Lydia Lohrer

Special to the Detroit Free Press

Brad Smyth of Detroit Outdoor Adventures made a rare catch on the Detroit River last week — an Atlantic salmon weighing 9 pounds, 10 ounces.

Salmon are rarely seen in the Detroit River. The St. Marys River in the Upper Peninsula is the main Atlantic salmon fishery in the state.

It's likely the salmon traveled at least 85 miles before it was caught.

"It's my first Atlantic salmon ever," Smyth said. "I couldn't believe it was actually right here on the Detroit River."

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He captured the rare fish a mile south of the Ambassador Bridge, vertical jigging with a 1½-ounce Jonah D.O.A Jig for walleye in American waters.

"It was immediately obvious that it wasn't a walleye," Smyth said. "It started thrashing and I thought it was a snagged carp. All of a sudden it came to the surface. I actually netted the fish before I caught up slack in my line."

Atlantic salmon were native to Lake Ontario and were extirpated.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is hoping to reproduce the success they've had on the St. Mary's, and Atlantic salmon have been stocked in the Thunder Bay River in Alpena, the Au Sable River near Oscoda, and Lexington State Harbor in Lake Huron.