Chinook Salmon

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

Also called king salmon, Chinook are the largest of Michigan's Pacific salmon and power the state's iconic big-lake trolling fishery. They stage off river mouths in late summer and run upstream to spawn in fall.

Seasonal Activity

Best Techniques

• big-lake trolling with downriggers
• pier casting
• back-trolling plugs in rivers
• drifting spawn

Top Baits

• spoons
• flashers with flies
• J-plugs
• spawn bags
• crankbaits

State record: 46.06 lb, 1978, Grand River (Muskegon)