Fishing for spring chinooks was fantastic off several Lake Michigan ports last year. Photo by Mike Gnatkowski

Even though the Great Lakes are connected, the fishing on each is very different.

Lake Superior is known for its dependable lake trout fishing. Lake Erie is a shallow body of water that holds mainly walleyes and perch in its Michigan confines.

Lake Huron and Lake Michigan contain an abundance of salmonids, and their fisheries more closely mimic each other. But in 2004 it looked as though these two lake's fisheries were headed in opposite directions. Anglers on Lake Michigan enjoyed an exceptional year for chinook salmon -- some would say the best fishing in decades.

Although anglers didn't catch many of the trophy 30-pounders that the lake has routinely pumped out in the past, kings in the 15- to 18-pound range were very abundant. Limits of chinooks were the rule and not the exception.

Lake trout, on the other hand, were scarce on much of Lake Michigan. Fewer planted lake trout and the insistence, or persistence, by the feds to establish naturally occurring populations of trout has left Lake Michigan lake trout fans wanting. Lake Huron, on the other hand, produced fishing in 2004 that was just about the opposite of Lake Michigan. Lake trout numbers are booming. In fact, many charter captains and big-lake anglers were touting the lake trout fishing as the best in decades. Consistent plants, natural reproduction and better lamprey controls has Lake Huron's forktails flourishing. It's actually a good thing because salmon have fallen on hard times on the lake. With a forage base that has all but collapsed and alewives all but non-existent, Lake Huron chinooks last season were scarce, and when you did catch one, they were small. Many adult fish only ran from 6 to 10 pounds, and were skinny, emaciated and in serious trouble.

LAKE HURON
"Numbers of chinook salmon in Lake Huron remains very good," said Alpena Fisheries Research Station biologist Jim Johnson, "but size, quality and health of the chinook population may be in question."

The reason is a complex combination of factors. Alewife numbers in Lake Huron are very low, and chinooks have had to resort to feeding on gobies or starve, and most salmon are not adapting to the change in diet well. It is thought that a couple of very cold winters has knocked down alewife populations in the lake to the point that it might take several mild winters and good reproductive years for the alewife population to rebound.

With the forage base precipitously low in Lake Huron, the problem has been compounded by a glut of natural salmon that are being reproduced in Canadian Shield streams and rivers.

"It almost seems like there's a Lake Huron-strain of salmon evolving," said Johnson. "It's quite possible that Lake Huron may have the largest population of wild chinook salmon in the world." Problem is, there's nothing for them to eat.

While salmon fishing has been on the decline, lake trout fishing may have never been better.

"Lake trout have been doing well," said Johnson. "There is evidence of substantial natural reproduction taking place in the lake." Johnson said wild lake trout are making significant contributions to the creel.

Harbor Beach
Harbor Beach's fishery in 2004 mirrored the fishing on much of Lake Huron.