Last updated: January 16, 2018
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Fishing in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
An array of fishing opportunities await you among the sandstone cliffs, beaches, sand dunes, waterfalls, forest, and shoreline of Lake Superior and Michigan’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Brook trout hide in the beaver ponds of the backcountry, while the waters of Lake Superior provide a home to smallmouth bass and spawning steelhead. Fishing opportunities abound. Common cool water game fish include northern pike, walleye, yellow perch, whitefish, menominee and smelt. Trout species include rainbow trout, lake trout and coho salmon.
When fishing in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, you might also have the opportunity to help with scientific monitoring efforts. A portion of steelhead in the Hurricane, Sevenmile, and Mosquito drainages have been implanted with a one-inch long electronic tag in order to identify and track fish movement. The tag is free in the body cavity and should be easily observed when cleaning your catch. If you find one in the body cavity of a brook trout or steelhead, please take the tag to a park, forest, wildlife refuge, or Michigan DNR office. Please include your name, as well as the date, location of where you caught the fish, size of the fish, and species information, so that you can help with monitoring efforts.