GreatAmericanLakes
The Chain

The Fish · The Year

The Great Lakes Fishing Calendar

Six lakes, four seasons, twelve gamefish. When each lake turns on, what it turns on for, and where to be. Pick a season for the lake-by-lake read.

Lakes

6

Seasons

4

Species

12

Ice-fishable

5

March through MaySpringThe ice goes out, the rivers run, and the fish that spent the winter deep come shallow to spawn or to feed in the first warm water.Lake by lake →June through AugustSummerThe lakes stratify, the cold-water fish go deep, and the fishing moves offshore.Lake by lake →September through NovemberFallThe lakes turn over, the salmon come home, and the biggest fish of the year move into reach of the shore.Lake by lake →December through MarchWinterThe open lakes rarely freeze over, but the bays do.Lake by lake →

At a glance

The year on every lake

SpringSummerFallWinter
SuperiorShallow water is the only warm water there isThe thermocline sets up and the lake gets verticalLake trout come up on the reefs to spawnIce where the bays let it form, and nowhere else
MichiganCoho in close, browns on the beachKings go deep and the fleet goes with themStaging kings and the river runHarbor ice, tributary steelhead, and open water for the brave
HuronSaginaw Bay wakes up firstTrolling season on the bay, deep structure on the main lakeBig walleye out deep, lakers up on the rockSaginaw Bay is one of the great ice fisheries in America
ErieJig season on the reef complexTroll the open basin, and go east as it warmsSteelhead Alley and the biggest walleye of the yearIce when it comes, tributaries when it doesn't
OntarioBrown trout on the Bar and along the beachKings offshore, deep and heavyThe Salmon River, and the biggest event on the chainTributaries stay open, the lake mostly does
St. ClairWalleye in the rivers, smallmouth staging on the flatsGrass flats, gin-clear water, and muskiesThe best muskie fishing in North AmericaPerch and pike through ice that is never guaranteed

By species

When each fish is worth the drive

Seasons when a species is realistically catchable for a visiting angler somewhere on the chain. Local timing varies by lake and by year; each species page has the detail.

SpeciesSpringSummerFallWinterIce
Walleye
Yellow Perch
Chinook Salmon
Coho Salmon
Lake Trout
Steelhead
Brown Trout
Smallmouth Bass
Muskellunge
Northern Pike
Lake Whitefish
Lake Sturgeon

Open seasons and limits are set by each state and change year to year. Check the agency for your water before you keep a fish.