CHEBOYGAN COUNTY, Mich. – The 2023 lake sturgeon fishing season on Black Lake in Cheboygan County will begin next month.
The event is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. on Saturday (Feb. 4). All anglers are required to register online to participate in the fishing season. Anyone 17+ will need a valid Michigan fishing license.
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The harvest limit for the 2023 season on Black Lake is six lake sturgeon. Fishing hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day of the season.
The season will either end at 2 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 8) or when one of the two scenarios below is met.
The season will close when one of two scenarios occurs:
- The sixth fish is harvested.
- Five fish have been harvested at the end of any fishing day.
When the season closes, anglers will be notified via text message and on the ice by DNR personnel that they must immediately stop fishing for lake sturgeon.
How to register
Anyone who wants to participate this year has to register online by Feb. 3.
In-person registration is not available. You will need a current Michigan fishing license before registering. You will have to provide your cell phone number.
Anglers participating in the event will need to bring a bright red flat (1-foot diameter or larger) to hang on their fishing shanty so the DNR knows who is fishing for sturgeon. Anglers should hang one or more flags in highly visible locations.
Click here to register online or to learn more about the event.
What to do if you catch a sturgeon
If you catch a sturgeon you are required to immediately notify DNR personnel.
You will then take the fish to be registered at the DNR trailer at the Zolner Road access located at the northeast side of the lake.
Harvest registration may include an examination of the fish’s internal organs and removal of a piece of fin tissue for DNA analysis or aging.
There have been marginal ice conditions on regional lakes so far this year and anglers should use extreme caution when fishing. You can click here to learn more tips to stay safe on the ice.
Lake sturgeon rehabilitation
Over the last two decades there have been efforts to rehabilitate the lake sturgeon population in Black Lake.
It has been a successful collaboration with the Michigan DNR, Sturgeon for Tomorrow, tribal agencies, Michigan State University and Tower-Kleber Limited Partnership.
According to the DNR, the population has increased in the last 20 years due to rearing and stocking efforts, research and protection of spawning adults. The population is expected to continue to grow.