Lake Michigan is the third largest of the Great Lakes and the sixth largest lake in the world. Bordered by Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin it is the only one of the Great Lakes that lies completely within the borders of the United States. Lake Michigan's surface is approximately 580 feet above sea level, with a surface area of 22,300 square miles. Lake Michigan is 307 miles long and 118 miles wide with 1,660 miles of shoreline consisting largely of sand and pebble beaches. Lake Michigan averages 279 feet deep and reaches 925 feet at its deepest part.

Lake Michigan supports a wealth of biological diversity, including many plant and animal species found nowhere else in the world.

Links to what Fish live in Lake Michigan and How to identify the various species
The Fish of Lake Michigan by Wisconsin Sea Grant
Wisconsin Fish ID Database
The fish of Wisconsin
Trout and Salmon Identification by GLSFC
Lake Michigan Game Fish Information

Sand dunes, marshes, tallgrass prairies, savannas, and forests provide the essential habitats for this diversity of life. Lake Michigan has the largest sport fishery on the Great Lakes. The Trout, Salmon, Walleye, and Smallmouth Bass fisheries are world class. Please review the information and fishing regulations for each state, since each of the individual states control their own fishing regulations and the regulations may vary slightly from state to state.

Links to the different State Departments of Natural Resources that border the Lake Illinois Department of Natural Resources Indiana Department of Natural Resources Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Great Lakes Fishery Commission US Fish and Wildlife Service

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