Baldwin-White Cloud Ranger District - will be hosting its event at the Nichols Lake Recreation Area near Woodland Park. The event runs from 8AM - Noon. Partners include the Pere Marquette Watershed Council, the Wild Turkey Federation, and Pheasants Forever. For more information call the District office at (231) 745-4631.

Cadillac-Manistee Ranger District - the Kids' Fishing Day event will be hosted at Crystal lake in Wellston in cooperation with the Wellston Boosters Association. It will run from 10AM to Noon. For more information call the District office at (231) 723-2211.

Mio Ranger District - will host its Kids Fishing Day event at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources accessible fishing pier on the north side of Mio Pond in Mio in cooperation with the Mio Lions Club. The event will run from 10AM to 2PM. For more information call the District office at (989) 826-3252.

The Kids Fishing Day events include fish and turtle identification, donated food and beverages, casting contests, fishing instructions. and of course fishing in beautiful northwoods settings. These are family oriented events so come and enjoy a day of fishing.

DNR's Free Fishing Weekend website
MI-DNR Website
MI-DNR Website Kid's Free Fishing Day

  
National Fishing Site

 

Program Manager Message — Catch the Fever!

Fish the Huron-Manistee National Forests

Welcome to some of the best fishing in America. Northern lower Michigan is famous for its outstanding fishing. You are never far from a quiet, shady stream with trout hiding under logs.  The land is speckled with lakes known for sunfish, bass, perch, pike and walleye.  Fall and spring are especially exciting as salmon and steelhead start running up the major rivers to spawn.

The Huron-Manistee National Forests lie in the heart of northern Michigan’s fishing grounds. Glaciers shaped the landscape, as the frozen rock and ice formed many beautiful lakes. The remnant glacial drift also acts as a sponge, re-charging our streams with cold, fresh groundwater.  These National Forests offer over 1,800 miles of streams and 17,000 acres of lakes. A number of our rivers, the Au Sable, Manistee, Pine, and Pere Marquette are designated Wild and Scenic Rivers.Come and enjoy YOUR fishing waters!

It is our plan to continually update our page with new information and fisheries restoration projects that we have initiated, so come back frequently to see what's new! We hope you enjoy your visit to our page and we encourage your comments.  I hope to see you soon on one of our streams or lakes.

Bob Stuber
Forest Fisheries Program Manager, Supervisors Office

 

Welcome to some of the best fishing in America!

 

The Huron-Manistee National Forests in northern lower Michigan are famous for its outstanding fishing. You are never far from an opportunity to catch sunfish, bass, perch, pike, trout, and even walleye! Fall and spring become exciting when salmon and steelhead run the Pere Marquette River and the lower Au Sable River to spawn.

Panfish (sunfish, perch, crappie) are the most sought after fish. These small, but delightful fish are usually found in shallow weedy parts of the lakes. Since they have tiny mouths, only the smallest of bait and tackle should be used. Panfish can be fished year round and the best times of day are morning and evening.

Bass fishing is also tremendously fun. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass are greedy feeders and give anglers a good fight. Bass are attracted to worms, minnows, crayfish, and big flashy lures. Bass generally are found in shallow water in spring and move to deeper, cooler water as the summer progresses

Trout fishing is a delicate pursuit. Trout are wary and require a lot of patience and skill, whether using bait, spinners, or flyfishing. It is a graceful, challenging and rewarding sport. And probably one of the greatest rewards of trout fishing is enjoying the environment where trout are pursued, be it a small, forested stream or a larger river.

Fall brings the salmon up the rivers to spawn and the fishing suddenly gets very exciting. Later, in the fall through the spring, means steelhead. Steelhead will hit spawn bags, flies and spinners and test any angler's endurance and strength.

Not only do the waters of the National Forests provide great fishing for a variety of sport fish, they also provide valuable habitat for rare species such as the lake sturgeon. These "living dinosaurs" evolved about the same time dinosaurs became extinct and have not changed much over the last 100 million years. They are one of the longest living animals in the world, with some individuals reaching 100+ years in age. They are also large, attaining lengths of up to six feet and weights of over 100 pounds. To spawn, sturgeon migrate from the Great Lakes into larger rivers in spring, seeking out a clean stony bottom to deposit their eggs upon.

Sportsmanlike Conduct

All plants and animal have an important role in nature. Please respect each of these links in the chain of life. A good rule of thumb is not to take anything more than you need.

Bass, pike, walleye, and even large panfish and trout eat smaller fish and keep the population in balance. Consider keeping the smaller fish you catch (within the legal limits) and releasing the big ones ("release the fish and keep the memory, it's bigger").

Please help keep this land beautiful and wild. Put all garbage in containers provided or take it with you. Lands along our river corridors and lakes are often in mixed ownership, so please respect private lands when traversing rivers or lakes in pursuit of fish. Our northwoods rivers and lakes attract many types of users, so with a little common sense and courtesy, we can all share these beautiful waters with minimal conflicts.

Before You Drop a Line

Anglers must follow the regulations of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Licenses are required for fishing and can be purchased at many local stores. For more information regarding fishing regulations and license requirements, vist the DNR website.

Fisheries Improvements Projects