Fishing with kids is one of life’s great joys—but it also comes with responsibility. Here’s how to help shield young skin from harmful UV rays during a day on the water.

For many families, a day spent fishing together is the stuff memories are made of. Whether casting for bass or panfish from a dock, trolling the back bays or spending hours in a skiff chasing trout and reds under the summer sun, it’s an experience that brings generations together. But that same sun that glints so beautifully off the water is also a silent risk—particularly for kids. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, just one blistering sunburn during childhood can more than double a person’s chances of developing melanoma later in life. Read more

Skeeter Boats announces the “Blazing Hot Summer Savings” sales event, a new promotion arriving just in time for the final days of summer. From July 21, 2025, through September 5, 2025, the promotion offers customers who purchase select, new, eligible Skeeter Boats an instant rebate.

“The ‘Blazing Hot Summer Savings’ event gives customers even more reasons to choose Skeeter Boats before summer winds down,” said Jeff Martin, Advertising, Creative Services and Co-Op Coordinator, Skeeter Boats. “This promotion applies to an expansive variety of models and gives customers a great opportunity to build in great value when they purchase a Skeeter.”

Through the new promotion, customers who purchase eligible, new, model year 2024 and 2025 Skeeter Boats have an opportunity to receive an instant rebate up to $5000 on select models. Read more

July 21, 2025
Contact: Caitlin Boon, 517-449-1180 or John Buszkiewicz, 248-296-2498

While bowfishing recently in Monroe County, an angler from Newport, Michigan, caught a new state-record fish: a flathead catfish weighing in at 64.46 pounds and measuring 45 inches!

Codie Carlson was bowfishing Plum Creek in the early-morning hours of Sunday, June 29, when he brought in the record-breaker.

This fish beats the previous state-record flathead catfish — 53.35 pounds, 43 inches — caught in 2022 by Lloyd Tanner, of Hobart, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River in Berrien County.

DNR fisheries biologist John Buszkiewicz, who works out of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Lake Erie Fisheries Management Unit, verified Carlson’s new state-record fish. Buszkiewicz and his crew may have even caught this exact fish during a survey in the same location in 2020; at the time, the fish caught weighed 55 pounds and measured 43 inches.

Carlson, a self-described “true fishoholic,” said, “I thought I was about to shoot a channel catfish for dinner. Turns out, I guess we do have flathead catfish in these waters.”

About state-record fish

Michigan’s state-record fish are recognized by weight only. To qualify, fish must exceed the current listed state-record weight and be weighed on a certified commercial scale, and identification must be verified by a DNR fisheries biologist.

To view a current list of Michigan state-record fish by species, visit Michigan.gov/StateRecordFish.

July 18, 2025
Contact: Cory Kovacs (DNR Fisheries) 906-287-0816, Mitch Koetje (EGLE) 906-202-1464 or John Pepin (DNR media), 906-250-7260

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy have investigated reports of high and discolored water on Lake Angeline, located south of Ishpeming in Marquette County.

The cause was determined to be a naturally occurring breach of a beaver dam. There are no known or safety concerns preventing public access to the lake.

The beaver pond upstream of Lake Angeline drained early Thursday, causing reddish sediment in the water and water level rise on the popular fishing lake.

Officials from the city of Ishpeming are aware of the lake conditions and met with DNR and EGLE staff on site Thursday. No dead fish were observed by personnel during the investigation. However, the public is encouraged to report any observations of fish kills at Michigan.gov/EyesInTheField. Read more

Construction will begin the week of July 21 on a new sea lamprey barrier and trap at the Little Manistee River Weir and egg take facility in Manistee County, Michigan. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will design and build the project in coordination with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The Little Manistee River Weir, which has been in operation since 1968, is Michigan’s primary egg collection site for Chinook salmon and only site for steelhead (rainbow trout) egg take. The weir underwent major renovations in 2019 to upgrade aging infrastructure; this new project will further improve the weir’s function and prevent sea lamprey from infesting 41 miles of the Little Manistee River upstream of the weir.

Sea lamprey — an invasive species that parasitizes other fish in the Great Lakes — migrate upstream in numerous Great Lakes tributaries to spawn. Barriers and traps are two of several means employed by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to control sea lamprey populations; the other primary method of control is dispensing lampricide in streams to target larval lamprey before they metamorphose and migrate out to the lake to feed on fish. Each sea lamprey is capable of killing up to 40 pounds of fish during its feeding period, making sea lamprey control measures vital to the health of Michigan’s fisheries.

“This new sea lamprey barrier and trap will also significantly improve operations for Chinook salmon and steelhead egg collection. The new design will reduce the risk of weir failure, allow post-spawn steelhead easier movement downstream, and maintain fish passage past the weir when egg collections are complete,” said Scott Heintzelman, DNR Fisheries Division’s Central Lake Michigan Unit manager. “We know this is a popular site for anglers and paddlers, and we will make every effort to minimize the disruption of access due to construction.”

The biggest change to access site operation will be portaging around the facility. Read more

The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, along with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Bay Mills Indian Community and Michigan State University, will be conducting a lake sturgeon survey next month on Burt Lake in Cheboygan County. The goal of the survey is to determine the lake sturgeon population status and the success of stocking efforts. Lake sturgeon is a culturally and ecologically significant species in Michigan, and tribal governments and the State of Michigan cooperatively manage and assess sturgeon populations.

The survey will occur from July 7 to July 25, with nets set Monday through Thursday of each week. Survey gill nets will be used to capture lake sturgeon, and staff will check the nets regularly (every one to two hours) during the day. Nets will be set each day and marked with staff buoys (see image, right), then removed at the end of the day and will not be left in the lake overnight. Read more

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has issued a proclamation to mark Aquatic Invasive Species Awareness Week, June 29 to July 5, raising awareness about the importance of stopping the spread of invasive aquatic plants and organisms.

Over 50 boat landing events are planned across the state to mark this year’s AIS Awareness Week. Public awareness about the impacts of harmful, nonnative aquatic plants and animals is critical to protecting Michigan’s ecosystems, tourism and economy.

he boat landing events are part of the 12th Annual AIS Landing Blitz in which local partners such as lake associations and cooperative invasive species management areas give boaters and anglers tips to prevent the spread of invasive species and comply with laws for recreational boating. Similar AIS Landing Blitz events will be held in each of the Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces.

Help prevent the spread of AIS by following these simple steps:

Required actions – it’s the law in Michigan

• Remove all aquatic organisms, including plants, from watercraft and trailers before launching or transporting.
• Remove all drain plugs and drain all water from bilges, ballast tanks and live wells before transporting a watercraft.
• Dispose of unused bait in the trash, not in the water. Read more