When people think of Wisconsin agriculture they typically think of dairy and crops yet with our state being home to over 10,000 lakes and with shoreline on Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, it should come as no surprise that fishing is a rich part of our state’s agricultural identity. Wisconsin has commercial fisheries on the great lakes and fish farms operating in the state. There are also a number of charters operating on the great lakes that offer the opportunity for people to fish for species such as salmon.
Gabe Salm has been running salmon charters out of Sheboygan onto Lake Michigan for years. The species that they target are chinook (king) salmon, coho salmon, lake trout, rainbow trout, and brown trout. The season runs from May through October and they keep busy, oftentimes taking trips every day of the week. Their trips on the lake usually last around 5 hours or until the daily catch limit is reached.
The biggest issue charter boats run into is the weather. If it is too windy or a thunderstorm is coming through, trips will often be canceled out of precaution and canceling is a difficult decision to make. Waiting until the weather is too bad to cancel leaves customers who might have already come into town and paid for lodging upset. The reverse is losing money by canceling a trip when the weather turns out to be better than expected.
Another issue that many might think would have negatively impacted the business was the pandemic. Initially, the pandemic took a toll on Salm’s business. After the first restrictions that had shutdown nonessential businesses were lifted, business was booming because people were taking advantage of being outdoors enjoying one of the few activities still allowed.
When asked what his favorite part of running charters is, Salm says that he “loves seeing people catch fish. If I could take a 35 pound king and catch it myself or hand the rod to someone who’s never caught one, I’d rather see that person catch that fish.”
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