MI

Michigan Fish Stocking

Reports, schedules, species, and official links from Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Official data snapshot Recent stocking records Source reviewed July 19, 2026

Quick answer

Official report: Michigan Department of Natural Resources's Michigan fish stocking database is the source of record for Michigan stocking information.

Commonly documented species: Atlantic Salmon, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Splake, Walleye, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Lake Sturgeon, Channel Catfish, Yellow Perch, and Fathead Minnow.

Typical timing: Stocking trucks are busiest from mid-March through early June, with additional fall work. The newest records may take several weeks to appear in the public database.

What anglers should know

Michigan's fish stocking database covers inland waters and the Great Lakes, connecting one of the country's broadest salmonid programs with walleye, muskie, pike, and sturgeon work. It is historical and current, but not intended as an instant truck tracker.

Great Lakes ports and tributaries receive salmon and steelhead, Upper Peninsula waters carry brook trout, lake trout, and splake, and inland lakes across both peninsulas receive walleye or muskie where natural recruitment needs help.

Check the official Michigan report

Michigan fish stocking database is the source of record. Agency schedules can change for weather, water conditions, hatchery operations, or access, so confirm there before driving.

Open Michigan fish stocking database

Stocking report snapshot

Showing 25 of 200 normalized public records. Records with published quantities total 6,132,296 fish.

Retrieved July 19, 2026
Recent or scheduled fish stocking records for Michigan
Date Water Species Quantity
Jul 9, 2026 Lake Charlevoix Charlevoix County Walleye Avg. 1.72 in. 40,381
Jul 8, 2026 Lake Charlevoix Charlevoix County Walleye Avg. 1.72 in. 51,558
Jul 7, 2026 Indian Lake Schoolcraft County Walleye Avg. 1.46 in. 9,231
Jul 2, 2026 Caribou Lake Chippewa County Walleye Avg. 1.5 in. 29,950
Jul 2, 2026 Lake Michigan Delta County Walleye Avg. 1.5 in. 59,825
Jul 1, 2026 Lake Michigan Delta County Walleye Avg. 1.46 in. 23,317
Jul 1, 2026 West Lake (Grov. Mine Pd. 2A) Dickinson County Walleye Avg. 2.67 in. 4,720
Jun 30, 2026 Bear Lake Manistee County Walleye Avg. 2.05 in. 84,870
Jun 30, 2026 Lake Huron Mackinac County Splake Avg. 8.15 in. 9,995
Jun 30, 2026 Lake Michigan Delta County Walleye Avg. 1.46 in. 125,310
Jun 30, 2026 West Lake (Grov. Mine Pd. 2A) Dickinson County Walleye Avg. 2.67 in. 7,228
Jun 29, 2026 Lake Margrethe Crawford County Walleye Avg. 2.05 in. 62,470
Jun 29, 2026 Lake Missaukee Missaukee County Walleye Avg. 2.05 in. 101,570
Jun 26, 2026 Chicagon Lake Iron County Walleye Avg. 1.67 in. 2,853
Jun 26, 2026 Indian Lake Schoolcraft County Walleye Avg. 1.57 in. 1,021
Jun 26, 2026 Island Lake (Grov. Mine Pd. 1) Dickinson County Walleye Avg. 1.73 in. 8,241
Jun 26, 2026 Lake Cadillac Wexford County Walleye Avg. 1.97 in. 65,155
Jun 26, 2026 Stager Lake Iron County Walleye Avg. 1.67 in. 6,265
Jun 25, 2026 Lake Michigan Delta County Walleye Avg. 1.77 in. 9,882
Jun 25, 2026 Manistee Lake Kalkaska County Walleye Avg. 1.97 in. 45,775
Jun 25, 2026 Sixmile Lake Antrim County Walleye Avg. 1.97 in. 9,665
Jun 24, 2026 Chicagon Lake Iron County Walleye Avg. 1.62 in. 24,778
Jun 24, 2026 Little Lake Marquette County Walleye Avg. 1.62 in. 16,525
Jun 24, 2026 Thousand Island Lake Gogebic County Walleye Avg. 1.62 in. 27,113
Jun 23, 2026 Corner Lake Schoolcraft County Walleye Avg. 1.89 in. 7,088

Michigan DNR current-year public ArcGIS records normalized with county, water, species, strain, quantity, average length, operation, and date; the agency notes entries can lag several weeks. This is a dated research snapshot. The official agency page above controls if a row changes.

When stocking happens in Michigan

Stocking trucks are busiest from mid-March through early June, with additional fall work. The newest records may take several weeks to appear in the public database.

Reading tip

Filter by county, waterbody, species, and year, then check strain and life stage; a spring fingerling release is very different from an adult trout plant.

Fish stocked in Michigan

Michigan DNR identifies coolwater and coldwater species as the core stocking program. The database can lag recent field work by several weeks while records are verified.

  • Atlantic Salmon
  • Chinook Salmon
  • Coho Salmon
  • Steelhead
  • Rainbow Trout
  • Brown Trout
  • Brook Trout
  • Lake Trout
  • Lake Whitefish
  • Splake
  • Walleye
  • Muskellunge
  • Northern Pike
  • Lake Sturgeon
  • Channel Catfish
  • Yellow Perch
  • Fathead Minnow

Where to start looking

These are useful geographic starting points, not a promise that every water is stocked this season.

  • Great Lakes and tributaries
  • Upper Peninsula
  • northern Lower Peninsula
  • southeast Michigan
  • inland lakes statewide

Michigan stocking questions

Where can I find the latest Michigan fish stocking report?

Use the Michigan fish stocking database published by Michigan Department of Natural Resources. This page links directly to that official source and labels our own records as a dated snapshot, not a live feed.

What fish are stocked in Michigan?

Michigan stocking sources and program materials identify Atlantic Salmon, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Splake, Walleye, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Lake Sturgeon, Channel Catfish, Yellow Perch, and Fathead Minnow. Michigan DNR identifies coolwater and coldwater species as the core stocking program. The database can lag recent field work by several weeks while records are verified.

When does Michigan stock fish?

Stocking trucks are busiest from mid-March through early June, with additional fall work. The newest records may take several weeks to appear in the public database.