Planning a visit to Duluth and need some advice on how to fish the rivers of the north shore. Can't find anything anywhere. No idea about what hatches around there or what fish are in what rivers. Anything helps. Thanks.
North shore of Lake Superior
Planning a visit to Duluth and need some advice on how to fish the rivers of the north shore. Can't find anything anywhere. No idea about what hatches around there or what fish are in what rivers. Anything helps. Thanks.
SquatchHunter - Just Google Fishing Duluth MN and you will find lots of sites that offer fishing guides and also sites with lots of info on local fishing, etc. Have a nice trip. Oh by the way, there aren't a lot of streams north of Duluth but lots of small to large lakes. Also the drive along the shoreline will take you all the way to Canada and you will never loose sight of the water.
When are you heading there?
My advice would be to hit the south shore, rather than the north shore, and fish the Bois Brule in Wisconsin. The Brule is 35 or so miles east of Duluth. It has more consisent hatches and better fishing than the northe shore streams.
Thanks for the tips. I am from MN and went to school in Duluth, so I know the area, just don't know how to fly fish the area. I will be there the first week of July.
Will probably head to Sconie, even tho that means going thru Superior.
Minnesota DNR has a fold out map available of all the trout, steelhead, and salmon streams on the North Shore. You can find the maps on the internet, search "Minnesota DNR, or Minnesota Department of Natural Resourses.
Only trouble with fishing the water on streams that empty on Lake Superior, is the "Cascades" which are within one mile of or less of Lake Superior. The whole North Shore Highway has been blasted out of Taconite (Flint with low grade Iron Ore).
Some parts of the North Shore have high cliffs that drop right off into the Lake.
If you are heading UP NORTH to Duluth, using Interstate 35, stop at Hinkely to get some on the Caramel Rolls at "Toby's". Also stop and visit the Hinckley Fire Museum, that remembers the Great Hinkley Fire of 1890.
There is the Split Rock Light House up by Gooseberry Falls State Park, two must see locomotives at Two Harbors, and Ole & Sven's Pizza, where you can order a Lutefish Pizza (located in Grand Maria).
[This message has been edited by Steven H. McGarthwaite (edited 13 June 2006).]
[url=http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/index.html:c664c]http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/index.html[/url:c664c]
Near the bottom are two pdf links that will give you the south and north sections of the north shore. I'm sure these are what Steven is referring to. I've only fished the north shore a couple times, but upstream of the cascades you can usually find brookies. If you're looking for larger fish, I'd reiterate the Bois Brule in WI will probably offer you better luck.
I'm already itching for the fall steelhead run...
Good luck! Post a report if you can when you return!
Thanks again! I am heading in from the west so I won't be on I35, but I am familiar with Toby's and the fire museums. And I would probably be content with some brookies. Esp. since non-resident licenses are cheaper in MN than WI. I will let you know.
Hey, I spend a few weekends every spring up there looking for steelies and loopers. If you are going to fish the streams it is all brookies. Did spend some time on Isabella River quite a few years back and it has some good fishing. Go up Hwy 1 toward Ely and turn at the town of Isabella and go north a bit. That's from memory, wouldn't hurt to get a map. See/catch a few brookies steelie fishing. Try the Knife or the Sucker or Stewart they hold fish. As far as a hatch of something I have never known brookies to be that picky. If you want to surface it use an adams or a EHC. Any nymph should do under the surface. Use a wooly bugger or a pass lake wet fly, brookies don't care. If I lived in Ely I wouldn't try to quess the hatch on a northshore stream. They have their own weather, it's all lake effect. The northshore is the most beautiful spot on the planet, you will fill your head with sites to last a very long time. Bring a camera so you can bring a few back. Oh, one other thing, if its warm the no-see-um will be out. Bring bug repellant or they will eat you alive, don't get the repel on your fly though or the fish won't touch it. Go fish the streams of the north shore there must be 5 or 6 streams from Duluth to Two Harbors. Thing about staying on the northshore is that you don't need an extra stamp like you would in WI. Stop at the bait store in Two Harbors and get a map of the northshore streams also get some worms and go fish the river mouths in the evening for roaming lakers. Report back, would love to here how it went.
Yes you need a "Trout Stamp", because that is how the money is raise to rehabilitate trout streams. Trout Stream can only be rehabilitated with "Trout Stamp" funds, after public access to the stream is obtained through purchasing permanent access rights, from the property owners.
Minnesota DNR shows all sections of Trout Streams that are public land, or permanent access right have been obtain. The maps also show where Trout Stream Improvements have been done by the DNR and Private Organizations in cooperation with the MN DNR. ~Parnelli
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