The two biggest fishing contests of the summer kick off this weekend, one the largest summer salmon-only tournament on the Great Lakes, and the other a lakewide, multi-species event.

The 44th annual Kewaunee/Door County Salmon Tournament opens a 10-day run Friday, with fishing allowed in the Wisconsin waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan off of Kewaunee and Door counties.

Anyone fishing the northern or southern boundary areas is encouraged to video any large, fresh-caught fish still flopping in the net, and then show the location on their GPS plotter in case there’s any allegations as to fishing outside of the allowed boundaries. It has happened before, and numerous fish have been disqualified.

More than $100,000 in cash and prizes have been awarded in the event each of the past two years. Top prize is $15,000 cash and special sterling silver, engraved fish jewelry (ring or pendant).

In order to fish the K/D, you’ll need a fishing license, Great Lakes salmon and trout stamp, and an entry ticket. There are no online sales. You need to purchase at one of the locations in Kewaunee, Algoma, Sturgeon Bay, Baileys Harbor or Washington Island. Cost is $30 for those age 16 and up, and $10 for those 15 and under. Everyone on the boat needs a ticket, including captain and mate if fishing on a charter.

Others can purchase tickets for you, provided they have all your information (name, address, phone). They must initial the signature line, and before you fish, you’ll need to sign your copy.

The nearest ticket locations are Algoma Citgo, Yacht Works Kewaunee, and both BP locations in Algoma and Kewaunee. If headed to Sturgeon Bay, Howie’s Tackle and Greystone Castle have them. Algoma BP and JP BP Express north of Carlsville are open 24/7, in case you want to pick up in the wee hours of the morning. Baileys 57 in Baileys Harbor and Mann’s Mercantile on Washington Island also sell tickets and weigh fish.
Want to learn more, or follow along during the tournament? Visit https://www.facebook.com/kdsalmon2026/.

Meanwhile, the 51st annual Racine Salmon-A-Rama begins Saturday and runs nine days. It offers categories for many trout and salmon species, as well as others such as perch. There’s a $50,000 grand prize. Tickets are $50. Learn more at https://www.salmon-a-rama.com/.

What size will win?

The winning Chinook in the K/D tourney has topped 30 pounds for 11 straight years, tying a record first set from 1989 to 1999. Based on what’s being caught so far this season, it may be a longshot for the mark to fall this year. While catch numbers have increased, average size has been trending downward the past three years.

Last October, nearly 6,800 Chinooks were processed at the DNR’s Strawberry Creek egg-collection facility. The longest was 43.5 inches, and the heaviest 28.5 pounds. The average weight of mature fish was 14.67 pounds, the lowest since 2015 and a big drop from 20-plus pounds as recently as 2019. The long-term average is about 17 pounds. Many factors impact size, including alewife biomass and Chinook abundance.

In response to increasing salmon size and angler desires, Wisconsin increased salmon stocking from just over 800,000 annually to more than 1.2 million beginning in 2020, and to more than 1.3 million in 2023 and 2024, the two year classes making up the bulk of the larger fish this year.

Meanwhile, Michigan increased stocking by about 150,000 fish in 2020, and by about 350,000 in 2023 (to one million). Additionally, past coded wire tag and fin-clip studies have shown that more than half of the salmon — 60 to 70 percent some years — are naturally reproduced, with most of them coming from the east-side rivers as well as migrants coming in from Lake Huron.

Two tourneys so far

The Blue Door Tournament Series at Kewaunee attracted 47 teams recently. The top Chinook weighed 26.04 pounds, and the heaviest lake trout 21.45.

Last weekend, only two salmon larger than 20 pounds were caught in the 51st annual Northeastern Wisconsin Great Lakes Sport Fishermen derby at Manitowoc, the winner at 21.12. The top lake trout was 22.02 pounds, biggest brown trout 18.51, heaviest rainbow 13.39, and largest coho salmon 7.07.