Get all your fishing information here, including rules and regulations, license info, the weekly fishing report and much more. Use the link above to visit the fishing home page, or go directly to your area of interest below:
Get all your hunting information here, including hunting season dates, rules and regulations, and much more. Use the button above to visit the hunting home page, or go directly to your area of interest below:
Information on DNR shooting and archery ranges, rules and regulations, resources to get started and more. Use the button above to visit the target shooing and archery home page, or go directly to one of the pages below:
Find snowmobile trail permit info, maps, rules and regulations and more. USE THE BUTTON ABOVE TO VISIT THE SNOWMOBILE HOMEPAGE or go directly to you area of interest below:
Want to find tasty morel mushrooms in the forest? Click the box above for tips and tricks to fill your basket.
Find cross-country ski, ice fishing , snowmobiling info and much more.
Find facility info, overnight info, an event calendar and much more.
Find a great trail experience near you - whether you want to hike, bike, snowmobile or ride an ORV. From long, paved linear trails to rugged forest terrain, Michigan offers trail opportunities for all abilities and interests.
Visitor Centers across the state provide education programs, field trips, archery, fishing, trails and much more. Click the box above to see all our locations, or click the individual location below.
We administer grants that enable our local partners to promote the lifestyles we all enjoy by providing recreational opportunities, enhancing wildlife habitat and ensuring public safety. Visit the grants home page by clicking on the button above, or view a specific area of interest below:
Recreational Safety and Hunter Education
Learn about Michigan's diverse range of fish, plants, trees, reptiles, amphibians, insects and mammals. Click the box above to see all species, or click the species group below.
DNR educators across the state provide fun, educational activities, programs and workshops year-round for adults, families and kids. Click the box above to see all our offerings, or click the program below.
DNR educators provide classroom lessons, field trip opportunities, professional development and experiential programs to teachers around the state. Click the box above to see all our offerings, or click the program below.
DNR forest resources professionals maintain healthy forests, manage wildfire, maintain responsible harvesting certifications and improve wildlife habitat. Click the box above to learn more about Michigan's state forests.
All DNR-related boards, committees, and advisory groups
Find seasonal, part-time and full-time job openings with the DNR
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Most of Michigan's in-state bait supply is provided by about a dozen large wholesale catchers, however, it is also common for inland bait shops to sometimes have a catcher's license. At certain times of the year, the inland shop will catch smaller amounts of minnows from local creeks, ditches and small streams to supplement the minnows in their shop they purchase from the large wholesalers. Usually the minnows caught by local retailers are different from the emerald and spottail shiners produced in the Great Lakes and provided by the wholesalers.
The commercial collection and sale of minnows, wigglers and crayfish from the wild requires DNR licensing as well as monthly harvest reporting to the department.
Are you going fishing and looking for bait? Use the bait shop locator to find licensed retail bait shops. The site uses the previous year's license lists as applications are received throughout the year.
Not all businesses listed may be open to the public year-round. Please contact the shop you are interested in before making a trip to make sure the it is open and has bait available.
Commercial minnow, wriggler and crayfish dealers and catchers must be licensed and must follow regulations governing the taking of bait for commercial purposes. Please note, some waters are also closed for personal taking of minnows.
This application serves many different licenses including fur dealer's license (resident fur manufacturer, non-resident fur manufacturer, fur buyer, fur processor); taxidermy; wholesale fish dealers license; minnow; wiggler and crayfish dealers (retail; resident and non-resident); resident minnow catchers; permit to export bait; and sport trolling license.
Applications and questions by regular mail should be sent to:
Michigan DNR Fisheries Division
ATTN: Fish Disease Certification
P.O. Box 30446
Lansing, MI 48909
Applications or questions by email should be sent to DNR-FishDiseaseCertification@Michigan.gov.
Applications or questions by fax should be sent to 517-373-0381, ATTN: Fish Disease Certification.
For questions by phone, call 517-284-5830.
Licensed commercial minnow, wiggler and crayfish catchers are required to submit monthly reports of their fishing activity. Reports are due by the 10th day of the following month and are to be entered online into the DNR FACTS reporting website. Reports are due each month even if nothing was caught. See the material provided with your license for reporting directions using FACTS.
Persons holding a Bait Export Permit are required to submit monthly reports of their exports. Reports are due by the 10th day of the following month and are to be entered online into the DNR FACTS reporting website. Reports are due each month even if nothing was exported. See the material provided with your permit for reporting directions using FACTS.
The legal reporting requirements for both licensed catchers and permitted exporters can be found here in FO216.23.
