Below Croton Dam: access, current, and the fishing calendar

Start with the side of the dam. Croton Pond and A.W. duChemin Park are above it. The Croton tailwater is the moving Muskegon River below it. This page is about the tailwater and the lower river, not Croton Pond or Hardy Pond farther upstream.

For shore access, start at Charles Besemer Muskegon River Park by the Croton Drive bridge. DNR lists a steep paved launch, trailer parking on both sides of the road, a walkway under the bridge, a barrier-free path and fishing platform from the west lot, and another fishing pier just below the dam. Pine Street is the next listed ramp, 1.3 river miles downstream. That short distance does not make the tailwater a beginner float.

Water discharged through a hydro plant can change the current without much warning. Consumers Energy says the discharge enters below the surface and can create turbulent, rising and falling currents, undertow, and recirculation that are difficult to see. Stay away from the dam structure, obey signs, lights, and sirens, and do not use the tailwater as a casual swimming or tubing launch.

Newaygo County posts current launch status and closes river access at its published gauge thresholds. Check the live launch list and the USGS Croton gauge before leaving home rather than relying on yesterday’s “open” report. DNR calls this a big river with swift current and says wading generally stays near the edges.

Croton Dam is also a line for fish. DNR says it is the first upstream barrier for fish moving from Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan, and there is no other main-stem dam between Croton and Muskegon Lake. The Croton-to-Newaygo reach is shallower, with sand, cobble, and boulders. Below Newaygo, the river is generally deeper and better suited to boats, though submerged wood remains a concern.

The fishery has a rhythm, but those months are not a substitute for the law. DNR describes Chinook salmon fishing in September and October, steelhead from late October through June, stocked brown and rainbow trout through the year, walleye from spring into midsummer, and smallmouth bass along the lower river. Check the current fishing regulations and trout-and-salmon map for the exact stretch, legal season, tackle, size, and harvest rules.

One spring wrinkle is easy to miss: DNR may run its annual walleye egg collection between Croton Dam and Pine Street. In 2026, the agency told waders to leave the water when electrofishing boats approached. Dates change, so look for the current DNR notice instead of carrying an old week onto next year’s calendar.

For launch spacing, a downtown first look, or a trip ending in town, continue to the Newaygo river-access guide.