TWO RIVERS (NBC 26) — On the coast of Lake Michigan, fishing is not just a hobby.
- Charter fishing is one of the biggest draws to Two Rivers, bringing in new visitors and tourists.
- The amount of salmon and trout in the lake is very important, the DNR says they keep a close watch on the fish population.
- Charter boats have caught 70,000 salmon in 2024.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
Ed Kakes owns Shur Catch Charter, a tourism boat that specializes in salmon fishing.
"Mostly people come out here for the fun of it,” Kakes said. “Being out here seeing the sunrise, breathing the fresh air, reeling in a King Salmon.”
Together with his boat captain, Paul Monk, they've had thousands of visitors on their ship.
"The motels we fill, the supper clubs we fill, the diners we send them to,” Kakes says. “We try to keep them all local."
Two Rivers Director of Tourism Joe Metzen says charter fishing here helps drive two river's economy and played a big part in the $2.3 billion impact the fishing industry had in Wisconsin last year.
"For us, charter fishing is significant,” Metzen said. "It brings in travelers from across the midwest and further out and we rely on it significantly."
Metzen says the city has 16 registered boats, but success hinges on one thing.
"For us, having a downturn in the fish population would be significant,” Metzen said.
It's part of fishing biologist Logan Sikora's job to keep an eye on the numbers.
"The most important part in maintaining the fishery that we have is maintaining a healthy balance between predators and prey out on the landscape,” Sikora said.
At the Department of Natural Resources Strawberry Creek Facility in Door County, researches like Sikora track the health of predators like trout and salmon.
They also monitor prey, mainly alewife. Physical health combined with the fishermans' catch and how long it takes to catch give a read, though not exact, on population.
"Catch per effort of our anglers,” said Sikora. “How much time are they spending out on the lake to catch a salmon."
Sikora says salmon levels have been low here in the past but there's no bigger cautionary tale than Lake Huron.
More than a decade ago its alewife population crashed eliminating a food source for salmon.
"Basically, salmon fishing is virtually out of the question anymore in Lake Huron,” Sikora said.
In Lake Michigan, Sikora says they keep a close eye on alewife on both sides of the lake and use spawning centers. He says salmon numbers look great this year and, so far, charter boats have reported a catch of 70,000.
"That's really our goal to protect and preserve the resource that we have for eternity,” said Sikora.
If the population stays healthy fishermen like Ed will only have to focus on one thing.
"Hey fish! Right here!” Ed yelled on his charter boat.
Once that fish was on, I understood the excitement that brings people out. One satisfied customer and a community served, as long as the salmon continue to swim.
"With a small community, you've got to just be a team,” Captain Paul Monk says. “It's everybody working together to keep everybody coming and keep the business here."
A weight on his shoulders, but a weight he's happy to carry.
"Just making memories, making photo albums for people,” said Monk. "Nine months out of the year I'm praying for June 1st when it starts and then when it ends, I'm ready for it to start again."
