August on Lake Michigan: Peak King Salmon Season

From Capt. John King's fishing logs, 2004–2020. August is peak season for adult King Salmon on Lake Michigan, and by 2020 John put the peak at about the 3rd week of the month.

Where the fish are

  • Depth: deep attractor water, 80–150'+ down over 150–250' of water.
  • Temperature: most bites come in 38–44°F water, below the thermocline.
  • Structure: troll along the drop-off ("the shelf" off Manistee runs north-south).
  • Wind: south/southwest winds build a deep thermocline that concentrates Kings on the shelf. North winds push cold water, bait and Kings into the harbors and onto the beach.

Capt. John's model trip: July 31, 2008, Manistee

  • 2.5 miles south of the harbor on the shelf, 150–190' of water, lines in from 7 to 9am.
  • Riggers: started at 70' and 100', moved to 100–120' by 8am. 12–20' leads, 20' between riggers, 12 lb balls.
  • Deepest rigger: 12" King Kryptonite flasher + 3-fly Undertaker meat rig (the "John J Special").
  • Second rigger: 12" X-Glow Frog flasher + matching 3-fly meat rig.
  • Divers: two Dipsys on setting 2 with big rings, 5–6' leaders, X-Glow Green Frog 10" BTIs with 2-fly meat rigs.
  • Water: 69°F to 50', mid-50s below that, 38–42°F at 100' where most bites came.
  • Speed: 1.2–1.4 mph in near-flat water.
  • Result: about 10 Kings in 2 hours.

Evening trip: August 10, 2016, Manistee

  • Thermocline ~60'; best depth 60–70' down; speed 2.0 mph, down to 1.2 while fighting fish.
  • 100' rule on the riggers: 70' down/30' back, 60' down/40' back.
  • Spread: 2 riggers, 2 wire divers, two 300' 45# copper lines and a 10-color lead core on big planer boards.
  • Best: X-Glow Ghostbuster, X-Glow Frog and Super Silver Bullet flasher/meat rig combos plus 4.65 Salmon Buster spoons.
  • Finished after dark with a 28 lb King.

Capt. John's August rules

  1. The deepest rigger runs meat. "The deep rigger with meat is always the most productive, no matter what the color is."
  2. Go with the glow. "As adult Kings mature, they start keying in on the glow stuff more and more." Charge glow with a UV light.
  3. Shorten rigger leads when you go deep. At 100'+ down, a 10' lead worked well; at 150–200', keep all leads 10–12'.
  4. Fight spooky Kings with distance. In clear water, use the 100' rule, run divers 100' out, and add copper or lead core.
  5. Fish the mid-day shift. Deep fish switch on after 8:30–9am, and the crowd leaves by 10.
  6. After a north blow, fish close. Check the harbor and the beach (7–20' of water with boards on 100'+ leads) before running to deep water.

Recommended tackle

More: Full trolling guide · Trolling cheat sheet · All months

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