River by river
Inside the usual window — the first fish should be showing. On an average year the run is usually building by Sep 5.
Water temp68°F
Flow1,630 cfs · high→
Gaugenear Wellston
Rain forecast 0.18″ over the next three days. Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 25 – Oct 25Typical window here; peak Sep 15 – Oct 5
- Water temp68°FBetween the moving band and the holding threshold
- Flow1,630 cfssteady
Kings Chinook Salmon
First fish
Typical: Aug 25 – Oct 25, peak Sep 15 – Oct 5
Coho Coho Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 13 – Nov 15, peak Oct 1 – Oct 28
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 20 – Apr 10, peak Oct 20 – Dec 15
The Manistee holds steelhead in every month of the year. Fall fish arrive behind the salmon and stay all winter.
Browns Lake-run Brown
Not yet
Typical: Sep 15 – Nov 15, peak Oct 1 – Oct 31
- Upstream limit
- Tippy Dam Tippy Dam stops the run about 27 river miles up from Lake Michigan. Everything that enters the river ends up below it.
- Access
- Tippy Dam pedestrian access, High Bridge, Bear Creek, Rainbow Bend, Blacksmith Bayou, Sixth Street in Manistee. Both. The dam pool and High Bridge wade; the water between the ramps is float country.
- Crowding
- The heaviest salmon crowd in Michigan. Tippy in late September is shoulder-to-shoulder from before first light, and it stays that way. If crowds bother you, fish the lower river from a boat or come in late October for steelhead instead.
- Regulations
- Below Tippy is open all year with gear restrictions that change by section. Snagging is illegal statewide and it is enforced hard here.
- What to throw
- Kings: heavy tube flies, egg-sucking leeches, big articulated streamers on sink tips. Steelhead behind them: single eggs, nuke eggs, small stones, swung buggers.
Inside the usual window — the first fish should be showing. On an average year the run is usually building by Sep 1.
Water temp65°F
Flow126 cfs · low→
GaugeNine Mile Bridge near Freesoil
Rain forecast 0.26″ over the next three days (0.21″ of it in the next 24 hours). Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 21 – Oct 21Typical window here; peak Sep 11 – Oct 1
- Water temp65°FBetween the moving band and the holding threshold
- Flow126 cfssteady
Kings Chinook Salmon
First fish
Typical: Aug 21 – Oct 21, peak Sep 11 – Oct 1
Runs early — it is a small, cold river and fish push on the first real bump.
Coho Coho Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 10 – Nov 12, peak Sep 28 – Oct 25
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 22 – Apr 12, peak Oct 22 – Dec 17
Source of Michigan’s wild steelhead brood stock. Every steelhead stocked in the state traces back to this river.
- Upstream limit
- DNR weir at Six Mile Bridge The weir is the hard stop from mid-August to mid-November, and again for steelhead in March and April.
- Access
- Nine Mile Bridge, Six Mile Bridge, Indian Bridge, Johnson Bridge, Old Stronach. Wade only in most of it. Small water, tight cover.
- Crowding
- Busy but not Tippy-busy. The weir stretch draws a crowd; walk twenty minutes and it thins out fast.
- Regulations
- Gear-restricted water in sections — check the current DNR guide before you go. The weir stretch has its own closures.
- What to throw
- Small and sparse. Single eggs, nymphs, small buggers. This is not a river for the big articulated stuff.
DNR weir
Little Manistee River Weir — DNR runs the chinook weir from about 15 August to about 15 November, and the steelhead weir from the first two weeks of March into mid-April. The hotline is updated daily when the weir is busy — it is the closest thing Michigan has to a live fish count. Hotline: 231-775-9727 ext. 6072
Last completed season (2025): 5,620 chinook counted at the weir and harvested for the egg take — well above the 2015–2024 median of 1,861. Chinook are harvested at the weir for the egg take. They are not passed upstream, so the count is a measure of how many fish came back — not of how many are in the river above Six Mile Bridge. Full weir returns.
No water temperature is available for this river, so this status rests on the calendar and the flow alone. It is a weaker call than it looks. Flow is rising. A bump after rain is what actually pushes fish upstream — this is the window to go.
Water tempno sensor
Flow446 cfs↑
Gaugeat Scottville
The Scottville gauge reports flow but has no water-temperature sensor. Temperature is genuinely unknown on this river — the status below is calendar and flow only, and it is less certain because of it.
Rain forecast 0.34″ over the next three days (0.23″ of it in the next 24 hours). Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 27 – Oct 27Typical window here; peak Sep 17 – Oct 7
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- Flow446 cfsrising
Kings Chinook Salmon
Building
Typical: Aug 27 – Oct 27, peak Sep 17 – Oct 7
Coho Coho Salmon
First fish
Typical: Sep 12 – Nov 14, peak Sep 30 – Oct 27
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 25 – Apr 15, peak Oct 25 – Dec 20
The flies-only water above Gleason’s Landing is the most famous steelhead fly water in the Midwest.
Browns Lake-run Brown
Not yet
Typical: Sep 15 – Nov 15, peak Oct 1 – Oct 31
- Upstream limit
- None — undammed to Lake Michigan One of the few large Michigan rivers with no dam between the lake and the headwaters. Fish spread through the whole system instead of stacking below a wall.
- Access
- Gleason’s Landing, Green Cottage, Rainbow Rapids, Bowman Bridge, Sulak, Upper Branch Bridge, Custer. Both. The flies-only stretch wades well; below Bowman it is float water.
- Crowding
- Heavy in the flies-only water during the salmon push, and the etiquette is taken seriously — step in above someone here and you will hear about it.
- Regulations
- Flies-only, no-kill water from M-37 down to Gleason’s Landing. Know exactly where that boundary is before you rig up.
- What to throw
- Kings: chartreuse and black tubes, big rubber-legged nymphs. Steelhead: eggs, stones, small streamers on the swing.
At 70°F the water is still too warm to move fish — they will hold in the lake or the lower river until it drops below about 68°F. Flow is rising. A bump after rain is what actually pushes fish upstream — this is the window to go.
Water temp70°F
Flow985 cfs · low↑
Gaugenear Croton
The Croton gauge, at the head of the tailwater. It reports water temperature as well as flow — the Newaygo gauge the site used until 2026-08-25 had sent no real-time value since 1993.
Rain forecast Little or none in the next three days. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 30 – Oct 30Typical window here; peak Sep 20 – Oct 10
- Water temp70°FAbove the 68°F holding threshold
- Flow985 cfsrising
Kings Chinook Salmon
Staging
Typical: Aug 30 – Oct 30, peak Sep 20 – Oct 10
Later than the northern rivers — fish have 45 miles to cover and the river is big enough to hold its heat.
Coho Coho Salmon
Not yet
Typical: Sep 15 – Nov 17, peak Oct 3 – Oct 30
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 25 – Apr 15, peak Oct 25 – Dec 20
A genuine year-round steelhead river. The tailwater keeps flowing and fishing when everything else is locked up.
Browns Lake-run Brown
Not yet
Typical: Sep 18 – Nov 18, peak Oct 4 – Nov 3
- Upstream limit
- Croton Dam Croton is the upper stop, about 45 river miles from Muskegon Lake. That is a long way for a fish to travel, which is part of why the Muskegon runs later than the rivers to its north.
- Access
- Croton Dam, Pine Street, Thornapple, Henning Park, Bridgeton, Newaygo. Mostly float. There is wadeable water below Croton and at Newaygo, but the Muskegon is a boat river.
- Crowding
- Busy below Croton, spread out everywhere else. The size of the river absorbs people better than the Manistee does.
- Regulations
- Open year-round below Croton. Gear restrictions vary by reach.
- What to throw
- Big water, big flies for kings. For steelhead the Muskegon is classic indicator-nymphing and swung-fly water in equal measure.
No live gauge data for this river. Treat the status as a seasonal average, not a report — and call a local shop before you drive.
Water tempno gauge
Flowno gauge
Gaugenone
There is no working gauge on the Betsie. 04126600 at Benzonia has no real-time series at all, and the only other gauge in Benzie County is on the Platte — which is its own row in this table, so borrowing it would print two rivers with identical flow. Status here is calendar-based only: treat it as a rough guide and call a shop.
Rain forecast 0.15″ over the next three days (0.15″ of it in the next 24 hours). Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 19 – Oct 19Typical window here; peak Sep 9 – Sep 29
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- FlowNo readingNo gauge on this river
Kings Chinook Salmon
Building
Typical: Aug 19 – Oct 19, peak Sep 9 – Sep 29
One of the earliest king runs in the state. Frankfort harbour fish are in the river while the southern rivers are still waiting.
Coho Coho Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 6 – Nov 8, peak Sep 24 – Oct 21
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 23 – Apr 13, peak Oct 23 – Dec 18
- Upstream limit
- Homestead Dam Homestead is the stop, and it concentrates fish the way Tippy does on a smaller scale.
- Access
- Homestead Dam, River Road, Grace Road, Psutka Road, Kurick Road. Wade above; float the lower river.
- Crowding
- Homestead Dam in late September is one of the more chaotic scenes in Michigan. The lower river is calmer.
- Regulations
- Section-specific gear restrictions. Check the current guide.
- What to throw
- Small-river tactics. Eggs, nymphs, sparse streamers.
No water temperature is available for this river, so this status rests on the calendar and the flow alone. It is a weaker call than it looks.
Water tempno sensor
Flow148 cfs · low→
Gaugeat Honor
The Honor gauge is currently reporting an equipment fault rather than a value. Flow may return; there is no temperature sensor either way.
Rain forecast 0.15″ over the next three days (0.15″ of it in the next 24 hours). Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 20 – Oct 20Typical window here; peak Sep 10 – Sep 30
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- Flow148 cfssteady
Kings Chinook Salmon
Building
Typical: Aug 20 – Oct 20, peak Sep 10 – Sep 30
Coho Coho Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 4 – Nov 6, peak Sep 22 – Oct 19
DNR describes returning adults as arriving mid-September through late October. If you want coho, this is the river.
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 25 – Apr 15, peak Oct 25 – Dec 20
- Upstream limit
- DNR weir below the hatchery The Platte is Michigan’s coho river — the state’s main coho egg-collection site is here.
- Access
- Platte River Campground, the US-31 bridge, Deadstream Road, the lower river and Platte Bay. Wade. Small, clear, and easy to spook.
- Crowding
- Genuinely heavy during the coho run, and the lower river is a snagging-enforcement hotspot every year. Fish it clean and expect to be watched.
- Regulations
- Special regulations apply around the weir and on the lower river. Read the current guide carefully — this stretch has more rule changes than most.
- What to throw
- Coho take a fly better than kings do. Small bright streamers, comets, egg patterns.
DNR weir
Platte River State Fish Hatchery & Weir — The main coho egg-collection site for the upper Great Lakes. DNR puts adult returns at mid-September to late October, which is the most authoritative coho window published anywhere.
No water temperature is available for this river, so this status rests on the calendar and the flow alone. It is a weaker call than it looks.
Water tempno sensor
Flow239 cfs→
Gaugenear Whitehall
Flow only — no temperature sensor at Whitehall.
Rain forecast 0.15″ over the next three days. Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 26 – Oct 26Typical window here; peak Sep 16 – Oct 6
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- Flow239 cfssteady
Kings Chinook Salmon
First fish
Typical: Aug 26 – Oct 26, peak Sep 16 – Oct 6
Coho Coho Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 11 – Nov 13, peak Sep 29 – Oct 26
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 25 – Apr 15, peak Oct 25 – Dec 20
- Upstream limit
- Hesperia Dam Hesperia has a fish ladder, so some fish continue above it, but the dam pool is where the fishing is.
- Access
- Hesperia Dam, Pines Point, Diamond Point, Sischo Bayou. Both. Wade at Hesperia and Pines Point; float the middle river.
- Crowding
- Moderate. The White is the quiet alternative to the Muskegon and it stays that way most years.
- Regulations
- Standard Lake Michigan tributary regulations; check for gear-restricted sections.
- What to throw
- Same as the Muskegon, scaled down.
At 75°F the water is still too warm to move fish — they will hold in the lake or the lower river until it drops below about 68°F. Flow is rising. A bump after rain is what actually pushes fish upstream — this is the window to go.
Water temp75°F
Flow2,050 cfs · low↑
Gaugenear Eastmanville
Flow comes from the Eastmanville gauge and temperature from the Grand Rapids gauge 25 miles upstream — two different places on a big river. Both are labelled where they appear.
Rain forecast Little or none in the next three days. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarSep 1 – Nov 1Typical window here; peak Sep 22 – Oct 12
- Water temp75°FAbove the 68°F holding threshold
- Flow2,050 cfsrising
Kings Chinook Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 1 – Nov 1, peak Sep 22 – Oct 12
The Grand runs late. Big, warm, slow water and a long way to travel.
Coho Coho Salmon
Not yet
Typical: Sep 15 – Nov 17, peak Oct 3 – Oct 30
The Grand’s coho run is the best known in southern Michigan.
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 28 – Apr 18, peak Oct 28 – Dec 23
- Upstream limit
- Sixth Street Dam, Grand Rapids Forty miles of river from Lake Michigan to the dam, and the fish ladder at Sixth Street is the most-watched salmon spectacle in the state.
- Access
- Sixth Street Dam and Fish Ladder Park, Ann Street, Fulton Street, Jenison, Grand Haven. Wade at the dam; the rest is a boat river.
- Crowding
- Sixth Street is urban fishing with an audience — spectators on the walkway, anglers shoulder to shoulder. It is a spectacle as much as a fishery.
- Regulations
- Snagging enforcement at Sixth Street is heavy and public. Know the rules before you cast.
- What to throw
- Big water. Sink tips and weight, or fish the dam pool with the crowd.
At 73°F the water is still too warm to move fish — they will hold in the lake or the lower river until it drops below about 68°F.
Water temp73°F
Flow1,920 cfs · low→
Gaugeat Niles
Rain forecast Little or none in the next three days. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarSep 3 – Nov 3Typical window here; peak Sep 24 – Oct 14
- Water temp73°FAbove the 68°F holding threshold
- Flow1,920 cfssteady
Kings Chinook Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 3 – Nov 3, peak Sep 24 – Oct 14
The latest king run in Michigan. The St. Joe stays warm well into September and fish will not push until it cools.
Coho Coho Salmon
Not yet
Typical: Sep 17 – Nov 19, peak Oct 5 – Nov 1
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 30 – Apr 20, peak Oct 30 – Dec 25
Skamania-strain summer steelhead give the St. Joe a run no northern river has.
- Upstream limit
- Berrien Springs Dam The ladder at Berrien Springs passes fish upstream, and there is a viewing chamber — one of the few places in Michigan you can watch the run underwater.
- Access
- Berrien Springs Dam, Niles, Buchanan, the lower river at St. Joseph. Mostly float. Limited wading below the dams.
- Crowding
- Busy at the dams, quiet elsewhere. Draws a lot of Indiana and Illinois traffic.
- Regulations
- Different from the northern rivers in several respects. Read the southwest Michigan section of the guide.
- What to throw
- Big water, heavy sink tips, or swing gear.
At 75°F the water is still too warm to move fish — they will hold in the lake or the lower river until it drops below about 68°F.
Water temp75°F
Flow1,120 cfs · low→
Gaugeat New Richmond
Rain forecast Little or none in the next three days. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarSep 2 – Nov 2Typical window here; peak Sep 23 – Oct 13
- Water temp75°FAbove the 68°F holding threshold
- Flow1,120 cfssteady
Kings Chinook Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 2 – Nov 2, peak Sep 23 – Oct 13
Coho Coho Salmon
Not yet
Typical: Sep 16 – Nov 18, peak Oct 4 – Oct 31
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 29 – Apr 19, peak Oct 29 – Dec 24
- Upstream limit
- Allegan Dam Allegan is the stop, about 35 river miles up from Saugatuck.
- Access
- Allegan Dam, New Richmond, Saugatuck, Douglas. Float. Very little wadeable water.
- Crowding
- Moderate. The Kalamazoo is under-fished relative to what it holds.
- Regulations
- Standard southwest Michigan tributary regulations.
- What to throw
- Sink tips and weight in the dam pool; swung flies in the runs below New Richmond.
No water temperature is available for this river, so this status rests on the calendar and the flow alone. It is a weaker call than it looks. Flow is rising. A bump after rain is what actually pushes fish upstream — this is the window to go.
Water tempno sensor
Flow119 cfs · low↑
Gaugeabove Brown Bridge Road near Mayfield
The only Boardman gauge still reporting sits above Brown Bridge Road, well upstream of the run water at the Union Street Dam — 04127000 near Mayfield and the Beitner Road gauge have both gone quiet. Read it as a wetness signal for the system, not as the flow in the water you would fish. No temperature sensor.
Rain forecast 0.25″ over the next three days (0.25″ of it in the next 24 hours). Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 22 – Oct 22Typical window here; peak Sep 12 – Oct 2
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- Flow119 cfsrising
Kings Chinook Salmon
Building
Typical: Aug 22 – Oct 22, peak Sep 12 – Oct 2
Coho Coho Salmon
First fish
Typical: Sep 8 – Nov 10, peak Sep 26 – Oct 23
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 23 – Apr 13, peak Oct 23 – Dec 18
- Upstream limit
- Union Street Dam, Traverse City The run stops in downtown Traverse City. Increasingly called the Boardman-Ottaway — you will see both names.
- Access
- Union Street Dam, the Boardman Lake outlet, Cass Street. Wade. This is a short, urban run stretch.
- Crowding
- Downtown fishing with all that implies. Convenient, crowded, and it fishes better at dawn than at any other time.
- Regulations
- City ordinances apply on top of DNR regulations near the dam.
- What to throw
- Small-water tactics in a small space.
No live gauge data for this river. Treat the status as a seasonal average, not a report — and call a local shop before you drive.
Water tempno gauge
Flowno gauge
Gaugenone
Bear Creek has no gauge of its own, and no proxy is printed here as though it were one.
Rain forecast 0.15″ over the next three days. Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 28 – Oct 28Typical window here; peak Sep 18 – Oct 8
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- FlowNo readingNo gauge on this river
Kings Chinook Salmon
First fish
Typical: Aug 28 – Oct 28, peak Sep 18 – Oct 8
Coho Coho Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 13 – Nov 15, peak Oct 1 – Oct 28
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 27 – Apr 17, peak Oct 27 – Dec 22
- Upstream limit
- None A Big Manistee tributary. Fish that run Bear Creek come off the Manistee, so it follows the Manistee’s timing by a few days.
- Access
- Coates Highway, Kerry Road, the mouth at the Manistee. Wade only.
- Crowding
- Light compared to the main river, which is most of the appeal.
- Regulations
- Gear restrictions apply — check the guide.
- What to throw
- Small and subtle. Clear water, spooky fish.
No live gauge data for this river. Treat the status as a seasonal average, not a report — and call a local shop before you drive.
Water tempno gauge
Flowno gauge
Gaugenone
No real-time gauge on the run water. Calendar only — the UP rivers are where a phone call to a local shop is worth the most.
Rain forecast 0.58″ over the next three days (0.53″ of it in the next 24 hours), heaviest August 31, 2026, 2:00 AM. Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 21 – Oct 21Typical window here; peak Sep 11 – Oct 1
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- FlowNo readingNo gauge on this river
Kings Chinook Salmon
First fish
Typical: Aug 21 – Oct 21, peak Sep 11 – Oct 1
UP rivers cool early, so the run starts early.
Coho Coho Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 7 – Nov 9, peak Sep 25 – Oct 22
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 21 – Apr 11, peak Oct 21 – Dec 16
- Upstream limit
- Manistique Dam The dam in town is the stop, and the run stretch below it is short.
- Access
- The dam in Manistique, the boardwalk, the river mouth. Wade.
- Crowding
- Light by Lower Peninsula standards.
- Regulations
- Upper Peninsula regulations differ from the Lower — check the right section of the guide.
- What to throw
- Standard run tactics.
At 72°F the water is still too warm to move fish — they will hold in the lake or the lower river until it drops below about 68°F.
Water temp72°F
Flow1,320 cfs · low→
Gaugenear Au Sable
This is the lower-river gauge below Foote Dam, not the Mio gauge the Holy Water pages read. Sixty river miles apart and several degrees different.
Rain forecast 0.51″ over the next three days (0.48″ of it in the next 24 hours), heaviest August 31, 2026, 2:00 AM. Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 27 – Oct 27Typical window here; peak Sep 17 – Oct 7
- Water temp72°FAbove the 68°F holding threshold
- Flow1,320 cfssteady
Kings Chinook Salmon
Staging
Typical: Aug 27 – Oct 27, peak Sep 17 – Oct 7
A Lake Huron run, and Huron’s chinook fishery is a fraction of what it once was — expect fewer fish than the Lake Michigan side.
Coho Coho Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 12 – Nov 14, peak Sep 30 – Oct 27
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 25 – Apr 15, peak Oct 25 – Dec 20
The Au Sable’s fall steelhead run is the reason to fish the lower river.
Browns Lake-run Brown
Not yet
Typical: Sep 15 – Nov 15, peak Oct 1 – Oct 31
- Upstream limit
- Foote Dam Foote is the stop, about 8 miles up from Lake Huron. The tailwater is the whole show.
- Access
- Foote Dam, Whirlpool, Rea Road, Five Channels, the mouth at Oscoda. Both. The Foote tailwater wades; below it is boat water.
- Crowding
- Moderate. Nothing like the Lake Michigan side.
- Regulations
- Year-round water below Foote with gear restrictions in places.
- What to throw
- A steelhead-first river in the fall. Swung flies work well here.
No water temperature is available for this river, so this status rests on the calendar and the flow alone. It is a weaker call than it looks. Flow is rising. A bump after rain is what actually pushes fish upstream — this is the window to go.
Water tempnot reporting
Flow278 cfs↑
Gaugenear Sterling
The Sterling gauge reports flow reliably; its temperature sensor comes and goes. When temperature is missing the status below says so rather than guessing.
Rain forecast 0.37″ over the next three days (0.31″ of it in the next 24 hours). Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 27 – Oct 27Typical window here; peak Sep 17 – Oct 7
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- Flow278 cfsrising
Kings Chinook Salmon
Building
Typical: Aug 27 – Oct 27, peak Sep 17 – Oct 7
Coho Coho Salmon
First fish
Typical: Sep 12 – Nov 14, peak Sep 30 – Oct 27
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 25 – Apr 15, peak Oct 25 – Dec 20
- Upstream limit
- None — undammed to Saginaw Bay Fish run a long way up an undammed river, so they spread out rather than stacking.
- Access
- Omer, Sterling, Maple Ridge, and the state recreation area upstream. Wade, mostly.
- Crowding
- Omer gets busy, but the middle river stays quiet.
- Regulations
- Check gear restrictions; sections differ.
- What to throw
- Small to medium. Eggs and nymphs do most of the work.
No live gauge data for this river. Treat the status as a seasonal average, not a report — and call a local shop before you drive.
Water tempno gauge
Flowno gauge
Gaugenone
No gauge on the Two-Hearted, and no proxy printed as though there were one.
Rain forecast 0.53″ over the next three days (0.48″ of it in the next 24 hours), heaviest August 31, 2026, 2:00 AM. Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarSep 4 – Nov 6Typical window here; peak Sep 22 – Oct 19
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- FlowNo readingNo gauge on this river
Coho Coho Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 4 – Nov 6, peak Sep 22 – Oct 19
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 20 – Apr 10, peak Oct 20 – Dec 15
Lake Superior steelhead. A different fish and a different experience from the Lake Michigan side — fewer, wilder, in country with nobody else in it.
- Upstream limit
- None A wilderness river with no dam and no crowd. The run here is small and wild, and worth the drive for its own sake.
- Access
- Reed & Green Bridge, High Bridge, the mouth at Lake Superior. Wade, and expect to walk.
- Crowding
- None to speak of. That is the point.
- Regulations
- Upper Peninsula regulations. Much of the corridor is state forest land.
- What to throw
- Classic swung-fly water if you want it to be.
No water temperature is available for this river, so this status rests on the calendar and the flow alone. It is a weaker call than it looks. Flow is rising. A bump after rain is what actually pushes fish upstream — this is the window to go.
Water tempno sensor
Flow121 cfs↑
Gaugenear Rockford
The Rockford gauge sits about three miles below the dam, inside the run water rather than above it — unusually good placement for this page. It reports flow only; there is no thermometer on it.
Rain forecast Little or none in the next three days. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarSep 2 – Nov 2Typical window here; peak Sep 23 – Oct 13
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- Flow121 cfsrising
Kings Chinook Salmon
First fish
Typical: Sep 2 – Nov 2, peak Sep 23 – Oct 13
Late. These fish come up the whole Grand before they turn into the Rogue.
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 28 – Apr 18, peak Oct 28 – Dec 23
The Rogue is a steelhead river before it is a salmon river, and the spring run is the bigger one — local shops put it at roughly 30% of the fish in autumn and 70% in spring. Fish hold in the dam pool through the winter.
Coho Coho Salmon
Not yet
Typical: Sep 16 – Nov 18, peak Oct 4 – Oct 31
- Upstream limit
- Rockford Dam There is no fish ladder at Rockford, so the run ends in the dam pool. That leaves roughly seven miles of river between the dam and the Grand, and everything that comes up is in it.
- Access
- Peppler Park at the Rockford Dam, Pickett Park, Rogue River Park in Belmont, and the bridges at Jericho, Childsdale and Packer Drive. Mostly wadeable below the dam — one of the easiest rivers in West Michigan to get into. Some reaches have soft bottoms and fish better from a boat.
- Regulations
- Type 4 water, with a rule specific to this river: between the Rockford Dam and the Grand you may keep up to five rainbow trout a day, no more than three of 15 inches or over and no more than one of 20 inches or over, year round. Check the current DNR guide before you go.
- What to throw
- Steelhead standards — single eggs, beads, small stoneflies, swung buggers. Heavier tubes and articulated streamers while the salmon are in.
No water temperature is available for this river, so this status rests on the calendar and the flow alone. It is a weaker call than it looks. Flow is rising. A bump after rain is what actually pushes fish upstream — this is the window to go.
Water tempno sensor
Flow34 cfs↑
GaugeSouth Branch near Bangor
There is no gauge on the Black River mainstem. The only live gauge in this watershed sits on the South Branch near Bangor, about six miles inland, and drains under a third of the basin — so it tracks the general trend but will under-read a storm that lands on the North or Middle Branch. Shown because it is the same water, labelled because it is not the same place.
Rain forecast Little or none in the next three days. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 29 – Oct 29Typical window here; peak Sep 19 – Oct 9
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- Flow34 cfsrising
Kings Chinook Salmon
Building
Typical: Aug 29 – Oct 29, peak Sep 19 – Oct 9
DNR reports here say "salmon" without always naming the species, so treat chinook as likely rather than confirmed.
Coho Coho Salmon
First fish
Typical: Sep 14 – Nov 16, peak Oct 2 – Oct 29
The species DNR names for this river by name — coho taken from shore below the bridge and at the mouth in early October.
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 27 – Apr 17, peak Oct 27 – Dec 22
- Upstream limit
- Not published Seventeen dams sit in this watershed and the watershed plan calls most of them impassable, but nobody publishes which one the run reaches first. What is documented is that the river is paddleable about twenty miles from Bangor down to the lake.
- Access
- Black River Park and marina on Dunkley Avenue, SHOUT Park beside it, the South Haven piers and the Harborwalk. Shore and boat. Nothing published describes the lower river as wading water, so do not plan on it.
- Regulations
- The mainstem is not a designated trout stream, so statewide rules apply. A segment of the South Branch is separately designated.
- What to throw
- Big-water tactics near the mouth. Spawn imitations, beads and heavy streamers rather than anything delicate.
No live gauge data for this river. Treat the status as a seasonal average, not a report — and call a local shop before you drive.
Water tempno gauge
Flowno gauge
Gaugenone
No live gauge on the Bear. The USGS site at the US-31 bridge holds field measurements from 1977 and nothing since.
Rain forecast 0.96″ over the next three days (0.96″ of it in the next 24 hours), heaviest August 31, 2026, 2:00 AM. Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 25 – Oct 25Typical window here; peak Sep 15 – Oct 5
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- FlowNo readingNo gauge on this river
Kings Chinook Salmon
First fish
Typical: Aug 25 – Oct 25, peak Sep 15 – Oct 5
Pinks Pink Salmon
First fish
Typical: Aug 20 – Oct 15, peak Sep 8 – Sep 30
DNR reported pink salmon here in October 2025 alongside the chinook and coho. Pinks are odd-year dominant in Michigan, so an even year is thinner — but not empty, because some fish return at two years old and some at three.
Coho Coho Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 10 – Nov 12, peak Sep 28 – Oct 25
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 25 – Apr 15, peak Oct 25 – Dec 20
DNR stocks about 5,000 yearling steelhead a year into the lower river, along with a thousand brown trout.
Browns Lake-run Brown
Not yet
Typical: Sep 15 – Nov 15, peak Oct 1 – Oct 31
- Upstream limit
- Lake Street Dam, Petoskey Four of this river’s historic dams are gone. This one is not, and it still blocks the run close to the mouth — so the fishable water is a short stretch through downtown Petoskey. The whitewater park is above the dam and did not open passage. A study of what to do with the dam was still unresolved as of 2026.
- Access
- Bear River Valley Recreation Area, entered from West Lake Street or Sheridan Street; the parking beneath the US-31 bridge; and Bayfront Park at the mouth. Wade and bank, in a short reach of pools and riffles dropping through town.
- Crowding
- Busy, and openly so. Anglers are on the mouth in downtown Petoskey through the run in every kind of weather, and the single-hook rule above the footbridge exists because of the pressure the dam pool attracts.
- Regulations
- Read this one twice. From the north edge of the footbridge above Lake Street up to the Lake Street Dam you are restricted to ONE single-pointed, unweighted hook no larger than half an inch from point to shank. That is an anti-snagging rule on a short, crowded dam pool and it is enforced. Above the footbridge the river is Type 4 water up to Walloon Lake.
- What to throw
- Small and legal. Single eggs and beads on a single unweighted hook in the restricted reach — weight goes on the leader, not the fly, and know the rule before you tie anything on.
No live gauge data for this river. Treat the status as a seasonal average, not a report — and call a local shop before you drive.
Water tempno gauge
Flowno gauge
Gaugenone
The USGS gauge near Cheboygan was discontinued in 1992 and nothing replaced it. No flow is reported for this river.
Rain forecast 1.36″ over the next three days (1.36″ of it in the next 24 hours), heaviest August 31, 2026, 2:00 AM. Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 25 – Oct 25Typical window here; peak Sep 15 – Oct 5
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- FlowNo readingNo gauge on this river
Kings Chinook Salmon
First fish
Typical: Aug 25 – Oct 25, peak Sep 15 – Oct 5
DNR has reported salmon in high numbers at the spillway in mid-October, and hard to catch even so.
Pinks Pink Salmon
First fish
Typical: Aug 20 – Oct 15, peak Sep 8 – Sep 30
One of five northern Lake Huron rivers with an established pink salmon run, per DNR Research Report 1893. Odd years are the stronger ones.
Coho Coho Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 10 – Nov 12, peak Sep 28 – Oct 25
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 25 – Apr 15, peak Oct 25 – Dec 20
Fish move up through the spring; DNR reports beads and spawn near the bottom at the spillway in April.
- Upstream limit
- Cheboygan Lock and Dam About a mile and a half up from Lake Huron, at the head of the Inland Waterway. There is no fish ladder, so the spillway is where the fish stop and where the anglers stand. Note that the lock runs seasonally and closes for the year in late October, part-way through the run — and that it was shut by an emergency in spring 2026 before reopening that June.
- Access
- Major City Park, Washington Park and Water Street Park downtown; Gordon Turner Park at the mouth; and the DNR launches at Garfield Road and Lincoln Street. Shore fishing at the spillway, and boat water below it. This is a navigable channel with a drawbridge and a lock — not a river you wade.
- Regulations
- Type 3 from the dam down to Lake Huron: open all year, bait legal, 15-inch minimum on brook and brown trout. County rules also apply — no spear, bow, crossbow, dip net or gaff on the Cheboygan, Indian or Black rivers from 1 April to 15 June, and walleye possession runs 15 May to 15 March on this reach.
- What to throw
- Heavy water below a spillway. Sink tips, weighted spawn imitations and big streamers.
No live gauge data for this river. Treat the status as a seasonal average, not a report — and call a local shop before you drive.
Water tempno gauge
Flowno gauge
Gaugenone
No gauge on the Ocqueoc — the two USGS sites on it hold a single field measurement each, from October 2024. Nothing here reports its flow.
Rain forecast 1.39″ over the next three days (1.38″ of it in the next 24 hours), heaviest August 31, 2026, 2:00 AM. Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 20 – Oct 15Typical window here; peak Sep 8 – Sep 30
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- FlowNo readingNo gauge on this river
Pinks Pink Salmon
First fish
Typical: Aug 20 – Oct 15, peak Sep 8 – Sep 30
One of only five northern Lake Huron streams DNR records with an established pink salmon run. The run is odd-year dominant, so expect an even year to be thin.
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 25 – Apr 15, peak Oct 25 – Dec 20
The Ocqueoc is a steelhead river first. DNR puts the spring run starting in April and lasting into May when winter hangs on.
- Upstream limit
- Sea lamprey barrier at Ocqueoc Lake Road Not the falls, which almost every account names. The barrier sits about five miles downstream of them and is what fish meet first — a low weir with an electrical element, built for the lamprey programme in 2001. Fishing is prohibited within 100 feet of it. The electrical part runs only in spring, to protect steelhead smolts on their way out, so it is off during the salmon run.
- Access
- Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground and its day-use area, the Bicentennial Pathway along the river, the Ocqueoc Lake Road crossing, the US-23 bridge and the DNR launch beside it, and Highbanks on state forest land. Wadeable, with real hazards. DNR calls the cobble at the falls slippery and the currents there unsuitable for inexperienced waders, and the Ocqueoc Lake Road water dangerous in high spring flow.
- Crowding
- Light. DNR describes the water away from the falls as uncrowded, and the falls themselves draw summer tourists rather than autumn anglers.
- Regulations
- Type 4 water from Barnhart Lake to Lake Huron, and no fishing within 100 feet of the lamprey barrier. Northern pike carry their own rules on this river and its tributaries.
- What to throw
- Small river, small flies. Eggs, beads and nymphs — this is not big-streamer water.
No live gauge data for this river. Treat the status as a seasonal average, not a report — and call a local shop before you drive.
Water tempno gauge
Flowno gauge
Gaugenone
There is a USGS gauge on the Thunder Bay River and this page deliberately does not show it. It sits at Herron Road, about ten miles out and above three dams — Norway Point, Four Mile and Ninth Street — at least one of which has no operating fish passage and two of which are hydro-regulated. What it reads has very little to do with the mile of river below the Ninth Street Dam where the fishing happens. A gauge that is present but wrong is worse than none, because a reader believes it.
Rain forecast 1.46″ over the next three days (1.43″ of it in the next 24 hours), heaviest August 31, 2026, 2:00 AM. Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarAug 25 – Oct 25Typical window here; peak Sep 15 – Oct 5
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- FlowNo readingNo gauge on this river
Kings Chinook Salmon
First fish
Typical: Aug 25 – Oct 25, peak Sep 15 – Oct 5
Coho Coho Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 10 – Nov 12, peak Sep 28 – Oct 25
Atlantics Atlantic Salmon
Not yet
Typical: Sep 25 – Dec 31, peak Oct 15 – Dec 10
The reason to know this river. Michigan stocks Atlantic salmon here each spring under an experimental programme — one of only a handful of places in the state — and DNR puts the fall return at October to December. Anglers report them at the dam alongside the coho, and hard to catch.
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 25 – Apr 15, peak Oct 25 – Dec 20
- Upstream limit
- Ninth Street Dam, Alpena The dam is about a mile up from Thunder Bay, and that mile is the only part of the whole river migrating fish can reach. Everything above it is impoundment.
- Access
- The Ninth Street Dam and the Ninth Street bridge in Alpena. Note the local naming: the same structure is called the 9th Avenue Dam on tourism material and the 9th St. dam in DNR reports. Shore and wade at the dam, on rocky bank, or fish from the bridge. With a mile of river below the dam this is a concentrated fishery, not a float.
- Regulations
- Type 3 water from the Ninth Street Dam to Lake Huron: open all year, artificials and every kind of natural bait legal, and a 15-inch minimum on both brook and brown trout — which catches people out.
- What to throw
- Dam-pool fishing. Weighted eggs and nymphs, streamers on a sink tip, and small spoons and spinners for the Atlantics if you are not committed to the fly.
No water temperature is available for this river, so this status rests on the calendar and the flow alone. It is a weaker call than it looks.
Water tempno sensor
Flow44 cfs↑
Gaugeat South Mackinaw Road
The Mackinaw Road gauge sits a couple of miles above the mouth, in the lower river. Flow only — no temperature sensor.
Rain forecast 0.40″ over the next three days (0.36″ of it in the next 24 hours). Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarSep 25 – Apr 15Typical window here; peak Oct 25 – Dec 20
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- Flow44 cfsrising
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Sep 25 – Apr 15, peak Oct 25 – Dec 20
Steelhead are the only migratory species DNR names for the Au Gres by name — reported in the deeper holes and down near the mouth, and in the lower Whitney Drain and by the Singing Bridge on the East Branch. Salmon are said to run it; no source we could find says which.
- Upstream limit
- None published No dam is recorded on the Au Gres mainstem and no upstream limit for the run is published, so this page does not name one. One thing to know before you look at a map: the East Branch has been diverted straight to Lake Huron through the Whitney Drain since the 1920s. It is a separate system with its own mouth, and DNR reports it separately.
- Access
- The Au Gres city boat launch and riverfront park on Riverside Drive, the city park and campground, and — on the East Branch — the Singing Bridge on US-23 and the lower Whitney Drain. Boat and shore in the lower river, which is a deep-holed paddling and launching reach rather than wading water.
- Regulations
- The mainstem is not a designated trout stream, so statewide rules apply. Dip netting is prohibited from Saginaw Bay up to M-65. The East Branch, listed under Iosco County, is Type 3 water with its own 15-inch brook and brown trout minimum.
- What to throw
- Lower-river steelhead work — eggs, beads and small streamers fished deep.
No live gauge data for this river. Treat the status as a seasonal average, not a report — and call a local shop before you drive.
Water tempno gauge
Flowno gauge
Gaugenone
The Green Bay Street gauge stopped reporting in 2017 and nothing replaced it. The nearest working gauge is on the Dead River, a different watershed — this page will not print one river’s flow as another’s.
Rain forecast 0.31″ over the next three days (0.28″ of it in the next 24 hours), heaviest August 31, 2026, 2:00 AM. Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarSep 10 – Nov 12Typical window here; peak Sep 28 – Oct 25
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- FlowNo readingNo gauge on this river
Coho Coho Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 10 – Nov 12, peak Sep 28 – Oct 25
Coho and steelhead are the two migratory species DNR names for the Chocolay. Chinook is not among them, so this page does not list it.
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Oct 2 – Apr 22, peak Nov 1 – Dec 27
A Lake Superior river, and the timing shows it. DNR reports have steelhead still moving up through late April and into mid-May, driven by snowmelt — weeks behind the Lake Michigan pattern.
- Upstream limit
- None documented No barrier is documented on the mainstem. DNR sets its regulation boundary here at a tributary confluence rather than at a structure, which is what it does on rivers where no dam exists.
- Access
- River Access Park on West Main Street in Harvey, about 1,500 feet up from Lake Superior; the DNR access and accessible fishing pier on M-28; the Mangum Road, Green Bay Street and Green Garden launches; and the Beckman Road bridge upstream. Both, by section. DNR calls the Beckman Road water easily wadeable; the lower river is small-boat and kayak water off a concrete ramp.
- Regulations
- Type 3 from the Big Creek confluence down to Lake Superior — open all year, bait legal, 15-inch minimum on brook and brown trout. Above Big Creek it is Type 1 and closes on 30 September.
- What to throw
- Superior steelhead water. Eggs and nymphs under an indicator, or swung soft hackles and small buggers.
No live gauge data for this river. Treat the status as a seasonal average, not a report — and call a local shop before you drive.
Water tempno gauge
Flowno gauge
Gaugenone
There has never been a continuous gauge on this river. The USGS site at Big Erick’s Bridge holds field measurements taken between 1963 and 2008 and nothing else. No flow is reported here, and no neighbouring river is substituted for it.
Rain forecast 0.62″ over the next three days (0.62″ of it in the next 24 hours), heaviest August 31, 2026, 2:00 AM. Rain, not river level — how much of it reaches the water depends on how dry the ground is. NWS forecast, August 30, 2026, 8:15 PM
How this status was worked out
- CalendarSep 10 – Nov 12Typical window here; peak Sep 28 – Oct 25
- Water tempNo sensorThis river has no water-temperature reading
- FlowNo readingNo gauge on this river
Coho Coho Salmon
Staging
Typical: Sep 10 – Nov 12, peak Sep 28 – Oct 25
Steelhead Steelhead
Not yet
Typical: Oct 2 – Apr 22, peak Nov 1 – Dec 27
The species this river is known for. Lake Superior timing — the spring run is still going in late April and May.
- Upstream limit
- Not published No dam, but seven named waterfalls. Nobody publishes which of them stops the run, so this page does not name one. Big Erick’s Bridge is a regulatory boundary, not a barrier.
- Access
- Big Eric’s Bridge State Forest Campground, 6.7 miles east of Skanee by Skanee and Erick roads — DNR spells the campground “Big Eric’s” and the fisheries order spells the bridge “Big Erick’s”, and they are the same place. The mouth is reached on Huron Road off Portice Road and is remote even by Upper Peninsula standards — no launch, no ramp, no pier. Wade and bank. There is nowhere to launch, and this is a waterfall river — whole sections are not walkable.
- Crowding
- Remote. Anglers camp at Big Erick’s Bridge through the run and come back year after year, but by Upper Peninsula standards this is empty water.
- Regulations
- The one to know: the Big Huron is an Adfluvial Brook Trout Restoration Area, so the minimum size is 20 inches and the daily limit is ONE fish, brook trout, lake trout and splake combined — those rules supersede everything that conflicts with them. From Big Erick’s Bridge it is Type 4 otherwise: open all year for steelhead and salmon, bait legal. Check the current guide for the exact boundary.
- What to throw
- Wild-river steelhead. Swung flies if you like, eggs and nymphs if you want to catch more. Whatever you hook that looks like a big brook trout goes back.