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mackinac straits fish company

About Us​

You will hear some pretty great fish stories when you hang out at Mackinac Straits Fish Company, an iconic St. Ignace marketplace offering a year-round selection of fresh, smoked, and frozen fish, among other things. We were greeted by cheerful banter as we entered the building, with filets of herring, chub, whitefish, lake trout, and salmon for sale. We noted the local frozen bison meat for sale, as well as an abundance of spices, jams, and a few cool souvenirs. 

An impressive tote chock-full of whitefish filets caught my eye. The friendly face behind the counter explained that Mackinac Straits Fish Company provides wholesale products to local eateries: “Those whitefish filets will be going to the local restaurants today. We have some regular customers – Mackinac Grill, The Gang Plank, Village Inn, and Clyde’s Drive-In are some of our most regular customers.” This is food at its best in local St. Ignace, offering fresh ingredients from our own generous waters. 

WHITEFISH

Fish & Family

Many of the folks at Mackinac Straits Fish Company have been with the place for years. One such man is Tom Coveyou, who began working here at age 16. He now runs the show as the Company’s third and most recent owner. Coveyou’s motivation for purchasing the long-standing business was influenced by both love of the area and commitment to the business. 
 
“We knew we didn’t want to move. So, that was the other thing, as far as purchasing the place – I knew I was going to be here… I just wanted to keep putting out a good quality product, smoked, fresh, and frozen for our repeat customers and for our new customers to come.” That’s something we all can appreciate!
-Tom 

The Famous
Fish Dip

What would Tom Coveyou recommend trying if you are just breezing through?: “I’m definitely pointing towards the fish dip! We almost always have the whitefish dip. It’s cream cheese-based with smoked fish, lemon juice, and seasonings.” 

Even kids love it, Coveyou proudly shared, “We have a local family in town that tried everyone’s fish dip in the area, and everyone had a different opinion—our fish dip was the kids’ winner! We were happy about that. If we can win the kids over…that’s the future! Once we get them in, hopefully they come back.” In a town that takes its fish dips seriously, Mackinac Straits Fish Company makes a strong showing amongst the contenders for the best of the best.

In The Smokehouse

This is our outdoor smokehouse—we have 300 pounds of fish in there right now. This is what we call the traditional, old wood-smoke fire.” -Tom.  St. Ignace is home to many great restaurants and eateries, but sometimes, you just want to make your own food! If you’re seeking spectacular local ingredients with which to fashion your fare, you can’t go wrong with a visit to Mackinac Straits Fish Company. With a robust daily selection, you can mix and match to your heart’s content. Please take a few filets of smoked fish home; you will want them later.