New regulations take effect April 1, 2025



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March 31, 2025
Contact: Christian LeSage <[email protected]>, 517-449-7073 or Lucas Nathan <[email protected]>, 517-599-9323

2025 fishing season opens Tuesday

"New regulations take effect April 1, 2025"

A woman with a fish on the line holding a fly fishing rod in a river.

Heading out to fish? New sportfishing regulations for Michigan’s 2025 fishing season begin Tuesday, April 1, and are in effect through March 31, 2026. Changes this season include modifications to steelhead and muskie size limits and gear restrictions on some waters. Highlights include:

*Inland stream rainbow trout (steelhead) possession limit*

Steelhead regulations on several Type 3 and Type 4 streams have been slightly modified from last year. Some streams no longer have a 20-inch minimum size limit on steelhead (the daily possession limit of which is one). See Pages 42-65 of the Michigan Fishing Regulations for more specific information.

*New single-pointed hook restriction and spearing prohibition waters*

The ports of Grand Haven, Muskegon and Whitehall/Montague have new single-pointed hook regulations Nov. 1-30, and spearing or possessing spearing gear is now prohibited in these waters Nov. 1-30. For more information, see Pages 16-17 and 30-31 of the Michigan Fishing Regulations.

*Muskellunge size limit regulation*

In Thornapple Lake (Barry and Eaton counties) and Lake Hudson (Lenawee County), new 50-inch minimum size limit regulations for muskellunge are in effect. These lakes are important sources of Great Lakes-strain muskellunge, from which the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is developing a population of mature adults for future stocking needs. Find more information on Page 13 of the Michigan Fishing Regulations.

Several other inland waters have undergone minor regulation changes focused on northern pike, bass and trout. Before you hit the water, make sure to review the 2025 Michigan Fishing Regulations [ [link removed] ] thoroughly to learn any new laws that apply to your favorite fishing spots.

Don’t have your 2025 fishing license yet? Buy your fishing license online [ [link removed] ] or through the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app [ [link removed] ] and visit Michigan.gov/Fishing [ [link removed] ] for helpful resources including fishing location maps, fish ID information, the weekly fishing report and more.



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*Note to editors: *The accompanying photo is available below for download. Caption information follows.


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Fishing [ [link removed] ]: New sportfishing regulations for the 2025 fishing season are in effect April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026.

 


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