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Michigan DNR Report
All Chinook salmon stocked in Lake Superior since 2012 have received adipose fin clips.The Michigan DNR says that Michigan's Lake Superior Chinook salmon fishery is being fueled almost entirely from natural reproduction. Data show more than 99 percent of the Lake Superior Chinook salmon caught by anglers are wild.
All 1.5 million Chinook salmon stocked in Lake Superior since 2012 have received adipose fin clips via the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services mass marking program, making it easy to distinguish which fish are either wild or of hatchery origin. The percentage of fish that are wild is derived from the ratio of unclipped versus clipped Chinook salmon examined by DNR creel clerks. These percentages have been very high for three years running, lending increased confidence to the finding.
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(Provided by Coho Club)
Michigan City Gears Up for 42nd Coho Club Classic
The Michigan City High School team finished 6th in the 2015 Coho Classic and another team will be competing this year. Shown above, left to right, are Rishi Verma, Ameer Hoskins, Jake Miller, and Benny Guajordo.
The 42nd annual Hoosier Coho Club Classic will be held April 30-May 1 at Michigan City, Ind., drawing teams from all four Lake Michigan states to compete for over $40,000 in cash and merchandise.
The Michigan City event features a $10,000 top prize in the Pro division ($475 entry), $2,500 plus a $2,000 Simrad Electronics unit for first place in the Amateur division ($225 entry) and $1,250 for the 24- and-under small boat division champ ($100 entry).
Additional cash is up for grabs for big fish and side pots. Each captain also receives a "goody bag" stuffed with $100 in lures and sponsor gifts.
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By Louie Stout
Indiana has begun stocking larger-than-normal coho into the St. Joseph River. (DNR photo)If you normally wait until April to start hitting the St. Joseph River for steelhead, you might want to expedite those plans.
The mild March weather has drawn hundreds of fresh fish into the South Bend/Mishawaka area and river conditions have been favorable for fishing.
Its been a good March, said Lake Michigan biologist Brian Breidert. We typically dont see this kind of push of steelhead until April.
Nearly 3,500 steelhead have been counted at the South Bend fish ladder since Jan. 1. The biggest push came from March 17 to March 23 when nearly 1,200 fish moved up river.
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(Provided by Michigan DNR)
Salmon EggsSome years back, when Michigan's Chinook salmon program was in its greatest glory, some anglers suggested the Department of Natural Resources abandon raising the smaller, less spectacular coho salmon and put more emphasis on the kings. The DNR demurred, preferring a multispecies approach.
It appears to have been a wise strategy; Chinook salmon populations are down significantly, largely because of stocking cuts necessitated by a diminishing alewife population in Lake Michigan.
Chinooks depend almost entirely on alewives for their diet. Cohos are more adaptable. As a result, the coho population remains strong. It helped fill out the catch this past summer, as there were fewer Chinooks available to anglers.
Now, the DNR stocks nearly as many coho salmon as Chinooks. A decade ago, it was a quarter as many.
None of this was lost with the DNR crew this fall as they took coho eggs at Platte River State Fish Hatchery near Honor.
"This is the birthplace of Michigan salmon, the only coho salmon facility we have," said Aaron Switzer, the supervisor for all three of the northern Lower Peninsula's fish hatcheries. "This is where we put them when they first came here, this is where we get the best returns, and this is the best place for a rearing facility.
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By Louie Stout
Trout/salmon returns have biologists concerned.Some weird stuff is going on with trout and salmon this fall and St. Joseph River anglers are likely to suffer from it.
Biologists are deeply concerned. If youve been fishing for steelhead, you probably are, too. Only 632 Skamania steelhead have passed through the South Bend ladder. And they are puny.
The problem isnt just here, but lake-wide for most salmonids.
King salmon, for example, are almost non-existent in rivers and streams. Indiana usually relies on Michigan kings for brood stock, but the return has been so bad up there that Hoosier fish managers had to drive to Wisconsin to get what they could.
Its the worse fall run Ive seen in 25 years, said Bodine Assistant Hatchery Manager Bob Bell. Its a very, very bad situation that we hope will turn around.