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Lower Shore: Duluth to Two Harbors
Northeast winds moved the warm water further north this week. Lake Trout fishing was good this week trolling from McQuade to Two Harbors, 50-100 feet down, in 200 feet of water. Hot colored spoons and flasher fly rigs were effective, especially shiny purple and silver. Most of the fish were 17-22 inches with a few over 27 inches. Reports of Salmon were sparse and experienced anglers indicated that they are further up north and that the few catches south of Agate Bay were anomalies. If you are targeting Salmon, you will want to head north of Agate Bay. Higher numbers of Walleye were caught on Lake Superior this week close to Duluth, but there are still decent numbers of fish in the St. Louis River Estuary. Anglers were still able to limit out, it just took longer than earlier in the season. Hot colored stickbaits and planar boards were the most effective tactic in the Estuary.
Upper Shore: Twin Points to Hovland
Strong winds blew the warm water away from shore last week, temporarily lowering surface water temps into the mid 40’s, but they slowly climbed back into the 60’s. Grand Marais anglers reported good fishing for Lake Trout in the 20-26 inch range with a few larger fish up to 15 pounds. Most of these fish were scattered throughout the top 100 feet of the water column. Chartreuse and orange flasher fly combos and spoons were the most effective. Some reports of large numbers of smaller Lake Trout in shallow were also received. Anglers from Twin Points and Silver Bay reported good fishing for Coho and Chinook Salmon over the week. Only a few salmon were caught further up the shore. With the fishing tournament over the weekend angler pressure was pretty high at Silver Bay and Twin Points, but lighter from the stations further up the shore.
Management Updates
There was a huge Cisco (Lake Herring or Tullibee) boom in 2022 and we are happy to report we are now catching 2 year old juvenile Cisco in our small mesh Lake Trout survey nets. Typically, we do not see any juvenile Cisco in these nets confirming the unprecedented nature of this enormous influx of Cisco. Chinook, Coho, Steelhead, and Lake Trout have all taken advantage of this unusual abundance of food. The Coho State record has been broken 3 times in the last year and reports of enormous Chinooks are coming in daily! Typically, Lake Superior is food-limited due to it’s cold, deepwater habitat which is not ideal for non-native salmon growth and abundance. However, spring conditions in 2022 were just right for Cisco to pull off a historic year-class. The last big Cisco boom was in 1984 and the 2022 year-class is predicted to be almost twice as big. Cisco grow quickly though, so this all you can eat buffet will not last much longer. Many of these Cisco will be too large to be eaten by all but the largest Lake Trout in Lake Superior by the end of the year. Get out and enjoy this great fishing while it lasts!
For more information contact Cory Goldsworthy at: (218) 302-3268 or cory.goldsworthy@state.mn.us
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Helpful Links
 Questions?
Visit us online at mndnr.gov
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Email us at Lake Superior fishing report
Give us a call at 218-302-3277
Fishing report hotline at 218-302-3293
Report suspicious activity at 800-652-9093
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