Porch Notes
Lake sturgeon and the Black Lake season: Michigan's dinosaur fish
Outdoors
2026 rules. Sturgeon waters, seasons, and size windows are listed in the sturgeon table of the official regulations — always check it.
The short version
Lake sturgeon are Michigan’s biggest, oldest fish — sometimes topping 100 years and 100 pounds. They nearly vanished a century ago. Today they’re a recovering species, and the rules reflect it. One sturgeon per angler per year. Harvest is allowed on only a short list of waters, each with its own season and size window. And every harvested fish must be registered within 24 hours — online, in the app, or at 888-636-7778. The old paper “sturgeon tag” is gone; registration replaced it.
Catch-and-release sturgeon fishing is allowed more broadly in season. That includes a brand-new catch-and-immediate-release season on the Menominee River (Grand Rapids Dam to Sturgeon Falls Dam), which opened for the first time in June 2026.
Black Lake: the shortest season in America
Spearing sturgeon is illegal everywhere in Michigan — except for one morning-ish each February on Black Lake. The winter spearing season runs like a rocket launch:
- Register online in advance. It’s free; a fishing license is required at 17 and up. A cell number is mandatory, because…
- …the season ends by text message the moment the quota is reached. The 2026 quota was six fish. The season opened February 7 at 8 a.m. and was over in 48 minutes. The 2025 edition lasted 17 minutes — the all-time record.
- Shanties fly red flags so DNR staff can spot sturgeon anglers. Harvested fish are registered immediately at the DNR trailer on the ice, where biologists take DNA and aging samples on the spot.
Hundreds of anglers. Generations of families. Sturgeon for Tomorrow volunteers, tribal partners, and a fish that outlives everyone on the lake. It’s equal parts fishery, festival, and science project — and it exists because the recovery is working. A one-morning season that tells a hundred-year conservation story.
The signpost
Rules change every year. The sturgeon table, registration details, and Black Lake season rules live at Michigan.gov/Sturgeon and in the official Michigan Fishing Regulations.
New to fishing here? Start with Fishing in Michigan, explained.
Where to see it
Black Lake, on the Cheboygan–Presque Isle county line, the first Saturday of February — shanties fly red flags, and the season can end by text message within the hour.
Sources
Last reviewed against the listed sources: June 11, 2026.