GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — The Grand River is our state’s longest river – stretching about 250 miles through a lot of typically tree-lined scenery.
But when you start trading in trees for buildings you start to hit the real sweet spot for a lot of different species of fish – especially this hard-fighting one with a steely resolve.
"I compare hooking a steelhead to trying to harness a lightning bolt," said Tom Werkman from Werkman Outfitters. "I mean, they really pull and run and bring out drag and people like that. That fun and chaos."
This trout brings licensed anglers looking for a fight, from all over here to the Grand River and downtown GR all year long.
“In our opinion, the Grand River is probably the best steelhead fishery in the state of Michigan,” said Tom from the bow of his jet boat. But the end of March to beginning of April is one of the best times to have a line in the water.
The non-native fish spend most of their time in Lake Michigan, but make the trip up the river to breed and the Grand River acts as the perfect highway.
“They need clean gravel that's not full of sediment, and they needed to be well-oxygenated," DNR Fisheries Biologist Addie Myers told men. "For them to create their reds in the streams. So in a smart, a lot of small tributaries that come directly into the Grand have good habitats and the Grand is more just the funnel into those areas.”
But they do hit some roadblocks along the way
"Once they reach Sixth Street, they have to navigate the fish ladder where we're standing, here, before they can continue upstream," added Myers. "So this is a really good urban area that anglers can come and fish."
A not-so-secret spot for anglers and non-anglers alike.
"We're seeing multi-year fish classes anywhere on up from your fry, right on up through your adult fishes,” said Werkman. "We also are seeing a lot of biomasses in here that's very healthy, which is a sign of a very healthy ecosystem."
And that is thanks, in part, to the City of Grand Rapids measuring the water quality of the Grand and diverting storm water and avoiding sewer overflows.
"It's an urban fishery, and people tend to think of an urban fishery as it's, 'oh, it's polluted'," Werkman told us. "And the history of the Grand River is really a one of ruin-to-recovery. The cities along the Grand River have done a lot of work in helping improve the water quality through here as well as the habitat."
Good for the fish and good for the angler – getting a chance to chase some wildlife in the middle of the city.
"There's a lot of different things you can do by fishing in downtown or around downtown Grand Rapids that you wouldn't be able to get when you're fishing in the northern river," Wekman added.
On cold days like those in March, having access to a hot meal or drink— not to mention other facilities— a day on the river here can be, well... grand.
Remember, a valid fishing license is required to fish in Michigan.
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