Pigeon River
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for Pigeon River, as the state words them
Otsego County · River · MI
The rules for this water, verbatimOfficial text
Straight from MI's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.
- Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, troutopen all yearDaily limit 2 trout; with no more than 1 Brown TroutSize minimum size limit: Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout — 10"; Brown Trout — 12".Gear artificial lures onlyPossession Season: last Sat. in April – Sep. 30 for Brook Trout and Brown Trout; open all year for Rainbow Trout. Pigeon River (Artificial Lures Only Gear Restricted Stream). Mileage 5.3 miles.
- All fishAssigned regulation Type: GR p.46. Season, minimum size, and daily limit are defined by the Type/BTRA/GR definition rule (not stated on this per-water row).
- Brook TroutLast Sat. inApril - Sep. 30 for Brook Trout, Brown Trout, and Atlantic Salmon
Open all year for all other Trout and Salmon (dates as written)Size 7"Managed as Stream Type 4 (stream). Inland stream Type 4 definition (128 streams). Fishing season Open All Year; possession season Last Sat. in April - Sep. 30 for Brook Trout, Brown Trout, and Atlantic Salmon, open all year for all other Trout and Salmon. Daily possession limit not stated separately in the Type 4 block. Most Type 4 streams are designated trout streams. Chumming prohibited.
- Brown TroutLast Sat. inApril - Sep. 30 for Brook Trout, Brown Trout, and Atlantic Salmon
Open all year for all other Trout and Salmon (dates as written)Size 10"Managed as Stream Type 4 (stream). Inland stream Type 4 definition (128 streams). Daily possession limit not stated separately in the Type 4 block. Chumming prohibited.
- Brook TroutOpen All YearSize 15"Managed as Stream Type 3 (stream). Inland stream Type 3 definition (58 streams). Fishing and possession season Open All Year. Daily possession limit not stated separately in the Type 3 block. Most Type 3 streams are designated trout streams. Chumming prohibited.
- Brown TroutOpen All YearSize 15"Managed as Stream Type 3 (stream). Inland stream Type 3 definition (58 streams). Daily possession limit not stated separately in the Type 3 block. Chumming prohibited.
- Brook TroutLast Sat. in
April - Sep. 30Size 10"Managed as Stream Type 2 (stream). Inland stream Type 2 definition (13 streams). Fishing season Last Sat. in April - Sep. 30; possession season Last Sat. in April - Sep. 30. Daily possession limit not stated separately in the Type 2 block. All Type 2 streams are designated trout streams. Chumming prohibited.
- Brown TroutLast Sat. in
April - Sep. 30Size 12"Managed as Stream Type 2 (stream). Inland stream Type 2 definition (13 streams). Daily possession limit not stated separately in the Type 2 block. Chumming prohibited.
Statewide base layerParsed
These defaults apply where the rules above do not modify them.
- Season
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Gear
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Bait
- Baitfish may only be used in the waters where collected. Any fish and frogs may be used as bait when legally taken and possessed, EXCEPT lampreys, live carp or Goldfish.Statewide
- Poles
- No more than 3 lines per person (including tip-ups) or more than 6 hooks or lures may be used.Statewide
Where the verbatim rules above name a species, season, or limit, they replace the rows below. Each row is tagged with the layer it comes from.
| Species | Daily limit | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
Largemouth Bass | 5 in any combination | min. 14" | Statewide |
Smallmouth Bass | 5 in any combination | min. 14" | Statewide |
Walleye | 5 | min. 15" | Statewide |
Northern Pike | 2 | min. 24" | Statewide |
Flathead Catfish | 5 | min. 15" | Statewide |
Channel Catfish | 10 | min. 12" | Statewide |
Muskellunge (including Tiger Muskellunge) | Only 1 per angler per license year (Mandatory Registration) | min. 42" | Statewide |
Yellow Perch | 25 | min. No size limit | Statewide |
Sunfishes | 25 in any combination of the listed species | - | Statewide |
White Bass | 25 on Gr. Lakes, L. St. Clair, St. Marys R., St. Clair R., and Detroit R. 10 on inland waters | - | Statewide |
Cisco | 10 in any combination on Gr. Lakes, Connecting Waters and Type F lakes, 5 in any combination on other inland waters | - | Statewide |
Lake Whitefish | 10 in any combination on Gr. Lakes, Connecting Waters and Type F lakes, 5 in any combination on other inland waters | - | Statewide |
Round Whitefish | 10 in any combination on Gr. Lakes, Connecting Waters and Type F lakes, 5 in any combination on other inland waters | - | Statewide |
Lake Sturgeon | 1 lake sturgeon per angler per year | - | Statewide |
Smelt | 2 gallons | min. No size limit | Statewide |
Brook Trout Varies by water: 8" (Lake Type C); 15", limit 1 (Lake Type D); 15", limit 3 (Lake Type E); limit 5/3^ (Lake Type F); 7", limit 5 fish,but no morethan 3 trout 15" or greater (Stream Type 1); 15" (Stream Type 3); 7" (Stream Type 4) | 5/3* | min. 10" | Statewide |
Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, & Splake Varies by water: 8" (Lake Type C); 15", limit 1 (Lake Type D); 15", limit 3 (Lake Type E); 10", limit 5/3^ (Lake Type F) | 5/3* | min. 12" | Statewide |
Lake Trout Varies by water: 8" (Lake Type C); limit 1 (Lake Type D); limit 3 (Lake Type E); 10", limit 5/3^ (Lake Type F) | 5/3* | min. 15" | Statewide |
Coho, Chinook, & Pink Salmon Varies by water: limit 1 (Lake Type D); limit 3 (Lake Type E); limit 5/3^ (Lake Type F) | 5/3* | min. 10" | Statewide |
Atlantic Salmon Varies by water: limit 1 (Lake Type D); limit 3 (Lake Type E); 10", limit 5/3^ (Lake Type F) | 5/3* | min. 15" | Statewide |
trout Varies by water: 8" minimum size limit (except 7" for Brook Trout), limit 5 fish daily possession limit, no more than 3 of which may be 15" or greater, except up to 5 salmon (Chinook or Coho) 15" or greater may be retained (Inland streams not classified by Type or listed as a Gear Restricted Stream) | 5 fish daily possession limit, no more than 3 of which may be 15" or greater | min. 8-inch | Statewide |
Brown Trout Varies by water: 12" (Stream Type 2); 15" (Stream Type 3); 10" (Stream Type 4) | 5 fish,but no morethan 3 trout 15" or greater | min. 8" | Statewide |
Brook Trout, Lake Trout, and Splake | one (1) Brook Trout, Lake Trout or Splake total combined | min. 20 inches | Statewide |
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide river rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
- This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
- Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.
Where this stretch begins and ends
The drawn shape is the named water, matched from the official list against OpenStreetMap and accepted only because the name resolved to a single feature in this water's county.
Different sections of this water can have different rules. The exact section boundaries are not marked on the map yet; each rule above describes in plain words where it starts and ends, and that written description is the authoritative boundary. Map boundaries come water by water, never as a guess.
Season at a glanceDerived
Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.
At the water nowContext
Streamflow: 98.7 cfs at pigeon river near vanderbilt, mi (2026-07-29 05:15)
Forecast: National Weather Service. Flow: nearest active USGS gauge in this water's area, which may sit on a different reach. Conditions are context, not rules.
What are you fishing for here?Advice
Pick from the species named in Pigeon River's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.
Receipts
Local services near Pigeon River
Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.
Run a shop or guide service on Pigeon River? Get listed.