The Atlantic salmon is more closely related to the brown trout than to any of the Pacific salmon species. Their markings are similar to brown trout, but Atlantic salmon markings are generally found only above the lateral line, while brown trout markings are found above and below the lateral line.
Jake Romanack, co-host of Fishing 411 TV caught this impressive Atlantic salmon on Torch Lake in Northern Michigan while filming a TV episode that will air in the winter and spring of 2024. Torch Lake has been stocked on and off again over the years, but is currently producing an exciting fishery for those who are interested in catching Atlantic salmon.
The Great Lakes offer a wealth of fishing opportunities. Nearly every species of sport fish that resides in the Upper Great Lakes region can be found in one or more of the five Great Lakes. The most abundant species such as lake trout, Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead and walleye steal the show, but there are less abundant species that are just as worthy.
Some anglers might even suggest that the tougher a species is to find and catch, the more desirable that species becomes. Certainly, musky anglers fall into that category. Atlantic salmon are also one of those species found in the upper Great Lakes region that are certainly not abundant, but desirable. Many anglers are willing to travel far and wide to find themselves toe to fin with the Atlantic salmon.
The Atlantic salmon is more closely related to the brown trout than to any of the Pacific salmon species. Their markings are similar to brown trout, but Atlantic salmon markings are generally found only above the lateral line, while brown trout markings are found above and below the lateral line.
Atlantic salmon also share some of the foraging habits of the brown trout. While Pacific salmon seem to strongly prefer pelagic forage species, Atlantic salmon are not fussy. They will forage actively on both pelagic and benthic species and also consume a significant amount of aquatic insects in their diet.
LAKE ONTARIO
Atlantic salmon are technically indigenous to Lake Ontario, because historically this species could access Lake Ontario through the St. Lawrence River. In modern times however, Lake Ontario has not supported a noteworthy Atlantic salmon fishery. Despite many efforts to stock Atlantic salmon in Lake Ontario, only fair to poor returns have been achieved.
Truth be told, there are some Atlantic salmon in Lake Ontario, but an angler could fish for decades and not hook into one of these unique fish. If you are lucky enough to catch an Atlantic salmon in Lake Ontario, the minimum size is 25 inches.
SOUTHERN LAKE HURON
Southern Lake Huron enjoys a better Atlantic salmon fishery than Lake Ontario. However, this fishery is seasonal at best and visiting anglers can spend a lot of time on the water before boating one of these coveted fish. The months of March, April and early May is the best time of year to find Atlantic salmon in Southern Lake Huron.
Typically, Atlantic salmon winter in the southern portions of Lake Huron during the winter months to take advantage of the smelt, alewife, gizzard shad and emerald shiners that also spend the winter in this area. Early in the spring these fish start making their way north and often literally evaporate into the vast open waters of Lake Huron.
The ports of Lexington, Port Sanilac, Port Huron and Sarnia on the Ontario side all see catches of Atlantic salmon in the spring. A few Atlantic salmon are also caught in the upper reaches of the St. Clair River during the same time frame.
CENTRAL LAKE HURON
In late May throughout the summer months Atlantic salmon turn up in the catch reports of charter captains who fish out of Oscoda, Alpena, and Presque Isle. To be fair, Atlantic salmon that are caught in this portion of the lake are a bonus catch, not the kind of fishery an angler can depend upon to provide consistent results. Certainly, Atlantic salmon turn up in the catch reports, but to say an angler can travel to this region, book a charter and expect to catch an Atlantic salmon would be an exaggeration.
In recent years, Atlantic salmon stocking efforts have zeroed in on both Oscoda and Alpena, but the numbers of fish stocked are modest compared to the amount of water.
Jake Romanack caught this Atlantic salmon on Lake Ontario back in 2015. While Atlantic salmon are indigenous to Lake Ontario, stocking efforts here have never produced a noteworthy fishery.
NORTHERN LAKE HURON
Some of the most consistent Atlantic salmon fishing found anywhere in the Great Lakes region takes place in the lower St. Mary’s River and the adjacent waters of Lake Huron during May, June and July. The St. Mary’s River provides nearly ideal habitat for the Atlantic salmon, where they forage throughout the spring and summer, then spawn in the fall.
Significant stocking efforts are conducted every year thanks to Lake Superior State University and the Freshwater Research and Education Fish Hatchery maintained by the university and manned by biology students. Approximately 30,000 to 40,000 Atlantic salmon are stocked directly into the St. Mary’s River, providing an excellent return in most years.
The State of Michigan DNR also stocks Atlantic salmon at the St. Mary’s River and it’s believed that Atlantic salmon stocked in other ports on Lake Huron migrate to the St. Mary’s River where they spawn in the fall.
So it could be easily argued that an angler’s best opportunity to catch an Atlantic salmon can be found in the lower St. Mary’s River and the adjacent waters of Lake Huron.
Trolling spoons using downriggers, diving planers and lead core line are the most common ways that Atlantic salmon are caught in the lower St. Mary’s River.
Anglers who are interested in catching Atlantic salmon are going to have to embrace trolling. Not only does trolling cover more water, species like Atlantic salmon are commonly found in the top 40 feet of the water column making them especially vulnerable to in-line planer board trolling tactics.
UPPER ST. MARY’S RIVER
It’s true that the lower St. Mary’s River is consistently producing Atlantic salmon in May, June and July. It’s also true that those fish eventually end up at the upper St. Mary’s River where they spawn in fall and remain in the river throughout the winter months.
Atlantic salmon are caught in the fall and winter months on both the American and Ontario sides of the river. This region of the St. Mary’s River affords anglers the opportunity to catch them using rod in hand tactics. In most of the other places where Atlantic salmon are found, trolling is typically the “go to” presentation for catching them.
TORCH LAKE
Torch Lake, one of Michigan’s largest in-land lakes, has been stocked on and off again with Atlantic salmon for many years. It’s interesting to note that the International Game Fish Association world record Atlantic salmon was caught in Torch Lake in 2010 by Indiana resident Tom Aufiero. An avid fly fisherman, Aufiero hooked the fish casting a nymph pattern in October. According to Aufiero, he tried 16 different fly patterns before eventually hooking and landing the fish.
It’s also interesting to note that the Michigan DNR has reported they are disappointed with the return on investment achieved with the Torch Lake fishery. Stocking efforts were stopped in 2006, and only recently has the Michigan DNR revisited the commitment of stocking Torch Lake.
Since 2020 nearly 100,000 Atlantic salmon ranging in size from five to eight inches in length have been stocked in Torch Lake. For reasons that are unclear, recent stocking efforts have produced a noteworthy fishery. However, the Michigan DNR is not planning on stocking Atlantic salmon in Torch Lake in 2023. Stocking efforts for the future on Torch Lake are also not clear.
Brightly colored spoons are routinely the undoing of the Atlantic salmon. Dale Voice of Cadillac caught this Atlantic salmon while pre-fishing with the author.
Immediately following ice out, trolling small spoons using lead core line, in-line planer boards, downriggers and diving planers routinely produce limit catches for anglers who know where to find these elusive fish.
Recently the staff of Fishing 411 TV shot a television episode on Torch Lake that will broadcast in the winter and spring of 2024. “While the fish are mostly modest in size, the number of fish we were able to catch in a few hours of trolling was staggering,” states Jake Romanack of Fishing 411 TV. “Torch Lake has a 15-inch minimum size limit on Atlantic salmon, and most of the fish we caught were 18-20 inches long. Some larger fish are also taken on occasion and anglers can also expect to catch bonus lake trout when trolling on Torch Lake.”
During filming, the Fishing 411 crew used two different Wolverine Tackle spoons, including the Jr. Streak and the Mini Streak. While the Jr. Streak is widely considered to be a “walleye” spoon, it’s small size is ideal for targeting the modest in size Torch Lake Atlantic salmon. These spoons were fished using short lengths of lead core line and teamed up with Off Shore Tackle Side-Planer boards to cover massive amounts of water.
“We quickly learned that Atlantic salmon like brightly colored spoons,” added Romanack. “Spoons that contained a lot of pink, red or orange seemed to produce the most bites. Silver and copper back spoon models both worked well on Torch Lake.”
Having also fished Atlantic salmon on the St. Marys River, Romanack is convinced that these fish are commonly found near the surface over deep water. “Even though while fishing Torch Lake we trolled the shoreline breaks, a lot of the fish we caught were on one and two color lead core rigs presented over 60-100 feet of water,” explains Romanack. “We caught fish on the board lines set to run on the shallow side of the boat, but we caught just as many on the boards and lures fishing over deeper water.”
Pulling lead core using in-line boards is one of the dominate methods used to catch Atlantic salmon. The Atlantic salmon is routinely found in the top 40 feet of the water column, making them especially vulnerable to lead core and board trolling tactics.
Later in the spring and summer when the waters of Torch Lake warm up, anglers can still catch Atlantic salmon, but doing so requires moving off shore and fishing the deeper thermocline where warm surface water meets cooler sub-surface waters.
During the summer months on Torch Lake the catch is more equally divided between Atlantic salmon and lake trout. Downriggers with spoons produce the lion share of the summer fish.
There is also a limited fall fishery for Atlantic salmon on Torch Lake. Rod in hand tactics similar to those used on the Upper St. Mary’s River in the fall are used to target Atlantic salmon.
Little is known about the Torch Lake fall Atlantic fishery and those who are participating aren’t talking. While there is no guarantee that the Torch Lake fishery will sustain itself over the long run, currently this fishery is cranking out excellent numbers of small to medium sized fish.
SUMMING IT UP
If the Atlantic salmon is a species you’ve always wanted to catch, there are a number of options in the upper Great Lakes region. Clearly the odds of catching a noteworthy fish points to the lower St. Mary’s River where Atlantic salmon in the 10 to 15 pound range are taken every year.
The numbers of Atlantic salmon caught in Torch Lake are also impressive, but most of these fish are going to be less than three pounds in size.
Southern Lake Huron also has merit in the spring of the year when Atlantic salmon are often found in a mixed bag catch that includes coho, brown trout and lake trout.
The bottom line is that compared to other trout and salmon species found in the Great Lakes, the Atlantic salmon is rare. Nonetheless, this unique species can be found and caught by those who are enthusiastic enough to take on the challenge.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Mark Romanack is a veteran outdoor writer and the Executive Producer of the Fishing 411 TV series that broadcasts on the Sportsman Channel, Sportsman Canada and World Fishing Network. Romanack is also the founder of the acclaimed Precision Trolling Data phone apps.
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