UTERGreat Lakes salmon run the tributaries in fall: chinook (king) salmon stage off the river mouths in August, run the rivers in September and finish in October, and coho run with them or just behind. Steelhead and brown trout follow the salmon in from October and the steelhead stay through winter until the spring run. The exact week depends on rain and cooling water, and each lake has its own rivers, so here is the run lake by lake.
The timing below comes from Fish Scouter's Great Lakes calendars, the same ones that set the season stage the app shows for every tributary spot.
The fall runs at a glance
| Lake | Chinook | Coho | Steelhead (fall) | Classic rivers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Ontario | Stage August, peak September, tail October | September–October | October–spring | Salmon River (Pulaski), Lower Niagara |
| Lake Michigan | Stage August, run September, tail October | September–October | October–spring | Pere Marquette, Big Manistee, St. Joe, Root, Kewaunee |
| Lake Huron | September (smaller run) | Minor | September–November | Au Sable, Thunder Bay River, Rifle |
| Lake Superior | September (small) | September–October | September–November | Brule, St. Louis, Knife, North Shore, UP rivers |
| Lake Erie | No real run | No real run | October–spring, peak November | Steelhead Alley: Rocky, Chagrin, Elk, Walnut, Cattaraugus |
Why the fish run when they do
Chinook and coho are not native to the Great Lakes. Michigan first stocked coho in 1966 to create a sport fishery and to control an overabundant alewife population, and most runs are still supported by stocking. These salmon die after spawning, so every fall the mature fish return to the river where they were stocked or hatched.
Two things set the date: water temperature and flow. NYSDEC lists 52 to 58°F as the preferred range for chinook and coho on Lake Ontario, and notes that by late summer the kings stage off tributary mouths across the lake ahead of the fall run. They wait there until the rivers cool and a good rain raises the flow, then push upriver in waves. A dry, warm September holds them off the mouths; a cold rain in late August can start the run early.
Steelhead are the lake-run form of rainbow trout. They don't die after spawning, and they spawn in spring, so the fall fish run into the rivers to feed (on salmon eggs, among other things) and stay all winter. That is why steelhead fishing on most Great Lakes rivers runs from October all the way to April.
Lake Ontario
Chinook and coho
Spring kings show nearshore on the Niagara Bar from late April, then move offshore to the downriggers in July. In August they stage off the river mouths, and September is the peak at the Salmon River in Pulaski, the best-known salmon river in the East. October is the tail of the run. Coho run the Salmon River behind the kings in September and October.
The Salmon River's run depends on water. In September 2026 DEC delayed opening a quarter-mile of the lower fly-fishing section below the hatchery and recommended postponing a scheduled flow increase, because low reservoirs, little rain and warm water risked leaving migrating chinook stranded or killed. Expect the same kind of measures in other dry years, and check DEC before a trip.
Steelhead, browns and Atlantic salmon
Lake Ontario steelhead arrive in September and the calendar marks October through February as peak months, with the Lower Niagara fishing from shore or boat right through to spring. Brown trout spawn in the tributaries in October and November, right behind the kings, and Atlantic salmon spawn in October. Beads and egg sacs are the standard tributary baits.
Lake Michigan
Chinook and coho
Spring kings feed off the southern ports from April, move offshore by July (spoons and flasher-flies over the thermocline), and in August stage off the pier heads at Ludington, Manistee and Frankfort. September is the run: the Pere Marquette, the Big Manistee, Wisconsin's Root River and the Kewaunee. October is the tail in the rivers. Coho follow the same pattern, running the rivers with the kings in September and October, after a spring nearshore season off Michigan City, Portage and the Illinois harbors.
Steelhead and browns
Fall Lake Michigan steelhead follow the salmon in from October, and winter steelhead hold in the Manistee, the Muskegon and the St. Joe. Most rivers peak in March with the spring run. Indiana's Trail Creek and the St. Joe also get Skamania summer steelhead in July. Brown trout spawn in October and November and feed in the harbors and off the piers through November, when the whitefish also run into the Menominee and the harbors.
Lake Huron
Huron's chinook run is smaller than it was before the alewife collapse of the mid-2000s, and the stocked ports fish best. September is the month on the Au Sable and the Thunder Bay River. Lake Huron steelhead arrive in September and peak in October and November, and the Au Sable and the Rifle get strong spring runs in March and April. Atlantic salmon spawn in October.
Lake Superior
Superior's salmon fishing is mostly coho and steelhead. A small chinook run goes up the St. Louis, the Brule and the Upper Peninsula rivers in September. Coho run the North Shore tributaries in September and October. Fall Lake Superior steelhead fish the UP and Wisconsin tributaries in October and November until the rivers freeze; the North Shore streams lock up first. In spring, North Shore steelhead wait for the tributaries to reach about 40°F, and the run peaks on the Brule and the Knife in May. Minnesota requires wild steelhead to be released. Lake trout spawn on the reefs in October, and some zones close for the spawn.
Lake Erie: Steelhead Alley
Lake Erie has no real salmon run, but its steelhead fishery is one of the most popular in the region. The fall run starts with the first October rains and peaks in November on the Pennsylvania and Ohio tributaries: Elk Creek, Walnut Creek, the Chagrin and the Rocky, plus Cattaraugus Creek in New York. Winter steelhead fish on every thaw, and March brings the spring peak. Our Lake Erie walleye guide covers the open-lake side of fall.
How to fish the run
- Watch the rain. The first good rain after the fish stage moves them upriver. Fish the day the water starts to drop and clear, not the peak of the flood.
- Temperature: Fish Scouter's forecast scores chinook as ideal in 50 to 56°F water and steelhead in 44 to 56°F. Those are tributary numbers; out in the lake the fish hold in the 50s, as the DEC table shows.
- Baits: egg sacs, beads and spawn bags under a float for steelhead and browns; skein, crankbaits and plugs (where legal) for kings; streamers and swung flies for all of them.
- Leave the redds alone. Spawning salmon, browns and lake trout are vulnerable on gravel. Many rivers have snagging rules, hook limits and closed sections during the run.
Rules by state
Tributary rules are some of the most detailed in fresh water: hook and weight limits, snagging bans, closed sections near hatcheries, and wild-fish release rules. We don't print them because they change; check NYSDEC, Michigan DNR, Wisconsin DNR, Minnesota DNR, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat and Ohio DNR.
Time the run with Fish Scouter
We think Fish Scouter is the best way to time a Great Lakes run, because the hard part (knowing whether the river is ready) is what it reads. On a river spot it shows the season stage for chinook, coho, steelhead and browns this month, the nearest USGS gauge's water temperature and flow, the pressure trend and the week's weather, and it scores a river dropping after a rise above one still climbing, the same call a guide makes. Then it ranks the fish for that hour. Start with the steelhead or chinook page, then try Fish Scouter free.