Black Lake and the sturgeon season

Black Lake crosses the Cheboygan-Presque Isle county line. The DNR lists it at 10,130 acres, so this is a lot more than a small neighborhood lake. For anglers, though, its defining rule is about one fish: lake sturgeon.

Michigan’s 2026 fishing regulations say spearing lake sturgeon is prohibited everywhere else in the state. Black Lake has a special winter exception. Anglers must register before the season, and a harvested sturgeon must be registered immediately on site. The season begins on the first Saturday in February and runs through the following Monday or until the quota is reached, whichever comes first. Those details can change, so check the current regulations before making plans.

The 2026 season shows how quickly that can happen. It included both spearing and hook-and-line fishing, drew 679 registered anglers, and ended after all six fish in the harvest limit were taken. The whole season lasted 48 minutes. That is a dated example, not a promise about a future season.

The DNR says the Black Lake population has grown through work by the state, Sturgeon for Tomorrow, tribal agencies, Michigan State University, and other partners. For a closer look at the fish, the recovery work, and the alerts that close the season, see Michigan’s lake sturgeon and the Black Lake season. If you are looking at property nearby, verify actual frontage or deeded access instead of treating “near Black Lake” as the same thing as access.