Great Lakes kings, cohos are the stars of Lake Michigan

More salmon stocked by the states, improved natural recruitment of wild-born fish, and milder winters allowing better baitfish survival all played a role in some of the best salmon fishing seen in more than a decade last year.

Charter captains in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin all had strong fish-catching seasons last year, and most believe it’ll be more of the same in 2025. The reason for their optimism? Spring coho catches have already been outstanding, with a sprinkling of Chinooks mixed in.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported a record harvest of sport-caught coho salmon in 2024 – more than 210,000 between guides and private anglers from boat, pier, and riverbank. In addition, the agency reported an estimated 160,000 Chinooks caught, the most since 2012.

MORE FISHING FEATURES FROM OUTDOOR NEWS:

Pymatuning Reservoir is the perfect place for adventure along the Pennsylvania, Ohio border

Old time fish trains brought businessmen eager to fish northern Wisconsin waters

Minnesota’s opener features some of the year’s best fishing for multiple species

Though the spring has been colder than usual, another mild winter seems to be part of the reason the action heated up so early. Brown trout catches were terrific in the near-shore shallows, and the spring run of steelhead in the tributaries was well above average.

Data compiled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows that – depending on the year – more than half to as many as 75% of the Chinook salmon (kings) being caught on Lake Michigan are now wild-born fish, mostly from Michigan rivers on the east side of the lake.

Meanwhile, if it’s fast action you’re after, the coho bite in the southern basin is on fire right now. King catches vary year to year, but were already going strong by the third week of May up and down the shoreline in 2024.

Hooking big kings

Some of the best salmon fishing in decades lured a record-setting 3,891 anglers to the 10-day Kewaunee/Door (K/D) County Salmon Tournament last July.

There were 14 30-pound-plus kings landed, the largest at 33.97 pounds. Meanwhile, the lakewide Salmon-A-Rama produced six kings more than 30 pounds, along with a 25.48-pound brown trout, 24.50-pound lake trout, 18.18-pound rainbow, and 15.35-pound coho salmon.

The top 100 Chinooks in last year’s K/D tournament were all 25.85 pounds and up. More than half of those were more than 27 pounds, 35 were more than 28, and 22 went 29 pounds or better. While that may sound like a lot – and it is – you can see a true 25-plus is indeed a special fish.

What does it take to catch such a giant? Once you know the basics of salmon fishing, a lot of it is simply putting in the time. There’s a reason why some of the same names cash checks somewhere in the leaderboard year after year. Not only are they knowledgeable, they rack up a lot of hours on the water.

Last year’s top 30 catches were lured by an almost equal mix of flasher/fly combos and spoons, so pick your favorite baits, then try targeting about 50 to 70 feet down in 100 to 150 feet of water. That’s the depths most often reported on the weigh-in slips of trophy catches last season. 

While that can vary based on water temperature, it’s pretty consistent year to year that a majority of the heaviest “kings” are hooked 40 to 80 feet down over 80 to 180 feet of water. 

If you’ve done it before and don’t have a long way to travel, early-season scouting can be fun. But if you are hours from a big lake and need to plan a road trip, following the fishing report pages online or having a good contact at a bait and tackle shop can save you a lot of time and frustration.

For those newer to the sport, splitting the cost of a charter trip with friends or family will help you immensely. Learning what to use and how to deploy it can be more important than figuring out where to go. Fish are literally spread out across the entire lake, and you cover water with a mixed bag of spoons and flies.

There are hundreds of licensed captains around Lake Michigan, but anglers who call early have the best chance to find an opening on a preferred date. Choosing a veteran operation that spends a great deal of time on the water can increase your odds of success.

Depending on the number of hours and size of the boat and group, expect to pay $500 to $800 for two to six anglers. Figure somewhere between $150 and $250 per person for the charter and tips.

In addition to the boat and gear, some captains provide snacks and refreshments, and clean and ice fish kept for the trip home. Bring a camera to capture the sights. Ask questions and take notes. Most of all, leave the daily grind behind and relax. Big or small, the fish you land are only a part of what can be a world-class experience.

If you’ll be coming with your own rig, plan ahead and watch the weather closely.

For the next month, ask about an alewife die-off, too. Fishing can be slower when that happens, usually after a major late spring heavy wind that flips the lake, plunges the near-shore water temperature and shocks the spawn-stressed fish.

There was a massive die-off last spring, which temporarily slowed the action. When there are millions of death-spin baitfish offering easy pickings, it can make it tougher on anglers. Things usually pick up in a big way a week or two after.

Sea lamprey update

Reduced sea lamprey control during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a spike in the number of the parasitic predators in the Great Lakes.

Great Lakes Fishery Commission Chair Ethan Baker, the mayor of Troy, Mich., said populations of the non-native fish-killers are above target levels in all five Great Lakes as a direct result of reduced control by federal field crews in 2020 and 2021. A return to more normal control in tributaries the past three years gives the commission reason to believe that lamprey numbers are now on the way back down, or will be in the next year or two.

“The COVID-19 pandemic provided an unintentional, but valuable, lesson,” Baker said. “Restricted control effort during 2020 and 2021 allowed millions of larval sea lampreys, that would have otherwise been removed, to survive and parasitize millions of pounds of valuable fish.”

Lampreys entered the upper Great Lakes through shipping canals around 1921. They feed on the blood and body fluids of fish by attaching with a tooth-filled, suction cup mouth, then penetrate the fish’s scales and skin with a piston-like rasping tongue. Researchers estimate an adult sea lamprey is capable of killing up to 40 pounds of fish during its parasitic stage. 

Sea lamprey control began in 1958, a year after a chemical compound (TFM) was discovered and found to be effective at killing larval sea lampreys without harming other species. After biologists assess the presence and abundance of lamprey larvae in streams, TFM is applied in those tributaries every three to five years.

Before control, lamprey killed more fish than did commercial and sport fishermen, causing considerable economic and ecological damage. Today, the multi-million-dollar annual control program – paid for by the governments of Canada and the United States – has reduced populations by about 90% or more in most of the Great Lakes.

Watch for deadheads

With more heavy rainfalls in the Great Lakes in recent years, boaters must be aware that flooding can push dead trees, broken docks and other potential dangers out into the lakes.

Some fishermen won’t venture out in the dark after heavy rains, but “deadheads” can be hard to spot even by day when there’s chop on the water. Fortunately, most of the danger passes quickly after a winds carry the debris back to the beaches.