Kalamazoo River
MI · Allegan
- Stocked
- USGS gauge
The pin is approximate, near the middle of the water. The shoreline on the map comes from OpenStreetMap.
At a glance
- County
- Allegan County
- Last stocked
- June 10, 2026
- Species
- Walleye, Chinook salmon, Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon
Conditions
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Overview
In Allegan County the lower Kalamazoo River runs from Allegan Dam, the first barrier upstream from Lake Michigan, through the Allegan State Game Area to the harbor at Saugatuck. Michigan DNR notes this reach is not a designated trout stream, but stocked rainbow trout (steelhead) and brown trout provide fishing from late fall through spring, and the lower river gets a late fall run of lake trout. DNR also stocks walleye and Chinook salmon in the river for seasonal fishing, and smallmouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish and suckers live here. Brown trout are caught less often than steelhead in the upper part of this reach. Public access includes the DNR site below Allegan Dam, with tailwater fishing, a hard-surfaced launch, shore fishing and wading; New Richmond, an Allegan County park with a launch, fishing platforms and a boardwalk; carry-in access for canoes and small boats at M-89 and Ottawa Landing in the game area; Howard Schultz Park near Douglas, run by Saugatuck Township, which charges a launch fee; and the city launch at Saugatuck Harbor, near the Lake Michigan pier heads where steelhead and brown trout are caught in spring.
Regulations
This reach is not a classified trout stream. See Regulations for Streams Not Classified as Stream Type in the current Michigan Fishing Regulations: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/fishing/fishing-regulations
Stocking history
| Species | Qty | Size | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | 54588 | 3.22 | 06-10-2026 |
| Chinook salmon | 124672 | 9.2 | 05-09-2026 |
| Rainbow Trout | 23212 | 19.5 | 04-03-2026 |
| Rainbow trout | 3611 | 18.1 | 05-06-2025 |
| Walleye | 2650000 | 0.3 | 05-01-2025 |
| Walleye | 1300000 | 0.3 | 04-28-2025 |
| Walleye | 795000 | 0.3 | 04-25-2025 |
| Coho Salmon | 30400 | 14.1 | 04-10-2025 |
| Rainbow trout | 20864 | 19.6 | 04-07-2025 |
Gear for the fish stocked here
Walleye
Rod: Medium action spinning rod, 6 to 7.5 feet, for jigs and live bait. Medium to medium-heavy, 6.5 to 9 feet, for crankbaits and trolling.
Line: 6 to 10 lb for jigs and bait, 10 to 12 lb for crankbaits and trolling. Mono, fluorocarbon or braid all work.
Baits: minnows, nightcrawlers, leeches
Lures: lead-head jigs with 3 to 4 inch curly tail grub or shad plastics, blade baits, deep diving crankbaits
Chinook Salmon
Rod: Trolling: 8.5 to 10.5 foot medium to medium-heavy downrigger rods. Rivers: 8.5 to 9 foot drift rods rated 15 to 30 lb.
Line: 15 lb mono for big-lake trolling; 20 to 25 lb for drift fishing for river Chinook.
Baits: salmon roe or spawn bags, cut bait, sand shrimp
Lures: spoons, flasher or dodger with a fly or cut bait, plugs
Rainbow Trout
Rod: Light or ultralight spinning rod, about 4.5 to 8.5 feet; 5 to 6.5 feet suits stocked ponds.
Line: 4 to 10 lb monofilament, with 6 to 8 lb a good middle. Go lighter in clear water.
Baits: worms or cut nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, kernel corn
Lures: small inline spinners, small spoons, curly tail jigs and grubs
Likely species (watershed)
Muskellunge, Ninespine Stickleback, Popeye Shiner, Silver Lamprey
Likely species come from USGS Aquatic GAP ranges for the whole watershed (HUC8). They show what may be here, not a count of this water.
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Some stocking records are adapted from LurePassion (formerly lurepassion.com) (normalized and matched to our waters), licensed CC BY 4.0. State agencies retain their own terms for the underlying records.