Connected to Lake Michigan through the Muskegon Channel. Receives Great Lakes salmon and steelhead runs in fall. Good year-round walleye fishing.
| Species | Population | Best technique |
|---|---|---|
|
Alosa pseudoharengus
Invasive forage base for salmon and lake trout
|
— | |
|
Amia calva
Called "dogfish" locally
|
Live or cut bait (suckers, chubs), large spinners, swimbaits, and topwater lures near thick weed edges. Use wire leader -- bowfin have sharp teeth. | |
|
Ictalurus punctatus
|
Chicken liver, stink bait, night crawlers on bottom | |
|
Cyprinus carpio
Invasive — widespread in warm, shallow bays
|
Corn, boilies, and dough balls on bottom hair rigs ÔÇö or spot-and-stalk with bow fishing gear | |
|
Aplodinotus grunniens
Called "sheepshead" in Michigan
|
Bottom fishing with nightcrawlers, crayfish, or cut bait; also jigging crayfish imitations and blade baits near gravel points and rocky structure | |
|
Coregonus clupeaformis
Great Lakes access
|
Jigging small spoons, Swedish Pimples, or jigging Rapalas in deep water; small bait flies and nymphs; ice fishing with tiny tube jigs tipped with wax worm near bottom | |
|
Lepisosteus osseus
|
Specialized rope or nylon-mesh lures (gar teeth tangle in fibers rather than missing a hook-point); also live baitfish on a wire leader. Standard hooks rarely penetrate the bony jaw. | |
|
Osmerus mordax
Spring dip-netting in tributaries
|
Spring dip-netting in creek mouths and tributaries during spawning runs (check local regulations for net size/limits). Ice fishing with tiny teardrops and wax worms -- smelt move in massive schools un | |
|
Neogobius melanostomus
Invasive -- must be killed, cannot be used as live bait
|
Small tube jigs and drop-shot rigs on bottom in Great Lakes and river habitats. Illegal to use as live bait in Michigan. Any round goby caught must be killed -- do not return to water. | |
|
Petromyzon marinus
Invasive parasite -- not a sport fish. Present in streams flowing to Great Lakes.
|
— | |
|
Morone chrysops
Surface feeding schools in summer
|
Small white jigs, tube jigs, spinners, small crankbaits ÔÇö follow surface activity and work fast | |
|
Morone americana
Invasive -- do not transport live
|
Small jigs, spinners, and live minnows under a float. Aggressive and easy to catch. Do NOT transport live white perch -- this aids their spread. | |
|
Acipenser fulvescens
Threatened — catch-and-release only. DNR monitoring program active.
|
Catch-and-release only in most Michigan waters — check current regulations. Bottom fishing with nightcrawlers or spawn in legal areas only. | |
|
Sander canadensis
Michigan Threatened -- extremely rare. Report catches to MDNR.
|
Same presentations as walleye -- jigs, live bait rigs, crankbaits drifted in river current. Report any catches to MDNR as sightings are tracked. |