IDNR Report

The Indiana Division of Fish & Wildlife recently completed spring trout and salmon stockings in Lake Michigan and its tributaries.

Locations stocked include East Chicago Marina, East Branch Little Calumet River, Salt Creek, Trail Creek, and the St. Joseph River. A total of 40,000 brown trout fingerlings, 77,765 Coho salmon yearlings, 194,836 Skamania steelhead yearlings, 40,943 winter run steelhead yearlings, and 224,753 Chinook salmon fingerlings were among the stocked fish.

Yearlings are older and larger fish, compared to fingerlings, which are smaller, younger fish.

Although spring stockings are complete, more stockings are planned for fall. Coho salmon fingerlings are scheduled to be stocked during October, and winter-run steelhead fingerlings will be stocked in December.

Hatchery production has returned to normal after disruptions due to the pandemic. Additionally, 2022 marks the third straight year of increased Chinook stocking, meeting the targets made before stocking cuts in 2017.

“We hope to see an increase in the fall Chinook salmon run starting this year as the larger number of them stocked in 2020 begin to return,” said Ben Dickinson, Lake Michigan fisheries biologist for Indiana DNR.

While all these fish except the brown trout are grown in hatcheries operated by Indiana DNR, acquiring eggs to meet production goals requires cooperation with other states’ DNR agencies. Of all the trout and salmon stocked into Indiana’s waters of Lake Michigan and its tributaries, only Skamania steelhead eggs are taken from fish returning to Indiana.

“We are grateful for all our Lake Michigan state agency partners for helping to ensure we can stock a variety of species to maintain our diverse fishery,” Dickinson said.

For more information about Lake Michigan fishing, visit wildlife.IN.gov/fishing/lake-michigan-fishing.