The sturgeon season on Black Lake came to a screeching halt less than an hour after it began on Saturday, leaving most of the 679 registered anglers disappointed.
The season, which included spear and hook and line fishing, was scheduled to run from February 7 to 11 or until the harvest limit of six sturgeon was reached.
But it only took 48 minutes for the quota to be caught on the opening day of the season on Black Lake (in Cheboygan and Presque Isle counties), the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reported.
The sturgeon harvested ranged from 40.4 pounds to 79.4 pounds, and only one of them had not been previously caught by Michigan State University and the DNR during spring runs on the Black River or during past surveys of Black Lake, as indicated by tags that had been inserted.
The six sturgeon caught during the limited season of 2026 were displayed in the sturgeon pole.
The sturgeon list:
The first fish was a 61.5 inch male that weighed 50 pounds.
The number two fish was a 64.1 inch female weighing 78.4 pounds.
Fish three was a 52.9 inch male weighing 46.6 pounds.
Fish four was a 67.2 inch female weighing 79.4 pounds.
The fifth fish was a 58.1 inch sturgeon that weighed 40.4 pounds.
The sixth fish was a 62.5 inch female weighing 58.4 pounds.
To register, fishermen were required to provide a mobile phone number and fly a bright red flag on their fishing line so that officials could alert them to immediately stop fishing when the quota was reached. Texts were sent and officials visited the shore with red flags to inform the participating fishermen to stop fishing.
Those lucky enough to catch a sturgeon before the season ends were directed to immediately take the fish to the DNR trailer at the Zolner Road access located on the northwest side of the lake.
Fishermen who catch sturgeon were required to immediately bring their catch to the registration trailer.
From the MDNR: “Rehabilitating the lake sturgeon in the Cheboygan River is a cooperative effort involving the DNR, the Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon For Tomorrow, Michigan State University, Tower-Kleber Limited Partnership, the Bay Mills Indian Community, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Little River Band of Ottawa Stea Indians, the Little River Band of Ottawa Stee Indians and the Obeault Chippewa Indians.”
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Michigan’s Lake Sturgeon Rehabilitation Strategy was released in July 2012.
“Lake Sturgeon are listed under the Endangered Species Act of the State of Michigan and harvest of state threatened species is regulated under that act,” the Strategy states. “A person cannot take, possess, transport, import, export, process, sell or offer for sale, buy or offer to buy any threatened species determined by the state.
“However, the taking of a threatened species, when it has been determined that its abundance justifies a controlled harvest, is not in violation of the law and is an acceptable practice in specific places 8 (MCL 324.3605, 1994 PA 451). As such, an important consideration is the level of abundance that justifies an abundant controlled harvest.”
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Lake Michigan sturgeon season ends 48 minutes after it begins