# Salmon?



## fisherboy

Anybody seen any lost salmon this year in the Maumee. A friend saw 1 a while back.


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## fishfray

In the most recent maumee tackle river report it mentions a lost salmon being seen swim through a riffle


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## fisherboy

That was my friend. Wondering about anyone else/


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## Flathead76

Try looking in waterville upstream of the school on the other side of the island.


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## KaGee

Salmon or Steelhead?


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## fisherboy

Miltonville? Not enough energy to cross to Grande Island to look. But thanks.
A guy I know claims he saw quite a few hanging around Buttonwood 3 years ago. Went looking for them 2 years ago & saw none. Forgot about it last year.
(& I did mean salmon).


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## yonderfishin

Shouldnt salmon be about finished by now ? I was fishing for kings in michigan last month and they had already been in the river for a month or more.


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## Flathead76

yonderfishin said:


> Shouldnt salmon be about finished by now ? I was fishing for kings in michigan last month and they had already been in the river for a month or more.


We used to fish tippy dam the last week of october.


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## Flathead76

fisherboy said:


> Miltonville? Not enough energy to cross to Grande Island to look. But thanks.
> A guy I know claims he saw quite a few hanging around Buttonwood 3 years ago. Went looking for them 2 years ago & saw none. Forgot about it last year.
> (& I did mean salmon).


Thats where we used to get them. By the time they reach the Maumee they are in pretty rough shape.


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## KaGee

yonderfishin said:


> Shouldnt salmon be about finished by now ? I was fishing for kings in michigan last month and they had already been in the river for a month or more.


Where would Kings come from? Erie doesn't have any Kings that I'm aware of.


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## fishfray

I've heard they come from lake Huron down the Detroit river, and then enter the maumee. Seems like a long journey to me, I have no idea why they do this


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## Flathead76

fishfray said:


> I've heard they come from lake Huron down the Detroit river, and then enter the maumee. Seems like a long journey to me, I have no idea why they do this


Exactly what they do. Being from Huron they are smaller than the ones from Michigan.


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## Jmsteele187

When I was a teenager, my family lived on swan creek in Michigan (not the same swan creek that's in Toledo). We would dip net with a 9' x 9' net and a big boom that swung out over the creek. Most of the time we just caught carp and it was fun, but one year my uncle pulled up a big king that made it up stream. We had no idea where it came from, because Erie didn't have them. Our only guess was they came from lake Huron. Come to think of it, if I remember correctly it was mid April when he caught that fish. Knowing what I do now about fish, that sounds really early for a salmon to be up in any stream or river. It was still nice and silver though, it didn't look all dark like they do when they are on there way out.


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## normd

I took this out of the river 2004.


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## yonderfishin

If what they say is true about minimal reproduction of steelhead then isnt it theoretically possible that a small number of salmon could too ?


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## fishinnick

That fish in the pic looks like a steelhead...



> If what they say is true about minimal reproduction of steelhead then isnt it theoretically possible that a small number of salmon could too ?


I'm sure there is a chance that there is a VERY small number of some wild king salmon. Probably not in the Maumee watershed though, but fish will still run up it. Lake Erie does have a wild population of pink salmon and one pops up once in a while, but they're rare also.


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## Jmsteele187

I think most of what few Erie salmon there are, live in the much deeper eastern part of the lake. I think it would be a little more likely that they came down from lake Huron, through lake St. Clair and the Detroit river into Erie.


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## fisherboy

It has been a number of yrs since I have caught any in the Maumee (10 or so). Maybe longer.


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## HOCKEY

Just look in the bait shop in grand rapids, theres picture of salmon, I fished the river over 45 years now and since the sevenities there all ways salmon, we did fish mary jane thursond side sept 30 around 3 pm. we saw two salmon or very large steelies, look to be in the 10 to 15 lb range wiggle thier way thru the riffle by lower end of the risland, also caught a 18 inch sauger, couple smallmouths and over 30 large whitebass,
Wayne Reel Sport Charter team.


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## fisherboy

HOCKEY said:


> Just look in the bait shop in grand rapids, theres picture of salmon, I fished the river over 45 years now and since the sevenities there all ways salmon, we did fish mary jane thursond side sept 30 around 3 pm. we saw two salmon or very large steelies, look to be in the 10 to 15 lb range wiggle thier way thru the riffle by lower end of the risland, also caught a 18 inch sauger, couple smallmouths and over 30 large whitebass,
> Wayne Reel Sport Charter team.


Good location if you are talking about the island on the GR side (South side of river) & the upriver part of it. Got 4 there 1 day many years ago. & I likewise have fish the river over 45 years so I bet we have met at 1 time or another.


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## Northern Reb

yonderfishin said:


> Shouldnt salmon be about finished by now ? I was fishing for kings in michigan last month and they had already been in the river for a month or more.


I will be in MI next weekend 19-21 for salmon. For the last 10 yrs we have always gone on sweetest day weekend. Sometimes it is the 2nd weekend of Oct or the 3rd like this yr. You will always have varying stages of fish in the river but generally there are fresh ones coming in daily.


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## fisherboy

While many people have seen salmon in the Maumee River this yr I always seem to be looking the wrong way. I finally saw 1 yesterday for a few seconds. Nice tail on it - half gone. A definitey yummy for supper.


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## sdkohio

I saw 2 in the river 2 weeks ago. One of them jumped as my line raked across its back. Scared the crap out of me. It was still a nice dark brown. Probably weighed 15 lb or so.


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## Lundfish

There are wild salmon and steelhead in a Canadian river along the north coast of Lake Erie. I forget the name of it but it's not stocked at all and loaded with fish.

My guess is that's where they're coming from. They would not be coming from Lake Huron as they do not swim downstream...especially in 7mph current, go into Lake St. Clair...then decide to swim downstream again through the Detroit River. Only then to find out they're now in Lake Erie and have to swim upstream to spawn in a different river. That theory sounds extremely far fetched.

They're strays from Canada I'm sure. Although, there could be some natural reproduction in the warmwater of our rivers. They come in to spawn when the water is cold, eggs sit, fry hatch in spring then go right out into the lake where it's colder. That's how they do it in MI.

On a side note a buddy grabbed a 20lb hen in Elmore a few weeks ago. Spitting eggs all over the place. I told him he should've brought them to my house!


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## MuskieDan

There was a Chinook caught at the dam this past weekend. Decent size...looked about 12-15 pounds. The odds have got to be astronomical of one finding its way that far upriver in the Maumee, and then someone catching the damn thing. Ridiculous!


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## fisherboy

Curious. Which dam, MJT or Provience? A friend said he saw 1 caught on the Prov side. I think next yr I'm going North even if I sleep in my car.


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## 21579

Providence. I was at MJT early, then drove over to Providence just to see what was up. A guy in the parking lot told me about the catch, and the guy who caught it was just finishing up a pic and releasing it as I walked up.


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## Jmsteele187

Now... Don't get me wrong here, I'm all for C&R. 95% of my fish caught are released back. But with a salmon, it's not like it's going to live to fight another day. The fight it gave that fisherman was probably the last thing that fish ever did. The fish was in the river to die anyways, the guy should have just brought it home and put it on the table.


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## Capt. Crude

I agree with steele, I saw a video on youtube (11/11/12 salmon in the maumee was title i think) those salmon are singing their swan song when they run up rivers to spawn. I'm not sure if that video is the salmon mentioned but it was a big fish.


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## MuskieDan

Yeah, that video is the fish I was talking about.


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## 21579

Capt. Crude said:


> I saw a video on youtube (11/11/12 salmon in the maumee was title i think)


Yep, that was the guys and fish I saw.


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## Jmsteele187

Nice fish! 

If they released it, the fish is still there until its a floater.


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## 419deerhunter




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## Jmsteele187

After watching that video again, I'm not sure that is a king salmon. The white mouth is telling me it's a big coho.


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## 2120Tom

Very interesting. I've caught numerous kings during the summer months in Canada and they do have black mouths'. Have to wonder with the extreme changes to their system coloring/jaw shape for spawning if the gums change also ? Nice fish ! 4lb line too...awesome.


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## Jmsteele187

From what I've heard, the black or white mouth is the best way to tell the difference between a king and a coho when they are in their colors.


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## j_blocker1

beat up king/chinook salmon.....end of story


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## fisherboy

White mouth steelhead, gray mouth coho, black mouth king. Now going back to look at video but it def looked like a king to me.


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## yonderfishin

If he was a freshie that 4 pound line wouldnt have lasted very long so he must have been pretty far gone. Still an awesome catch. Proof they are in there.


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## Weekender#1

Why don't we start some noise to get some Steelhead planted in the Maumee River as some of the eastern rivers receive. Yes I hear you that it could disrupt the Walleye spring run with some guys holding up the fishing while fighting a Steelie. But we could have fishing up and down the river all winter for the chromers. They have the eggs and a larger facility just for steelhead, but it would be nice to see some guys fishing up and down the river for them. We don't need a bunch but something to have a hope for.


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## Capt. Crude

I flyfish the rocky and the vermillion in the spring and they are more clear running rivers (at normal levels).. I agree it would be nice to have steelies in the maumee but it would be pointless.. You would not be able to see them to target fishing for them.. I think our maumee is awesome we get a stray steelie, or salmon once in a while, we get pike in the spring and the largest run of spawning walleye this side of the mississippi!


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## 21579

Capt. Crude said:


> the largest run of spawning walleye this side of the mississippi!


Don't want to hi-jack the thread, but I have always heard this. Just wondering for Sh$Ts and giggles, does anyone know where the largest spawning run of walleye in the country is? Or west of the Mississippi? Just wondering...


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## yonderfishin

Weekender#1 said:


> Why don't we start some noise to get some Steelhead planted in the Maumee River as some of the eastern rivers receive. Yes I hear you that it could disrupt the Walleye spring run with some guys holding up the fishing while fighting a Steelie. But we could have fishing up and down the river all winter for the chromers. They have the eggs and a larger facility just for steelhead, but it would be nice to see some guys fishing up and down the river for them. We don't need a bunch but something to have a hope for.




Id love it if there were an increased amount of steelhead in the maumee. Even though a lot of the river would have to be fished like they do in the larger of the natural steelhead waters of the west coast , a lot of swinging the river and not so much target fishing. From what most people say though , even if they were stocked in the maumee there probably wouldnt be a good return , and based on that not worth the effort. But its hard to believe that we couldnt get atleast some return of adult fish as a result of stocking.


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## sam.baer

Rather not say where this was caught but it was about a week ago 36" Chinook Salmon. Was out of the maumee. Then the next day my buddy caught one that was 34" with more if a hooked jaw. Pretty cool

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## yonderfishin

sam.baer said:


> Rather not say where this was caught but it was about a week ago 36" Chinook Salmon. Was out of the maumee. Then the next day my buddy caught one that was 34" with more if a hooked jaw. Pretty cool
> 
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Nice fish. If both you and another person caught them within a day of each other then its not impossible for there to have been a decent little run of stray salmon in there this year. Since there isnt much fishing pressure this time of year just imagine how many "could" be in there without anybody even knowing about it.


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## fisherboy

Since I started this thread a while back I wish he could have shown the river in the background. I more than likely would have known where it was at. But I don't blame him for not doing so.. It's more peaceful without a bunch of wantbe's. Like me.


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## MuskieDan

yrick82 said:


> Don't want to hi-jack the thread, but I have always heard this. Just wondering for Sh$Ts and giggles, does anyone know where the largest spawning run of walleye in the country is? Or west of the Mississippi? Just wondering...


I believe Lake Erie is home to the largest migration of walleyes in the world. East of the Mississippi must just sound better. Not sure about the Maumee in particular, but it's gotta receive more fish than any other river at least. Still, a large majority of the fish spawn in the lake and never see rivers.


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## blap017

both fish were chinook they both had black gums if the first one was a coho it was a state record by an inch but it wasnt we had it evaluated by ohio dnr and park rangers where they both did alot of research and were clearly chinook....oh yeah that first one posted will be on my wall


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## Lundfish

blap017 said:


> both fish were chinook they both had black gums if the first one was a coho it was a state record by an inch but it wasnt we had it evaluated by ohio dnr and park rangers where they both did alot of research and were clearly chinook....oh yeah that first one posted will be on my wall


I think it was a King. The white gums are just because the thing was decaying. Notice the white belly and the fin on the back. I wouldn't eat that if I was starving and those guys happily kept it. Good for them.

In MI toward the end of the salmon run there are dead bodies all over the place and the river smells like a rotton garbage can. Every now and again one will be laying in the shallows still alive and almost dead. You can just pick them up and put them on the stringer and cook em when you get home


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## yonderfishin

Lundfish said:


> I think it was a King. The white gums are just because the thing was decaying. Notice the white belly and the fin on the back. I wouldn't eat that if I was starving and those guys happily kept it. Good for them.
> 
> In MI toward the end of the salmon run there are dead bodies all over the place and the river smells like a rotton garbage can. Every now and again one will be laying in the shallows still alive and almost dead. You can just pick them up and put them on the stringer and cook em when you get home



When I was little I used to walk the ausable river with my dad , picking up dying salmon. Some were so far gone they were no good but a few were ok.


I seen a couple salmon in the sandusky within the last month , not dead yet , still swimming , saw two of them together in shallow water by the dam kinda looked like they were involved in the futile effort of trying to spawn. Seen another one a week or two later floundering around like he was dying but too far out to get to.


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