Waters · United States
Muskegon River (Croton) fishing report
Updated Friday, 9 October 2026 · refreshed automatically through the day
Below Croton Dam the Muskegon runs cold and steady all year, which is why its steelhead hold from October through April instead of flushing out with every rain. Dam release schedules matter more here than rainfall does.
Today's report: excellent (86/100)
Brown Trout is the most promising species on Muskegon River (Croton) today. Water temperature at the gauge is 16.8°C (62°F) and barometric pressure is stable. Gauge MUSKEGON RIVER NEAR CROTON, MI shows the water level steady (0 cm/24h).
Muskegon River (Croton) water temperature and flow
- Water temperature: 16.8°C (62°F)
- Discharge: 33.4 m³/s (1,180 cfs) — down 0% over 24 hours
- Level trend: steady
Measured at gauge MUSKEGON RIVER NEAR CROTON, MI · reading 22 min ago. Published by the national hydrological service, not estimated by us.
Best time to fish today
- 12:00–14:00 local time — score 84/100
- 19:00–21:00 local time — score 82/100
- 01:00–03:00 local time — score 88/100
3-day outlook by species
| Species | Friday 9 Oct | Saturday 10 Oct | Sunday 11 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steelhead | 72 — good | 69 — good | 62 — good |
| Chinook salmon | 81 — excellent | 80 — good | 76 — good |
| Brown Trout | 86 — excellent | 88 — excellent | 88 — excellent |
Why this score
Cast & Scan uses a deterministic, published scoring model — no black box. The strongest influences on today's Muskegon River (Croton) rating:
- water temperature: helping (+1)
- solunar period: helping (+1)
- season: helping (+1)
- precipitation: helping (+0.9)
- cloud cover: helping (+0.85)
- river flow: helping (+0.85)
Forecast computed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:51:46 GMT · data: Open-Meteo + gauge MUSKEGON RIVER NEAR CROTON, MI · refreshed automatically through the day · see our published accuracy
Wondering how this stacks up against the apps you already know? Cast & Scan vs Fishbrain vs BassForecast — an honest comparison, including where they beat us.
Read before you go
- The best time to fish for bass
- Trout stream tactics, read through the forecast
- How river flow trend changes the bite
- Barometric pressure and fishing, explained
More steelhead waters
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Nearby waters
- White River (Whitehall) — Michigan, USA (46 km away)
- Grand River (Lower) — Michigan, USA (54 km away)
- Manistee River (Tippy Dam) — Michigan, USA (94 km away)
- Au Sable River (Mio) — Michigan, USA (183 km away)
- St. Joseph River (Niles) — Michigan, USA (185 km away)
- Milwaukee River (Harbor) — Wisconsin, USA (187 km away)