Lake Sturgeon

Where to go

Lake Sturgeon lake by lake

Ranked by how good the fishing actually is, not alphabetically. If a lake is not on this list, it is because the fish is not worth targeting there.

1. 01

   Lake Huron

   Lake sturgeon persist in Lake Huron in scattered, closely watched populations rather than as a general fishery, and nearly all of this water is release-only or closed to sturgeon fishing outright. Treat a Huron sturgeon as a fish to identify, handle correctly and release, and check the Michigan DNR rulebook for the exact water before you go.

   Prime time: June through September, outside the spring spawning period · Depths: 15–60 ft in the bays and river mouths; deeper in the main basin

   Full guide
2. 02

   Lake St. Clair

   The Lake St. Clair and St. Clair River system supports the healthiest lake sturgeon population in the Great Lakes, and it is a genuine conservation success built on decades of protection and habitat work. Nearly all of this water is catch-and-release for sturgeon — read the current Michigan rulebook before you rig a rod, and assume the fish goes back.

   Prime time: June through September, after the spring spawning period has passed · Depths: 20–50 ft in the St. Clair River channels; 15–27 ft on the lake's deeper holes

   Full guide
3. 03

   Lake Michigan

   The only Great Lake entirely inside the United States, and the engine of the salmon fishery. Dune coast on the east, big-city harbors on the west, and a summer king salmon program that draws boats from every state on the chain.

4. 04

   Lake Superior

   The largest freshwater lake on earth by surface area, and cold enough year-round that it behaves less like a lake than an inland ocean. Deep-water lake trout, big water, short seasons, and weather that turns without asking.