Michigan’s shortest fishing season was back in 2025, but only for 17 minutes.
The 2025 lake sturgeon fishing season on Black Lake in Cheboygan and Presque Isle counties began at 8 a.m. Saturday and ended at 8:17 a.m., when the quota of six sturgeon was reached.
Within three minutes of the season opening, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources sent a text message alert that the first fish had been harvested. It was caught by Gavin Green of Onaway, according to the Cheboygan Daily Tribune.
The rest of the allotted harvest came quickly.
Alerts for additional harvests were sent at 8:05 a.m., 8:07 a.m., 8:08 a.m., 8:14 a.m. and 8:17 a.m.
The largest sturgeon harvested this year was 64 inches long and weighed 78.3 pounds, according to the nonprofit Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow, which posted results on social media. It was caught by Austin Dreifuerst, the Cheboygan Daily Tribune reported.
According to the group’s post, these are the measurements of the sturgeon in order of harvest:
- 45.7 inches, 18.8 pounds harvested by Deborah LaLonde
- 43.5 inches, 18.2 pounds harvested by Gavin Green
- 46.1 inches, 19 pounds harvested by Keegan Freel
- 64 inches 78.3 pounds harvested by Austin Dreifuerst
- 56.7 inches, 41.9 pounds harvested by Dan Sheppard
- 51 inches, 25.5 pounds harvested by Jared Guelig
- 60.5 inches, 47.8 pounds harvested by Richard Markowski
Black Lake anglers were allowed to harvest one lake sturgeon and had to report the catch immediately to DNR personnel on the ice.
The season closes after the sixth fish is harvested or five fish have been harvested at the end of any fishing day. If neither scenario had been met, the season would have closed at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Anglers are notified via text message and on the ice by DNR when the season is over. They also get text messages each time a fish is taken by an angler.
The season includes spearing and hook-and-line fishing. There’s no size limit for the lake sturgeon caught.
Last year, the season was canceled for the first time ever due to marginal ice conditions and depeletion of ice on Black Lake.
In 2023, the season lasted 65 minutes and the largest fish caught was a 55.5-inch female that weighed 35.5 pounds.
In 2022, the season only lasted 36 minutes.
History of lake sturgeon in Black Lake
Lake sturgeon are one of the oldest species in the Great Lakes.
The DNR and several entities have been working to rehabilitate lake sturgeon populations in Michigan after they declined dramatically since the 1800s due to habitat loss and degradation and overfishing, according to the DNR.
Michigan prohibited the taking of lake sturgeon statewide in 1928, according to a 2016 management plan for lake sturgeon in Black Lake.
Beginning in 1948, a limited sport fishery for lake sturgeon was allowed on inland lakes open to spearing, which included Black Lake. Anglers were allowed to harvest two sturgeon of at least 36 inches in length during a two-month season that took place in January and February. The minimum length changed to 42 inches in 1952.
In the late 1990s, there were concerns about an apparent decline in the species’ population in Black Lake after declining harvest.
Highly restrictive lake sturgeon harvest regulations were placed on Black Lake in 2000. From 2000-09, the fishing season was capped at either nine days or until a five-fish quota was met. The minimum fish size was set at 36 inches and only a limited number of anglers could participate.
In 2010, the number of anglers allowed to participate became unlimited and the season was set at five days or until the state harvest quota was met. The size limit for harvested fish was also removed to help reduce the harvest of mature females. Participation has ranged from 197-330 anglers since the 2010 rule changes.
However, in 2011, four fish over the state limit were harvested and safeguards were put in place to ensure the quota was not surpassed.
Rehabilitation efforts are working, according to the DNR. The population has increased in the past 20 years due to lake sturgeon rearing and stocking efforts, research and protection of spawning adults.
