallmouth bass fishing, we have trips available throughout the remainder of the summer months. \u00a0 August is prime time for numbers of fish, with some of the largest fish often caught in September.<\/p>\n

Tight Lines!—Kevin Feenstra<\/p>\n

\"Muskegon

Summer smallmouth bass are some of the most exciting fish to catch!<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each year is different, but this one has certainly been like none other. \u00a0 \u00a0We had a delayed steelhead run, followed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3061,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69,57,59,64,68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-baitfish","category-fish-photos","category-kevin-feenstra","category-matt-zudweg","category-smallmouth-bass"],"yoast_head":"\nAbout this Summer's Smallmouth Fishing – FEENSTRA GUIDE SERVICE<\/title>\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\/about-this-summers-smallmouth-fishing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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