Big River Outfitters
Big River Outfitters focuses on having fun, enjoying the day, and hooking as many fish as possible. Its captains are inviting you to Newaygo, Michigan to join them on exciting lake and river fishing trips. They’re looking forward to fishing with you and will do everything for you to have a memorable day on the water.
You’ll be using an 18’ Woolridge jet boat powered by a 115 HP Yamaha engine. The boat’s got Lowrance GPS and Garmin fishfinder systems, and it can accommodate up to 3 guests. It features a wireless trolling motor.
Big River Outfitters will take you to some of the most beautiful and rivers and lakes in Michigan. You’ll enjoy the fascinating and serene nature of the Muskegon River, Big Manistee, Pere Marquette, and Grand River. Many intriguing fish reside in these waters, some of which include various Bass and Salmon, Sunfish, and Steelhead. Using light tackle, you can fly fish, spin, jig, drift fish, and ice fish. You can keep all the fish you catch, and you’re free to bring along kids with you.
Included in the price is all the fishing gear. The tackle, live bait, and lures will all be waiting for you on board. The crew will clean and fillet your catch. You’ll just need to bring licenses, food, and drinks.
Book a trip at Big River Outfitters and have a great time fishing and admiring the rivers and lakes of Michigan.
Customer reviews
Rating summary
Photos & videos by reviewers (94)
+91Angler rating
Anglers claimed
Good experience
100%
Appropriate for children
95%
Friendly captain
100%
Satisfied with the boat
100%
Recommend this charter
98%
Caught fish
98%
Jul 17, 2025
Smallmouth Adventure and/or trout
Best day ever!
Had a chance to skip a meeting and go fishing. Went smallmouth fishing on the Muskegon River, short drive from Grand Rapids. Awesome boat, great captain. He knows the river like the back of his hand! Caught so many smallmouth I lost count. No joke I caught 50ish fish! Had steak and asparagus cooked on the boat while I was fishing. I fish every chance I get and today was the best day ever!
Had a chance to skip a meeting and go fishing. Went smallmouth fishing on the Muskegon River, short drive from Grand Rapids. Awesome...
Jul 12, 2025
Smallmouth Adventure and/or trout
Captain Anthony was AWESOME and a Standup guy!!
Captain Anthony was flexible and started 2 hours early from the stated start time. He was patient and really took time to teach us the different techniques we used to fish for trout, smallmouth, etc. He's funny too. We are going to try to schedule another trip in the next few months.
Captain Anthony was flexible and started 2 hours early from the stated start time. He was patient and really took time to teach...
Oct 20, 2024
Giant King Salmon experience!!
Great learning experience!
My husband and I took our 6 year old on this king salmon adventure. He had never been on fishing boat and was used to mostly pan-fish at home. Anthony let him sit near me while we were moving, even let him sit on his own cooler. He answered all the random questions a 6 year old could spout and even listened to a child's "fish tales" from home catches. He helped get fish on the line when needed and worked on a new skill with my husband learning to use the fly rod which he had never done. He offered helpful suggestions on the fly that enabled us to catch more and offered photo suggestions (as well as taking some photos of us himself and sending us after the trip) to keep those memories! We definitely plan on booking with him again for another new adventure!
My husband and I took our 6 year old on this king salmon adventure. He had never been on fishing boat and was used to mostly...
Oct 12, 2024
Giant King Salmon experience!!
Fantastic birthday trip for our 12 year old :)
My husband and I gave this trip to our 12 year old for his birthday. He said it was the best fishing experience he’d had. We drove from Indiana because our kiddo had never caught salmon, and captain Anthony was a great teacher - he let us use fly rods and a spinner, and he was very patient teaching first timers how to do it. At no point did he seem frustrated or impatient with our snags/errors. He was clearly aiming to teach so he could let us do it ourselves (the biggest fish our kiddo caught was all him, from the cast to the landing, and he was so proud!) but when Anthony noticed we didn’t have all three poles in the water or were maybe a bit slow to get all of our lines out there in a good spot, he also helped out by constantly casting himself to make sure a line was always well placed in the water so we had constant fish to land - the trip was constant action :) Always a fish on to reel in. He just provided a great balance of teaching/letting my kiddo do it all himself, while putting forth every effort himself to get as many fish on lines for us to land to keep it fun. :) all 3 of us caught multiple salmon, probably ranging from 12ish pounds to mid-20s. Also, Anthony is friendly and hilarious ;) And shared lots of information about the salmon run and how it works (which was super fun for my kid, who is definitely an information seeker when it comes to fish). He also was quietly taking awesome photos of all of us in the background when we had fish on that he sent us after the trip, and even had plastic bags for our fillets when we forgot to bring some. Made an effort to get us to a quieter part of the river on a crowded Saturday (and I can see why these salmon runs bring crowds to the Tippy Dam area). Kiddo had never landed a fish that big and he was over the moon to land several. (He slept well that night - said his arms felt like jelly from landing them). It’s all everyone in the family has heard about since we got back. In short, Anthony knows what he’s doing! And he clearly loves doing it and sharing it with kids and first timers. Thanks so much for an awesome time! We came home with bags of fillets we are going to smoke, and kiddo wants us to keep your contact info for future trips. :)
My husband and I gave this trip to our 12 year old for his birthday. He said it was the best fishing experience he’d had. We drove...
Jul 27, 2025
Panfish
Great trip!
Highly recommend for anyone who wants to get out on the water and enjoy a relaxing day catching fish. Captain Anthony kept moving around and trying different set ups, until we started catching.
Highly recommend for anyone who wants to get out on the water and enjoy a relaxing day catching fish. Captain Anthony kept moving...
Trip availability and prices
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Customer reviews
Rating summary
Photos & videos by reviewers (94)
+91Angler rating
Anglers claimed
Good experience
100%
Appropriate for children
95%
Friendly captain
100%
Satisfied with the boat
100%
Recommend this charter
98%
Caught fish
98%
Experience:
Boat
Crew
Overall
Best day ever!
Smallmouth Adventure and/or trout on July 17, 2025
Had a chance to skip a meeting and go fishing. Went smallmouth fishing on the Muskegon River, short drive from Grand Rapids. Awesome boat, great captain. He knows the river like the back of his hand! Caught so many smallmouth I lost count. No joke I caught 50ish fish! Had steak and asparagus cooked on the boat while I was fishing. I fish every chance I get and today was the best day ever!
Had a chance to skip a meeting and go fishing. Went smallmouth fishing on the Muskegon River, short drive from Grand Rapids. Awesome boat, great captain. He knows the river like the back of his hand! Caught so many smallmouth I lost count. No joke I caught 50ish fish! Had steak and asparagus cooked on the boat while I was fishing. I fish every chance I get and today was the best day ever!
Experience:
Boat
Crew
Overall
Captain Anthony was AWESOME and a Standup guy!!
Smallmouth Adventure and/or trout on July 12, 2025
Captain Anthony was flexible and started 2 hours early from the stated start time. He was patient and really took time to teach us the different techniques we used to fish for trout, smallmouth, etc. He's funny too. We are going to try to schedule another trip in the next few months.
Captain Anthony was flexible and started 2 hours early from the stated start time. He was patient and really took time to teach us the different techniques we used to fish for trout, smallmouth, etc. He's funny too. We are going to try to schedule another trip in the next few months.
Experience:
Boat
Crew
Overall
Great learning experience!
Giant King Salmon experience!! on October 20, 2024
My husband and I took our 6 year old on this king salmon adventure. He had never been on fishing boat and was used to mostly pan-fish at home. Anthony let him sit near me while we were moving, even let him sit on his own cooler. He answered all the random questions a 6 year old could spout and even listened to a child's "fish tales" from home catches. He helped get fish on the line when needed and worked on a new skill with my husband learning to use the fly rod which he had never done. He offered helpful suggestions on the fly that enabled us to catch more and offered photo suggestions (as well as taking some photos of us himself and sending us after the trip) to keep those memories! We definitely plan on booking with him again for another new adventure!
My husband and I took our 6 year old on this king salmon adventure. He had never been on fishing boat and was used to mostly pan-fish at home. Anthony let him sit near me while we were moving, even let him sit on his own cooler. He answered all the random questions a 6 year old could spout and even listened to a child's "fish tales" from home catches. He helped get fish on the line when needed and worked on a new skill with my husband learning to use the fly rod which he had never done....
Experience:
Boat
Crew
Overall
Fantastic birthday trip for our 12 year old :)
Giant King Salmon experience!! on October 12, 2024
My husband and I gave this trip to our 12 year old for his birthday. He said it was the best fishing experience he’d had. We drove from Indiana because our kiddo had never caught salmon, and captain Anthony was a great teacher - he let us use fly rods and a spinner, and he was very patient teaching first timers how to do it. At no point did he seem frustrated or impatient with our snags/errors. He was clearly aiming to teach so he could let us do it ourselves (the biggest fish our kiddo caught was all him, from the cast to the landing, and he was so proud!) but when Anthony noticed we didn’t have all three poles in the water or were maybe a bit slow to get all of our lines out there in a good spot, he also helped out by constantly casting himself to make sure a line was always well placed in the water so we had constant fish to land - the trip was constant action :) Always a fish on to reel in. He just provided a great balance of teaching/letting my kiddo do it all himself, while putting forth every effort himself to get as many fish on lines for us to land to keep it fun. :) all 3 of us caught multiple salmon, probably ranging from 12ish pounds to mid-20s. Also, Anthony is friendly and hilarious ;) And shared lots of information about the salmon run and how it works (which was super fun for my kid, who is definitely an information seeker when it comes to fish). He also was quietly taking awesome photos of all of us in the background when we had fish on that he sent us after the trip, and even had plastic bags for our fillets when we forgot to bring some. Made an effort to get us to a quieter part of the river on a crowded Saturday (and I can see why these salmon runs bring crowds to the Tippy Dam area). Kiddo had never landed a fish that big and he was over the moon to land several. (He slept well that night - said his arms felt like jelly from landing them). It’s all everyone in the family has heard about since we got back. In short, Anthony knows what he’s doing! And he clearly loves doing it and sharing it with kids and first timers. Thanks so much for an awesome time! We came home with bags of fillets we are going to smoke, and kiddo wants us to keep your contact info for future trips. :)
My husband and I gave this trip to our 12 year old for his birthday. He said it was the best fishing experience he’d had. We drove from Indiana because our kiddo had never caught salmon, and captain Anthony was a great teacher - he let us use fly rods and a spinner, and he was very patient teaching first timers how to do it. At no point did he seem frustrated or impatient with our snags/errors. He was clearly aiming to teach so he could let us do it ourselves (the biggest fish our kiddo caught...
Experience:
Boat
Crew
Overall
Great trip!
Panfish on July 27, 2025
Highly recommend for anyone who wants to get out on the water and enjoy a relaxing day catching fish. Captain Anthony kept moving around and trying different set ups, until we started catching.
Highly recommend for anyone who wants to get out on the water and enjoy a relaxing day catching fish. Captain Anthony kept moving around and trying different set ups, until we started catching.
FAQs about Big River Outfitters
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