Fishing season shifts into a higher gear Saturday, April 25, as trout season opens on Type 1 and Type 2 streams and Type A and Type B inland lakes statewide the Department of Natural Resources reminded anglers today.

In addition, walleye, pike and muskellunge seasons open in inland waters of the Lower Peninsula. And anglers may begin catching - and immediately releasing - bass in all Lower Peninsula waters, too.

"Trout fishing on opening day is one of the most long-standing traditions in Michigan," said DNR Director Rebecca Humphries. "This is a day when folk gather with friends and family to celebrate our outdoor heritage."

Anglers who venture to the Upper Peninsula are likely to find many of the lakes still covered with ice, especially in the Lake Superior watershed. Stream conditions vary across the peninsula with many swollen above bank level from snow melt while and others are in good shape.

"We've been in drought in the Western U.P., and we're seeing stream levels like we have in the summer," said George Madison, a fisheries biologist in Baraga.

In the northern Lower Peninsula, fisheries biologist Tim Cwalinski said conditions should be favorable barring heavy rains.

"I think stream conditions are going to be about average for an opening day," Cwalinski said. "We've had a really gradual ice melt-off this year, so we should have good fishing conditions barring torrential rainfall."

In southwest Michigan, Southern Lake Michigan Fisheries Supervisor Jay Wesley said anglers should find suitable fishing conditions if they choose the right water.

"The small streams should be fine, though the bigger rivers are still kind of high," he said. "If I were going, I'd check the larger streams' conditions before I committed to them."

As for walleye, Southern Lake Huron Fisheries Supervisor Jim Baker says the Saginaw and Tittabawassee rivers should be very good, again, depending on the weather.

"There are plenty of fish in the rivers," Baker said. "The walleyes are post-spawn and they're beginning to filter out to Saginaw Bay, but unless we get a huge rain that flushes them, there will be a lot of fish to catch."

Anglers are reminded that they must have an all-species fishing license to possess trout or fish on designated trout waters. Creel and size regulations vary. Please check the 2009 Michigan Fishing Guide for the regulations that apply to particular lakes and streams.

For more information about fishing opportunities in Michigan, visit www.michigan.gov/dnrfishing.