Lake sturgeon fishing season begins February 1 with strict catch limits and regulations

CHEBOYGAN COUNTY, Mich. (WPBN/WGTU) — The 2025 lake sturgeon fishing season on Black Lake in Cheboygan County will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, February 1.

All anglers must register online in advance to participate in the fishing season, and those age 17 or older must have a Michigan Fishing License.

The harvest limit for the 2025 season on Black Lake is six lake sturgeon. Officials will close the season when one of the following two scenarios occurs:

• The sixth fish is caught.
• Five fish were caught at the end of a day of fishing.

Fishing hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day during the season. The season will end either at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, February 5, or when one of the above scenarios occurs, in which case anglers will be notified via text message and on the ice by DNR staff that they must immediately cease to fish for lake sturgeon. .

Anyone wishing to participate this year must register online before January 31. Get more information about registration and the season at Michigan.gov/Sturgeon.

Participating fishermen must bring their own bright red flags (one foot in diameter or larger) to hang from their fishing shacks. Season officials emphasize that anglers should hang one or more flags in highly visible locations on their shacks so DNR staff can easily identify anglers fishing for sturgeon.

Anyone harvesting a lake sturgeon should immediately contact DNR staff on the ice. Official recording of each harvested fish will take place at a DNR trailer located on or near the ice at the end of Zollner Road in the northwest part of Black Lake. Recording the harvest may include an examination of the fish’s internal organs and the removal of a piece of fin tissue for DNA or aging analysis.