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Michigan · Walleye

Can you keep a walleye in Michigan?

Yes, with limits

Statewide

Open year-round
Size
15 inches and up
total length
Daily bag
5
per person per day
Possession
5
total you may hold

15 inches, five a day statewide — except the special possession limit that applies specifically at Lake Erie, the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River (see the next region).

DNR source page

Lake Erie, Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, St. Clair River

Status unclear

DNR sets a specific daily possession limit for these connected waters that resets every year around May 1 — the source text itself says the limit was 6 fish 'through April 30, 2026' and would be 'updated by May 1 annually,' but as of this retrieval in August 2026 no updated number is showing. Publishing the stale pre-May figure here would misstate the current rule. Check the DNR fishing website or the recorded hotline (888-367-7060) for today's number.

Check DNR directly →

This is the one number on this page we will not state, because the source's own text confirms it should already have changed and hasn't been refreshed.

DNR source page

What we left out on purpose

Other species in Michigan

You also need a Michigan fishing license →

Where to try today