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Legendary Species · Salmon, steelhead and sea trout

Atlantic salmon

Salmo salar[1] · also Landlocked salmon (Maine)

Michigan describes adult Atlantic salmon as having black spots on the sides, mostly above the lateral line, dark pectoral fins and a tail that may be slightly forked.[2]

  • 251waters list it
  • 34states and regions
  • 4agency sources
Illustration of a silver-brown Atlantic salmon in side view with small dark spots along the back and sides
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), illustration by Timothy Knepp for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Artwork: Timothy Knepp, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Identification

  • Michigan describes adult Atlantic salmon as having black spots on the sides, mostly above the lateral line, dark pectoral fins and a tail that may be slightly forked.[2]
    What the source says
    “Adults have black spots on sides, mostly above lateral line. Dark pectoral fins, caudal fin may be slightly forked, nine or 10 rays in anal fin.”
  • Adults are very bright silver when they come back to fresh water, darken to bronze before spawning in the fall, and after spawning can darken further into "black salmon."[1]
    What the source says
    “When adults return to freshwater to spawn, they are very bright silver. After entering the river, they will again darken to a bronze color before spawning in the fall. After spawning, adults can darken further and are often referred to as black salmon.”
  • Landlocked salmon (Maine) are generally silvery with a slightly forked tail and small X-shaped marks on the back and upper sides.[3]
    What the source says
    “Adults are generally silvery with a slightly forked tail and small X-shaped markings on the back and upper sides.”

Habitat and range

  • River-specific Atlantic salmon populations still persist in Maine's Sheepscot, Penobscot (with the Ducktrap), Narraguagus, Pleasant, Machias, East Machias and Dennys.[1]
    What the source says
    “River-specific populations in Maine still persist in the Sheepscot, Penobscot (including the Ducktrap), Narraguagus, Pleasant, Machias, East Machias, and Dennys rivers.”
  • Maine says landlocked salmon prefer water below 65 degrees and depend on smelt.[3]
    What the source says
    “A coldwater fish, landlocked salmon prefer water temperatures below 65 degrees and rely on smelt to thrive.”

Life history

  • A typical Atlantic salmon returning to US waters is 4 years old, having spent 2 years in fresh water and 2 at sea.[1]
    What the source says
    “Typically, an Atlantic salmon returning to U.S. waters will be 4 years old, having spent 2 years in freshwater and 2 years at sea.”
  • After 1 to 3 years at sea, adults return to their home rivers between May and October and spawn in October-November.[1]
    What the source says
    “After 1 to 3 years at sea, adult Atlantic salmon return to the streams and rivers between May and October where they were born to spawn in October-November).”

Status, protections and rules

Legal status and rules as the agency stated them on the date read. Rules change: check the current regulations for the water.

  • The remaining US wild populations make up the Gulf of Maine DPS, listed as endangered under the ESA.[1]
    What the source says
    “Currently, the only remaining wild populations of U.S. Atlantic salmon are found in rivers in central and eastern Maine. These remaining populations comprise the Gulf of Maine distinct population segment (DPS), which is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.”
  • Maine IF&W: it is illegal to fish for or possess wild sea-run Atlantic salmon, and landlocked salmon in rivers and streams have a 25-inch maximum length limit to protect returning sea-run adults.[3]
    What the source says
    “Gulf of Maine Atlantic Salmon are a federally endangered species. It is illegal to fish for or possess wild sea-run Atlantic salmon. The General Fishing Laws for landlocked salmon in rivers and streams include a 25” maximum length limit to protect returning sea-run adults from accidental harvest (average size of sea-run adults is >25”).”

Fishing for it: what the agencies say

What agencies and extension services say about catching it, with the source for each line.

  • Maine landlocked salmon: in spring and fall they feed near the surface close to shore and can be caught by fly fishing, casting or trolling; streamer flies and smelt-like lures work well.[3]
    What the source says
    “During the spring and fall, you are likely to find them feeding near the surface and close to shore, and can catch them by fly fishing, casting, or trolling with lures or bait. Streamer flies and lures resembling smelt are very effective.”
  • In Michigan's Great Lakes fishery (Lake Huron, St. Marys River, St. Clair River), anglers mostly troll with downriggers; some drift below the rapids casting streamers or soft-plastic jerk baits.[2]
    What the source says
    “Atlantic salmon can be caught in Lake Huron, the St. Marys River and even the St. Clair River by Port Huron. Fall returns of spawning fish occur at each location, primarily in Oct.-Dec. Anglers troll for them using downriggers, though some anglers drift in current below the rapids, casting with streamers or soft-plastic jerk baits.”
General advice (ours, not an agency's)
  • Check the agency's run timing, emergency orders and in-season changes before you travel: openings are set by water, section and date.
  • Confirm which fish you may keep and how to tell wild from hatchery fish on that water.
  • A local guide or shop will know where the fish are in the run this week.
Hatch & season chartsIdentify an insect or fly

Water temperature

Warm water stresses trout, char and salmon. These are the published temperature lines we show on every gauge, chosen state first: the state agency's own where it publishes one, otherwise federal guidance (said so). Each water page applies them to the gauge's live reading; the flow and temperature checker does the same for any gauge.

Whose temperature guidance applies in each state
StateWhose linesSources
MaineMaine IF&W (the state's own)Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
ConnecticutFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Connecticut line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
MichiganFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Michigan line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
New YorkNew York DEC (the state's own)New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Where to fish for atlantic salmon

Our 251 water pages whose agency species list names atlantic salmon (each list links to the agency page it comes from). A species missing from a list does not mean it is absent: many agencies publish no list for a water.

United States 10 waters

United Kingdom 76 waters

Norway 51 waters

Canada 50 waters

Iceland 46 waters

Chile 14 waters

Australia 4 waters

Destination hubs

Hubs that list one of these waters, or that a water page is near: each has guides, shops, licences and trip planning for the area.

Sources

Every fact on this page is our paraphrase of the page cited beside it, read on the date shown. Rules and seasons change: check the agency's current regulations before you fish.

  1. Atlantic Salmon | NOAA Fisheries NOAA Fisheries, read Oct 24, 2026.
  2. Atlantic salmon | Michigan DNR Michigan Department of Natural Resources, read Oct 24, 2026.
  3. Landlocked Salmon: Species Information, Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, read Oct 24, 2026.
  4. Landlocked Salmon: Species Information, Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, read Oct 24, 2026.

18 states and regions have a page of atlantic salmon waters of its own (five or more waters).