Great Lakes (US/CA) Fishing Guide
The Great Lakes are an inland ocean with a stocked salmon and trout fishery to match — chinook, coho, steelhead, and lake trout over deep water, plus a walleye scene that anchors entire towns. When the lake is flat, the salmon trolling is as close to ocean fishing as fresh water gets.
35 species in our database list Great Lakes (US/CA) among their fisheries. Use the species list below to plan what to target, then open any profile for identification features, bait, and season.
How to use this page: pick a species, check its habitat and seasonal notes, and match your gear to the environment. Local regulations always apply — verify current rules with the responsible agency before fishing.
Freshwater species
- Atlantic Sturgeon
- Bantam Sunfish
- Bigmouth Buffalo
- Black Redhorse
- Blacknose Dace
- Blue Sucker
- Dollar Sunfish
- Emerald Shiner
- Gizzard Shad
- Golden Redhorse
- Greater Redhorse
- Green Sturgeon
- Greenside Darter
- Gulf Sturgeon
- Hornyhead Chub
- Logperch
- Longnose Sucker
- Mud Sunfish
- Northern Hogsucker
- Orangespotted Sunfish
- Pallid Sturgeon
- Peacock Bass (Butterfly)
- Pirate Perch
- River Carpsucker
- Round Whitefish
- Sacramento Perch
- Shadow Bass
- Shorthead Redhorse
- Shortnose Sturgeon
- Shovelnose Sturgeon
- Silver Redhorse
- Smallmouth Buffalo
- Spotfin Shiner
- Spotted Sucker
- White Sucker
Best months to fish Great Lakes (US/CA)
March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November
Months where the most of this fishery's species are in season, from our database. Full calendar: What's Biting.