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Muskegon River lake run regulations

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The run corridor The mouth Croton Dam — the run stops here The piers — 9%
The pale water is where chinook were holding on 2026-09-30 — 91% of the run was still out on Lake Michigan, which this picture does not reach. That day's gauge and lake readings were measured. Drawn 30 September 2026, north up, and it is a map of the river rather than of the lake it runs from.

Great Lakes tributary rules are their own rules, and they are not the inland trout regulations: seasons, gear and possession on run water differ by river and often by reach. MDNR's own guide is the regulation on the Muskegon River and this page is not. Lake sturgeon carries a restriction of its own on this water, catch-and-release with possession closed in the sturgeon's case, and the notes below say which. 5 run species are recorded on this corridor, and the season on each is the state's rather than the window on this site's calendar — a window is when the fish move and a season is when you may fish for them.

52.0 corridor miles · Lake Michigan · windows curated from MDNR guidance · page built 30 September 2026

Where the rules are

Great Lakes tributary regulations are their own rules — seasons, gear and possession on run water differ from the inland trout regulations, and they differ by river and often by reach. Michigan's regulation summary on this site is here, and MDNR's own guide is the regulation.

Species carrying their own rules

Lake sturgeon

Lake sturgeon is a Michigan state-threatened species. Possession is closed on this water and the fishery is catch-and-release. The MDNR rehabilitation strategy and the Fishing Guide are the rules; this page is not.

The run species and their windows

A window is when the fish move and a season is when you may fish for them. These are the windows; the seasons are in the state's guide.

SpeciesWindowPeakRestriction
Chinook salmon 15 Aug – 31 Oct 15 Aug – 15 Oct general tributary rules
Coho salmon 1 Sep – 30 Nov 15 Sep – 15 Nov general tributary rules
Steelhead 1 Oct – 31 Dec 15 Oct – 15 Dec general tributary rules
Lake-run brown trout 20 Oct – 31 Jan 1 Nov – 15 Jan general tributary rules
Lake sturgeon Apr–June May own rules

More on the Muskegon River

Nearby run rivers

The rest of the run

Open the lake-run map →Every run river, with where the fish are holding today.Or get BirdTrout on the App Store