Donn Atanasoff of Iron River caught this 18.5-inch trophy brookie from an Iron County trout stream last May. Trout season opens today across Michigan.

IRON MOUNTAIN — Conditions are less than ideal for today’s Michigan trout opener, but cabin fever and tradition should produce a good turnout.

“I’m surprised how many people say they’re going to go,” said John Grier at Whispering Pines Outpost in Breitung Township.

Before hitting the water, be sure to have a new fishing license for the current season, which opened April 1. Bear and elk hunt applications will be available starting Wednesday, Grier noted.

Anglers looking for a new spot to fish might check out Trout Trails, a Michigan Department of Natural Resources web application. It features lesser-known trout waters that are good destinations.

Today’s forecast calls for a high near 46. Streams are running high with flood warnings still in effect for the Menominee River.

Despite the high flow, border rivers were producing smaller walleyes, said Doug Whisler at Whisler Outdoors in Florence, Wis. Toughie minnows were the preferred bait, he said.

Some decent crappie catches were also reported, Whisler said.

To the south, the Lake Michigan tributaries walleye run is slowing down. In the Marinette, Peshtigo and Oconto areas, walleye fishing was better in the beginning of the week for shore and boat anglers.

“The majority of walleyes being caught now are post spawn,” said Scott Poquette, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources fisheries technician at Peshtigo.

The Michigan DNR reported the following Upper Peninsula activity:

Overall: Many lakes in Luce and Alger County still had ice. Access roads will likely have snow pack. Rain in the forecast will certainly help open things up, but not quite there yet. Water levels will be high in the central and eastern sections of the Upper Peninsula.

Keweenaw Bay: Still had some ice hanging on however it should be completely gone this weekend. The South Entry is open, but the dock was not in yet. Once anglers found them, the lake trout bite was good in 115 to 195 feet. Coho, brown trout and splake were found in 10 to 40 feet. Steelhead fishing was on the rise but with the rain and the snow melt rivers are very high.

Marquette: Fishing in the harbor is definitely starting to pick up. Most boats were trolling in front of the Carp and Chocolay Rivers, but a few were staying close to the breakwall in the Lower Harbor. Most caught coho with a few brown trout, splake or steelhead mixed in. A few limit catches were reported but most were getting one to three fish per trip. Unfortunately, the rivers are still very slow for this time of year.

Chocolay River: Had slow fishing as water temperatures were below 40 degrees. A few brown trout have been caught but there were no reports on any steelhead taken.

Little Bay De Noc: We are in between seasons here with the Bay still partially ice covered. The Kipling area was the only area with ice and that should be gone this week. The docks are in at Rapid River, Gladstone and the Ford River launch. The rivers are at flood stage and the current is strong making conditions difficult for steelhead anglers.

Manistique: A few boats targeting steelhead and brown trout were going out about three miles from the river mouth. Most reported mixed results. West of Manistique, smelt were running in Southtown Creek. Some limit catches were taken.

Manistique River: Steelhead anglers reported good catches up near the dam when casting spawn. Several nice brown trout were also reported. There were two gates open at the dam which raised the water levels by three feet, so the water was very high and fast.

Munising: The Coast Guard Ice Breaker came through breaking up the ice in the bay. There is still a lot of ice to melt however the remaining ice is not safe. Strong winds have pushed the ice in the bay and along the shoreline. It could be another week or so before the ice is gone. For now, fishing is not possible for boat or shore anglers.

Grand Marais: The ice had moved out of the harbor area and beyond the breakwall. The breakwall was fishable up to where the rocks start before the last section of the pier however cleats are advised if you are going to try walking out on the pier as there was still some ice. Some were trying for whitefish off the breakwall and the mouth of the Sucker River, but no fish were caught. Those trolling had a hard time dodging the chunks of ice still in the area. A few coho, brown trout and steelhead were caught from the breakwall to Lonesome Point and beyond. Water levels in the rivers were extremely high which makes fishing much more difficult.

Two Hearted River: Is difficult to fish due to high water levels. Fish are likely in the river, but conditions will limit success greatly.

Tahquamenon River: Had a small smelt run recently but the other Whitefish Bay tributaries are slow. Water temperatures were in the low 40’s, but high-water levels will limit access.

Detour: Because of all the ice coming down the St. Marys River, there are no docks in at Detour Village. As soon as the smelt runs begin, which should be any day, the Atlantic salmon should start hitting.