The new fishing license and regulation season kicks off April 1, so anglers need to be sure they have purchased a new license for the fishing season in order to enjoy Michigan’s great fishing opportunities. The 2025 fishing licenses are valid through March 31, 2026.

Fishing licenses can be purchased at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses or by downloading the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app and purchasing your license on the app.

All anglers 17 years of age and older are required to have a fishing license.

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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lower Saginaw Bay: Walleye anglers reported catching a few fish out by the Sparkplug in 23 feet of water while trolling with flicker shads. Anglers fishing for yellow perch reported catching small fish in the ditches and cuts on the east side of the bay, near Kirk, Garner and Old State roads.

Eastern Saginaw Bay: Fishing along the east side of the bay was slow and anglers were primarily targeting yellow perch. Anglers were fishing from Sebewaing to Caseville in the marinas, rivers, and larger cuts.  A few anglers found enough for a meal, but it took most of the day and lots of sorting through small perch. Most perch being caught were reported to have been in the 4- to 6-inch range with some keepers from 7 to 8 inches and very few over that. 

Saginaw River: Walleye fishing was reported to have improved somewhat over the weekend. Catches of 5 to 10 fish per boat were common when fishing from First St. upstream to the YMCA in Saginaw. Walleye were caught vertical jigging with jig and twister tail and jig and paddle tail combinations. Fire tiger, green, and blue colors were all reported to have worked well. Fishing downstream of Saginaw was very slow and fishing pressure was reported as light.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

Muskegon: Pier anglers found the action to be slow for steelhead and brown trout, however a few were caught on spawn. Weather conditions prevented boat anglers from getting out to troll the shoreline.

Snug Harbor DNR boat launch has three docks in the water.

Grand Haven: The flow ice that was hanging around the pierheads has disappeared. Pier anglers found the action to be slow for steelhead and brown trout. 

Harbor Island boat launch has one dock in the water.

St. Joseph: The ice is now gone in St. Joseph; however, rough lake conditions kept most boat anglers off the water. Those who made it out were targeting fish in 8 to 20 feet of water. A few coho salmon and the occasional steelhead were caught. Small crankbaits seemed to have been the most productive lure. Pier fishing was reported to have improved with decent fishing most days. Spawn fished on the bottom caught coho salmon. Anglers fishing the beach also reported decent fishing.

St. Joseph River: A few steelhead and the occasional coho salmon were caught in the lower St. Joseph River.

South Haven: With the rough lake conditions, very few boat anglers made it out on the lake. The piers were also closed to fishing a few days this week, but when anglers were able to make it out, they reported decent fishing. Most of the fish caught were steelhead with an occasional coho salmon. Spawn worked well on all of these fish.

Black River: Both boat and shore anglers continued to catch steelhead in the Black River.

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Alpena: Ice remained in the harbor preventing use of the marina. Boat anglers using the river launch had success trolling from the pier head towards north shore on steelhead, Atlantic salmon, lake trout, and the occasional brown trout. Slow trolling in depths of 20 to 30 feet of water were most productive with light spoons and short lead cores. 

Thunder Bay River: Steelhead action picked up over the last week with decent catches reported daily. Drifting fresh spawn and beads was productive throughout the day from the 9^th Street dam beyond the walking bridge. Anglers casting small spoons and spinners had luck on steelhead, Atlantic salmon, and the occasional brown trout. Blue/silver, green/silver, and golds were all reported to be productive colors. There was still no sign of suckers as a result of the cold water temperatures. 

Harrisville/Oscoda: Anglers fishing off the pier reported catching a few steelhead while bottom bouncing spawn or using pyramid weights to fish spawn on the bottom. Some lake trout were also caught from the pier head while using spawn on the bottom. The walleye fishing was reported to have been slow off the pier, however, a couple nice fish were caught when casting deep diving crankbaits. Steelhead fishing at Foote Dam was hit or miss with a few fish taken on spawn. Anglers fishing plugs throughout the river found moderate success for steelhead. Bottom bouncing spawn in deep holes during low light conditions (dawn and dusk) seemed to produce the most steelhead.

Tawas: High winds kept most boats off the water. Pier anglers reported catching a mixed bag off the Tawas Pier including whitefish, lake trout, and brown trout. Northern pike and burbot were also caught. Fishing at Singing Bridge, whether in the surf or in the river, did not produce much.

Standish: Perch fishing was reported as very up and down with the recent weather. Overall, fishing seemed to slow over the weekend with mostly only small perch caught. 

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Manistee: Pier anglers using spawn caught steelhead and brown trout when weather cooperated. A couple were also caught while casting spoons. Most fish were caught on the Lake Michigan side of the piers. 

Ludington: Anglers trolling for brown trout found a few fish in the harbor while trolling body baits. Those trolling the coastline to the north reported cold water and slow fishing. 

Frankfort: Anglers fishing the north pier reported steelhead and brown trout hitting on spawn. Most were caught on the inside of the pier. Shore anglers on the Frankfort beach near the stub pier also reported some activity. Cooler temperatures did not stop anglers from trolling the harbor, as a couple nice brown trout were landed on body baits.

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Upper Peninsula

Marquette: The docks are now open at both marinas in Marquette, and several anglers had good results when trolling for brown trout and coho salmon. Weather permitting, anglers fishing along the break wall reported catching a few coho salmon and brown trout. Anglers fishing the Chocolay River reported catching a few good brown trout this past week. Steelhead throughout the last week seemed to slow down everywhere. Night crawlers and spawn seemed to work best for anglers fishing the rivers and shorelines around Marquette. White or chartreuse buckeye jigs produced good results for anglers fishing the break wall.

Little Bay de Noc: Little to no fishing pressure was seen as a result of poor ice conditions. Anglers are waiting for ice to leave to allow for boat fishing.

Les Cheneaux Islands: The fishing in the eastern Upper Peninsula has been slow the past few weeks but that hasn't kept anglers from getting out and trying. A few yellow perch, as well as a few splake, were reported to have been caught in Hessel Bay, but for the most part few fish seemed to be in the area. In Cedarville, anglers were catching some nice sized yellow perch around Musky Bay, but fishing was reported as hit or miss. If you decide to go out, be cautious of your surroundings and continuously check the ice as conditions are changing daily. Remember no ice is safe ice. 

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Fishing tip: Simple fishing mistakes to avoid

Did you know simple mistakes can make or break your fishing adventures? Check out these basic things to avoid if you want to have better success on the water:

• Make sure your reel is filled with line – don’t wait until it gets to half-empty and risk losing a great catch due to an inadequate amount of line.
• Check your knots – monitor their strength and durability after each fish. If the strength gets compromised, cut the line down a few feet and start again.
• Set the hook – don’t forget to do this each time you even think you’ve got a bite. Why waste a great catch just because you forgot to set the hook?

Want more tips for fishing in Michigan? Visit Michigan.gov/Fishing.

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This report is intended to give you an idea of what is going on around the state. Updates come from Fisheries staff and conservation officers. With more than 11,000 inland lakes, the Great Lakes and thousands of miles of rivers and streams, not all locations can be listed. However, it is safe to say if a species is being caught in some waters in the area, they are likely being caught in all waters in that section of the state that have that species.