Michigan Tightens Up Trout, Salmon and Sturgeon Rules on Inland Lakes and the Wisconsin Border

Region: Michigan (Great Lakes / Upper Peninsula) | Type: Regulation change | Effective: September 10, 2026

If you fish inland lakes in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, or the Menominee River along the Michigan-Wisconsin line, new rules kicked in this week that are worth knowing before your next trip — especially since they aren't in the printed 2026 regulations guide yet.

What changed

During its September 9, 2026 meeting, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC) — the body with exclusive authority to set game and sportfish regulations in the state — approved amendments to two fisheries orders. Both took effect the next day, September 10, 2026.

Fisheries Order 254 (inland lakes trout and salmon) Two changes here:

Silver Lake Basin, Marquette County: The lake's Type B trout regulations have been removed and general statewide fishing rules now apply instead. DNR survey work found the basin no longer supports a trout fishery — stocking stopped in 2002, the Silver Lake Dam failed in 2003, and when the basin refilled, the fish community shifted to warmwater species (smallmouth bass and northern pike). Management there will now focus on those species rather than trout. Type E lakes, statewide: The Type E classification previously only mentioned trout in its 3-fish daily possession limit, with no reference to salmon. The DNR added salmon to that limit to match an emerging Atlantic salmon fishery in Torch Lake (Antrim County) and connected waters, the product of recent successful stocking. Anglers fishing Type E water should treat trout and salmon as a combined 3-fish daily limit going forward. Fisheries Order 205 (Michigan-Wisconsin boundary waters) This order governs shared water with Wisconsin, and the update targets lake sturgeon rules on the Menominee River (Dickinson, Iron and Menominee counties) to bring Michigan's side in line with Wisconsin's:

Upstream of the Grand Rapids Dam: catch-and-immediate-release season runs the first Saturday in June through the first Sunday in March. Upstream of the Grand Rapids Dam: a possession season now runs the first Saturday in September through September 30, with a limit of one lake sturgeon per angling season and a 60-inch minimum size limit. Downstream of the Grand Rapids Dam to the breakwall in Green Bay: catch-and-immediate-release season runs the first Saturday in September through September 30. Coverage of the NRC action notes the downstream catch-and-release season had actually been dropped last fall by an unintended drafting error — this update restores it, alongside the broader alignment with Wisconsin's rules on the shared river.

Why it matters if you're heading to the U.P.

Because these changes landed after the printed 2026 Michigan Fishing Regulations guide went to press, the book in your tackle box or truck glovebox won't reflect them. The DNR is explicitly telling anglers to check the digital regulations at Michigan.gov/DNRRegs or the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app before fishing Silver Lake Basin, Torch Lake, or the Menominee River this fall — particularly if you're planning to target Menominee River sturgeon during the new September possession window, where a mismatch with the old printed rule could mean an illegal harvest.

Sources

Michigan DNR: "Regulation changes for inland trout, salmon and lake sturgeon now in effect" — official press release, September 10, 2026 Michigan DNR: Fisheries Orders index — official listing of Fisheries Orders 254 and 205 Michigan DNR: Fishing Regulations — official regulations portal, referenced by the DNR for current digital rules Independent corroboration of the September 9 NRC action and the Menominee River drafting-error correction: news coverage published September 11, 2026