Michigan Fly Fishing Regulations Guide

Everyone 17 and older needs a valid Michigan fishing license. Licenses are issued by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) — buy online, at MDNR offices, or at authorized retailers (most fly shops, sporting goods stores, and many gas stations in northern Michigan).

• Annual resident license — $27, valid April 1 through March 31 of the following year.
• Annual non-resident license — $77, same April–March validity window.
• Daily/24-hour licenses — short-trip pricing for both residents and non-residents.
• Combination hunting/fishing — discounted for residents who do both.
• No separate trout stamp — Michigan does not require a separate trout endorsement on top of the basic license. The base license covers trout and salmon water statewide.

Michigan’s inland trout season for most rivers and streams opens the last Saturday in April and runs through September 30. The 2026 opener falls on April 25. The opener is a major event in Michigan trout culture — fly shops fill, the Au Sable Grayling-area lodges book out, and the season officially begins on a single morning across thousands of miles of inland water.

• General inland season — last Saturday of April through September 30 on most trout water.
• Year-round designated waters — selected reaches stay open all year. The Au Sable Holy Water and other Type 1 sections, plus designated steelhead water on Lake Michigan tributaries (Pere Marquette, Muskegon, Manistee, Betsie), remain legal year-round.
• Verify per water — always check the current MDNR Inland Trout & Salmon Regulation Guide for the specific stretch you plan to fish.

Michigan classifies trout streams into multiple regulation tiers. Two of the most common a fly angler will encounter are Type 1 (Gear Restricted) and Type 2 (Gear Restricted). The exact definitions are spelled out in the Inland Trout & Salmon Regulation Guide, but in practice:

• Type 1 Gear Restricted — usually means artificial flies and lures only with single-hook restrictions. Often paired with reduced bag limits, increased size minimums, or no-kill (catch-and-release) designations.
• Type 2 Gear Restricted — generally artificial flies and lures only, but with somewhat less restrictive bag and size limits than Type 1.
• Per-water variation — exact restrictions vary by stream and by section within a stream. The MDNR guide spells out which mile-markers apply to which type.
• Signage on the water — Type 1 and Type 2 boundaries are typically marked with signs at access points.

Michigan’s most famous regulation tiers are the no-kill, artificials-only sections that protect wild fish:

• Au Sable Holy Water (Grayling to Burton Landing) — no-kill, artificial lures and flies only. The most famous catch-and-release water in Michigan and the heart of the Hex hatch tradition. Verify exact section boundaries in the current MDNR guide.
• Pere Marquette M-37 to Gleason’s Landing — fly-only, catch-and-release. The best-known steelhead and trout C&R section on the PM, on a federally designated Wild and Scenic River.
• Other Type 1 sections statewide — additional no-kill stretches exist on the Au Sable South Branch, North Branch, Pigeon, Jordan, and other Type 1–designated waters. The MDNR guide lists every section.

A common misconception among anglers visiting from the West Coast: Michigan does not have a blanket wild steelhead release rule. Unlike Washington, Oregon, and California (where intact-adipose wild steelhead must be released statewide), Michigan steelhead bag limits apply regardless of fin condition. Wild and hatchery fish both count toward the bag.

• No fin-clip-based rule statewide — Michigan does not require checking the adipose fin for harvest legality.
• Bag limits vary by water — typical inland trout/steelhead bag is 5 fish, but key steelhead rivers have more restrictive limits. The 2024 Natural Resources Commission amendment reduced the steelhead bag on the Pere Marquette — verify current PM limits before your trip.
• Designated steelhead water — many Lake Michigan tributaries have specific year-round steelhead seasons with stretch-by-stretch rules. Verify current MDNR designations.
• Voluntary C&R is encouraged — many Michigan fly anglers practice voluntary release of wild steelhead even where retention is legal. The fly-shop ethic supports the runs.

Michigan’s Great Lakes fisheries are co-managed under the 2023 Consent Decree (effective through 2047), which governs the treaty fishing rights recognized in the 1836 Treaty of Washington. Five tribes — the Bay Mills Indian Community, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, and Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians — co-manage the 1836 Treaty waters with the State of Michigan and the federal government.

• Where this matters most — the Consent Decree primarily governs Great Lakes commercial and recreational fisheries on Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior, and the lower reaches of treaty-water tributaries.
• Inland trout streams generally not affected — the Au Sable, Manistee upper river, Pere Marquette upper river, and most interior Lower Peninsula trout water are not directly governed by treaty rules. State regulations apply normally.
• Lower Lake Michigan tributaries — coastal sections of steelhead and salmon rivers may have treaty considerations. Verify with MDNR or local fly shops.
• Respect tribal management — when fishing in treaty waters, follow all posted regulations and the spirit of the Consent Decree.

The Boardman River near Traverse City underwent the largest dam removal project in Michigan history, with four dams taken down between 2012 and 2023. The river is actively re-establishing its natural channel, and steelhead now access miles of newly free-flowing habitat that was inaccessible for over a century.

• Verify before every trip — regulations for newly accessible reaches may differ from historical rules. Pre-removal regs do not necessarily apply to post-removal stretches.
• Watch for new spawning areas — RESPECT REDDS in newly opened upstream habitat. New spawning beds will appear in places they have not been for over 100 years.
• Follow MDNR updates — the Boardman is one of the most actively managed rivers in Michigan right now. Rules will continue to evolve.

Pacific salmon — Coho (Silver) and Chinook (King) — were introduced to Lake Michigan in the 1960s and now run major Michigan tributaries every fall. They are not native, but they are a significant fishery on the Manistee (especially below Tippy Dam), Pere Marquette, Muskegon (below Croton Dam), and Betsie.

• Run timing — salmon enter the rivers in late August through October to spawn. Peak in mid-September to early October on most rivers.
• Bag limits apply — verify per-water limits in the MDNR guide.
• Snagging rules — Michigan prohibits snagging on most waters but allows it in some specifically designated salmon-fishing areas. Verify before fishing.
• Ethical fishing during spawn — fly anglers traditionally drift egg patterns downstream of spawning fish, targeting trout and steelhead that follow the runs. Avoid casting directly at spawning salmon on redds.

Buy licenses and read the current regulations at michigan.gov/dnr. The Inland Trout & Salmon Regulation Guide is published annually and covers stretch-by-stretch Type 1, Type 2, and no-kill designations, plus statewide bag and size limits. The Fishing Guide for Michigan Waters covers the broader rule set.