8/15 morning out of Saugatuck

[wisejohn]

Beautiful morning on the lake. Winds began out of the SE and shifted later to SW, but only mild wave action.  Trolled from 90 to 120 FOW and consistently marked fish 50-60 down as well as 10-30 down near to surface.  First 2 strikes came at 8 am on 300 ft copper and DR 60 down, both on green/blue ladder-back spoons with green flashers, SW troll. 30 min later one again on same 300 ft Copper.  One last strike on same DR at around 10 am. No strikes on j-plugs or flies + spin doctor.  Salmon were a little dark, suggesting they are beginning to stage for the run.

[2MD]

nice work man - so you were getting the mature 4yr olds? crazy to think summer is wrapping up and fall is soon upon us

[wisejohn]

Mostly 4 year olds, but one we think 2 year old.

[FBD]

Curious how you know the age of the fish?  I've turned in over 100 CWT heads and have only had one fish that was verified as 4 years old.  It seems with the additional stress on the fish due to lack of bait that more and more are running after two summers in the lake or three summers.

 

Great Lakes salmon anglers often assume that large Chinook salmon are “four-year-old” fish that are nearing maturity, and that the largest fish they catch are four-year-olds. In fact, most Great Lakes Chinook salmon mature and die before reaching Age 4. Fast-growing fish are particularly likely to mature earlier, so the Age 4 Chinook salmon that anglers do catch usually are not their largest fish, either.

Source: Lake Michigan anglers can expect fewer large Chinook salmon in 2016 - MSU Extension

 

If you want to trust FaceBook although Jay is the DNR biologist for this area of the Great Lakes...

Jay Wesley

They run between ages 1 and 5 with majority at age 2 and 3.

 

Then I'm not really sure when their birthday is like is day 0 in September when the eggs are taken/ laid or does the counter start when they smolt and are ready to bail out?  I mean some little coho spend years and years in the rivers until they pile out into the lake, then they run after 6 months in the lake or 1.5 years in the lake or rarely do you see a huge coho that spent a couple years out there.  (29# at the Benzie Frenzy some time ago)

[N II Deep]

I cut them in half and count the rings