Does the DNR place fish attractors in any Michigan waters?

[Waterfoul]

Was just looking thru the DNR website because I was told they have put fish attractors in some lakes and that there were maps of where they put them.  Is this true?  If so, where can I find these maps?

[motocross269]

I don't know if the DNR placed them but I have seen the Fish Attractor symbol on Navionics and DNR maps for lakes in Michigan...

On Long Lake in Presque Isle they call them "Brush Shelters"........See map below...At that same link you can find all the DNR maps for the state of Michigan...By County...

http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/SPATIALDATALIBRARY/PDF_MAPS/INLAND_LAKE_MAPS/PRESQUE_ISLE/LONG_LAKE_V2.PDF

[Skulley]

They put fish attractors in Belleville Lake a few years back.  They have also put them in Pontiac, Cass, and others in the Southeastern Michigan area.  I'm sure you'll find them on the DNR Website if you do a website search.


BD                       

[djkimmel]

The MDNR or related work has planted many fish attractors over the years in many Michigan lakes. The general location is shown on many of the MDNRE Online Lake Maps but only a few maps have been updated recently with any recent placements. I have that link on the lower part of the GreatLakesBass.com Home page under Resources.

Quite a few of the attractors were placed during the Great Depression and leading up to WWII by the CCC to create work and jobs. More have been placed sporadically throughout the 50s and 60s.

Placement has occurred less since then but many of the attractors still exist and can be found fairly well. I look for them on some lakes, especially the bigger lakes up north. With side imaging they would be a lot easier to find. Frankly I do better fishing bottom structure more often as far as bass go, or sometimes shipwrecks but there are some attractors on some lakes that consistently produce bass.

I do see many of the lake chip cards also show fish attractors as mentioned. Some of the newer cards show more detail and more accurate placement than the MDNR paper maps. Again, only a few of these lake maps have been updated much in recent years but I still download any that exist for lake I visit, and use them as a good starting point. They're free, which is a pretty good price.

Many of the paper maps aren't very good or detailed either but newer map cards as mentioned cover up for shortcomings. Plus, I don't have SI but you do, and SI will reveal the vast majority of these objects.

A bonus for some paper maps is a little more explanation sometimes about the makeup of some attractors. Hard to beat just calling the DNR though and finding a Fisheries Biologist who knows particular lakes. I have done this around the country and I always find someone who knows helpful information I might not find out any other way, especially when it comes to fish attractors and related items placed in the last 20 years.

[Waterfoul]

Hey Dan, your MDNRE Lake maps link doesn't work in either place. 

[djkimmel]

They changed it AGAIN!?! I wonder if they've ever heard of redirects?? You change a longstanding link to a popular page you should make sure the zillions of links people have bookmarked still work! That's me anyway...

I'll find the new link and update mine.

[djkimmel]

Yup. They changed the link and didn't forward the old one... I've updated the link above and will update the Home page link too. I probably have that link scattered all over the website. Another thing added to the todo list.