Waters · Lakes · MI · Wed, Sep 30

Lake Michigan water level today 1.604 ft, falling

Bite index 6/10 — Biting — save your energy for the evening.

Worth a cast.

6/10
Biting

Today's bite windows

12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
Major
3:32 AM–5:32 AM
Moon overhead
Minor
12:03 PM–1:03 PM
Moonset
Major
4:02 PM–6:02 PM
Moon underfoot
Minor
8:55 PM–9:55 PM
Moonrise

Sunrise 7:41 AM · sunset 7:27 PM · tomorrow's first major 4:32 AM–6:32 AM · windows on every water

Solunar · computed updated 10:27 AM

Conditions right now

Water temp
58.6°F
NOAA CO-OPS 9087031 updated 10:18 AM
Water level
1.604ft
-0.12 ft in 24h
NOAA CO-OPS 9087031 updated 10:18 AM
Pressure
29.98inHg
steady · +0.34 hPa/12h
NOAA KBIV updated 10:10 AM
Wind
7mph SSW
NOAA KBIV updated 10:10 AM
Moon
81% waning
Solunar · computed updated 10:27 AM

What this means

Largemouth bass
59°F is on the cool side. Slow everything down.
Work mid to deep.
Crappie
59°F sits in the sweet spot. Work the first few feet early.
Work shallow to mid.
Catfish
59°F is cold for catfish. Expect short windows.
Work deep.

Lake Michigan level over the last 8 days

1.604 ft above LWD down 0.12 ft in 24 hours

That sits 76% of the way up the band it has held over the last 9 days, between 0 and 2.12 ft. Over the week it is down0.39ft.

09-21 0.00–2.12 ft 09-30
NOAA CO-OPS 9087031 updated 10:18 AM

The week ahead

Thu 7 Biting
Fri 7 Biting
Sat 7 Biting
Sun 6 Biting
Mon 6 Biting
Tue 6 Biting
Wed 6 Biting

Forecast days carry solunar and the wind outlook. Pressure and gauge movement land the morning of.

Lake Michigan boat ramps and public fishing access

Michigan Department of Natural Resources lists 3 public access points on Lake Macatawa within 12 mi of our gauge.

Lake Macatawa is the harbor Holland launches from — the channel at the west end opens straight into Lake Michigan.

Access data from Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Distances are straight-line from our gauge, not driving distance.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources · public access inventory

Before you go

A Michigan fishing license covers this water — $26 a year for residents. DNR sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What it costs, and who is exempt →

Nearby waters today

Questions people ask about Lake Michigan

Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Lake Michigan.

Is it worth fishing Lake Michigan today?
6 out of 10 — biting. Worth a cast. The strongest stretch is 3:32 AM–5:32 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level and the water temperature.
What time should you fish Lake Michigan?
Today's major windows run 3:32 AM–5:32 AM and 4:02 PM–6:02 PM, with minor windows at 12:03 PM–1:03 PM and 8:55 PM–9:55 PM. Sunrise is 7:41 AM and sunset 7:27 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.
What is the water temperature at Lake Michigan?
58.6°F, read at 10:18 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 9087031. That is 1.3 degrees cooler than 24 hours ago.
What is the water level at Lake Michigan right now?
1.604 ft above LWD, read at 10:18 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 9087031. Over 24 hours it is down 0.12 ft.
Are water levels rising or falling at Lake Michigan?
Falling. The lake is down 0.12 ft in 24 hours and down 0.39 ft over the week. Over the last 9 days it has held between 0 and 2.12 ft. Every figure here is a difference between two gauge readings, not a forecast — what the level does next depends on rain and on what the dam releases.
Can you eat the fish you catch in Lake Michigan?
That is a health question, and it is answered officially rather than by us. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services publishes the fish consumption advisory covering these waters, where the Eat Safe Fish guides cover close to 700 waters, and you pick the guide for your region. Read it before you keep a meal — we give no eating advice.

MDHHS fish consumption advisory

Do you need a licence to fish Lake Michigan?
Yes. A Michigan fishing license covers this water, required from age 17. DNR sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What a Michigan license costs, and who is exempt

What size fish can you keep in Michigan?
It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, muskellunge (muskie). Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.

Largemouth and smallmouth bass limits · Walleye limits · Northern pike limits · Muskellunge (muskie) limits · Check a length against the rules

Where these numbers come from

Holland is the only Lake Michigan CO-OPS station of the nine checked (Ludington, Calumet Harbor, Milwaukee, Kewaunee, Sturgeon Bay, Menominee, Port Inland, Mackinaw City) that reports live water temperature alongside water level — a real, well-known salmon and steelhead port on the open lake, not a river-mouth stand-in.

No one types these in by hand. If a source goes quiet, the page says so instead of showing you yesterday.