The Salmon Swan Song

The Salmon Swan Song

Whitewater Fishing pro, Brandyn Thorsen, says Great Lakes salmon are running NOW!

By Jay Anglin

MUSKEGON, Mich. (September 18, 2024) – Hooking a huge king salmon on any type of fishing gear is an unforgettable experience. While steelhead, lake trout, coho salmon and brown trout are popular Great Lakes target species, the mighty Chinook, often referred to as king salmon will always remain…the king.

While hatchery chinooks are still stocked throughout most of the Great Lakes, in many cases naturally reproduced wild fish represent most adult fish that return to spawn. This is an amazing fact, considering these Pacific salmon are not native to the Great Lakes and were first experimentally stocked in the mid-1960’s

Targeting any of the large salmonid species in the open waters of the Great Lakes calls for specialized fishing equipment and seaworthy boats. However, during peak spawning migration in August and September, incredible numbers of king salmon are present close to shore and in the lower stretches of rivers, making access to these fish relatively easy utilizing smaller craft and fishing gear typically used for other species. ys give up marabou jigs after the spawn, but smallies will eat them pretty much all the time.”

The word spreads fast when the first reports of mature kings and coho are being caught and anglers in the know will drop everything and head to one of the numerous harbors or stretches of lower rivers where salmon stage just prior to their upstream spawning runs.

Soon these salmon will spawn and die, ending their life’s journey, but for a few precious weeks, staging, pre-spawn salmon can provide incredible action. While precise timing can vary due to the whims of weather and water conditions, it’s a safe bet that by late August and through September, aggressive salmon in prime condition will be accessible to anglers fishing from shorelines, piers, and breakwalls, as well as smaller watercraft not suited well to most offshore ventures out on the big lakes. And unlike trolling the open Great Lakes with downriggers and planer boards, fishing for early kings is possible with gear otherwise dedicated to bass, pike, muskie and walleye. It’s almost a guarantee many anglers have an outfit or two in their quiver that will do the job just fine.

Northland Rumble B

Medium heavy to heavy action rods in the 7 to 8-foot range are ideal, and reels should be high-capacity and possess a strong, reliable drag. While baitcasting setups are very popular, spinning gear works fine too. Braids are the most popular line option, but heavy monofilament can get the job done as well. Other critically important things to consider include using the highest quality ball bearing swivels with the proper weight rating, and the strongest, well-tied knots, with fresh line.

“All you need is a 7.6 medium-heavy rod and a baitcasting reel with 30lb braid,” says Whitewater pro-staffer Brandyn Thorsen of Silver Seekers Guide Service based in Muskegon, Michigan. “Casting spoons, Thunderstick Jrs, Deep Thundersticks, Shad Raps or similar lures, in chrome, chartreuse, mother of pearl…a lot of bright, shiny stuff works great.”

Inspired by Scandinavian trollers, Northland’s Rumble B is another flashbang for fall salmon. Its unique swimming lip causes water to flow over the shoulders of the bait, eliciting a rocking motion that sets off visual flash along with a steady trolling action.

Thorsen suggests casting off piers and breakwalls into the deeper channels during morning and evening, when active fish are moving into the river channel from the lake. Any migratory fish species can be very preoccupied with migration, and in the case of salmon the biological clock ticks ever faster for them to successfully spawn before dying. This is why timing is so important and keeping tabs on the state of the run assures you target salmon when ideal scenarios arise. Salmon entering tributaries fresh from the lake are typically more prone to be triggered and attack lures.

Low water for example, can delay migration and force fish to hold in the deepest stretches of river channels for an extended period. Once flows increase and water temperatures cool – which is often triggered by rain, salmon will migrate hard and It’s not unusual for big kings to saturate a medium sized river system in a matter of days.

Salmon activity often picks up after dark, and this a great time to cast or troll for kings that are hung up in harbors and deep river channels associated with river mouths. Glowing lures such as spoons can trigger brutal eats from some of the biggest kings.

Regardless of when you fish, there is no need to crank lures hard. A spoon or big inline spinner retrieved at a medium speed is ideal, and crank baits can be fished with a jerk pause routine, or simply slow rolled through fish. Experiment with different retrieval speed and cadence to see what is working best for the conditions.

Another popular technique is to use jigging spoons for kings holding in deeper water. This vertical presentation is best done from boats with spot-lock capability allow anglers to hover over big pods of kings and drop spoons directly into them. Fluttering a big jigging spoon near a burly king is a great way to trigger these apex predators. Be forewarned, this technique is very popular, and numerous boats are often clustered into relatively small areas.

A hot king salmon can destroy lures and terminal tackle, so be sure to have extra swivels and hooks on hand for change-outs, and of course a nice selection of lures.

Like any fish species, king salmon size varies, but there is always a legitimate shot at a fish pushing well over 20 pounds, and occasionally much bigger. In fact, thirty pounders are not uncommon. It’s safe to assume whatever rod, reel, fishing line, and terminal tackle you are using is going to be tested to the absolute limit by a fish that may end up being a personal best.

It should be mentioned that fishing for kings requires a stout net. This is a situation for strong, extendable handles and resilient hoops with deep net bags. It may seem like a big splurge to invest in a huge net that won’t be used all that often by most anglers, but losing the salmon of your dreams at your feet because you can’t lift it is something you won’t soon forgive yourself for. If there are other anglers in your midst with proper nets, they are often happy to assist, but this is not always the case.

Run timing is largely predicated on photoperiod, but water temperature and flow are also big factors when it comes to the pace and magnitude of salmon migration. To further complicate things, some river systems draw fish much earlier than others. The Pere Marquette and Big Manistee rivers in Northern Michigan for example, may hold kings as early as July 4^th, whereas rivers such as the Muskegon and St Joseph to the south will draw salmon much later into fall.

Incidentally, early running salmon are often forced to migrate further upstream to seek cooler water temperatures in smaller tributaries and springs. This can provide some great fishing opportunities and using the same rigs and techniques described above often works, albeit on a somewhat smaller scale. Fly fishing and float fishing for pre-spawn salmon in smaller tributaries is also extremely popular, but that’s a story for another day.

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