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Tahquamenon River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Amber water past Michigan's Upper Falls: the Tahquamenon holds pike, walleye, muskie and smallmouth from Newberry to Whitefish Bay.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
444 cfs
Air / High
50 / 58 F
Wind
S 9 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 04045500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Tahquamenon River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 444 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 9 mph, steady pressure near 1026 hPa and a high of 58. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:15 AM-12:15 PM and 10:46 PM-12:46 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

Brown troutExcellent

Close to Vermont's 53-66°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

Brook troutExcellent

The best band: Vermont's ideal is 55-60°F. Fish feed in daylight, since Michigan DNR notes they are more diurnal than other trout, and in ponds and lakes Maine IFW says spring and fall bring them near shore and the surface.

WalleyeGood

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Smallmouth bassGood

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Northern pikeGood

The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Yellow perchGood

Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Tomorrow: Similar at 60 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Michigan requires a fishing licence from age 17, from $26.00 for residents. What a Michigan licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing walleye here? Check the size and bag limits with DNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Michigan, read off the agency, are on the Michigan seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Tahquamenon River near Paradise.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 04045500.

314395475444 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 73 years of October 23

At 444 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 04045500 (Tahquamenon River near Paradise) is at the 17th percentile for the date: below normal. In half of the 73 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 898 cfs; the highest was 2,510 cfs and the lowest 251 cfs.

p10 373median 898p90 1,824

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 04045500; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp50 F
High / Low58 / 41 F
WindS 9-20 mph
Pressure1025.9 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain5% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset08:09 / 18:39
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Tahquamenon River this week

The best day on Tahquamenon River this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:15 AM-12:15 PM and 10:46 PM-12:46 AM
Minor period
4:38 AM-5:38 AM
Sun
08:09 to 18:39
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 8 mph
Rain chance
1%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Tahquamenon River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: cool water, from ice-out through spring, in fall and under the ice

A long, duck-billed predator of weedy lakes, slow rivers and backwaters that ambushes fish from vegetation. Wisconsin DNR points out that, unlike most of the state's common game fish, pike do their best feeding in cool water. The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Caught all year, including under the ice through winter

Yellow perch are schooling panfish of the Great Lakes and northern lakes, and Michigan DNR calls them the game fish most often caught in that state. Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Fished from late spring into late fall where seasons allow

Muskellunge are solitary, fish-eating ambush predators of the pike family, holding in weed beds and other cover in lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi and Ohio basins. This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Close to Vermont's 53-66°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

Brook trout illustration

Brook trout

Spring and fall in ponds and lakes, when fish come shallow; summer in the coldest headwater streams

The brook trout is a char native to eastern North America, a fish of cold, clean streams and ponds, and the state fish of Michigan. The best band: Vermont's ideal is 55-60°F. Fish feed in daylight, since Michigan DNR notes they are more diurnal than other trout, and in ponds and lakes Maine IFW says spring and fall bring them near shore and the surface.

When to come: the Tahquamenon River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
Muskellunge
Brown trout
Brook trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Tahquamenon River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 61 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 64 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 63 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Michigan requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Michigan fishing license. The Michigan Fishing Regulations carry Tahquamenon-specific exceptions for the river above the Upper Falls: read them before keeping pike or muskellunge.

Access

Tahquamenon Falls State Park (Recreation Passport required for vehicles): boat launch and campgrounds at the Rivermouth, rowboat rentals at the Lower Falls; public access at McPhee's Landing and the Dollarville Flooding near Newberry.

About this water

An Upper Peninsula river in Luce and Chippewa counties, Michigan, flowing to Whitefish Bay; USGS gauge 04045500 near Paradise tracks its flow.

Fishing Tahquamenon River: the full guide

The river and its falls

The Tahquamenon runs through Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula to Whitefish Bay on Lake Superior. Michigan DNR describes the Upper Falls as more than 200 feet wide and one of the largest waterfalls in the eastern United States, with the Lower Falls four miles downstream. The amber color comes from tannins draining the surrounding swamps.

Same species above and below

The DNR's Tahquamenon Area fishing map lists northern pike, muskellunge, walleye, yellow perch and smallmouth bass upstream of the Upper Falls (McPhee's Landing near Newberry, Slater's Landing) and again below the Lower Falls, where 17 miles of river run to the mouth. The Dollarville Flooding near Newberry, with a fishing dock and launch, adds muskie, perch and pike water.

Brown trout at the Lower Falls

For more than a mile upstream of the Lower Falls island the DNR reports good brown trout fishing, and says it has planted browns in that stretch annually for a number of years. Rowboats rented at the Lower Falls reach the island, whose fishable dock is also reached by bridge.

The rivermouth

At the park's Rivermouth unit, the DNR map suggests the boat-launch dock for yellow perch and the deep water along M-123 for pike, muskie and walleye, and warns of old sawlogs in the river.

Common questions

Why is the water brown?

Tannins from the swamps around the river give it the amber hue, according to Michigan DNR.

Where can I fish from shore?

The DNR points to the fishable dock on the Lower Falls island and the boat-launch dock at the Rivermouth, where perch are the usual target.

Is there trout fishing?

Brown trout are planted above the Lower Falls island, and the East Branch at the Old Eckerman Trout Pond site holds brook trout, per the DNR fishing map.

Is fishing good at Tahquamenon River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Manistique River62 miLake Charlevoix89 miEscanaba River102 miLittle Bay de Noc103 miTorch Lake106 miFord River109 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 04045500 — Tahquamenon River near Paradise
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 13:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 46.5700, -85.2500 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.