The Chinook (King Salmon) is one of the most sought after species in Lake Michigan. Fishermen travel all over the United States to fish for and catch these brawlers but there is no place in the world to fish for King Salmon like Lake Michigan. We have the largest quantity, longest season, and best experiences out on water today. If you’re from Chicago, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, or Ohio – we are just a few hours away.

A typical mature Chinook (King Salmon) is around 4 years old and will weigh in between 10 and 30 lbs and adult Chinook (King Salmon) come in between 24 to 36 inches (610 to 910 mm) but have been known to reach 130 lbs (59 kg) and up to 58 inches (1,500 mm) in length.

The Chinook (King Salmon) is typically blueish-green, purple or red on its back and top of head with silver sides and white ventral or belly. The upper half of it’s body and tail have black spots and the mouth is usually black or dark purple.

The Chinook (King Salmon) is also the state fish of both Oregon and Alaska.

Chinooks or King Salmon are fighters. If you want a similar experience to fishing a Chinook, just go attach your line to a freight train! These fish are some of the best fighters on Lake Michigan and can easily have runs of 2 football fields or more. Being planted in Lake Michigan, sport fisherman prize Chinooks for their aggressive behavior on the hook.

Chinook salmon were fished and eaten by the Lewis and Clark Expedition and he wrote that when fresh, they “tasted better than any other fish he had ever eaten”.