Chinook Salmon

Lake Michigan’s salmon stocking program began in 1966. Over the last 5 decades Lake Michigan has become one of the country’s premier salmon fishing destinations!  Lake Michigan salmon fishing in Milwaukee is as good as it gets. From our early season coho salmon fishing to our late fall Trophy salmon fishing, there is no better place to fish than Milwaukee. Our numbers on average are higher than any other port on lake Michigan. Consistency is the key to Milwaukee’s great salmon fishing. Other ports on the western shore have “peak” bites……Ours is always peak. We get the winter browns, early season cohos, awesome summer king fishing, offshore acrobatic steelhead, rod pounding lake trout and the best fall return for giant Kings. Our harbor is the best for targeting all species PERIOD.

Check out the “what we catch” pages

The chinook salmon or “KING” is the most sought-after species on Lake Michigan. There is no better experience on our boats than hooking into one of these line-ripping monster fish. The peak of this bite has changed over the years, and it also depends on what you are looking for on your Milwaukee fishing charter. There are times of the year when numbers of these fish are available, with a broad range of sizes. In the fall, the numbers of chinooks per trip go down, but the size goes up! (Spawning time) With that being said, you will start to find chinook salmon in mid-June, and if there is a peak, I would say its during the month of July. Chinook salmon is the Lake Michigan’s trophy fish and a huge draw for charter customers! The hunt is on when it comes to kings!

World Record chinook salmon: 97lbs 4oz caught in Alaska in 1985 on the Kenai River

Lake Michigan Wisconsin state record: 44lbs. 15oz caught in Sturgeon Bay, WI in 1994

Our Boat Record: 30.14 pounds caught in August 2017