1. Michigan’s oldest operating state fish hatchery is located in Harrietta (Wexford County) and was first opened in 1901. This location mainly rears rainbow and brown trout.  
2. Splake are a hybrid fish species. They are created by cross-breeding lake trout and brook trout. 
3. The heaviest game fish ever caught on a rod and reel in Michigan was a lake trout that weighed 61 pounds, 8 ounces. It was caught in Lake Superior in 1997.  
4. Lake Erie is the warmest of all of the Great Lakes, but it also freezes over more than the others.  

Do you love to go fishing but hate waiting to see if your mom, dad or another adult wants to go? Why not plan the outing yourself?

You can initiate the next fishing trip you take by finding your gear, locating a place to fish, and asking an adult to go with you! Maybe you’d like to locate a spot nearby by searching through the Family Friendly Fishing Waters website? Or you could visit one of several state parks or visitor centers that offer instruction on how to fish through the Hook, Line and Sinker program? The options are almost endless!

Or start planning now to head out on Saturday, August 5 – the first-ever Take an Adult Fishing Day in Michigan! On that day we’ll ask anybody who takes an adult fishing to share their picture with us using the hashtag #TakeAnAdultFishing. We’ll randomly select a few winners to receive a fishing gear prize!  

State Fish Hatcheries

Did you know Michigan has several facilities where fish are raised? These facilities – called hatcheries – raise several different kinds of fish so they can be stocked in lakes, rivers and streams throughout the state.

There are six state fish hatcheries in Michigan. Two are located in the Upper Peninsula and four are in the Lower Peninsula. They raise walleye, muskellunge, trout and salmon. Different fish species take different amounts of time to be raised within the hatcheries – depending on how big they need to be when they are stocked. 

All six of Michigan’s state fish hatcheries are open to the public and free to visit! If you’d like to plan a visit, go to Michigan.gov/hatcheries.  

Steelhead is a name given to migratory rainbow trout that are born in rivers but spend most of their lives in the ocean or the Great Lakes. They eventually return to spawn in the river in which they were born.

Great Lakes steelhead are highly migratory, roaming large areas of the open lakes. They are usually found within 50 feet of the surface and they prefer water temperatures of 58-62 degrees Fahrenheit. When they’re in the Great Lakes they usually feed on baitfish like alewives or rainbow smelt, although at times they will feed on insects and other aquatic life. 

Great Lakes steelhead enter their spawning streams from late October to early May – but they don’t usually spawn until spring. Steelhead don't necessarily die after spawning; they may live to reproduce several times. Most return home to spawn in the stream in which they were born or stocked.

Steelhead eggs hatch in four to seven weeks, depending on water temperature. Young steelhead need to grow to approximately eight inches before they migrate or "smolt" out to the big lake. In most streams, this takes two years. 

While adult Great Lakes steelhead can reach 36 inches in length and up to 20 pounds in weight, the average adult size for steelhead is six to seven pounds. Life expectancy for Great Lakes steelhead is four to six years.

For more information on steelhead, visit their page on the DNR’s Michigan Fish and How to Catch Them website!