At over 40 pounds, a chinook salmon in Lake Michigan is believed to be the heaviest ‘king’ caught in about 30 years

An angler fishing last Sunday on a charter boat based in Algoma reeled in a Lake Michigan rarity — a salmon that eclipsed the 40-pound mark.

Brian Sollars of East Bethel, Minnesota, was fishing aboard “Midnight,” part of the Kinn’s Sport Fishing fleet of boats, when the fish struck about 40 minutes after sunrise.

It hit a spoon trolled about 50 feet down in about 160 feet of water.

“It was funny — I didn’t feel anything but weight at first,” Sollars said in an interview published by outdoor writer Kevin Naze of Algoma. “I told (the charter captain and first mate) it was weeds, but then it took off on a long run.”

Brian Sollars of East Bethel, Minnesota, holds the 40.4-pound chinook salmon he caught July 31 while fishing in Lake Michigan on a charter boat off Algoma.

As happens with many big chinook, also called king salmon, the fish nearly took all the line off the reel.

“Just looking at that line disappear, it looked like it was going to be about gone,” Sollars told Naze. “I was hoping the fish would stop running at some point, and it did, and I was able to make some progress.”

This 40-pound chinook surpassed 2022 award-winners

Fifteen minutes later the trophy was in the net.

It weighed 40.40 pounds, was 44 inches long and had a 28.5-inch girth. Its adipose fin was not clipped, indicating it was likely a wild fish.

The fish could have earned Sollars a five-figure check if he had made the catch earlier in July and if he had been entered in one of two big Lake Michigan tournaments.

A 34.94-pound chinook caught July 12 off Port Washington took the $21,250 grand prize in the 2022 Salmon-A-Rama, based in Racine.

And a 32.76-pound king landed July 23 off Kewaunee netted the $15,000 top prize at the 2022 Kewaunee/Door (K/D) County Salmon Tournament.

As it is the fish etched a place of distinction in the modern annals of sport fishing on the big pond.

It’s the heaviest trout or salmon caught in the Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan and weighed on a certified scale since July 12, 2010, when Roger Hellen of Franksville caught a 41.5-pound brown trout off Wind Point in Racine County.

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That fish set state and world records for the species.

Sollars’ fish is also likely the heaviest chinook landed in Wisconsin waters since the state record 44.92-pounder was caught near Sturgeon Bay in 1994.

Troy Mattson, co-owner of Kinn’s Sport Fishing, told Naze it was the heaviest salmon caught by the company in its 49 years of operation. Kinn’s is running 10 boats this year.

Why Wisconsin DNR cut chinook stocking a decade ago

While fish topping 40 pounds are extremely rare, the number of chinook exceeding 30 pounds is up in recent years, according to most sport anglers and charter captains.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and other state agencies cut chinook stocking about a decade ago in response to concerns about U.S. Geological Survey reports of a declining biomass of alewives in the lake. Alewives are the primary food source for chinook.

While controversial among many in the fishing community, the moves appeared to help alewives stabilize and perhaps increase.

Many point to the recent catches of very large salmon as evidence the fishery has ample forage available for predator fish.

Another huge chinook catch set a Great Lakes record last year

In addition to the 40-pounder caught last week off Algoma, a 47.86-pounder was caught Aug. 7, 2021, off Ludington, Michigan. That fish set the Michigan and Great Lakes records for chinook salmon.

Wisconsin fisheries managers have increased chinook stocking in recent years and are considering additional changes. A review of stocking plans scheduled for later this year will help set targets for the future.

Racine Instinctive Bowmen club anniversary coming up

Racine Instinctive Bowmen club in Racine County will recognize its 70th anniversary next weekend with an archery shoot and celebration that is open to the public.

The event will include food and novelty shoots such as the 100-yard elephant target. Registration is Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit the RIB Facebook page for more information.

The club is located at 14403 50th Road, Sturtevant.

Bonus antlerless tags on sale in Wisconsin

The DNR will begin sales on Aug. 15 of bonus antlerless deer harvest authorizations for the 2022-23 hunting seasons.

The authorizations, commonly called tags, will be available online through the Go Wild license portal and at license sales locations.

Bonus authorizations are sold at a rate of one per person per day until sold out or until the 2022 deer hunting season ends. Bonus authorizations are $12 each for Wisconsin residents, $20 each for non-residents and $5 each for youth ages 11 and under.

Hunters need to know the deer management zone and unit in which they intend to hunt. They also need to determine whether they will hunt on public or private land to make their purchase.

The sales schedule is:

Aug. 15, 10 a.m. – Forest Zones (Northern and Central).

Aug. 16, 10 a.m. – Central Farmland Zone.

Aug. 17, 10 a.m. – Southern Farmland Zone.

Aug. 18, 10 a.m. – All zones available.

As a reminder, a minimum of one Farmland antlerless harvest authorization is included with each deer hunting license purchase in units that offer them. Some units will offer more than one antlerless deer harvest authorization with each deer license.

Visit dnr.wi.gov for more details.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Chinook caught in Lake Michigan tops elusive 40-pound mark