Lower Shore: Duluth to Two Harbors
Surface water temps were 46-55 °F and foggy, rainy, and cool conditions limited angling activity this week. Also, the Knife River Maina boat ramp was being repaired this week, limiting access in that area. Further south, near Duluth, anglers did well trolling bright stick baits and spoons in the top 10 feet of water or running spoons deeper down near thermal breaks in 70-150 feet of water. Anglers reported catching good numbers of 17-29 inch Lake Trout and 15-18 inch Cohos and a few 20-28 inch Chinooks. If you are struggling to locate fish look for warmer stained water breaks and cover ground until you get into feeding Salmon or Lake Trout. The St. Louis River was also fishing well for 14-24 inch Walleye trolling stick baits or jigging on deeper structure.
Upper Shore: Twin Points to Hovland
Weather conditions were poor with consistent fog, some stormy weather, and brisk winds most days. Surface water temps were 35-36 °F at all stations. Anglers found some success trolling bright glow spoons and flasher fly rigs over deep water flats and structure breaks in 150-200 feet of water. Slightly slower trolling speeds are a good idea when presenting lures in such deep water and attention is required along sharp breaks. These deep water Lake Trout were 16-25 inches, with the occasional larger fish. A few shore anglers in Grand Marais Harbor caught some small Brook Trout, but no reports of large fish were received. No reports of any type of Salmon were received and likely will not be until water temperature increases later in the season.
Management Updates
The process to update the 2016 Fisheries Management Plan for the Minnesota Waters of Lake Superior has been ongoing since April 2025 starting with a public kickoff conference and subsequent Lake Superior Fisheries Input Group meetings to discuss various topics and species management strategies. Meetings were held to discuss habitat, brook trout, steelhead, and lake trout/salmon/sport fishing/charter fishing/commercial fishing. The Lake Superior Fisheries Office solicited feedback from the Fisheries Input Group after each meeting as well as for proposed management actions and over the next few months will be writing a draft updated plan that will then ultimately go through the public review process for final approval.
Overall, the Lake Superior fishery has been excellent the past ten years with record numbers of lean lake trout and coho salmon being caught by anglers but below target number of chinook salmon. Alewife abundance in Lake Superior is extremely low in Lake Superior and is a major contributing factor to the lower abundance of chinooks compared to Lake Michigan where alewife is more abundant. In Lake Superior, chinook salmon will utilize juvenile cisco (a.k.a., tullibee, lake herring) as a major food source when available; however, other than 2022, cisco year-class production and strength has been weak and intermittent since the early 1990s. Compared to chinook salmon, coho salmon have a more diverse diet strategy and appear to be much better suited to Lake Superior’s limited forage base.
For more information on angler catch information through time, please see the Lake Superior Summer Creel Reports on the Minnesota DNR’s website.
For more information, questions about fisheries management in Minnesota waters of Lake Superior, or to suggest a topic for a Management Update, please contact Lake Superior Fisheries Supervisor Cory Goldsworthy at cory.goldsworthy@state.mn.us or 218-302-3268.
Helpful Links
 Questions?
Email us at Lake Superior fishing report
Give us a call at 218-302-3277
Report suspicious activity at 800-652-9093
Visit us online at mndnr.gov
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