Indiana cuts 2027 Lake Michigan Chinook stocking to 200,000, adds steelhead

Indiana is cutting back on king salmon in Lake Michigan to try to grow bigger, healthier fish. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says its 2027 Chinook stocking will fall from 275,000 to 200,000. Each of its three sites, East Chicago, Portage and Michigan City, will get about 67,000 fish. Overall, the 2027 plan stocks about 11% fewer fish than 2026.

DNR says the change comes from concerns shared around the lake: there are more salmon lakewide, the salmon are getting smaller, and there are fewer baitfish to feed them. The release quotes DNR fisheries biologist Ben Dickinson on the reasons for the change.

Steelhead anglers come out ahead. The plan calls for larger winter-run steelhead yearlings in the spring and leaves room for about 20,000 more fall fingerling Skamania steelhead.

The change is still more than a year away. DNR's Oct. 23 fishing report says steelhead and coho are scarce in the tributaries so far, some early lake trout are showing up, and kings are still being caught in the East Chicago harbor.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Indiana Department of Natural Resources — Indiana DNR modifies 2027 Lake Michigan stocking plan to support larger, healthier fish (Oct. 22, 2026). Also: Indiana DNR — Indiana fishing reports.