News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Michigan Brown Trout volunteer Ernie Butterfield holds up a salmon that was weighed in at the small boat harbor in Alpena on Sunday afternoon. So far, more lake trout, salmon, steelhead and walleye have been caught than Brown Trout, which has been the trend for about a decade.

ALPENA — The state of Michigan may no longer plant brown trout in Lake Huron in Northeast Michigan, but local investment into private planting has helped to ensure at least several of the prized fish are caught during the Michigan Brown Trout Festival each year.

The state ended stocking the lake with large hatchery-raised yearlings saying they were killed off by predatory fish, cormorants, and only about 2% of them survived, which is not worth the investment.

Tim Cwalinski, fisheries management biologist in Gaylord, said although there are a few more brown trout in and around Alpena, the odds of catching one compared to a lake trout, walleye, or salmon is slim. He said the state spent millions of dollars over many years trying to bolster the brown trout population, but the plans just didn’t hold.

In 2016, no legal sided brown trout were caught during the brown trout festival, but since, there have been at least several on the leaderboard at the end of the nine-day tournament.

Instead, the DNR is planting brown trout in several portions of the Au Sable River in Alcona, where they believe the survival rate is higher, and planting Atlantic and coho salmon in Lake Huron in Northeast Michigan.

Cwalinski said it is possible some of the browns caught in and around Thunder Bay could originate from the plants in Alcona County, but he doubted many of them migrated that far.

“We’re seeing some more brown trout, but that isn’t really saying a lot,” he said.

Locally though, the Brown Trout Festival, along with private donors, have continued to purchase thousands of small brown trout, and plant them in deeper water in areas spread out around Thunder Bay, which they hope increases the odds that more fish survive and become keepable adults.

Other licensed private groups in Presque Isle County and Cheboygan are following suit and hope it will trigger a resurgence of the popular game fish.

Charter captain for the Trout Scout Ed Retherford said there are brown trout to be had before, during, and after the tournament. He said the fish may not be as plentiful or large as years ago, but he said it is not uncommon to have a customer catch on, or see someone on another boat reel one in. Retherfor said he wishes the state would try restocking browns in the area again, because a lot has changed over the years since it stopped and he believes the small brown trout would stand a better chance of survival now.

“There aren’t a lot because there aren’t a lot being planted,” he said. “I have seen at least three that were 13 pounds or more this year, so there are some nice ones out there.”

If a brown is caught, it can lead to a nice payday for the crews of the boats in the tournament. In 2017, for the first time in the history of the 48 year old festival, Big Brownie was caught.

Big Brownie is tagged and released at an unknown location in Thunder Bay before the event begins, and the team of Jan Stepanski and Robert Westenbarger, both of Alpena, reeled in the prize-winning brown trout, which netted them the $25,000 prize.

Although the odds are long, about 100 boats are hopeful they can do the same this festival, which wraps up on Sunday.