Great Lakes steelhead

Winter Steelhead in Indiana

Q: Which Indiana rivers have winter steelhead?

The rivers Indiana DNR names with steelhead in the river between December and April include the St. Joseph River, Trail Creek, East Branch Little Calumet River and Salt Creek. Each one is listed below with its agency timing and the source sentence.

Q: When is the peak of the steelhead run in Indiana?

Indiana DNR gives these peaks: winter-run (Michigan strain) steelhead: Feb to Mar. Rain and water temperature move the week from one year to the next, which is why the live gauge readings sit beside the table.

Q: Where is the Indiana steelhead fishing report?

Indiana DNR publishes the South Bend Fish Ladder, the Indiana Fishing Reports (Lake Michigan Tributaries: Trail Creek, Little Calumet River, Salt Creek; St. Joseph River) (weekly) and the Fishing Northwest Indiana's Lake Michigan Shoreline and Tributaries. All are linked below.

Q: Which Indiana steelhead rivers get hatchery fish?

Indiana DNR records hatchery releases or returns on the St. Joseph River, Trail Creek and East Branch Little Calumet River.

Q: How high is the St. Joseph River running today?

The rivers table reads the latest discharge and water temperature straight from USGS for 4 Indiana steelhead rivers with a USGS discharge gauge, the St. Joseph River among them, and sets each flow beside the gauge's median for today's date from its full record.

Q: Is the steelhead run the same as the fishing season in Indiana?

No. A run window is when the fish move, and it is biology. Seasons, licences and river closures are set by Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife and change inside a year; its current regulations are linked beside the rivers table.

Q: Are Indiana steelhead native?

Great Lakes steelhead are a stocked and naturalized fish. New York DEC writes that steelhead have been stocked in Lake Erie since the late 1800s and, though not native to the system, are now a naturalized part of its fish community. In Indiana, Indiana DNR describes Skamania (summer-run) steelhead Jul 1 to Mar 31 and winter-run (Michigan strain) steelhead Oct 15 to Apr 15.

Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife names 4 steelhead rivers, from the St. Joseph River to the Salt Creek, and describes Skamania (summer-run) steelhead Jul 1 to Mar 31, winter-run (Michigan strain) steelhead Oct 15 to Apr 15. 4 of them carry a live USGS gauge, shown against the median for today's date.

Agency named rivers

Live USGS gauges

Fish in the rivers

Jul to Apr

Rivers and flows

Indiana steelhead rivers, run timing and flow today

Each river below is one Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife names for steelhead, with the timing it gives and the sentence it came from. Beside it, the latest discharge from the river’s USGS gauge and the median discharge for today’s date across that gauge’s years of record, so a reading of 150% means the river is carrying half again its usual flow for the day. 1 of the gauges also report water temperature.

Indiana steelhead rivers named by Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife, with the latest USGS discharge and water temperature and the median discharge for today’s date over each gauge’s record.
River	Run timing	Hatchery	Flow now	Median for today	Water temp
St. Joseph RiverLake Michigan Indiana DNR counts fish on camera at the South Bend fish ladder, one of five passage facilities that open the lower 63 miles of river to fish from Lake Michigan. Indiana DNR source USGS gauge 04101225	Jul to Apr	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Discharge only at this gauge
Trail CreekLake Michigan Trail Creek at Michigan City is one of the three tributaries Indiana DNR stocks with Skamania steelhead. Indiana DNR source USGS gauge 04095300	Jul to Apr	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Loading
East Branch Little Calumet RiverLake Michigan The East Branch is a Skamania stocking stream, and its fish reach the lake through Burns Waterway. Indiana DNR source USGS gauge 04094000	Jul to Apr	Hatchery fish	Loading	Loading	Discharge only at this gauge
Salt CreekLake Michigan Salt Creek, a Little Calumet tributary near Valparaiso, is one of the four streams Indiana DNR names for returning steelhead. Indiana DNR source USGS gauge 04094400	Jul to Apr	See the note	Loading	Loading	Discharge only at this gauge

Run calendar

When steelhead are in Indiana rivers

The months Indiana DNR gives for each river, laid on a July to June year so a winter run reads as one bar. The statewide winter run is Oct 15 to Apr 15. Rain and water temperature move the weeks inside those months from one year to the next.

St. Joseph RiverLake MichiganJul to Apr
Trail CreekLake MichiganJul to Apr
East Branch Little Calumet RiverLake MichiganJul to Apr
Salt CreekLake MichiganJul to Apr

Skamania (summer-run) steelhead
Winter-run (Michigan strain) steelhead
Nov, the current month

Indiana steelhead months by river, from Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife. Fish in the river across Jul to Apr.

The runs, in Indiana DNR’s words

Skamania (summer-run) steelhead, Jul 1 to Mar 31. Summer-run Skamania steelhead enter Indiana's Lake Michigan tributaries from July, sometimes by mid June, keep arriving through the winter, and spawn from mid February into March. Summer-run Skamania steelhead return to area streams from July (sometimes as early as mid-June) through the winter months and spawn from mid-February to March; Source
Winter-run (Michigan strain) steelhead, Oct 15 to Apr 15, peak Feb to Mar. Winter-run Michigan strain steelhead begin returning in mid to late October, most arrive in February and March, and they spawn from March into mid April. winter-run steelhead return beginning in mid to late October, with the bulk of the return in February and March. Winter-run steelhead spawn from March to mid-April. Source

Water temperature and the run

By mid-October the run has intensified as the water temperatures of the streams drop to the optimum range of 45-58 degrees F for migration.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

A person in waders and a knit cap crouching in brown river water, holding a bright silver steelhead with a pink cheek low at the surface — A steelhead from a Lake Erie tributary in late November, kept low in the water. Steelhead are not native to the Great Lakes; New York has stocked them in Lake Erie since the late 1800s, and they run up tributaries from the lakes in fall, winter and spring. “Great Lakes Steelhead” by ColtonOrbaker, CC BY-SA 3.0

Reports

Indiana steelhead reports and counts

Where Indiana DNR publishes the current picture: fishing reports, weir and hatchery counts, and creel surveys, each with how often it is updated.

South Bend Fish LadderIndiana DNR, weir countNR staff will update the counts as often as they can. During busy time periods, updates may be delayed.
Indiana Fishing Reports (Lake Michigan Tributaries: Trail Creek, Little Calumet River, Salt Creek; St. Joseph River)Indiana DNR, fishing report, weeklyDivision of Fish & Wildlife staff collect reports as time permits.
Fishing Northwest Indiana's Lake Michigan Shoreline and TributariesIndiana DNR, fishing reportSkamania spawning activities begin around early February through mid-March, with the peak occurring in February.

Mist lifting off a wide river on a cold grey morning, bare and yellowing trees on both banks and a bridge faint in the distance — Mist on the Salmon River in New York on an October morning. The Lake Ontario tributaries take their first steelhead in fall, and fish keep entering through the winter into spring. “Can you tell how cold it must be on the salmon river - panoramio” by Ron Shawley, CC BY 3.0

Elsewhere

Steelhead run timing in other states

Questions about Indiana steelhead

When do steelhead run in Indiana?

Which Indiana rivers have winter steelhead?

When is the peak of the steelhead run in Indiana?

Where is the Indiana steelhead fishing report?

Which Indiana steelhead rivers get hatchery fish?

How high is the St. Joseph River running today?

Is the steelhead run the same as the fishing season in Indiana?

Are Indiana steelhead native?

River timing from Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife pages, each linked beside its river. Flow, water temperature and the daily median from the USGS Water Services. Compiled September 21, 2026.

Indiana salmon run timingThe chinook and coho runs on the same rivers, in the months before the steelhead.Indiana trout stockingThe same species as a freshwater fish, stocked on a schedule.Indiana river levelsEvery USGS gauge in the state against its own record for the date.