Michigan opens the Otsego Lake pike marsh and loosens pike limits on four lakes

Northern pike rules changed in five Michigan waters this week. The Natural Resources Commission, meeting Oct. 14, 2026, enacted updates to Fisheries Orders 204 and 206. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said the changes took effect Oct. 15.

On Fisheries Order 204, the Otsego Lake pike marsh in Otsego County is open to fishing year-round. It had been closed March 16 through June 15 to protect fish on a spawning migration. DNR fisheries managers said the marsh has not operated since the early 2000s, so the closure no longer served that purpose.

On Fisheries Order 206, Au Sable Lake in Ogemaw County, Clear Lake in Mecosta County, Gibson Lake in Iron County, and Hanbury Lake in Dickinson County now have a daily possession limit of up to five northern pike, with only one of those fish 24 inches or longer. The department said survey data show slow-growing pike in those lakes, with fewer large fish, and that both anglers and enforcement supported letting people keep more of the smaller fish.

These changes are not in the printed 2026 Michigan Fishing Regulations. The DNR says the current version is the digital book at Michigan.gov/DNRRegs and in the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app. Contacts listed with the release are Christian LeSage at (517) 449-7073 and Lucas Nathan at (517) 599-9323.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Michigan DNR — Regulation changes for spawning closure, northern pike now in effect (Oct. 15, 2026).