Lake Erie Salmon

[RD9]

Has anybody else seen the pink salmon they are catching of Erie Pa and a guy I personally know caught one off the Brocton Shoals. Last year several salmon were taken out of Dunkirk harbor one 6lb coho off my boat. Any info on whom is sticking them? I have a hard time believing they are swiming in from connected rivers.

[Gill-T]

They come in from Huron.  The only viable population of Pinks breed in Sault Ste. Marie.  Doesn't take much to have them flushed into Erie.  Cohos are stockers from Huron or Michigan.  I have hooked into some Kings on the Catt.  All these cases are rare on Erie so you could not call it a "fishery".

 

http://www.landbigfish.com/articles/default.cfm?ID=373

Edited July 14, 2016 by Gill-T

[CaptDennis]

I've seen some post on Facebook of pretty consistent pink salmon bit. I would love to give them a try

[chinook266]

I've seen an Atlantic taken out of Erie from Dunkirk area

[steelie]

I do a lot of cold water fishing and in the last few years I have seen more and more. 2 kings, 15 + coho (mostly small but 3 adults Up to 7lbs) 1 pink. From North East to dunkirk

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[Yankee Troller]

What is the difference between a Pink and a Coho?

[ReelPower]

What is the difference between a Pink and a Coho?

Pinks are also called humpies. Very distinctive spawning phase with a large hump on the males. Smaller than Ho's too. Very prolific several thousand experimental fry were flushed down a hatchery sewer in the 70's. They have colonized much of the GL in limited numbers from that event. Primary population is found in Superior and SSM connector.

[ReelPower]

They are also highly cyclical, typically returning to spawn every two years.

[Yankee Troller]

On the lake how can you tell the difference? The pics I've seen they look like Coho?

[Sk8man]

I believe it is just the spawning males that have the pronounced hump.

Edited July 15, 2016 by Sk8man

[jimski2]

We fished for them with tiny spoons as they are mainly plankton feeders.

[zocj30]

I've gotten a few outta Barcelona but nothing like on Lake Ontario

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[salmonboy41]

On the lake how can you tell the difference? The pics I've seen they look like Coho?

take a look at the tails of the ones Vision Quest has been posting. you will notice that they spots on there tails unlike a Ho.

[battlehammer]

What is the difference between a Pink and a Coho?

pink salmon are garden fertilizer and coho are table fare

[ReelPower]

On the lake how can you tell the difference? The pics I've seen they look like Coho?

The upturned smallish plankton-eater jaw is a good way to tell a pinkie. They are more similar to a sockeye than a ho when dime bright.

[ReelPower]

This link includes a pic of an ocean phase pink salmon:

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/applications/webintra/wildlifenews/images/article_images/7142.jpg

Edited July 15, 2016 by ReelPower

[alex1young]

Pretty interesting stuff, despite cutting stocking entirely many years ago they're still showing up.  There will always be salmon in Erie, even if they're small localized populations.

[redfisher]

I've seen a few caught in front of Port Colborne, small 4-5 pound kings,  always thought they just may have swam up the canal from Lake O to Lake Erie?

[edwardvh1]

I caught a nice Coho off Conneaut 3 years ago on Erie.

[ReelPower]

I see stray/natural kings every year in a few Erie tribs.

[KilliansRed]

Didn't they used to stock Erie with kings and stopped in the late 90s?

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[ReelPower]

Didn't they used to stock Erie with kings and stopped in the late 90s?

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Exactly. There's some natural reproduction, no doubt. Very limited. The quick out migration of King fry was always thought to be an advantage in Erie's warm tribs but it didn't pan out.

There have also been some tagging studies showing salmon commonly migrating from Huron and Georgian bay through St. Clair and the Detroit into Erie. This was before the bait crash. Almost as if the salmon were trying to get to the salt but ran out of time.

Edited July 16, 2016 by ReelPower

[cuz]

Started fishing the Erie tribs back in the mid 90's while in college(Go Fightin' Scots!) and still make annual trek West to fish for some crome. Can probably count on two hands the number of pinks, ho's, and atlantics I've seen. If I'm not mistaken, PAFBC attempted to stock salmon in the larger Erie tribs but the fish never really took. The streams there are completely rain dependant.

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[Paul Czarnecki]

Started fishing the Erie tribs back in the mid 90's while in college(Go Fightin' Scots!) and still make annual trek West to fish for some crome. Can probably count on two hands the number of pinks, ho's, and atlantics I've seen. If I'm not mistaken, PAFBC attempted to stock salmon in the larger Erie tribs but the fish never really took. The streams there are completely rain dependant.

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The PAFBC stocked cohos and kings in Erie for years!

[CaptDennis]

Last year I fished clear creek after some high water and there was coho eggs everywhere I couldn't believe it. My first salmon was an Erie fish right out of the buffalo river but that was back when they were stocked