DNR photo The annual collection of steelhead eggs at the Little Manistee River is tentatively scheduled to begin Tuesday, April 15. A large number of the eggs will be sent to the Thompson State Fish Hatchery in Schoolcraft County.

The annual collection of steelhead eggs at the Little Manistee River weir in Stronach (Manistee County), Michigan, is tentatively scheduled to begin Tuesday, April 15. The Thompson State Fish Hatchery in Schoolcraft County will be the destination for 3.7 million of those eggs. The fish will be raised there until the are able to be introduced into the wild.

Steelhead provide one of Michigan’s premier sport fishing opportunities for both open-water fishing on the Great Lakes and tributary stream fishing. Yearling steelhead produced through hatchery operations are stocked in select tributaries of all the Great Lakes.

Since 1968, the Little Manistee River weir has served as the sole source of winter-run steelhead eggs for fish hatcheries in Michigan and the main source for Ohio and Indiana. This year, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources plans to collect 4.5 million eggs. Thompson State Fish Hatchery and Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery will receive 3.7 million of those eggs, and Ohio and Indiana will each receive 400,000 eggs.

DNR egg-take operations begin with the lowering of the weir grates by mid-March. This stops the upstream steelhead migration in the Little Manistee River and diverts the fish into holding ponds. Fish usually ripen during the month of April and egg-take operations begin, continuing until the established egg quota has been reached.

During egg-take operations, unripe or “green” steelhead (those that are not yet ready to reproduce) are held in maturation ponds or counted and passed upstream to sustain the wild Little Manistee River steelhead run. Steelhead that are spawned during operations also are passed upstream, and many eventually return to Lake Michigan, as this species is capable of spawning multiple times. Once the quota of eggs is reached, the weir grates are removed and all remaining fish are allowed to migrate upstream.

Planned spring steelhead egg take dates for this year are April 15, 16, 17, 22 and 23. This is subject to change, based on the ripeness and number of fish present. Eggs will be taken each day between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., and the public is welcome to come view the process.