Michigan Trout Stocking Schedule 2026

Every sentence here comes from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (Michigan DNR), and each section names its sources. Updated .

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) raises trout and salmon at six state fish hatcheries and stocks them across the state, most in spring and some in fall. In 2025 it stocked nearly 19.5 million fish of every kind. DNR's Fish Stocking Database shows when, where and what it has stocked, though a stocking can take several weeks to appear there. Inland trout waters are sorted into stream and lake types, each with its own season and limits.

From Michigan DNR: Hatcheries & Weirs, Michigan DNR: Stocking Fish in Michigan, Michigan DNR: Fall fingerlings stocked in Michigan waters near you (January 8, 2026) and Michigan DNR: 2026 Michigan Fishing Regulations (PDF).

The Michigan DNR trout stocking schedule

Every stocking DNR has recorded, statewide: when, where and what species. It runs behind the trucks: a stocking can take several weeks to show up, so a water stocked this week may not be on it yet.

Open the Fish Stocking Database

From Michigan DNR: Stocking Fish in Michigan and Michigan DNR: Fall fingerlings stocked in Michigan waters near you (January 8, 2026).

When Michigan stocks trout

Spring stocking

Spring is when most of Michigan's fish go in. In late March 2026, for one, DNR stocked about 3,050 retired broodstock trout, 13 to 20 inches long, in the Huron River below Proud Lake Dam and in Spring Mill Pond at Island Lake Recreation Area.

Fall fingerlings

Some fish go in during the fall, because they take less time and fewer resources to raise. In fall 2025 the trout among them were 27,915 brook trout from Marquette at 27 Upper Peninsula sites, 140,366 rainbows from Oden, 17,548 browns and 24,520 rainbows from Harrietta, and 393,617 young steelhead from Thompson and Wolf Lake.

From Michigan DNR: Fall fingerlings stocked in Michigan waters near you (January 8, 2026) and Michigan DNR: Mature trout stocked in Huron River, Spring Mill Pond (March 30, 2026).

Rules on stocked water

  • Anglers 17 and older need a fishing license, which covers every species: $26 a year for residents, $76 for nonresidents, or $10 for 24 hours. Under 17 fish free but follow the same rules.
  • Most trout streams, about 1,400 in the 2026 regulations, are Type 1: open from the last Saturday in April through September 30, with a limit of 5 trout and salmon a day, no more than 3 of them 15 inches or longer, and minimum sizes of 7 inches for brook trout, 8 for browns and 10 for rainbows.
  • An inland lake without a Type is open all year for trout, with an 8-inch minimum and 5 a day, no more than 3 of them 15 inches or longer. Type A lakes, the most common designated trout lakes, are open from the last Saturday in April through October 31.

From Michigan DNR: 2026 Michigan Fishing Regulations (PDF).

How to hear about a stocking

  • Check the Fish Stocking Database for what has gone in, allowing for its weeks of lag, and sign up on DNR's Hatcheries page for its fish hatchery email updates.

From Michigan DNR: Stocking Fish in Michigan and Michigan DNR: Hatcheries & Weirs.

Worth knowing before you go looking

  • Stocked water can carry its own rules. The Huron River at Proud Lake is closed October 1 through March 31 and is flies-only, catch-and-release from April 1 to 25; Spring Mill Pond is closed March 15 to 31 and artificial lures only, catch-and-release, April 1 to 25. From April 26 on both, any bait is allowed and 5 trout over 8 inches may be kept, only 3 of them over 15.
  • The 2026 regulations run until March 31, 2027, and the Fisheries Orders hold the full legal text.

From Michigan DNR: Mature trout stocked in Huron River, Spring Mill Pond (March 30, 2026) and Michigan DNR: Fishing regulations.

Which day to fish it

The schedule says where the fish went in. Which day to go is a different question: the forecast scores each day of the week for trout at the water you pick, from its water temperature, the wind and the weather.

See the week for rainbow trout

Species guides: Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Brook Trout · Lake Trout · Steelhead

Sources

Every sentence above was read on one of these pages, and a check re-reads each quoted line against the page it came from.

Spotted something out of date or plain wrong here? Tell us and we will check it.