Chinook Salmon commonly referred to as King Salmon or Kings will make up the bulk of the catch most of the year.  They are an exciting gamefish and make excellent tablefare.  They are palegic and are readily caught with trolling tecniques.  Kings average from 2-20# with 6-15# being very common.  Kings over 20# are caught each year.  Kings are noted as having a powerful run when being caught.  No other Lake Michigan sport fish can pull like a king.  Kings feed mostly on baitfish like alewifes, but have been known to eat bugs, smelt, herring and other small fish.

They have silver sides, whiteish bellies and dark greenish/blue to black backs.  They also show spots on the upper body and throughout the tail.  When the king matures it returns to the river it was born and prepares to spawn.  At this time, the fish turn a more brown color.  Males often develop a hooked jaw and their teeth become more prominent.  This time of year they can be caught in very shallow water near shore.  Below are different pics to show different colors of fish throughout the year.  They are all King salmon.  Place your cursor over the picture to see what time of year the fish was caught.

Rainbow trout or Steelhead as the are often called are a unique fish.  Though genetically the same as stream trout, when they live in Lake Michigan they grow to great proportions.  Commonly thought of as the most exciting fish to catch in the great lakes, they can certainly be a challenge to get into the boat.  They are escape artists with their antics.  Known for high flying jumps with lots of twists and backflips, steelhead are a joy to watch.  Contrary to other fish, steelhead often make their presence known from the getgo with their leaps into the air and thrashing along the surface.  Steelhead are less predictable when fishing for them compared to the salmon.  They can move great distances in a single day and often for no apparent reason.  They are not home bodies.  Steelhead are also palegic and are often caught in the top 10-20 feet of water even though we might be fishing in 300+ feet of water.  Steelhead average 3-7#, however fish in the 10-15# range get caught frequently.  They are very silver in appearance, have small spots on their tails and a subtle rainbow or pink stripe along their sides that shows up better after the fish return to the lake after spawning in the spring.  Being a trout, steelhead do not die after spawning.  Below are a couple pictures showing typical steelhead.

Lake trout are known as fish of the deep.  Commonly referred to as lakers or just trout, lake trout are often found close to structure.  Lakers are also thought to actively feed at the greatest depths in the great lakes, although other species of game fish have been reported at similar depths in recent years.  Where the steelhead is a free spirit where it roams, the lake trout is just the opposite.  Often times, when a school of lake trout is located, they can be caught there all day, day after day.  In springtime, lakers are often caught at all depths, but as the summer months come on, lakers are mostly caught at deeper depths near structure that holds baitfish.  Lakers are often greenish in color with a pattern of spots on them.  Not known to fight like a King, they still do put up a good battle and can be some of the biggest fish of the trip.  Lakers mature slowly compared to the salmon, so regulations only allow them to be kept in the bag limit from May 1 through September 30 of each year.  Below are a couple pictures.

Coho salmon are the wild things of Lake Michigan.  Often referred as silver salmon or just coho, they are nuts when on the line.  They are similar in appearance to kings, but quite different when it comes to the fight.  They like to roll and jump and do whatever else they can to get off the hook.  Their average size is smaller than kings, but their hyperactivity makes them a joy to catch.  They often feed in schools, so where there is one, there are often many more.  Fast limits can be obtained when a school of hungry coho are around.  They feed on baitfish and bugs alike, but for some reason have a hankering for anything orange.  Coho can be caught at all water depths and any time of the season, but they are most readily caught in early spring in shallower waters, and again in the fall while staging to spawn.  Their smaller size is no indication of attitude while battling one of these and their fillets are the tastiest you will put on the table.  They average size is 1-6# with larger specimens taken in good numbers in certain years.  Coho are very succeptible to the amount of forage in the lake since they spend the first year and half in a hatchery, they have limited time to feed.  Therefore, they make the most of it when food is abundant and they get noticably larger. 

The brown trout is another worthy opponent when caught trolling.  They also make excellent tablefare and can have exquisit coloring.  Browns are most often caught in the springtime, but can be caught anytime of the season.  Although not as plentiful as years past, there are still some nice browns plying the waters.  With the predominant springtime fishery, browns are often caught in shallower water and can put up a dogged fight.  Once in the boat, you will be proud to have your picuture taken with one of these beauties.  Sometimes they show a white body with moderate amounts of spots and other times a tannish body with plentiful spots.   Average sizes range from 2-6#, but often larger 10-15# fish are taken with the occasional monster over 20#.