May 14, 2026
Contact: Olen Gannon, 231-389-2551 or Joe Mickevich, 231-878-5234

After a lightning strike at the Little Manistee River Weir (Manistee County) threatened to derail steelhead egg collection for this season, the Department of Natural Resources rallied to collect approximately 4.2 million steelhead eggs for Michigan’s state fish hatcheries. Staff were able to proceed with collection at the Little Manistee Weir, as well as deploy the Lower Platte River Weir (Benzie County) as a backup egg source for the first time, both of which contributed to the successful collection of steelhead eggs for future stocking throughout the state.

During severe weather the night of April 13, the Little Manistee River Weir facility was struck by lightning, which took out the main power, backup power source and emergency alarm notification system at the facility. This resulted in a loss of some of the fish being held in maturation ponds, as the systems that sustained the fish were offline — egg collection was scheduled to begin the following morning.

Once the damage was discovered, staff worked swiftly to restore power to the facility and collect eggs from the live fish on-site. Egg collection proceeded at this location in the following weeks, with the final collection there occurring April 29. Read more

May 12, 2026
Contact: Acting 1st Lt. Jason Becker, 313-396-6890

A group of anglers from northern Michigan was caught Friday with an overlimit of 34 walleye – more than double the daily legal limit, after fishing on the Detroit River.

“People visit Detroit from all over to take advantage of the abundant fishing offered by the Detroit River,” said Todd Szyska with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, and the division’s acting captain for the south region of the Lower Peninsula. “Our walleye fishery is world-class in part because of the many respectful anglers who follow the daily limits.”

The five anglers were staying at a rental property in the city of Detroit for the duration of their fishing trip.

Conservation officers saw the group north of Milliken State Park Friday morning. When the anglers returned several hours later, the officers observed them taking additional fish and approached the group with a search warrant.

In total, the five anglers were over the daily limit by 34 walleye. The daily walleye limit for the Detroit River is six fish per angler.

The anglers kept their legal daily limit and received citations for the misdemeanor offense. Read more

Read more

Anglers on a boat hold up a walleye they caught. (Photo credit: Pure Michigan)

Do you love walleye fishing and want to help support a strong fishery? Get out on the water this summer for the Midwest Walleye Challenge — you’ll have the chance to win cash prizes and provide useful information to fisheries biologists.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is partnering with MyCatch by Angler’s Atlas on a statewide walleye fishing challenge that includes all inland waters in the state. The challenge runs May 15 through June 28.

As part of the challenge, anglers report their catches of walleye and their fishing trips in the MyCatch mobile app. The app uses anonymous location data, so your best fishing spots stay secret, while Michigan DNR fisheries biologists get valuable information — generalized lake and river catch data entered via the app — to better assess and manage walleye populations. This year, the challenge will include two new features: County Captains and weekly challenges aimed at boosting angler engagement in participating states. Read more

Department of Natural Resources fish stocking trucks will travel well over 100,000 miles to stock more than a thousand locations this spring.

Fish stocking trucks are hitting the road! It’s a busy season: This time of year, Michigan Department of Natural Resources fish stocking trucks are releasing their prized cargo — trout, salmon, muskie and walleye — at hundreds of lakes and streams statewide.

The DNR accomplishes this work by rearing fish at its six fish production facilities located throughout the state, along with other cooperative rearing facilities, and by maintaining a fleet of 18 specialized fish stocking vehicles.

More than 20 million fish (weighing more than 350 tons) are stocked by the DNR annually. Species stocked include steelhead; Atlantic, Chinook and coho salmon; splake (a hybrid of brook and lake trout) and brown, brook, lake and rainbow trout; muskellunge and walleye. Beginning in mid-March and ending in early June, the DNR fish stocking trucks will travel well over 100,000 miles to stock more than a thousand locations.

Some of the many fish stocked will be salmon that have been implanted with a coded-wire tag or are otherwise marked or tagged. These tags provide useful information on the fishery to fisheries managers. To learn more or report a marked or tagged fish, visit Michigan.gov/TaggedFish. Read more

April 23, 2026
Contact: Christian LeSage, 517-449-7073 or Lucas Nathan, 517-599-9323

New, interactive map makes inland trout regulations easier to navigate this season

Break out that rod and tacklebox: Michigan’s trout and Lower Peninsula inland walleye and northern pike seasons open Saturday, April 25. Mark your calendar, find your fishing spot and invite an old fishing buddy — or a new one — to enjoy some spring fishing!

With the Department of Natural Resources’ new, interactive Inland Trout and Salmon Regulations map, it’s easier than ever to check the regulations for the areas you plan to fish. Find the map online at Michigan.gov/FishingMaps or in the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app, so you always have it on hand.

Anglers should be aware that in Upper Peninsula waters, the walleye and northern pike possession seasons open May 15, which falls on a Friday this year. Michigan’s muskellunge possession season on all Great Lakes, inland waters, the St. Marys River, Lake St. Clair, and the St. Clair and Detroit rivers opens Saturday, June 6 (catch-and-immediate-release fishing for muskellunge is open all year). Read more

April 17, 2026
Contact: Scott Heintzelman, 231-433-9782 or Paul Stowe (Platte River State Fish Hatchery) 231-325-4611 x122

Following recent storm damage at the Little Manistee River Weir (Manistee County), which resulted in a loss of fish, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is evaluating other options to obtain the desired quantity of steelhead eggs for future stocking. The Lower Platte River Weir (Benzie County) is being considered as a potential backup egg source.

The DNR’s steelhead egg collection target for this season is 3.5 million eggs for Michigan’s state fish hatcheries. Once the egg quota for Michigan’s stocking needs has been met, out of state requests will be considered.

To attempt to meet this target, the Lower Platte River Weir has been deployed to secure additional steelhead eggs, should they be required. While the lower weir is in operation, anglers are reminded that the Platte River is closed to fishing within 300 feet of the structure.

Despite the damage to the facilities caused by heavy storms, steelhead egg collection continued this past week at Little Manistee River Weir, and over a million eggs were collected. Additional egg collection efforts at this location are planned for next week.

To check on the status of the egg-collection schedule, call the Little Manistee River Weir hotline at 231-775-9727, then press 8.

April 14, 2026
Contact: Scott Heintzelman, 231-433-9782 or Joe Mickevich 231-878-5234

Steelhead egg collection was scheduled to begin today, Tuesday, April 14, at the Little Manistee River Weir in Stronach, Michigan. However, electrical damage during overnight storms caused a power failure at the weir facility, resulting in the loss of some of the fish being held for egg collection.

This electrical damage not only affected the main source of power, but also the backup power source and the notification system that alerts staff to power failures. Without power, the systems that sustained the fish were inoperable, resulting in the loss of many of the fish held in the facility at the time.

The weir’s main power source and three of the four pumps have been restored and Read more

April 13, 2026
Contact: Addie Myers, 989-778-0389 or Jay Wesley, 616-490-5090

The Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division has partnered with the Michigan Muskie Alliance, Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS) and Grand Valley State University to track movement of muskellunge in Lake Macatawa (Ottawa County) with acoustic telemetry.

In April 2025, acoustic telemetry tags — provided by the Michigan Muskie Alliance — were implanted in 20 Great Lakes strain muskellunge from Lake Macatawa. These acoustic tags are about the size of an AA battery and have a life of approximately seven years. After tagging, the fish were returned to the lake.

Next, eight GLATOS receivers were placed in Lake Macatawa. This equipment and other receivers in the GLATOS network “listen” for signals from fish that have been implanted with acoustic transmitters. As of November 2025, there were over 69,000 detections of the 20 tagged muskie by GLATOS receivers. Read more

April 8, 2026
Contact: Scott Heintzelman, 231-433-9782 or Steve Lenart, 231-350-8669

DNR reminds anglers of lake sturgeon fishing regulations and rehabilitation efforts

Anglers fishing Michigan’s rivers this spring may unexpectedly find themselves with a lake sturgeon on the line. While encountering one of these iconic fish can be memorable and exciting, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds anglers that special regulations exist for lake sturgeon, and fishing for lake sturgeon is prohibited except in a few locations in the state.

Can anglers fish for lake sturgeon?

In the Lower Peninsula, lake sturgeon may be encountered in waters such as Manistee Lake, the Manistee River, Muskegon Lake, the Muskegon River, the Grand River, the Kalamazoo River and Saginaw Bay and its tributaries. However, it is unlawful to fish for lake sturgeon in these locations, and any lake sturgeon incidentally caught while targeting other species must be  released immediately. If you unintentionally catch a lake sturgeon, follow the steps below to ensure a safe release for the fish: Do not hold the sturgeon in a vertical position by its head, gill covers or tail. Do not touch the fish’s eyes or gills. Handle the fish as little as possible and only with wet hands. Keep the fish in the water, if possible. Release the fish as quickly as possible. Read more