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Coho salmon Run in Wisconsin
Oncorhynchus kisutch, silver salmon — 13 Wisconsin rivers on this map carry a run of it, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. 13 of them are inside a window as of 1 October 2026.
Wisconsin carries coho salmon, *Oncorhynchus kisutch*, on 13 rivers, and the list splits between two lakes in a way Michigan's does not: Superior tributaries and Lake Michigan tributaries stand alternating at the top of it. The Nemadji leads at 70.2 corridor miles and the Amnicon follows at 42.6, both Superior; the Sheboygan at 40.7 and the East Twin at 40.4 are Lake Michigan; the Bois Brule at 40.4 is Superior again, then the Milwaukee at 29.8, the Kewaunee at 26.1, the Iron River in Bayfield County at 23.0, the Sioux at 15.3 and the Oconto at 14.0. The window is month-grained — Sept–Oct, peaking in September, on all of them.
The fish shows white gums with a dark tongue and spots on the upper lobe of the tail only, smaller and brighter than a king of the same date, four to twelve pounds. Coho run behind the kings and hold their aggression well into the river.
Where these rivers are
13 run rivers on 2 shores, drawn one shore at a time and each river in the colour of its own run stage today. One frame over all of them would be mostly open water.
Drawn 1 October 2026. The ground is the subbasin mesh the app scores in, so the coastline is where the mesh stops rather than a separate shoreline; the mark at each river is its mouth, drawn for every river including the handful whose whole run corridor is under a mile and has no line to show.
Where it runs, and when
Ranked by the rivers the staging estimator models first — the sixteen systems with a USGS temperature gauge behind them — then by corridor miles. Neither is a measure of fishing, and nothing on this page ranks a fishery.
| River | Lake | Window | Peak | Miles | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nemadji River | Superior | Sept–Oct | Sep | 70.2 | Peak run |
| Amnicon River | Superior | Sept–Oct | Sep | 42.6 | Peak run |
| Sheboygan River | Michigan | Sept–Oct | Sep | 40.7 | Peak run |
| Bois Brule River | Superior | Sept–Oct | Sep | 40.4 | Peak run |
| East Twin River | Michigan | Sept–Oct | Sep | 40.4 | Peak run |
| Milwaukee River | Michigan | Sept–Oct | Sep | 29.8 | Peak run |
| Kewaunee River | Michigan | Sept–Oct | Sep | 26.1 | Peak run |
| Iron River (Bayfield County) | Superior | Sept–Oct | Sep | 23.0 | Peak run |
| Sioux River | Superior | Sept–Oct | Sep | 15.3 | Peak run |
| Oconto River | Michigan | Sept–Oct | Sep | 14.0 | Peak run |
| Flag River | Superior | Sept–Oct | Sep | 13.0 | Peak run |
| Peshtigo River | Michigan | Sept–Oct | Sep | 9.4 | Peak run |
| Cranberry River | Superior | Sept–Oct | Sep | 8.8 | Peak run |
Stage as of 1 October 2026. It moves every day and this page does not — current conditions are here.
Identification
White gums with a dark tongue, and spots on the upper lobe of the tail only. Smaller and brighter than a king of the same date.
Size
Four to twelve pounds.
Behaviour in the river
Coho run behind the kings and further into the autumn, and they stay aggressive longer — a fish that will still chase a spoon three weeks into the river.
Tackle and tactics
- Spinning: a medium 7'–8'6" rod, 10–14 lb line, small spoons and spinners. Coho chase, and a moving bait outfishes a still one.
- Fly: 7–8 weight, streamers and egg patterns, 8–12 lb tippet.
Regulations
Great Lakes tributary rules are not the inland trout rules, and they differ by river and often by reach. Wisconsin's regulation summary is here; the state's own guide is the regulation.
The rest of the run
- Lake Michigan runs
- Lake Superior runs
- Coho salmon in Michigan
- Coho salmon in Minnesota
- Coho salmon in New York
- The run calendar
- What is running right now