Nearly 19 Million Fish Stocked Across Michigan in 2025

If you've been waiting all summer to dust off your tackle box, tie on a lure, and casually lie about the size of the fish you caught to anyone who is willing to listen, fall is shaping up to be a great fishing season in Michigan, thanks to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stocking program.

Seriously, we're not talking about a couple of buckets tossed in a river or lake. According to a DNR media release, they have stocked an incredible 18.9 million fish across Michigan in 2025 alone. That's more fish than you have excuses not to mow the lawn.

DNR Stocking Fuels Fall Fishing in Michigan

From Kalamazoo to the Upper Peninsula, six state hatcheries and two cooperative hatcheries have been cranking out fish for you to reel in all year long. Trout, salmon, walleye, catfish—you name it, they've been raised, hauled in a truck, and stocked in over 700 sites throughout Michigan.

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Even an ice storm in northern Michigan didn't snag the effort, which is probably the most Michigan thing ever: power's out, trees are down, but keep the fish coming.

Fishing in Michigan is BIG Business

These stocking efforts aren't just about giving you bragging rights or dinner. Michigan's sportfishing industry reels in an estimated $3.9 billion a year, feeding our economy and stocking anglers' coolers.

What Anglers Can Catch This Fall

Whether you're trolling Lake Michigan or casting into the Red Cedar in East Lansing, you're bound to catch one of these freshly stocked fish. Species include walleye, steelhead, brown trout, muskellunge, and Atlantic Salmon. Even lake sturgeon have been or will be stocked in certain rivers.

RELATED: Michigan DNR Invasive Species Watchlist: Northern Snakehead

Of course, listing all of the lakes and rivers stocked with nearly 19 million fish is a daunting task. If you're curious if your body of water was stocked, visit MichiganDNR.com/FishStock to search by county, species, and body of water.