Michigan DNR opens Black Lake for sturgeon fishing season on Feb. 7

The traditionally shortest fishing season in the State of Michigan – the one for Black Lake sturgeon - will open Feb. 7. 

The sturgeon spearing fishing season will last for four days at Black Lake in Cheboygan and Presque Isle counties, or until a total of six fish are harvested or a count of five is taken at the end of any fishing day, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said. 

The lake sturgeon harvests are also limited to one fish per year per angler. 

The 2025 sturgeon fishing season lasted only 17 minutes, the DNR said. There were seven sturgeon harvested that year, among the 797 anglers who registered for the event. 

Those who are age 17 and older and wish to participate in the 2026 fishing event must have a current fishing license at the time they sign up. Anglers who are 16 and younger are encouraged, but not required, to have a youth fishing license. All registration for this fishing event must be done in advance on the DNR website, with cell phone numbers provided so that season and harvest updates can be sent out quickly. 

Other special rules that apply to this fishing event include a bright red flag, one foot in diameter, that must be placed on each ice fishing shanty where anglers are vying for sturgeon. 

Successful anglers are instructed to take their fish to the DNR trailer that will be parked at the northwest side of the lake, at the Zolner Road access. 

Lake sturgeon, which has the scientific name of Acipenser fulvescens, is one of the oldest fish species in the Great Lakes. Its population declined to the point where special efforts have taken place to support the species and its environment. The species is currently listed as a threatened species in Michigan, the DNR says. 

An individual fish may have a typical lifespan of 55 years, although the DNR says some fish that are over 100 years old have been identified.