Anyone fishing the Huron River at Proud Lake Recreation Area or Spring Mill Pond at Island Lake Recreation Area may soon benefit from late-March trout-stocking efforts at these southeast Michigan destinations.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources crews stocked approximately 3,000 adult trout – fish that were retired broodstock from the state’s fish hatcheries.

• The Huron River, downstream of the Proud Lake Dam, in Oakland County, received approximately 1,200 brown trout and 1,200 rainbow trout, all ranging in sizes from 14 inches to 19 inches.
• Spring Mill Pond, in Livingston County, received approximately 220 brown trout and 400 rainbow trout, also ranging in size from 14 inches to 19 inches.
• The DNR also stocked a total of 1,550 yearling rainbow trout at the sites: 900 in the Huron River and 650 in Spring Mill Pond. Anglers should be aware that some portion of these yearlings will be smaller at first than the minimum size limit of 8 inches.

Special regulations apply for anglers interested in targeting these trout: Read more

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Lake Erie anglers can expect the 2023 fishing season to provide more world-class fishing and lasting memories, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

After another year of strong walleye hatches, Lake Erie maintains its title as the Walleye Capital of the World. Additionally, a stable yellow perch population in Lake Erie’s west zone will provide good fishing in 2023, while low catch rates are expected to continue in the central and east zones.

“Lake Erie is known worldwide as a top fishing destination,” said Travis Hartman, Lake Erie Fisheries Program Administrator for the Division of Wildlife. “With many species to pursue, Lake Erie is again a high-performing destination thanks to science-based management which guides regulations to ensure long-term angling opportunities.”

Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch fisheries are managed through an interagency quota system. Each jurisdiction regulates its catches to comply with annually determined safe harvest levels that ensure sustainability. The most recent quotas were announced on Thursday, March 30. Read more

What does that new regulation mean? How are walleye populations thriving? What’s the catch limit on my favorite stream?

If you’re into Michigan fishing, sometimes you just want to talk with someone in the know! Good news: you still have the chance to join in one of several upcoming “Conversations & Coffee” virtual meetings:

• March 29, 6:30-8 p.m., Lake Superior Management Unit.
• April 4, 6-7 p.m., Lake Huron Management Unit.
• April 4, 7-8 p.m., Lake Erie Management Unit.
• April 11, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit.

The meetings are a great opportunity to talk with DNR fisheries staff about local and statewide fisheries management activities, meet with managers and biologists, ask specific questions, and maybe even get some insider fishing tips. Read more

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), The Mosaic Company and Hardee County are working on a new freshwater fishing destination in central Florida. The Florida Fishing Trail will feature a series of freshwater lakes and is estimated to be complete in Spring 2024.

Anglers can cast a line along the shore of the nine freshwater lakes or from one of the planned fishing piers. There will also be ramps to launch boats and kayaks. Sport fish including largemouth bass, crappie (specks) bream, and catfish are swimming throughout the waterbodies, including these trophy-sized bass documented by FWC biologists during a recent sampling trip.

The project partners held a groundbreaking event on March 24 to celebrate this exciting new collaborative project where representatives from each organization highlighted their support.

“The Florida Fishing Trail will be a premier freshwater fishing destination in the region and will offer a variety of unique angling opportunities in one place,” said FWC Commissioner Gary Lester. “This exciting project is bringing new fishing opportunities to the Sunshine State and is made possible by our fisheries management staff and dedicated partners at Mosaic and Hardee County.”

“The lakes that make up this phase of the trail provide an excellent example of the quality fish habitat found on reclaimed land,” said Russell Schweiss, Mosaic’s Vice President of Land and Resource Strategies. “This partnership will drive public utilization of these reclaimed lands and will become a growing economic driver for Hardee County as the trail continues to grow in future phases.?We look forward to seeing the benefits this trail will bring the region in the years to come.” Read more

Muskegon River anglers should be on the lookout this spring for Michigan Department of Natural Resources personnel collecting walleye eggs below Croton Dam, which is in Newaygo County.

Electrofishing boat crews will collect walleye starting as early as the week of March 27 and concluding by April 14. The date these collections begin will depend on water temperatures, the presence of ripe fish and other factors. Most work likely will be completed from the last week of March through the first week of April. Five days of electrofishing are planned, with four of those being egg-take days.

“This adult population consists of mostly stocked fish,” said Ed Pearce, DNR fisheries technician supervisor who coordinates the egg take. “The Muskegon River has the largest run of walleye in the Lake Michigan watershed south of Green Bay.”

Electrofish sampling usually begins at Croton Dam each day at about 8:30 a.m. and proceeds downstream to the Pine Street access site. If more eggs are needed, additional collections may occur downstream to the Thornapple Street access site.

Anglers who wish to avoid the walleye collection activities should fish downstream of the Pine Street access site. The DNR asks everyone to use caution when fishing near the electrofishing boats, and anyone wading will be asked to exit the water when a boat approaches and during electrofishing work. Read more

It used to be that we went looking for sargassum.

Find a weedline of this gold-brown floating stuff and you find mahi, sailfish, wahoo and maybe even marlin. The gamefish hung on the weeds, which formed in the current breaks, because it was full of baitfish.

Now, sargassum is coming looking for us.

A massive blob of sargassum thousands of miles long is headed to Florida, the Caribbean and eventually the Gulf of Mexico, scientists say.

While a little sargassum is great for fish and fishermen, a whole bunch of it is bad for not only anglers but for the massive tourist trade generated by beaches from the Caribbean to Florida and Alabama. Read more