Now until tomorrow 3 pmChinook salmon
The bite peaks at 68.
Each float is an hour. The deeper it rides, the better the bite. The strip underneath runs daylight, dusk and dark; the red rule marks the best window. Click any hour to read it.
Right now · best window
Chinook salmon range 42–58°
From the north-northeast
Sunrise 8:14 am
6% chance of rain
NWS hourly forecast
Measured, last 3 hours
Full
Each species is scored against its own water-temperature range and tide preference, then wind, weather and warnings. The rules are Michigan regulations for these waters.
No water reading here right now. Chinook salmon bite in 42–58° water, best near 50°.
Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Holds 15–150 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Michigan Great Lakes: 10" minimum, 5 trout and salmon a day in any combination, no more than 3 of any one species except up to 5 coho, chinook or pink salmon. Open all year.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Michigan
Season here: Apr–Oct. More on chinook salmon
No water reading here right now. Steelhead bite in 40–55° water, best near 48°.
Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Holds 2–60 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Michigan Great Lakes: 10" minimum, 5 trout and salmon a day in any combination, no more than 3 of any one species except up to 5 coho, chinook or pink salmon. Open all year.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Michigan
Season here: Oct–Apr. More on steelhead
No water reading here right now. Lake trout bite in 40–52° water, best near 48°.
Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Holds 30–200 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Lake trout and splake: 15" minimum, 3 a day combined in units MM 6–8 (Arcadia to New Buffalo, Ludington included) and MH 3–6; 2 a day in MM 1–5. Michigan Great Lakes: 10" minimum, 5 trout and salmon a day in any combination, no more than 3 of any one species except up to 5 coho, chinook or pink salmon. Open all year.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Michigan
Season here: Sep–Jun. More on lake trout
No water reading here right now. Smallmouth bass bite in 55–78° water, best near 68°.
Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Holds 3–30 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Michigan Great Lakes: largemouth and smallmouth combined, 14" minimum, 5 a day. Possession season opens the Saturday before Memorial Day (May 29 in 2027) and runs to Dec 31; catch and immediate release is open the rest of the year.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Michigan
Season here: Jun–Nov, from NOAA satellite surface-temperature analysis of the lake, 2023–2025. More on smallmouth bass
No water reading here right now. Walleye bite in 50–72° water, best near 62°.
Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Holds 10–40 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Lower Peninsula Great Lakes: 15" minimum, 5 a day, open all year.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Michigan
Season here: May–Dec, from NOAA satellite surface-temperature analysis of the lake, 2023–2025. More on walleye
No water reading here right now. Northern pike bite in 50–70° water, best near 63°.
Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Holds 4–30 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Lower Peninsula Great Lakes: 24" minimum, 2 a day, open all year.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Michigan
Season here: Year-round. More on northern pike
No water reading here right now. Brown trout bite in 45–68° water, best near 55°.
Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Brown trout feeds less actively under bright moon. Holds 3–25 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Michigan Great Lakes: 10" minimum, 5 trout and salmon a day in any combination, no more than 3 of any one species except up to 5 coho, chinook or pink salmon. Open all year.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Michigan
Season here: May–Dec, from NOAA satellite surface-temperature analysis of the lake, 2023–2025. More on brown trout
Solunar tables are a popular heuristic. A peer-reviewed test found they don’t predict catch on their own, so here they only nudge the score when the tide or moon already agree. How the score works
We only show reports an agency has published, with their date. Michigan DNR publishes a report for the state.
Licenses and rules: state fishery agencies · fish-consumption advisory
Seven miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, with the Big Sable River running a mile through the park from Hamlin Lake. Surf fishing for chinook, brown trout and steelhead in spring and fall, plus lake trout runs along the shore; the Big Sable carries chinook in fall, steelhead in spring and fall, and smallmouth, walleye and northern pike in summer.
Public spots within 40 miles, with the same 36 hours of floats.
Yes (anglers age 16 and older). To fish at Ludington State Park you need the appropriate state fishing license. See the agency's current rules: the state agency website
Ludington State Park is listed on this site for 7 commonly-targeted species: Chinook Salmon, Steelhead, Brown Trout, Lake Trout, and 3 more. Which species is currently in season and which is scoring highest today is shown in the per-species ranking on this page.
It depends more on the species and the day's conditions than on a fixed "best hour." Water temperature, weather, and — at tidal locations — the stage of the tide drive activity most. The per-species ranking on this page scores every target species at Ludington State Park against today's live conditions, so the fish near the top are your best bets right now; check back as conditions change through the day.
Ludington State Park has multiple access types — pier, shoreline, and at least one public boat ramp.
state agency regulations apply at Ludington State Park. Size limits, creel limits, and seasonal closures are listed per species on each species page. Always confirm against the agency source linked from each regulation block — emergency closures can take effect mid-season.
No. Ludington State Park is non-tidal — water level varies with rainfall, seasonal flow, and (where applicable) upstream dam releases rather than tidal exchange.
Press / anywhere to search. Towns list the closest spots.
