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April 06, 2026
Love fishing for steelhead? Collection of steelhead eggs at the Little Manistee River Weir in Stronach (Manistee County), Michigan, is tentatively scheduled to begin Tuesday, April 14. The facility is open to the public for up-close viewing during egg-collection operations. This annual egg collection is popular viewing for anglers, students and anyone interested in learning more about fish.
Steelhead provide sport fishing opportunities for both open-water fishing on the Great Lakes and tributary stream fishing, making the species a favorite of many anglers. Yearling steelhead produced through hatchery operations are stocked in select tributaries of all the Great Lakes.
Since 1968, the Little Manistee River Weir has served as the sole source of winter-run steelhead eggs for fish hatcheries in Michigan and the main source for Ohio and Indiana. This year, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources plans to collect 4.6 million eggs. Thompson State Fish Hatchery (in Manistique) and Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery (in Mattawan) will receive 3.7 million of those eggs, Ohio will receive 500,000 eggs and Indiana will receive 400,000 eggs.
DNR egg-take operations begin with the installation of the weir boards and jump screens by mid-March to stop the upstream steelhead migration in the Little Manistee River. Once pumps are turned on at the facility, fish are diverted into holding ponds. Fish usually ripen (become ready to reproduce) during the month of April and egg collection begins, continuing until the established egg quota has been reached.
During egg collection, unripe or "green" steelhead (those that are not yet ready to reproduce) are held in maturation ponds or counted and passed upstream to sustain the Little Manistee River wild steelhead run. Steelhead that are spawned during operations are also passed upstream and many eventually return to Lake Michigan, as this species is capable of spawning multiple times. Once the quota of eggs is reached, the jump screens are removed and all remaining fish are allowed to migrate upstream. Boards will remain in place to block the upstream migration of invasive sea lamprey.
Planned spring steelhead egg-collection dates for this year are April 14, 15, 16, 21 and 22. This is subject to change, based on the ripeness and number of fish present. Eggs will be taken each day between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., and the public is welcome to view the process.
To check on the status of the egg-collection schedule, call the Little Manistee River Weir hotline at 231-775-9727, then press 8.
Learn more about DNR fish hatcheries and weirs at Michigan.gov/Hatcheries.
Fish stocking is supported by Michigan’s anglers through the purchase of fishing licenses. Get your 2026 fishing license today at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses.
Accompanying photos are available below for download. Caption information follows.
