Ford River
Fishing, stocking, and current conditions
Rainbow trout water, stocked 2 times in 2026, all in May; 15,100 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
Rainbow trout
Stocking record 2026
Agency feed checked Oct 14.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7 | Rainbow trout | adult | 5,300 | completed |
| May 11 | Rainbow trout | adult | 9,800 | completed |
When to fish Ford River
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 10:27 am-12:27 pm and 10:49 pm-12:49 am | 4:43-5:43 am and 4:57-5:57 pm |
| Tomorrow | 11:13 am-1:13 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 11
- Flow 37% of the seasonal median
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · Michigan fishing forecast
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 trout (rainbow trout stocked 2 times here in 2026, moving water)
| Drifted bait | single salmon egg or half a crawler under light split shot, rolled along the bottom |
| 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 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Escanaba River | 8.3 mi | May 27 |
| Days River | 17 mi | May 14 |
| Cedar River | 21 mi | May 26 |
| Haymeadow Creek | 24 mi | May 19 |
| Sturgeon River | 26 mi | May 6 |
Follow Delta County stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule