This weekend will be a great time to utilize that newly purchased fishing license to catch some of the more popular and tasty fish the state’s fisheries have to offer.
On Saturday, anglers can enjoy three openers on nearby streams, rivers and inland lakes as the weekend marks the start of the trout season and the Lower Peninsula inland walleye and northern pike seasons. With those seasons opening, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Biologist Mark Tonello said there aren’t any major changes for fishing regulations in the region, but there are some things anglers should be aware of — water levels.
Tonello said rivers in the area are really low at this time and for that reason, the trout opener on Saturday is not going to be ideal. While the temperatures will be warmer than they have been the past couple of days, water levels will be low, low, low, according to Tonello.
“We have some low water levels in lakes Cadillac and Mitchell for sure. People need to be careful going through the canal because there are some rocks,” he said.
As for the cause of the lower water on both rivers and inland lakes, Tonello said it is due to not enough snow during the winter and very little rain that has amounted to anything so far this spring. He said it is not due to dam operation but the amount of precipitation during the past winter and the current spring.
While there are no new regulations anglers need to be aware of, Tonello said they still should be mindful of not taking water from one lake to another in their boats as that can help spread invasive species. The motto he said anglers need to remember is clean, drain and dry.
What that means is all boaters and not just anglers should clean their boats of any plant life or materials, drain their ballast water, and dry their vessels out before taking them to different water bodies.
When it comes to the trout opener this weekend, Tonellos said there are “bazillion” options for anglers. These options include the Pine, Manistee, Pere Marquette, Clam, Little Manistee, and Hersey rivers. He said depending on the river, anglers could be catching browns, brookies or rainbow trout. Within an hour’s travel time from Cadillac, there are more streams a person can fish than they could do all summer.
When it comes to bait, Tonello said anglers will need to check the regulations on the stretch of river they are fishing but nightcrawlers, spawn, minnows all can work well. He also said Rapalas, spinners and flies also are good options. Tonello said there are stretches of the Little Manistee and Pere Marquette that are fly fishing only.
As for walleye and pike, Tonello said lakes Cadillac and Mitchell are good ones for both species, as are Lake Missaukee and Houghton Lake. Tippy Pond, Hodenpyl Dam Pond and Fife Lake also are good waters to catch both species of fish. Finally, Rose Lake in Osceola County is an option to net either a walleye or pike.
“Early on in the season, Rapalas and trolling work. There also are certain places where you can cast,” he said. “A leech under a bobber is a good bet for walleye and sucker minnows under a bobber works for pike.”
Although the water levels aren’t ideal, Tonello said he anticipates there will be a lot of people enjoying local rivers, streams and inland lakes this weekend. While the annual salmon run in the fall attracts a multitude of people, Tonello said many anglers also will be out this weekend.
“It is more spread out. If you drive around the Pine River you will see lots of trout camps,” he said. “This is a very popular weekend. People fishing for walleye will be camped at Mitchell State Park. It is a very popular weekend.”
In Upper Peninsula waters, the walleye and northern pike possession seasons open Saturday, May 15. Michigan’s muskellunge possession season on all Great Lakes, inland waters, Lake St. Clair, and the St. Clair, St. Marys and Detroit rivers open Saturday, June 5, but remember that catch-and-release fishing for muskellunge is open all year.
The catch-and-immediate-release season for largemouth and smallmouth bass is open all year on nearly all waters unless otherwise closed to fishing. The possession season for bass opens statewide Saturday, May 29, except for Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair and Detroit rivers, which open Saturday, June 19.
The new license season began April 1, so be sure you have a new fishing license. 2021 fishing licenses are valid through March 31, 2022. To purchase a fishing license, visit Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses.
The 2021 Michigan Fishing Guide and inland trout and salmon maps are available online along with other helpful fishing information; visit Michigan.gov/Fishing for the most up-to-date information. You can view the complete guide online or download it to your smart device for later use.
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