How to Catch Salmon in the Great Lakes
The short answer
Salmon in the Great Lakes hold on lakes and reservoirs, rivers and streams, piers and jetties. They peak Jun–Oct. Start with crawler harness: On the lake: flasher-and-fly or spoon behind a downrigger at the thermocline. First light on the lake; dawn and dusk in the rivers.
When Salmon bite in the Great Lakes
Summer trolling offshore; the Aug–Oct river runs are the spectacle
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
off | off | around | around | around | peak | peak | peak | peak | peak | around | off |
What to throw for Salmon
Best first. The retrieve matters more than the lure, so each one says how to work it.
- Crawler harness — On the lake: flasher-and-fly or spoon behind a downrigger at the thermocline.
- Inline spinner — In the tribs: big bright spinner swung through pools holding staging kings.
- Jigging spoon — Glow spoon jigged near bottom off the pier heads at dawn in fall.
- Fly — Egg patterns and streamers drifted through river runs.
Where to find them
Look for lakes and reservoirs, rivers and streams, piers and jetties.
Summer kings hold at the cold-water band — find the temperature break on electronics and troll it. Come fall, the piers and river mouths fire at dawn, then the fish push upriver. Fresh-run chrome fights; dark fish are for the camera.
Tide and timing
Tide isn't the driver for salmon — first light on the lake; dawn and dusk in the rivers.
Tackle
Lake: downrigger trolling, 20–30 lb. River/pier: 9–10' medium-heavy · 20–30 lb braid
Check the regulations
Size and bag limits change by state and by season, and they change more often than any article gets updated. Check your state agency before you keep anything.
Sounder links the right state agency for wherever you drop a pin, and flags a fish that’s out of slot as you log it.