Though many anglers target chinooks during the summer months, steelhead are common on Lake Michigan. Combined, the Wisconsin and Michigan departments of natural resources stock more than 800,000 steelhead here every year. Photo by Mike Gnatkowski.

Charter captains affectionately refer to the north-central portion of Lake Michigan as "bird land." It's here that upwellings, wind, current and temperature breaks form scum lines that attract steelhead. Nomadic rainbows from all over the lake are drawn to the cool, midsummer temperatures found over the deep recesses in the northern part of the lake and a plethora of terrestrial insects on which to gorge.

Charter captains discovered the bonanza somewhat by accident back in the early 1980s, when chinook salmon populations in the lake crashed and captains had to find some fish to keep their customers happy. They reasoned that the same steelhead that showed up to run the rivers in the spring and fall had to be out there somewhere in the big lake. The question was, "Where?"

Surface temperature maps generated by satellites went a long way toward solving the mystery. The images showed a giant pool of cold water situated smack-dab in the center of the lake. Captains reasoned it had to be where the steelhead spent the summer months. After a lot of trial and error -- and a lot of gas -- captains started to take advantage of the opportunity. They discovered that even though they were fishing over hundreds of feet of water, the steelhead oriented to the surface and the food source found there. Terrestrial insects would collect in thick windrows along the scrum lines formed by clashing currents, upwelling and wind. Seagulls would line up like robins on a picket fence taking advantage of the bounty. Minnows, like young-of-the-year bloater chubs, shiners and sticklebacks, would forge under the trash. For steelhead, it was like bellying up to the buffet table. Most times the rainbows could be caught within a yardstick of the surface.

Downriggers were just about useless for targeting the spooky steelhead in the gin-clear water. Savvy captains found that small in-line planer boards and stealthy diver set-ups were ideal for getting baits away from the boat and in front of the recalcitrant rainbows. One of the first commercially made in-line planers was fashioned by a pair of Sheboygan, Wis., anglers and was called a Yellow Bird. The lightweight planers were perfect for presenting small spoons and crankbaits to the cruising rainbows. In addition, they were simple to use and didn't require a mast like traditional planer boards. It wasn't long before a 10- or 20-mile run to the steelhead grounds was termed "heading to bird land."

The fantastic steelhead fishing anglers discovered 30 years ago is still there. In fact, it might be better than ever.

PROOF IN NUMBERS
"Our latest studies found fish up to age 8, so there are a tremendous number of steelhead in the lake and a variety of sizes," said Jim Dexter, Lake Michigan Basin Coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. "Our stocking studies show that these fish gravitate toward the middle of the lake during the summer months, regardless of the strain or where they are planted."

The MDNR plants upwards of 475,000 steelhead in the lake annually. Natural reproduction contributes another 20 to 40 percent, so there's no shortage of steelhead. Dexter said that while the state's river steelhead fishery may fluctuate up and down, fishing on the big lake for steelhead is usually very consistent all summer long.

That may change now that gas prices have declined again and chinook salmon fishing has leveled off to some extent. Dexter pointed out that steelhead are not as dependent on baitfish as salmon, so their numbers have been more stable. That's one reason the future of steelhead in Lake Michigan looks bright. Dexter said that the MDNR is exploring ways that they can rear more steelhead to plant in the lake.

Michigan isn't the only state dumping young steelhead into the lake. "We are stocking about 350,000 steelhead annually in Lake Michigan," said Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist Paul Peters. Peters said that the number is below the WDNR's target of 500,000 steelhead. "We've had some major problems in the hatcheries with water problems and reduced flows that have limited production," Peters said, adding that the team of six biologists that manages Wisconsin's steelhead program had a 10-year plan to improve the steelhead fishery in Lake Michigan. The hatchery problems and the lack of available brood stock have resulted in fewer steelhead being planted than desired, but the WDNR is still making substantial contributions to the overall population.