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Bigger than ever
Chinook salmon coming in at historic sizes
- Outdoors May, 2019

MICHIGAN CITY — Yep, they're bigger. The chinook salmon, that is.

Maybe not as many as last year at this time near Michigan City, but the size of the kings crossing the certified scales at Hoosier Coho Club contests in the past 10 days has been unprecedented.

How about a 29.3-pound chinook caught by Brad Kreigbaum (Team Fin Fire) during the April 27 HCC Pro-Am or a five-fish limit of kings put together by Tom Early (Giv N the Bird), totaling an incredible 111.65 pounds and anchored by a 27-pound brute in the May 3 Hartman Memorial?


Salmon of such sizes have never been seen in the 45-year history of HCC spring tournaments.

The Horizon Bank Classic on May 4-5 saw more prodigious catches.

Triple Catch II ran away from the 57-boat field - and claimed the $12,000 top prize - by posting back to back 10-fish limits totaling 138.65 and 141.3. Nobody else could put two great days together and the Triple Catch II crew won by a stunning 65 pounds.

"It's been 22-years in the making," captain Danny Mock said, noting the team historically has not done well in Michigan City contests.

Crew members aboard the Burns Harbor boat included charter captain Rich Sleziak, Eric Mock, Joe Szymanski and Kevin Cheesman.

"Spoons on 200-foot Blood Run coppers behind Church boards and 'riggers at 35-40 feet," said Sleziak, who also own's Slez's Bait & Tackle in Lake Station. "KC 1, Jelly Bean and Two Face (Michigan Stinger spoon patterns) did the damage, mostly in Stingray (size) but a few standards, too."

The winning crew fished west of Michigan City off the state park.

Most of the pack fished to the east where chinook catches had been phenomenal for a week prior to the Classic before becoming spotty on Saturday and Sunday. The inconsistent catches (for everybody not aboard Triple Catch) led to wild swings on the leader board from Day One to the finish.

Last year's champ Fin Scout charged from 11th place to second while another past champion, Michigan City boat Just 1 More held steady at third. Fish on the move stymied noted East Chicago charter captain John Warren (Kingseeker) to the tune of a single lake trout on Saturday before he rallied with the biggest catch of the tournament on Sunday - a 148.3-pound box of kings.


"Don't have to tell us about the ups and downs," Sleziak said. "We've done it all, but it finally paid off."

Sleziak mentioned his team landed their 20-fish daily quota, 10 of which could be weighed each day, around noon both days during the 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. fishing periods.

Team My Dawn, captained by John Burgess, claimed the $2,500 amateur top prize in the Horizon Bank Classic by posting limit catches (five per day in Am) weighing 93.75 and 68.8 pounds, respectively.

As always, the all-volunteer tournament committee and weigh-in crew turned in another flawless performance which brought anglers from each of the Lake Michigan states to Michigan City for Classic week.

And is tradition, the club hosted a team from the Michigan City High School Fishing club aboard Loren Hartman's Nauti Lady. Hartman and the high schoolers finished a respectable 21st place.

Good write up Mike!

Thanks for sharing Mike. Wondered what happened to kingseeker on day one, thought maybe some mechanical issues, surprised that couldn't even get some coho in just for points sake. But that's fishing, and what a box on the 2nd day!!

What happened to Kingseeker happened to me on day 1. I just completely shit the bed. Sometimes things are in perfect sequence to go completely wrong I guess. It happens. John certainly came back with a vengeance! He can speak better to his experience of what happened if he elects to.

We started off Saturday with the first king in the box at 6:09am. We never took another bite the entire day.......watched fish being caught on both sides of us. At one point, I searched the boat for bananas lol.....It may have been the most frustrating day of fishing LM I have ever had. We came back strong on day 2 as well - helped pull me away from the ledge haha

Pretty much same thing happened with most, although his catches were a bit more extreme. Fish on the move and no communications (marine radio silence, cell phones collected by observers) made it quite sporty... and exacerbating.
The boat I was aboard went from 35 fish (mostly kings) on Wed. to 20 on Fri. to 10 on Sat. to four on Sun. Coho, or lake trout, were not going to win this year.
Anyways, kings were back in small boat range outside MC this Sat. Lots of alewives in harbor and out to 40'.

What happened to kingseeker was exactly this he was on massive fish all week. They moved Friday night Saturday started off slow for him. He picked up and made a run to an area he did not prefish in hope of glory but it ended up a bust. John was not interested in points he was going for the win.