The 2024 Michigan fishing season has begun.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist Christian LeSage tells us licenses are available and new fishing regulations have been released. He said the DNR sold more than a million fishing licenses last year.
“We have world-class fishing opportunities,” LeSage said. “We have the Great Lakes, four of the five Great Lakes are here. We have all kinds of trout and salmon fishing. We have walleye fishing. We have lake sturgeon. We have muskie fishing, world-class walleye, world-class smallmouth bass.”
You can purchase a fishing license for $26 at many sporting goods retailers. You can also get them online.
LeSage urges anglers to get the DNR Hunt Fish app.
“It really helps. It also has digital information for the hunting digest and fishing information, the regulations, so it’s really very useful.
LeSage says you can find the new fishing regulations at Michigan.gov/Fishing. He said you can get a ticket for fishing without a license, the cost of which increases with each violation. Since fishing licenses purchased today are good until March 31 of next year, he called it a good deal.
Fishermen are also reminded to take steps to prevent the spread of invasive species by ensuring that fishing equipment and boats are cleaned before moving to new areas.
