This year’s sturgeon season on Black Lake (Cheboygan County, Michigan) ended at 9:18 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 2 – after only 78 minutes of fishing.

The fishing season, which included spearing or hook-and-line fishing, was scheduled to run Feb. 2-6, or until the harvest quota had been reached. This year’s allocation of sturgeon for Black Lake anglers was seven fish, although Department of Natural Resources officials set a harvest quota of six fish.

There were 403 registered anglers on the ice Saturday, slightly down from 422 the year before. Anglers of all ages again participated, including a good number of supervised youth.

According to the DNR, the first four sturgeon harvested were males ranging from 52 to 60 inches, and 25 to 47 pounds in weight. The final two fish were females ranging from 61 to 72 inches long, and 54 to 80 pounds in weight. Read more

The DNR’s 2018 fall fish-stocking totals are in! From September through December, fisheries crews stocked nine different species: more than 1.1 million fish that weighed in at over 17 tons. These fish were stocked at 153 different locations throughout Michigan and – when combined with spring and summer efforts – bring the total number of fish stocked last year to more than 22 million!

Species stocked this fall included Atlantic salmon, channel catfish, brook trout, brown trout, coho salmon, rainbow trout (Eagle Lake and Michigan strain steelhead), lake sturgeon, walleye and muskellunge (northern and Great Lakes strains).

See a breakdown of which state hatchery stocked which fish at Michigan.gov/Fishing.

Several other fisheries management units also stocked fall fingerling walleye last year, including 15,564 Muskegon strain (1,554.2 pounds) and 7,437 Bay de Noc strain (555.1 pounds).

Two additional species of coolwater fish also were stocked in 2018 – 50 adult channel catfish (181.8 pounds) and 585 fall fingerling lake sturgeon (20.7 pounds).

Wondering if any fish were stocked in your favorite spots? Visit the DNR’s fish stocking database at MichiganDNR.com/FishStock/. For more information, contact Steve Vanderlaan, 269-668-2696, ext. 26 or Elyse Walter, 517-284-5839.

KENNESAW, GA – Yamaha Marine’s F20, the latest addition to its portable power product line, is big on performance and features. Combining power, efficiency and convenience, the all-new four-stroke outboard is a perfect fit for boaters limited to 20-horsepower.

“The new F20 is an exceptionally strong outboard with the versatility to power a wide variety of boats,” said Ben Speciale, Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit President. “It delivers faster acceleration and improved boat performance under load, so when it’s time to hit the water, you don’t have to leave anything (or anyone) behind.” Read more

ICAST 2018 Best of Show rods packaged with premium gear to create the ultimate kayak kit

Park Falls, WI – It was BIG news at this past 2018 ICAST: St. Croix exploded on the scene, catering specifically to the growing army of kayak anglers across the globe with the launch of Mojo Yak, six specifically designed and crafted spinning rods and casting rods.

Fitted with a custom Winn, split-grip handle, St. Croix’s new Mojo Yak series feature premium, high-modulus SCIII graphite blanks with Integrated Poly Curve® mandrel technology. The result is the perfect combination of sensitivity and power—exactly what kayak anglers require.

New for 2019, the features of Mojo Yak are many:

• • Integrated Poly Curve® (IPC®) mandrel technology.
  • Premium, high-modulus SCIII graphite.
  • Kigan Master Hand 3D guides with slim, strong aluminum-oxide rings and black frames.
  • Fuji® DPS reel seat with black hoods for spinning models.
  • Fuji® ECS reel seat with black hood on casting models.
  • Custom Winn split-grip handle.
  • Kigan hook-keeper.
  • Two coats of Flex-Coat slow cure finish.
  • 5-year warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service.
  • Designed to provide superior performance and exceptional balance for kayak anglers.
  • Designed in Park Falls and handcrafted in Fresnillo, Mexico.

Read more

The largemouth bass virus has been found in two additional lakes in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, following an initial discovery this past October in Cedar Lake (Iosco County). This time LMBV was found in smallmouth bass in Beaver Lake (Alpena County) during the investigation of a fish kill and in Avalon Lake (Montmorency County). These latest discoveries indicate the virus is spreading northward in Michigan. Read more

The new Mercury 5hp Propane FourStroke delivers no-hassle portability, reliability and convenience running on alternative clean-burning fuel – whether it’s powering aluminum boats, inflatables or sailboats.

With a 7.5 cubic inch (123cc) displacement, the new 5hp FourStroke Propane outboard offers best-in-class power by delivering a true 5hp.

Starting at 59.5 pounds (27.2 kilograms) the 5hp Propane FourStroke is light and easy to carry or transport. And you can run it on the same conventional propane you’re probably using in your backyard grill, so there’s no gasoline to haul with the engine. It’s also friendly to the environment with 30 percent lower exhaust emissions compared to gasoline. Read more

If you’re fishing for smelt this year, make sure you know about a legislative change, signed at the end of 2018, that alters how anglers can target smelt in Michigan.

The previous state statute let people use any number of hooks attached to a single line, while fishing for smelt, alewife or other bait fish in the Great Lakes or recognized smelt waters. Now, anglers fishing for those species can use no more than three lines per person, with no more than six hooks or lures on all lines. All hooks attached to an artificial bait or “night crawler harness” are counted as one hook (note: for crappie/perch rigs and umbrella rigs, each hook is counted as part of the total six allowed). This means anglers may use up to six hooks on one line or spread the six hooks out over up to three lines. Read more

With Michigan’s ice-fishing season well under way, the DNR reminds anglers who harvest a muskellunge that there is mandatory registration. The muskie harvest limit is one fish per angler per license year.

A muskellunge harvest must be reported within 24 hours of the catch. Reports can be made online through the DNR’s Harvest Reporting System (michigan.gov/registerfish), toll-free by calling 844-345-FISH (3474), or in person at any DNR Customer Service Center during normal state business hours and with advanced notice of arrival. Read more

One of Michigan’s most anticipated angling opportunities – the annual lake sturgeon fishing season on Black Lake in Cheboygan County – will start at 8 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 2. The 2019 total season limit on Black Lake is seven lake sturgeon. To reduce the chance of exceeding that limit, officials will close the season if one of two scenarios occurs:

• The sixth fish is harvested.
• Five fish have been harvested at the end of any fishing day.

Daily season fishing hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The season will end either at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6, or when one of the above scenarios is met, at which point DNR personnel on the lake will notify anglers to immediately stop fishing for lake sturgeon.

Registration is required to participate in the season. The DNR Onaway field station (approximately 5 miles north of Onaway on Route 11) will host early registration 2 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1.

“Early registration is a great opportunity for anglers to pick up their fishing identification flags and talk with DNR staff about season logistics and sturgeon populations,” said DNR fisheries biologist Tim Cwalinski.

Anglers are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the early registration Friday, but those unable to do so may register the next day at the registration trailer at Zolner Road ending on Black Lake. Morning registration begins at 7 a.m. each day of the season.

Anyone who successfully takes a lake sturgeon must contact an on-ice DNR employee and register the fish at the Zolner Road trailer registration site. Registration may include an examination of the fish’s internal organs and removal of a piece of fin tissue for DNA analysis and aging. Read more