"There are coho, kings, and steelhead in the streams but a large run has not materialized." Indiana DNR wrote that about Trail Creek in its October 1, 2026 fishing report. For anyone in Long Beach who expected the creek to be full of salmon by now, it explains a quiet start to fall. It also suggests the best of the season is still ahead, a few minutes east of town, and that the best place to see it this year is lower down the creek, not out on the harbor pier.
What the October 1 report actually describes
The DNR's notes for that day cover three areas, and they line up. In the tributaries, which include Trail Creek, Little Calumet River and Salt Creek, anglers were "catching a few fish here and there in all the streams." Shore fishing was "hit or miss." A few coho and kings were caught casting at night, and the report mentions Michigan City by name as a spot where a few fish were landed. Out on the lake, fishing pressure was light, but boat anglers reported "staging kings with a few coho in the mix." The DNR listed the mouth of Trail Creek as one of the places to troll.
"Staging" is the key word. Those fish are holding just offshore before they head upstream. The lake report also mentions "some nice cold water" close to shore that has helped the bite. In short, the fish are near the creek but haven't moved into it in numbers yet.
Water level is the other thing to watch. The USGS posts provisional flow and stage readings for Trail Creek on its live gauge page, next to the long-term mean and median for each date, so you can see how today's flow compares with a typical day. The DNR notes that Skamania steelhead staged near shore tend to rush upstream after heavy rain, which makes the gauge most useful the morning after a storm.
The calendar still has room
The DNR's own season windows show how much of the run is still to come.
| Fish | DNR's stream window | Where things stand on October 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Chinook and coho salmon | September through mid-November | Present, no large run yet |
| Skamania steelhead | Mid-July to mid-October, then winter months | Window closing |
| Winter-run steelhead | Return beginning mid-to-late October, bulk in February and March | Not due yet |
The same DNR page also lists the "Michigan strain" winter-run fish as a mid-November to mid-March stream fishery, which is a few weeks later than its "mid-late October" return date. Either way, the winter-run fish start arriving after this week. Chinook and coho also have about six weeks of season left. The DNR says both species return to streams and spawn from late August to early November, and both die after spawning. In a slow year, most of the visible action tends to come late.
The salmon have a specific reason to come back to this creek. Indiana's Chinook plan, which started in spring 2023, stocks 100,000 Chinook a year in Trail Creek, up from 75,000 before. Trail Creek is one of three Indiana stocking sites, along with East Chicago and the Little Calumet River. The DNR says salmon and trout return to their stocking sites in fall. The 2023 plan is the most recent Indiana stocking decision on record. It sets a target and doesn't confirm how many fish were actually released this year.
Low on the creek, not out on the pier
The DNR's advice for this cool-lake stretch is to fish "lower down in the streams, to intercept fish fresh from the lake." Those fish "tend to be more aggressive than fish that have gone upstream and holding in deeper areas." It suggests spinners or hard-wobbling crankbaits down low and floating skein farther upstream. The shore report adds that some anglers did better "casting crankbaits and spinners in the lowest sections of tributaries rather than fishing at the harbor mouths."
The pier has its own complication this fall. In August, Harbor Master Tim Frame told the Michigan City Port Authority that barges had arrived so the Army Corps of Engineers could rebuild the north end of the lighthouse pier. Crews had started by pulling the existing stone and were installing steel sheet pile on three sides, with plans to backfill with stone and grout, pour a new top, and put the stone back. He said the work should be done by the end of September. Next, he said, the Army Corps would place 1,300 tons of stone along the middle of the outer breakwater "sometime in October," using material shipped from Wisconsin. No public report has yet said whether the pier work wrapped up on time or whether the breakwater phase will limit walkers or anglers. Large barges and cranes in the harbor are likely to be part of the view this month.
The elevated catwalk out to the lighthouse is no longer in use, according to Visit Michigan City La Porte. If you're headed to Washington Park anyway, the park is open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight Friday and Saturday. The city's 2026 parking schedule lists the main lot at $5 an hour Monday through Thursday and $7 an hour Friday through Sunday, or surge pricing. The city notes that fees may continue after Labor Day depending on staffing and weather. For the pier, the DNR recommends going at night or in low light with glow spoons, rattling deep-diving crankbaits, or skein under a bobber.
The ten public spots on Trail Creek
The DNR lists ten public fishing sites along Trail Creek:
- The site next to the Michigan City DNR building
- Hansen Park, on E Street
- Winding Creek Cove, at 8th and Dickson streets
- Fire Station #2, at 2005 E. U.S. 12
- Robert Peo Public Access, on the Liberty Trail
- Karwick Nature Park, on Karwick Road
- U.S. 35 at Chapala Parkway
- Trail Creek Forks, on U.S. 20
- Johnson Road, at Johnson and Wozniak roads
- Creek Ridge Park, at 7943 W. County Road 400 North
The DNR building site and Creek Ridge are the two sites the DNR lists as handicap accessible. LaPorte County Parks lists Creek Ridge County Park as open sunrise to sunset with fishing on Trail Creek, and its park page mentions the creek's annual steelhead migration. Creek Ridge is far upstream, so if you're following the DNR's lower-creek advice, start at the downstream end of the list. The DNR's request for all of these sites is to "respect fellow anglers, private property, and please do not litter."
By boat, the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority names Washington Park as the closest lake access. It also lists Sprague Point Marina, upstream on Trail Creek, as having maintained ramps. The guide warns that sand can make launching boats over 20 feet difficult at Washington Park. Before you head out, the DNR points boaters to the Michigan City buoy, which is deployed for the season and reports live at data.freeboard.tech/station/45170.
Before the first cast
Trout and salmon have their own licensing rules. In Indiana you need a valid fishing license plus a trout/salmon stamp, which costs $11 for the license year running April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027. Indiana's one-day fishing license already covers trout and salmon, which makes it an easy choice for a single October morning or for a visiting guest.
The creek also has stricter rules than the lake. On Trail Creek and the other listed Lake Michigan tributaries, trout and salmon must be hooked in the mouth, and any foul-hooked fish has to be released. Possessing a snag hook is prohibited, and tributary anglers are limited to a single hook or artificial lure, with limits on hook size.
For bait and tackle, Chief's Bait Shop, which shares space with Tony's Outboard Motors at 1114 W. 4th St. in Michigan City, advertises live bait and tackle for salmon, coho and trout. The Michigan City Port Authority's charter directory lists boats including Boatre Dame, Cloud Nine, Colorblind, Tightline, Fin Fire, Nauti Lady, Rodeo and Speakeasy. Neither page shows a date, so call ahead to confirm hours and bookings.
If a slow morning on the creek leaves time for something else, Washington Park Zoo holds Boo at the Zoo on Saturday, October 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with admission listed at $10 to $12. Later in the season, the free Dig the Dunes Artisan Market fills the Lubeznik Center for the Arts at 101 W. 2nd St. on November 7. That's about when the DNR's Chinook and coho window ends.
Mark grew up in Dune Acres and spent years running construction jobs on this shoreline, so he follows the harbor work and the lakefront seasons as closely as the market. If you own near the creek or the harbor and have questions about what's being built along this stretch of the lake this fall, Mark Hull is happy to talk it through. Book a complimentary consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
