Michigan sits surrounded by four of the five Great Lakes, which means the state has a serious fishing tradition and some seriously good fish markets to show for it. From the Upper Peninsula’s wild Lake Superior whitefish to Lake Erie walleye near the Ohio border, the variety across the state is genuinely impressive.
Some of these spots have been run by the same families for over a century, while others bring a modern, full-service approach to fresh seafood. A few are attached to working commercial fisheries, meaning the fish you buy may have been on a boat just days before.
Whether you are planning a U.P. road trip or a quick detour on the way home, packing a cooler and hitting one of these markets is always a good idea. Read on for 12 Michigan fish markets that are absolutely worth the extra miles.
1. Bay Port Fish Company, Bay Port, Michigan
Bay Port was once called the world’s largest freshwater fishing port during its 1920s and 1930s peak, and Bay Port Fish Company has been carrying that legacy forward since 1895.
The Williams family has run the operation since 1978, with Tod Williams and his daughter Lakon now overseeing the boats, processing, and retail store. Their fleet, including a vessel called The Osprey, works Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay from spring through fall, harvesting whitefish, yellow perch, and walleye.
The retail store is open seven days a week during the season, and visitors can sometimes watch staff preparing the day’s catch, since the processing area was thoughtfully designed to remain visible to the public.
Beyond fresh and frozen fish, the market sells hickory-smoked selections, whitefish dip, whitefish livers, and various caviars. The company also supplies several Michigan farmers’ markets and organic grocery stores, which says plenty about the quality coming out of Saginaw Bay.
2. King’s Fish Market, Moran, Michigan
Somewhere between St. Ignace and the rest of the eastern Upper Peninsula, a cooler without smoked whitefish is a missed opportunity, and King’s Fish Market in Moran is the place to fix that.
Opened in 2006, this family-owned market operates as a fish market, specialty store, and sit-down restaurant all under one roof. The fish selection covers Lake Superior whitefish, Lake Huron walleye, Lake Erie perch, chubs, salmon, and trout, all caught locally and prepared on the premises.
House-made specialties include smoked whitefish dip, savory pasties, and a variety of cheeses and beef jerky. The restaurant side serves fresh whitefish and perch baskets with hand-cut fries, making it easy to combine lunch with a cooler restock.
Inside, vintage outboard motors, fishing tackle, and old oil cans line the walls, giving the place a museum-like character that sets it apart from any ordinary roadside stop along M-123.
3. VanLandschoot & Sons Fish Market, Munising, Michigan
Philip VanLandschoot, a Belgian immigrant, started this fishery in 1914, and five generations later, the family is still hauling whitefish out of Lake Superior near Munising Bay.
That makes VanLandschoot and Sons one of the oldest continuously operating commercial fisheries on the Great Lakes, and one of only two licensed state fishermen still active on Lake Superior. Their whitefish holds a “best choice” rating from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a recognition that reflects the family’s long commitment to sustainable trap-net fishing.
The market at 1338 Commercial Street sells fresh whitefish fillets, smoked fish, smoked fish sausage, and a popular fish dip. Travelers exploring Pictured Rocks have a natural reason to stop here, since the market sits close to the area’s main attractions.
The company has also partnered with Great Lakes Tinned Fish to bring their smoked Lake Superior whitefish to a national audience, and food trucks in Munising and Marquette serve fresh fish and chips for those who want lunch on the spot.
4. Mackinac Straits Fish Company, St. Ignace, Michigan
Open year-round and operating for more than 50 years, Mackinac Straits Fish Company in St. Ignace is the kind of market that rewards travelers who think ahead and arrive with an empty cooler.
Tom and Allyson Coveyou took ownership in 2023, continuing a tradition built on hand-processed fish from the cold waters of northern Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. The company processes its catch at its St. Ignace facility, often within hours of netting, and uses indigenous hardwoods like sugar maple for smoking.
The retail selection covers fresh, smoked, and frozen whitefish, salmon, lake trout, herring, and chubs. Alongside the fish, shoppers find smoked fish dip, fish sausage, pickled products, cheeses, spices, jams, and locally sourced bison and beef.
The market also supplies area restaurants, including Mackinac Grill and Clyde’s Drive-In, and staff will pack fish for travel on request, which makes the stop practical even for visitors heading straight to the ferry dock.
5. Massey Fish Co., St. Ignace, Michigan
Six generations of the Massey family have fished the Straits of Mackinac, and the retail market on West Road in St. Ignace is where that history lands on a counter for customers to take home.
Jamie and BJ Massey run the operation today, following a tradition that traces back to great-great-great-grandfather Charlie Massey. The market is open seven days a week, with fishermen harvesting whitefish, salmon, lake trout, and walleye from Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior.
Smoked offerings go well beyond standard fillets. Customers can find smoked whitefish, salmon, lake trout, and herring in both chunk and fillet form, plus specialty pates in flavors like lake trout, salmon, and whitefish with cherry.
Laker patties, salmon patties, breakfast sausage, and caviar round out the selection.
The market has also developed a line of fish-skin pet treats called “Chalie’s Chews” and produces fish compost, reflecting a resourceful approach to the whole catch that very few fish markets anywhere can match.
6. Krueger’s Fish Market, Mackinaw City, Michigan
There is a big outdoor smoker out front, hunting trophies on the walls inside, and no attempt whatsoever to look like a trendy gourmet shop, and that is precisely why Krueger’s Fish Market in Mackinaw City has such a devoted following.
This small, year-round market at 203 West Etherington Street keeps things refreshingly simple. Smoked whitefish and lake trout are the consistent headliners, with smoked salmon, whitefish pate, fish spreads, and a variety of jerky rounding out the counter, including spicy Cajun and pepper stick varieties.
Fresh whitefish and walleye fillets are available for those who prefer to cook at home, and the expanded smoked product line includes beef and turkey jerky, fish and beef sausage, and occasionally smoked turkeys, chickens, and cheeses.
Many travelers make Krueger’s a ritual stop, loading their coolers before heading south. The market vacuums seals fish for the drive, and grabbing smoked fish and crackers for a waterfront picnic within sight of the Mackinac Bridge is one of the better ideas this part of Michigan has to offer.
7. Carlson’s Fishery, Leland, Michigan
More than a century of family fishing history is packed into a small, weathered shanty along the Leland River, and Carlson’s Fishery has the bragging rights to prove it.
Founded in 1904 and now co-owned by fifth-generation Nels Carlson and Mike Burda, the fishery sits in the heart of historic Fishtown, a district that got its name partly because of the Carlson family’s influence in the 1940s.
The retail counter sells fresh and smoked whitefish, lake trout, chubs, and salmon, along with smoked whitefish sausage made from a blend of lake trout and whitefish with local seasonings. The smoked whitefish pate is prepared fresh daily and has earned loyal fans across the state.
Two working smokehouses handle the volume, with the larger one capable of processing a thousand pounds of fish per hour. Food Network’s Michael Symon once praised the spot for its “beautiful simplicity and 100 years of history,” which about sums it up.
8. Peterson’s Fish Market, Hancock, Michigan
Patricia and Gilmore Peterson are fourth-generation commercial fishermen and members of the Red Cliff Band of Superior Chippewas, and their family market in Hancock represents one of the most direct connections between a fishing community and a retail counter anywhere in Michigan.
Their sons, now fifth-generation fishermen, operate two commercial fishing boats, The Three Sons and The Ritter Brothers, pulling whitefish, lake trout, salmon, and herring from Lake Superior. The catch goes directly to the market on US-41, across from the historic Quincy Mine Shaft.
Fresh and smoked fish are available year-round, hand-smoked with native hardwoods like maple. The counter also carries pickled fish, smoked fish spread, and smoked fish sausage.
The Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods” with Andrew Zimmern has featured the market, which gives some sense of how distinctive the operation is.
Next door, the seasonal Four Suns Fish and Chips serves fried and baked whitefish baskets, smoked fish chowder, and gourmet sides from mid-May to mid-October, with outdoor seating overlooking the Quincy Mine Hoist.
9. Monahan’s Seafood Market, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Founded in 1979 and now run by Tommy Lammers, who took over from his uncle Mike Monahan in 2023, Monahan’s Seafood Market inside Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown Market and Shops has built a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable fishmonger operations in the lower half of the state.
Most fish arrives whole and is cut to each customer’s specifications at the counter. The daily selection can include Lake Superior whitefish, lake perch, smelt, lake trout, New England cod, Alaskan king salmon, and Hawaiian sushi-grade tuna, depending on what is freshest that week.
Prepared items cover smoked fish, pickled herring, house-made pates, sauces, and stocks. The “Ready Cuisine” line offers pre-prepared seafood entrees designed for simple cooking at home, including some available en papillote.
The lunch counter operates six days a week, where customers can pick a fillet from the case and have it cooked to order, pan-seared or blackened, or choose from fish and chips, fried jumbo shrimp, or pan-seared sea scallops. The staff regularly offer recipe suggestions and cooking advice, which keeps regulars coming back.
10. Fish Lads, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Jeff Butzow spent years honing his skills at Seattle’s Pike Place Market before bringing his fishmongering expertise back to Michigan, and the result is Fish Lads, which has operated inside the Grand Rapids Downtown Market since 2013.
The cases feature locally smoked fish, wild salmon, shellfish, and live oysters flown in overnight from both coasts. Every fish is processed in-house and cut to order, with a firm commitment to fresh, wild-caught, and sustainably sourced products throughout the selection.
The restaurant menu gives travelers without a kitchen a strong reason to stop. Fish and chips made with Icelandic cod, Alaskan halibut, or yellow perch in a beer batter draw consistent praise, and Fridays bring an all-you-can-eat cod option.
Lobster rolls, clam chowder, cioppino, fish tacos, and blackened fish sandwiches fill out the rest of the menu.
House-made smoked fish dip, crab artichoke dip, hot sauces, marinades, and rubs are also available to take home, giving the market a practical edge for anyone looking to upgrade their weeknight cooking.
11. The Fish Market, Erie, Michigan
Third-generation family ownership and more than fifty years of continuous operation near the Ohio border give The Fish Market in Erie a track record that very few specialty food shops anywhere in Michigan can match.
The selection spans both Great Lakes and ocean seafood. Lake Superior whitefish, Lake Erie walleye fillets, and yellow perch share the case with Norwegian salmon, Alaskan cod, red snapper, mahi-mahi, swordfish, sushi-grade yellowfin tuna, and Chilean sea bass.
Shellfish options include mussels, scallops, clams, oysters, various crabs, and multiple shrimp preparations.
The prepared specialties are where the market’s family-recipe heritage really shows. Bacon-wrapped shrimp with several stuffing choices, smoked salmon, whitefish and rainbow trout, lobster and crab-stuffed mushrooms, seafood bisque, New England clam chowder, Maryland-style crab cakes, and battered fish round out the counter.
That combination of raw and ready-to-cook options gives the market the feel of a place built around actual family dinners rather than simply moving product, which explains why customers return from well outside the immediate area.
12. The Lobster Pot, Detroit, Michigan
A Harper Avenue address, a 1952 founding date, and a name that has been part of Detroit’s east side for longer than most specialty food shops have existed anywhere in the state, The Lobster Pot earns its place on this list through sheer longevity and consistency.
Live lobster is available for delivery or as cooked knuckle and claw meat, which works well for rolls or pasta. Beyond the namesake crustacean, the counter carries Atlantic halibut, Scottish salmon, Chilean sea bass, cod loin, branzino, clams, mussels, various crabs, shrimp, fresh oysters, tuna, frog legs, and fine caviars.
Ready-to-eat items include freshly made cocktail shrimp with house-made sauce and smoked whitefish pate sourced from the Upper Peninsula, a detail that connects the Detroit shop to Michigan’s broader fishing tradition in a satisfying way.
The market serves both retail and wholesale customers, and regulars routinely travel considerable distances for the fresh, fairly priced selection. That kind of customer loyalty, sustained over more than seven decades, is not something that happens by accident.
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