This autumn, a revitalized bait fish population is contributing to bigger fish and higher catches of trout and salmon off the coast of Alger County.

Lake Superior’s population of cisco, also known as lake herring, has swelled to levels not seen since at least 1984. The resurgence has led to a surplus of food for larger salmonines like coho and king salmon, steelhead, and lake trout, resulting in consistently better catches for those adventurous enough to brave the waves of Gitche Gumee.

“We’ve had a phenomenal coho fishery. One for the books, maybe one for the record books for catch rates for Lake Superior,” says Cory Kovacs, DNR Fisheries Biologist for the Eastern Lake Superior Management Unit. “In 2022, the USGS conducted trawl surveys across the lake, and in every index site they recorded higher-than-average catch rates for lake herring. These ciscoes were at the time about one to two inches. Now, fast-forward to 2023, and they’ve made it through the winter, and those ciscoes, or lake herring, are now the primary forage and offer a huge prey base for our coho, chinook, lake trout, you name all of our predators out there, and they have created a coho fishery that we’ve never seen before.”

In the vicinity of Shelter Bay, the abundance of herring has meant “higher numbers, bigger fish for sure. And an increased variety of species,” according to Sarah Kimar, manager of Kimar’s Resort and Charters. Though her family’s charter business is primarily geared toward lake trout, she’s noticed a recent uptick in the diversity of species being pulled in. “So until this year, and I haven’t worked here full-time until the last three years,” continued Kimar, “I had never seen a pink salmon in my life. We’ve brought in pink salmon, coho salmon, king salmon, and steelhead. The coho we’ve been bringing in are significantly—two to three times—larger than what we’ve been catching historically. And you know, we’ve always said that salmon is like a bonus fish, but we’ve been bringing them in every week, which isn’t common.”

Reports indicate that fishing for both lake trout and salmon has been best to the northwest of Au Train Island, on Shelter Bay, and along the shipping channels off of Grand Marais. Anglers have had poor luck within Munising Bay so far this autumn, though large salmon have recently been seen jumping and rolling near the mouth of the Anna River.

As the season progresses, salmon and steelhead can be found staging at river mouths in the weeks leading up to the fall spawning run. They group there until conditions align, awaiting colder temperatures, passable water levels in the tributaries, and the instinct to push upstream. While staging, many salmon will still devour smaller fish while building energy reserves for the run. That window can provide productive opportunities to both boat fishermen and those fishing the adjacent surf.

In a typical year, salmon will start to trickle upstream around the middle of September, triggered by dropping water temperatures and increased rainfall. The run usually hits its peak around October 1st. This year is different; due to summer-like temperatures through the first week of October, we’ll likely see peak activity pushed back to the middle of the month.

Once this year’s monster salmon and steelhead have moved inland, expect to find them in various smaller streams draining the Pictured Rocks area, as well as the Au Train River, Rock River, Laughing Whitefish River, and the Carp and Chocolay Rivers farther west in Marquette County.

Lake trout continue to be the prey of choice for those targeting the open lake. Though overall pressure from anglers has dropped dramatically in the past few weeks, those equipped to head out on Superior should be reminded that fall is one of the best times to pursue lakers at their most active.

The “herring boom” has given us one of the best years for trout and salmon in recent memory. And though it remains to be seen whether herring populations will remain stable in years to come, there is still time for you to reap the benefits this autumn. Whether it be along a secluded stream, a local bay, or suspended far out over the abyss of Lake Superior, get out and experience what this unprecedented season has to offer.

To book a charter with Kimar’s Resort and Charters, visit: kimarscharters.com For weekly fishing reports provided by the DNR, visit: michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/ fishing/weekly