Michigan Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division officials are closely monitoring water levels in the Mullett Lake Watershed after recent weather events, including rain, snow and melting.

“We are experiencing very high water levels. All the dam gates are open, and we are passing as much water through the dam gates as we can,” said Rich Hill, DNR Gaylord District supervisor.

The DNR is working with local officials to manage the situation. A comprehensive plan is in place to help keep the public safe should high water conditions persist.

The outflow from Mullett Lake and the Black River feed the Cheboygan River behind the Cheboygan Dam, before the river flows through the town of Cheboygan and north to its mouth at Lake Huron.

The DNR has been checking water levels at Mullett Lake, along the Cheboygan River and at the dam over several days. The water level at the dam today measured 21.5 inches below the top of the dam.

Normal spring runoff, a significant recent snowstorm and rains have all contributed to the high water. Rain or snow are forecasted for the area tomorrow.

The Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex is comprised of the Cheboygan Lock and Dam, as well as a privately owned hydroelectric facility. The complex is regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The watershed covers approximately 1,455 square miles.

April 7, 2026
Contact: Jim and Mary Paulson (Sturgeon For Tomorrow), 989-763-7568 or Neal Godby (DNR), 231-340-2621

The Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon For Tomorrow is working in partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and tribal governments to protect lake sturgeon from illegal harvest during their six-week spawning season. The organization is seeking volunteers in mid-April through early June to stand guard as mature fish head upstream to their spawning sites along the Black River in Cheboygan County.

Sgt. Mike Mshar, who leads the DNR Law Enforcement Division’s efforts on the river, said, “This program, which protects this iconic species when the fish are most vulnerable, is a model of how agencies and the public can cooperate to get needed work accomplished.”

Volunteers are assigned shifts along the river to stand watch and report suspicious activity to the DNR conservation officers patrolling the area. The program also uses aerial surveillance for additional monitoring. Read more

Love fishing for steelhead? Collection of steelhead eggs at the Little Manistee River Weir in Stronach (Manistee County), Michigan, is tentatively scheduled to begin Tuesday, April 14. The facility is open to the public for up-close viewing during egg-collection operations. This annual egg collection is popular viewing for anglers, students and anyone interested in learning more about fish.

Steelhead provide sport fishing opportunities for both open-water fishing on the Great Lakes and tributary stream fishing, making the species a favorite of many anglers. Yearling steelhead produced through hatchery operations are stocked in select tributaries of all the Great Lakes.

Since 1968, the Little Manistee River Weir has served as the sole source of winter-run steelhead eggs for fish hatcheries in Michigan and the main source for Ohio and Indiana. Read more

Is there a favorite lake where you love to swim, boat or fish? Do you want to take part in protecting the water quality of that lake? If so, you’re invited to become a volunteer lake monitor for the MiCorps Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program.

For more than 50 years, CLMP volunteers have collected valuable data on inland lakes statewide. This information is used by residents, local communities, researchers and state agencies like the DNR to better protect and manage Michigan’s 11,000 inland lakes and the fish and wildlife that rely on them.

This community science opportunity gives an inside look into what’s happening in your favorite lake. Volunteers receive detailed instructions, training and equipment to collect this data. You choose which lake to sample and which measurements to take. You can collect data on water quality (water clarity, nutrients, dissolved oxygen and algae), invasive species, native plants and shoreline conditions.

Free training is available May 1 and May 7. There is a small fee to cover the costs of supplies and analyzing samples, but volunteers often can collaborate with local lake associations or other organizations to help pay for these costs. Read more

March 30, 2026
Contact: John Buszkiewicz, 248-296-2498 or Sara Thomas, 734-718-0474

Ever wondered where hatchery fish go when they retire? They could be in a body of water near you! Approximately 3,050 adult trout, retired broodstock from Michigan’s state fish hatcheries, were recently stocked by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. These fish were stocked in the Huron River (Proud Lake Recreation Area, Oakland County) and Spring Mill Pond (Island Lake Recreation Area, Livingston County) in southeast Michigan.

• The Huron River, downstream of the Proud Lake Dam, was stocked with approximately 990 brown trout and 1,430 rainbow trout, ranging in size from 13 inches to 20 inches.
• Spring Mill Pond was stocked with approximately 200 brown trout and 425 rainbow trout, also ranging from 13 inches to 20 inches. Read more

March 17, 2026
Contact: Matt Smith, 269-567-0951 or Mark Tonello, 231-444-8007

Planning to fish the Muskegon River this spring? Be on the lookout for Michigan Department of Natural Resources personnel collecting walleye eggs below Croton Dam in Newaygo County. Egg collections with electrofishing boats will start as early as the week of March 23 and conclude by April 17.

Four days of egg collections are planned this spring. The date those collections will begin depends on water temperatures and the presence of ripe fish (fish that are ready to spawn); the schedule may change based on conditions.

The egg-take zone runs from Croton Dam downstream to the Pine Street Access Site, so anglers who wish to avoid the walleye collection activities should fish downstream from the Pine Street Access Site. Anyone fishing near the egg-collection zone should use caution when fishing near the electrofishing boats. For safety, anyone wading will be asked to exit the water when electrofishing boats approach. Read more

Join the crew of the R/V Lake Char on a one-week research expedition on Lake Superior, courtesy of a short film that follows the DNR fisheries research vessel to Klondike Reef. The crew collected data on lake trout, an important native species in this Great Lake. Trout numbers have recently met recovery goals after disruption due to invasive species, pollution and overharvest.

You’ll learn about the crew’s roles, the fish sampling process, and why this research is important for managing Michigan’s fisheries. Fun fact: It was on this expedition that the oldest lake trout in the Great Lakes – 62 years old at the time of capture – was discovered!

“Some of the information we can apply to other offshore locations – places like Stannard Rock, Isle Royale and Big Reef – where we don’t know a lot about the fish, but the fish in areas like Klondike Reef might be similar,” said DNR fisheries technician Dan Traynor. “What we learned by studying the fish here may help us better understand and manage fish in those other offshore reef locations.”

Questions about the expedition? Email Shawn Sitar, research biologist who was the DNR lead for this project, at SitarS@Michigan.gov.

Wisconsinite Alan Hintz has been ice fishing for more than 50 years, and he’s fished a lot of places in that time: from small ponds in the Midwest to Canadian rivers to the famed waters of Lake Erie. Over the weekend, Alan and his brother Dale traveled to North Dakota, where they booked a trip on Devil’s Lake with Perch Patrol Guide Service.

“It was kind of a slow day to be honest,” Hintz tells Outdoor Life. “We were fishing Pelican Bay for most of the morning and only had three fish in the bucket by noon.”

That’s when their guide, Tyler Elshaug, decided it was time to make a change. Before he moved the two brothers, Elshaug drilled a couple prospect holes and tested them out himself.  More here…