The new fishing license and regulation season kicked 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: Poor weather conditions limited angler efforts. The few anglers who made it out caught a few yellow perch at the mouth of the Saginaw River in 25 feet of water using perch rigs. Anglers fishing for walleye had no success as the bay was reported to have been very muddy.

 Eastern Saginaw Bay: Fishing along the east side of the bay was slow because of cooler weather, rain, and wind. Almost all angling activity was those looking for yellow perch from Sebewaing to Caseville. Most of the perch that were caught were small. Anglers who got enough for a meal put in long hours and were sorting through lots of small perch.

Saginaw River: Rain over the weekend left the Saginaw River very muddy. The poor water clarity made for very poor walleye fishing. Anglers reported marking fish on their electronics but were unable get them to bite.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

St. Joseph: Poor weather conditions limited angling activity. Pier anglers found fishing to be a little inconsistent, but when it was good, lots of coho salmon and a few brown trout, steelhead and whitefish were caught. Anglers fishing the beach also did well. Most fish caught from the beach were steelhead and coho salmon. All fish were caught on spawn bags or skein fished on the bottom. 

St. Joseph River: Anglers were still catching steelhead in the lower river and up at the Berrien Springs dam.

South Haven: Poor weather conditions kept most boat anglers off the water. Those who were able to make it out reported catching lake trout and coho salmon. Fishing pressure was high on the piers this past week, and anglers reported decent fishing. Anglers using spawn bags and skein caught good numbers of coho salmon and steelhead. A few nice sized whitefish were also caught. Very few anglers were fishing the beach. 

Black River: Anglers fishing the Black River were catching steelhead, along with a few suckers and catfish.   

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Harrisville/Oscoda: Steelhead anglers fishing the pier found moderate success. Most steelhead taken along the pier and catwalk were caught when bottom bouncing spawn. Walleye fishing off the pier remained slow, but a couple big ones were caught when casting deep crank baits. Anglers casting spoons off the pier caught a couple nice Atlantic and coho salmon. Orange/gold and blue/silver were popular spoon colors. Those fishing throughout the lower Au Sable River experienced moderate success while steelhead fishing. Most fish were caught bottom bouncing or floating spawn. Anglers also had success plugging deep holes and floating hair jigs tipped with wax worms. A handful of fresh Atlantic salmon were caught in the lower river this past week.

Look for young returning coho salmon at these two ports and the lower Au Sable River. Good numbers of yearling coho salmon were stocked in this region in 2024 and returns of 18 to 20 inch age-2 coho salmon are starting to be reported. Casting spoons or spawn should enable anglers to catch these young coho, particularly in morning and evening hours or low light conditions. Harrisville Harbor and the Au Sable River pier at Lake Huron are good spots to start.

Tawas: Fishing from the pier was reported as slow. Lake trout were caught here and there but most anglers had trouble getting them to bite. Poor weather conditions limited boating activity. Anglers were trying the Tawas River; however, they did not have much luck. The wind and rain dirtied up the water at Singing Bridge, so it will be a few days before the river clears up again. 

Standish: Perch fishing in the Standish area was reported to have slowed down with mostly small perch being caught. Anglers reported more success at Eagle Bay or Palmer Road rather than the Pine River but still had to do a lot of sorting. 

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Manistee: Pier anglers using spawn caught steelhead and brown trout in good numbers. Most fish were caught on the Lake Michigan side of both piers. 

Ludington: Anglers trolling for brown trout found a few in the harbor while using body baits, but it was hit or miss. Those trolling the coastline reported cold water and slow fishing. Anglers fishing the piers reported slow catches of steelhead and brown trout when using spawn.

Frankfort: Anglers fishing the Frankfort pier reported respectable numbers of steelhead and a few brown trout throughout the mornings on fresh spawn with most fish landed on the inside. Boat anglers landed a few brown trout, but the bite was slow due to colder temperatures. Two docks are in place at the boat launch.

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Upper Peninsula

Marquette: Weather permitting, brown trout and coho salmon were caught both from the pier and while trolling in the bay. Anglers reported that the break wall seemed to have picked back up for coho salmon and brown trout. High winds and heavy snow limited angling activity, but those who were able to make it out did well. Steelhead numbers were reported to have increased in both the Carp and Chocolay Rivers. Anglers reported catching steelhead 26 to 30 inches in size. The Chocolay River had a few good reports of brown trout this past week and results were consistent for anglers fishing the banks and floating the river. Anglers reported that natural baits seemed to work best for both the rivers and shoreline around Marquette. Most of the steelhead were caught on spawn, while night crawlers worked well for brown trout. Chartreuse Buckeye jigs worked well on the break wall.

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Fishing tip: Simple fishing mistakes to avoid

April is often a perfect time to fish for steelhead in Michigan’s rivers. Did you know our state is thought to offer some of the best steelhead fishing in the country?

A variety of techniques can be used to fish for this aggressive species, including live bait, artificial lures and flies. Rivers all across Michigan provide access for steelhead fishing. Some better-known rivers include the Betsie, Grand, Little Manistee, Manistee, Manistique, Pere Marquette and St. Joseph rivers in the Lake Michigan watershed, the Au Sable River in the Lake Huron watershed, the Huron River in the Lake Erie watershed, and the Huron and Two Hearted rivers in the Lake Superior watershed.

Want more information on spring 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.