Fishing group ticketed for Detroit River walleye haul

Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News on May 20, 2026

Published in Outdoors

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DETROIT — Five fishermen found themselves in hot water after taking more than their legal limit of walleye from the Detroit River, officials said.

The group from northern Michigan was caught Friday after fishing on the river near Milliken State Park, east of downtown on Atwater Street near Orleans, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said.

Officials said the group exceeded the daily legal limit by 34 walleye. The daily legal limit is six per angler.

"People visit Detroit from all over to take advantage of the abundant fishing offered by the Detroit River," Todd Szyska, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division's acting captain for the south region of the Lower Peninsula, said in a statement. "Our walleye fishery is world-class in part because of the many respectful anglers who follow the daily limits."

The DNR said conservation officers saw the group north of Milliken State Park in the morning. The department said the fishermen left and then returned several hours later. Officers saw them taking additional fish and approached the group with a search warrant, according to authorities.

Investigators said the five had rented a home in Detroit for their fishing trip.

Officers allowed the anglers to keep their legal daily limit, but gave each a ticket for the misdemeanor offense, the DNR said.

A spokesman for the agency said it donates confiscated fish and game meat to organizations that feed the public when feasible. He said if the meat has been processed by individuals, the DNR cannot guarantee its cleanliness, so in some cases the meat is destroyed after the case is adjudicated.

Michigan’s fishing season this year started on April 1 and runs through March 30, 2027.

A fishing license is required for individuals 17 and older.