Shiawassee River

[turfndirt]

I've recently gotten hooked on river smallmouth since they opened the Red Cedar on campus to Michigan State students. I've heard good things about the Shiawassee for smallies as well. I'm not from the Lansing area so I don't want to trek over there this summer. The Shiawassee flows right through my hometown (Fenton) so I was wondering if anybody had any experience with it. Any locations on the river that have produced for you? 

[stackenem]

I know that there are smallies in Bryon in the river so I am pretty sure that they are all thru the river in Fenton also. Let me know when your in the area and we can put my canoe in and make a day trip. I live in Linden.

[djkimmel]

Been a long, long time for me since I've been on that river but I went to high school in Owosso in the olden times. It was a mix of carp, sucker, few largemouth bass, some big pike, with mixed in smallmouth bass runs and holes.

A neighbor taught me how to catch a few bigger smallmouth bass from a few key areas. Rocky riffles were full of small smallmouth. It can be a slower river in that area but still shallow rock, gravel runs. I used to catch lots of smaller smallies right out behind the junior high school across from Curwood Castle on lunch break! (Wonder if the kids can still do that or not? Not enough schools where you can do that in my opinion!)

In my early, 'formative' years I branched out a ways from Owosso to find other stretches of the Shiawassee that held smallies and pretty much everywhere I found rocky, gravel riffles and runs I caught smallies. Some stretches held lots of little ones and other stretches held more keeper-sized bass. The slower, lazier holes I found usually had some pike in them.

I would say if you have public access of some kind to a rocky, gravel run area by shore, wading or canoe/kayak you should find a bunch of smallies still. Maybe there are more stretches with bigger ones now too like so many other places? I've always liked rivers.

[turfndirt]

I'll shoot you a pm stackenem when I'm back in town from school. I've heard great things about the Shiawassee in the Owosso area as well. Have you been south on the river? I feel like the further away from the bay I get the less fish there are going to be IMO

[lynxer]

I live right on the river in Owosso.. We probably take 3-4 trips a month in the summer months up river north into the Henderson/Chesaning area. Lots of smallmouth.. north of Owosso.


Great fishing from a canoe/yak.. They have a nice new launch site just north of the VG's grocery store off north M-52 in Owosso.
(Left on first street after VG's heading north, follow it around.. will be on your left after treatment facility.)

[djkimmel]

That's good information to know! Is it just for small trailerless boats?

[mikesmiph]

I've fished it several times. Mostly in the Chessening area. Had decent luck. Fished it some near Linden with a little luck too. It's a nice river to put a canoe on and take an easy day.

[lynxer]

That's good information to know! Is it just for small trailerless boats?

Trailer' less launch.


We have a few "hot spots" we stop off and fish along the way.. Feel free to drop a pm if in the area, always up for a fishing trip.

[turfndirt]

mikesmiph when you fished it near linden were you catching smallies? And where did you launch at?

[mikesmiph]

Yes, they were smallies, but we didn't launch down that way. We followed the shore, sometimes wading. It's very shallow in most parts in that area. We would catch them in the weeds along the shoreline. Nothing of any size, but it's always fun.

[Coop]

My brother lives right on the Shiawassee above the dam in Linden. He lives about 1000 ft before it opens into Tupper Lake. Obviously Tupper then flows into Ponemah. Ponemah is a great bass lake. Many different tourneys on this lake throughout the summer. Largmouths are the ticket here, but I have caught some 1-3 lb smallies in the Shiawassee stretch above the Dam until Tupper.  Texas Rigs are the ticket for me around the timber following the dam. Once you move up there are many lilly beds (frogs / Punching) work best in here.

[djkimmel]

Good and helpful information to know! Thanks! I forgot there's any connection there until I looked at the satellite images again the other day. I'm most familiar with the Owosso, Corunna, Vernon, Chesaning and up towards the Saginaw River, though it's been awhile to too many years to remember since I've fished some of those stretches. I barely recognized the Shiatown Dam area the last time I drove over there just to take a look.

[lynxer]

They took the shiatown dam out.. 2 years ago?

River is flowing really fast through that area now.


Still decent fishing before the dam..

[djkimmel]

They took the shiatown dam out.. 2 years ago?

River is flowing really fast through that area now.

Still decent fishing before the dam..

I didn't know that! It has probably been 3-4 years, maybe longer... since the last time I drove around to check out the scattered mid-Michigan fishing holes. I guess I'll have to take another road trip later this spring to check out what's what over there again.

Did they take out the whole structure and affect the drop, or is there still a high spot there with a little backwater happening?