Move Over Shark Week, Michigan Now Has ‘Big Fish Week’

You've heard of Shark Week. You've heard of Fat Bear Week. But, the state of Michigan has just launched the newest (and dare we say "best"?) inter-species battle.

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Big Fish Week has entered the chat.

What is Michigan's Big Fish Week?

2025 marks the first year of Big Fish Week! Big Fish Week is a way to celebrate our finned friends that make Michigan's Great Lakes, inland lakes, streams, and rivers their home.

With 154 different species of fish to choose from, the powers that be have narrowed it down to just 16 - and the competition is stiff.

READ MORE: Michigan's 3 Ugliest Fish, and Other Strange Lake Monsters

Let's meet our challengers.

Michigan's Big Fish Week Competitors

In the first round of voting, the competitors have been broken down into eight brackets spanning four different categories. The categories are panfish (aka "lil cuties"), iconic game species, big guys, and "rough fish".

Panfish

Bracket one in the panfish category pits two cute little guys against each other.

First up, we have a fish that's familiar to most Michigan anglers - the Bluegill. Gilly here (that's what I'm calling him) is described as the fish that "wins fish popularity contests."

But, the bluegill isn't just going to run- er, swim - away with the victory easily.

That's because he's going up against a worthy adversary in the pumpkinseed fish. The pumpkinseed is described as "looking for a nest-mate for community nest."

Bracket two in the panfish category also features a great matchup.

First up, we have the rock bass (not to be confused with the "rock lobster"). These little guys are said to have "the uncanny ability to rabidly change color to match their surroundings." So, essentially, the chameleon of the Michigan waters.

READ MORE: The Biggest Fish Ever Caught in a Michigan Inland Lake

The rock bass is going up against a fierce opponent with an unfortunate name.

Meet the crappie. Unfortunate name? Yes. (Also important to note that it's pronounced "CROP-E".) But the crappie is just misunderstood. The State of Michigan says that it "loves to hang out in dark-bottomed shallow-water cuts and canals in the spring."

Iconic Game Species

Moving along to the iconic game species category, our first matchup is basically like a sibling rivalry.

First up, we have the largemouth bass (its mouth doesn't look that big to me). The largemouth isn't just popular in Michigan. According to the state it's "dying for the title of 'America's top game fish'".

Let's meet the largemouth's rival.

Enter the smallmouth bass. Turns out, the smallmouth has a nurturing side. The State of Michigan says that it's a "very involved dad - builds the nest and protects eggs and young fry." (And that's how I learned that young fish are called "fry".)

The second matchup in the iconic game species category is equally well-matched.

To start off, we have the walleye, a fish that is sought after in numerous fishing derbies in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It turns out that the walleye isn't the nicest fish, with the state saying that they are "greedy predators for small bass, trout, pike, perch and sunfishes."

Its opponent seems to be on the other side of the fish coin.

The brook trout appears to be rather polite. The State of Michigan says that it's "nicknamed 'gentleman trout' for its diurnal schedule". If you, like me, don't know what "diurnal" means, it's basically being awake during the day and sleeping at night.

'The Big Guys'

Now we move on to the big guys. This category also features some heavy hitters.

Starting out, we have the muskellunge, commonly known to fishermen (and women) as the "musky". The musky likes to keep to itself, in fact, it's said that its favorite hobby is "lurking near shore in the shadows of plants or submerged logs".

And the musky is going up against a very worthy adversary.

These fish make some people nervous, with many saying they remind them of a dinosaur. Meet the sturgeon, which may very well be prehistoric. The State of Michigan says that sturgeon are "covered in armor, so no wonder they can live to over 100 years old."

Next up in the big guys category, we have two fish that are widely sought after by Michigan anglers going up against each other.

First, we have the northern pike, which the State of Michigan says "will eat anything they can get their jaws around".

Going up against the northern pike, we have the lake trout. Lake trout is very particular. According to the state, their loves include "swimming in cold, deep waters". While their hates include something we all hate - "sea lamprey".

Rough Fish

Next, we move on to the rough fish category. I don't really know what designates a fish as "rough", but that's what their calling them, so we're going with it.

Our first rough fish is the longnose gar, called that because, well, it has a long nose. The longnose gar is tired of being misunderstood, though, with the state saying that they are "tired of being mistaken for an alligator gar".

Going up against the longnose gar is the bowfin. This is one of few fish that I know of that come close to the surface to do more than just eat. According to the State of Michigan, "when dissolved oxygen gets low, bowfin goes high - to the surface to gulp air".

Our final matchup is another doozy.

First up, we have the black buffalo (not to be confused with the dog food brand Blue Buffalo). The black buffalo is a simple creature. The state says that they are "super excited about spawning season".

Going up against the black buffalo is the redhorse sucker. The redhorse likes a certain vibe when it comes to its habitat. According to the state, the redhorse sucker's motto is, "clean, clear water only, please."

Voting in Michigan's Big Fish Week

Voting is now open for the first round of Big Fish Week. It's not clear when the next round of voting will kick off, though with sixteen fish vying for the title, it appears that there will be four rounds of voting.