Waters · Lakes · MI · Sun, Aug 16

How's the bite at Lake Michigan today? On fire — save your energy for the evening.

Drop everything. Go.

9/10
On fire

Today's bite windows

12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
Major
3:37 AM–5:37 AM
Moon underfoot
Minor
10:53 AM–11:53 AM
Moonrise
Major
3:59 PM–5:59 PM
Moon overhead
Minor
9:55 PM–10:55 PM
Moonset

Sunrise 6:52 AM · sunset 8:45 PM · tomorrow's first major 4:22 AM–6:22 AM · windows on every water

Solunar · computed updated 5:11 PM

Conditions right now

Water temp
74.1°F
NOAA CO-OPS 9087031 updated 5:00 PM
Water level
2.26ft
+0.04 ft in 24h
NOAA CO-OPS 9087031 updated 5:00 PM
Pressure
29.92inHg
falling · -1.02 hPa/12h
NOAA KBIV updated 5:00 PM
Wind
9mph W
NOAA KBIV updated 5:00 PM
Moon
18% waxing
Solunar · computed updated 5:11 PM

What this means

Largemouth bass
74°F sits in the sweet spot. Work the first few feet early.
Work shallow to mid.
Crappie
74°F is above the comfortable band. Fish deep water and the first hour of light.
Work deep.
Catfish
74°F sits in the sweet spot. Work the first few feet early.
Work shallow to mid.

Lake Michigan water level today

2.26 ft above LWD up 0.04 ft in 24 hours

That sits 91% of the way up the band it has held over the last 9 days, between 0 and 2.48 ft. Over the week it is up0.10ft.

08-07 0.00–2.48 ft 08-16
USGS 9087031 updated 5:00 PM

The week ahead

Mon 7 Biting
Tue 7 Biting
Wed 8 On fire
Thu 8 On fire
Fri 8 On fire
Sat 7 Biting
Sun 7 Biting

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

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?
9 out of 10 — on fire. Drop everything. Go. The strongest stretch is 3:37 AM–5:37 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 3:37 AM–5:37 AM and 3:59 PM–5:59 PM, with minor windows at 10:53 AM–11:53 AM and 9:55 PM–10:55 PM. Sunrise is 6:52 AM and sunset 8:45 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?
74.1°F, read at 5:00 PM from NOAA CO-OPS station 9087031. That is 1.1 degrees warmer than 24 hours ago.
What is the water level at Lake Michigan right now?
2.26 ft above LWD, read at 5:00 PM from NOAA CO-OPS station 9087031. Over 24 hours it is up 0.04 ft.
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.