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Where to fish

  • Forecast
  • Catches

Mine

  • Favorites
ForecastCatchesFavorites
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© 2026·AI-powered bite forecast
0.1.0+2166 · bee8965a

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United States / Michigan / Muskegon River

Bite forecast: Muskegon River

  • length 208 mi
  • Flows into Muskegon Lake
Loading map…

Best fishing days for the next week

  1. TuesdaySeptember 8weather-based forecast
    72/100high activity

    Drizzle: 55–75 °F

Nearby rivers

  • West Branch Clam River6 mi

Nearby water bodies

  • LakeCranberry Lake4 mi
  • LakeHaskell Lake5 mi
  • LakeRice Pond5 mi
  • LakeCaner Lakes8 mi
  • LakeDyer Lake8 mi
  • LakeLilly Lake9 mi
  • LakeLittle Norway Lake9 mi
  • LakeBig Norway Lake9 mi

Muskegon River (Michigan) — a popular fishing spot. About 335 km long. Flows into Muskegon Lake. A smart bite calendar — moon phase, atmospheric pressure, and weather combined into an hourly fish-activity forecast for the coming days.

ThursdaySeptember 10weather-based forecast
70/100high activity

Cloudy: 52–75 °F

  • MondaySeptember 7weather-based forecast
    67/100high activity

    Partly cloudy: 55–77 °F

  • Fish biting at this waterbody

    Choose a fish to see its hourly forecast, catches and BiteGuide.

    • Steelhead
    • Smallmouth bass

    Bite calendar

    Friday, September 4

    Aug 31 – Sep 6
    Mon
    Tue
    Wed
    Thu
    Fri
    Sat
    Sun
    Bite activity:highmediumlowslow
    Based on:weatherseasonal
    What is a bite calendar?
    Coho salmonPikeYellow perchBluegillBrook troutCarpChannel catfishLargemouth bassMuskellungeSmallmouth bassWalleyeWhite bassWhitefishRainbow troutSteelheadBlack crappieChinook salmonWhite crappieBurbotLake trout

    Black crappie

    4/10 · Weak

    Hourly activity

    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00
    Bite activity:highmediumlow

    The bite is moderate — fish feed in short bursts. A thunderstorm is possible: activity rises before the front and drops after.

    Peak bite hours

    Best time — 06:00–08:00 (dawn bite) and 19:00–21:00 (dusk bite).

    Tactics

    Work the cover — snags, weed edges, hole entrances; retrieve the lure with pauses.

    Lures

    The water's turning murky — go with bright, noisy lures: small jig or minnow bait.

    Gear

    No special gear needed — seasonal clothing will do. A thunderstorm is possible — bring a rain jacket, and pack up at the first rumble of thunder.

    Summary

    An average day — best chances during peak windows.

    How this forecast is calculated

    Why this forecast

    The computed water temperature is around 65 °F — inside the 57–75 °F comfort range for Black crappie, so baseline activity is high.

    Computed water temperature by month; the green band is the 57–75 °F comfort rangecomfort 57–75 °F65 °F
    JFMAMJJASOND

    Black crappie works the twilight: the peaks are pinned to sunrise and sunset — their times are in the sun-and-moon card above.

    The day: daylight hours and when Black crappie feeds0:0012:0024:00

    Pressure is rising 0.06 inHg over the day — the bite usually settles down after a rise.

    Pressure through the day, 0.06 inHg change
    00:00 · 29.8823:00 · 29.92 inHg

    One more input — the moon's feeding windows: within their hours the score sits higher than across the rest of the day. The window times are in the “Solunar feeding periods” card below.

    Feeding windows on the day scale0:0012:0024:00

    September is an active season for Black crappie here.

    JFMAMJJASOND

    These are the same values the bite curve above was computed from. How the forecast works

    4 SepFriday, September 4
    +68°

    Fog · feels like +71°

    Low / high
    +64°…+70°
    Precipitation
    0.00 in
    Wind
    8 mph SE
    Cloud cover
    100%
    Humidity
    97%
    Pressure
    29.85 inHg
    00:00+67°—8 mphsoutheast wind, 8 mph90%54%
    01:00+65°—5 mphsoutheast wind, 5 mph91%100%
    02:00+64°—6 mpheast wind, 6 mph94%46%
    03:00+65°0.02 in7 mphsoutheast wind, 7 mph89%100%
    04:00+64°0.13 in11 mphsoutheast wind, 11 mph97%100%
    05:00+65°0.20 in7 mphnortheast wind, 7 mph98%100%
    06:00+65°—5 mphnortheast wind, 5 mph98%100%
    07:00+64°—8 mpheast wind, 8 mph98%100%
    08:00+64°—7 mpheast wind, 7 mph98%100%
    09:00+64°—9 mphsoutheast wind, 9 mph98%100%
    10:00+64°—7 mphsoutheast wind, 7 mph100%100%
    11:00+66°—7 mphsoutheast wind, 7 mph100%100%
    12:00+68°—8 mphsoutheast wind, 8 mph97%100%
    13:00+68°—6 mphsoutheast wind, 6 mph98%100%
    14:00+68°—5 mphsoutheast wind, 5 mph99%100%
    15:00+69°—4 mphsoutheast wind, 4 mph95%100%
    16:00+70°—5 mpheast wind, 5 mph93%100%
    17:00+70°—5 mpheast wind, 5 mph92%100%
    18:00+70°—6 mpheast wind, 6 mph92%100%
    19:00+68°—7 mpheast wind, 7 mph97%100%
    20:00+66°—8 mpheast wind, 8 mph98%100%
    21:00+65°—8 mpheast wind, 8 mph96%100%
    22:00+65°—5 mpheast wind, 5 mph94%100%
    23:00+64°—5 mphnortheast wind, 5 mph93%100%
    +70°+67°+64°
    Weather throughout the day
    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00

    Sun and moon

    Friday, September 4
    The day: daylight and the hours the moon is above the horizon. Local time0:0012:0024:00
    DaylightMoon above the horizon
    Sunrise
    06:18
    Sunset
    19:25
    Day length
    13 h 7 min
    Sunshine hours
    0 min
    UV index
    3
    moderate
    Moon
    Last quarter
    Moonrise
    —
    Moonset
    15:56

    The day is 3 min shorter than yesterday.

    Sunshine hours count direct sun only — cloud cover cuts it, so it is shorter than daylight.

    Solunar feeding periods

    +14% in the windowFriday, September 4
    Feeding windows on the day scale, local time0:0012:0024:00
    Major periodsMinor periods
    • Major06:33–08:33Moon overhead
    • Minor15:26–16:26Moonset
    • Major19:04–21:04Moon underfoot

    The windows are set by the moon's transit and rise, and the forecast above already accounts for them: within these hours the bite score sits higher than across the rest of the day, while the day's overall level still comes from the catch-calibrated model.

    What are solunar periods?
    Loading map…

    Catches

    Recorded 58 catches here. Most commonly caught: Steelhead, Smallmouth bass, Brown trout. Peak season: year-round.

    • Steelhead — Muskegon River, Nov 21, 2020, 2:50 PM
      4
      Steelhead
      Muskegon River
      41 °F2 mph
      Nov 21, 2020, 2:50 PM
    • Steelhead — Muskegon River, Nov 21, 2020, 2:50 PM
      4
      Steelhead
      Muskegon River
      41 °F2 mph
      Nov 21, 2020, 2:50 PM
    • Steelhead — Muskegon River, Nov 10, 2020, 10:23 AM
      4
      Steelhead
      Muskegon River
      68 °F13 mph
      Nov 10, 2020, 10:23 AM
    • Steelhead — Muskegon River, Nov 10, 2020, 10:23 AM
      4
      Steelhead
      Muskegon River
      68 °F13 mph
      Nov 10, 2020, 10:23 AM
    • Steelhead — Muskegon River, Nov 19, 2019, 2:45 PM
      4
      Steelhead
      Muskegon River
      39 °F2 mph
      Nov 19, 2019, 2:45 PM
    • Steelhead — Muskegon River, Nov 19, 2019, 2:45 PM
      4
      Steelhead
      Muskegon River
      39 °F2 mph
      Nov 19, 2019, 2:45 PM
    • Steelhead — Muskegon River, Nov 07, 2019, 3:14 PM
      4
      Steelhead
      Muskegon River
      28 °F9 mph
      Nov 07, 2019, 3:14 PM
    • Steelhead — Muskegon River, Nov 07, 2019, 3:14 PM
      4
      Steelhead
      Muskegon River
      28 °F9 mph
      Nov 07, 2019, 3:14 PM

    Measured river conditions are available for Muskegon River: current gauge height, streamflow, and water temperature when reported by the source.

    Water

    Gauge height
    6.97 ft
    Streamflow
    549 ft³/s

    USGS gauge MUSKEGON RIVER AT EVART, MI, 21 mi away · measured 2026-09-04 05:45 · data source · provisional data, subject to revision

    BiteGuide·From anglers’ reports

    What actually worked on this water

    Based on 58 verified catchesPeriod: 2016–2020

    This is a summary of anglers' reports, not a proven cause of the bite: conditions lining up does not mean they drove it.

    By fish species

    vertical axis — number of catches

    01836
    36104222111
    SteelheadSmallmouth bassBrown troutLargemouth bassRainbow troutWalleyeBrook troutChinook salmonPike
    By fish species
    ValueCatchesShare
    Steelhead3662%
    Smallmouth bass1017%
    Brown trout47%
    Largemouth bass23%
    Rainbow trout23%
    Walleye23%
    Brook trout12%
    Chinook salmon12%
    Pike12%

    By month

    vertical axis — number of catches

    0815
    1311464414155
    FebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
    By month
    ValueCatchesShare
    Feb12%
    Mar35%
    Apr1119%
    May47%
    Jun610%
    Jul47%
    Aug47%
    Sep12%
    Oct47%
    Nov1526%
    Dec59%

    By time of day

    53 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    0612
    576757121111
    4567891011121416
    By time of day
    ValueCatchesShare
    04:0059%
    05:00713%
    06:00611%
    07:00713%
    08:0059%
    09:00713%
    10:001223%
    11:0012%
    12:0012%
    14:0012%
    16:0012%

    Air temperature, °F

    48 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    0612
    712536771
    2332415059687786
    Air temperature, °F
    ValueCatchesShare
    23–30 °F715%
    32–39 °F1225%
    41–48 °F510%
    50–57 °F36%
    59–66 °F613%
    68–75 °F715%
    77–84 °F715%
    86–93 °F12%

    Pressure, inHg

    48 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    0713
    212131362
    28.7428.9429.1329.3329.5329.72
    Pressure, inHg
    ValueCatchesShare
    28.74–28.90 inHg24%
    28.94–29.09 inHg1225%
    29.13–29.29 inHg1327%
    29.33–29.49 inHg1327%
    29.53–29.69 inHg613%
    29.72–29.88 inHg24%

    Wind direction

    47 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    0612
    4232610812
    NNEESESSWWNW
    Wind direction
    ValueCatchesShare
    N49%
    NE24%
    E36%
    SE24%
    S613%
    SW1021%
    W817%
    NW1226%

    Wind speed, mph

    48 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    0713
    101113104
    0491318
    Wind speed, mph
    ValueCatchesShare
    0–2 mph1021%
    4–7 mph1123%
    9–11 mph1327%
    13–16 mph1021%
    18–20 mph48%