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Pink salmon Run in Minnesota
Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, humpy — 19 Minnesota rivers on this map carry a run of it, Lake Superior. 19 of them are inside a window as of 1 October 2026.
Where these rivers are
19 run rivers on Lake Superior — the Minnesota shore, each in the colour of its own run stage today.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poplar River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 25.7 | Tail-off |
| Cross River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 22.9 | Tail-off |
| Knife River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 22.4 | Tail-off |
| Sucker River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 17.9 | Tail-off |
| St. Louis River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 16.5 | Tail-off |
| French River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 12.6 | Tail-off |
| Flute Reed River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 10.4 | Tail-off |
| Stewart River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 2.4 | Tail-off |
| Devil Track River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 2.3 | Tail-off |
| Brule River (Minnesota) | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 1.3 | Tail-off |
| Baptism River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 0.9 | Tail-off |
| Gooseberry River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 0.8 | Tail-off |
| Split Rock River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 0.8 | Tail-off |
| Kadunce River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 0.7 | Tail-off |
| Lester River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 0.6 | Tail-off |
| Beaver River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 0.2 | Tail-off |
| Temperance River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 0.2 | Tail-off |
| Cascade River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 0.1 | Tail-off |
| Manitou River | Superior | Aug–Sept | Sep | 0.0 | Tail-off |
Stage as of 1 October 2026. It moves every day and this page does not — current conditions are here.
Identification
The smallest salmon in these rivers, with large oval spots on the tail and, on a ripe male, the hump the other name comes from.
Size
One to four pounds.
Behaviour in the river
Naturalised in Lake Superior since the 1956 Thunder Bay escape and heaviest in odd-numbered years — a two-year fish, so the run has a rhythm the others do not.
Tackle and tactics
- Light spinning tackle is enough — a 6'6"–7' rod and 6–10 lb line. Small pink and orange spinners, spoons and flies.
- Fly: 5–6 weight, small pink marabou patterns. The fish is two to four pounds and heavy gear takes the fishing out of it.
Regulations
Great Lakes tributary rules are not the inland trout rules, and they differ by river and often by reach. Minnesota's regulation summary is here; the state's own guide is the regulation.