There is however, one more salmon species that very few Great Lakes anglers have ever caught. The Atlantic salmon is the mystery fish of the Great Lakes for a number or reasons. For one, these salmon are rare and only found in catchable numbers in a handful of places.

Yes, there are Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the Great Lakes in 2026, though they are not native to the region. They are primarily maintained through high-value stocking programs in Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, and Lake Michigan. Unlike the more common Pacific salmon species (like Chinook and Coho) found in the lakes, Atlantic salmon are unique because they can spawn multiple times rather than dying after their first spawn. The St. Marys River, which connects Lake Superior and Lake Huron, is the premier "wild-style" fishery for Atlantic salmon in the Great Lakes, where they have established a small but self-sustaining population. These fish provide a high-quality challenge for anglers because of their acrobatic jumping and fighting ability. In 2026, conservation efforts are focused on restoring the Lake Ontario population, which was extirpated in the 1890s, by improving habitat and controlling invasive species like sea lampreys that threaten these prized, silver-scaled sport fish in the world's largest freshwater system.