Escanaba River
Fishing, stocking, and current conditions
Brown trout, coho salmon, and walleye water, stocked 3 times in 2026, all in May; 769,810 fish reported. One of 11 stocked waters on the Delta County record. A USGS gauge reports from this water, so the conditions card on this page is live.
Delta County · Michigan · see it on the national map
The year here
stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details
What swims here
Coho salmon
Brown trout
Walleye
Stocking record 2026
Agency feed checked Oct 14.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6 | Coho salmon | adult | 18,225 | completed |
| May 14 | Brown trout | adult | 27,000 | completed |
| May 27 | Walleye | fry | 724,585 | completed |
When to fish Escanaba River
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 10:26 am-12:26 pm and 10:49 pm-12:49 am | 4:43-5:43 am and 4:56-5:56 pm |
| Tomorrow | 11:12 am-1:12 pm | 5:57-6:57 am and 5:16-6:16 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).
What the record actually says
- Last stocked May 27
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · Michigan fishing forecast
Getting on the water
| Access point | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Burnt Camp | boat ramp | Recreation Passport required |
| Dam 3 Impoundment | boat ramp | no fee · accessible facilities |
Access points from the Michigan DNR boating access inventory. Ramps, fees, and hours change; check before towing a boat a long way.
Gear for this water
It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.
For the salmon and steelhead (coho salmon stocked 1 time here in 2026, moving water)
| Beads and egg imitations | drifted under a float where bait rules allow |
| Trolling flies and dodgers | for landlocked salmon in the lakes, early and late in the day |
| Medium spinning rod | 8 to 9 ft with 8 to 12 lb line; big water, big runs |
For the trout (brown trout stocked 1 time here in 2026, moving water)
| Small jerkbaits | floating minnows in the 2 to 3 inch class for the deeper bends |
| Waders or wet-wading boots | stocked stream fish stack in the obvious pools; getting to the next one is the edge |
| Light spinning rod | 5 to 6.5 ft light or ultralight; short rods cast under branches |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Ford River | 8.3 mi | May 11 |
| Days River | 8.9 mi | May 14 |
| Haymeadow Creek | 16 mi | May 19 |
| Sturgeon River | 19 mi | May 6 |
| East Branch Whitefish River | 21 mi | May 19 |
Follow Delta County stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule