Lake Superior has been almost covered in ice for the past few weeks with patches of solid ice being blown off shore one day and back into shore the next. The jagged ice that borders the open water is pushed in all directions creating brilliant sculptures that look like the inside of a crystal agate.
In some bays near Grand Marais, there is a section of solid ice between the shoreline and the jagged ice that borders the open water, which presents an opportunity for ice anglers to have a legitimate chance at landing a fish. I have always wanted to fish the crystal-clear waters of Lake Superior during the ice season, and this year I finally made it happen.
The ice is more predictable at the top and bottom of the big lake, near Duluth or Grand Portage, but rarely around the Grand Marais area. Anglers are traveling by vehicle in Grand Portage to fish Pigeon Bay while others are hiking through the crushed ice fields out as deep as 180 feet of water to fish in Duluth, but the deep shorelines between Knife River and Hovland are rarely frozen for much time.
Cory Christiansen has long wanted to fish in the Grand Marais harbor. With the recent ice he got his chance and now the lake is short one nice lake trout! Photo courtesy of Cory Christiansen
There are three bays near the Grand Marais area that typically hold ice throughout the winter, and at least allow an angler to find 35-50 feet of water to fish in. The action has not been great, but the water is clear enough to see the bottom and the ice is like glass. It is eerie indeed, but we have been drilling through 20 inches of solid ice and checking spots frequently while exploring.
The few trout that we have caught are jammed full of smelt ranging from 1 to 5 inches in length. They come in hot on the Vexilar and either smack the bait hard or run away as fast as they appeared. The action is not the greatest, but it is hard to beat the view both above and below the ice and it is an angler’s best chance at a big laker.
Cory Christianson has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail since 2000. If you have any fishing or wildlife reports or stories to share, send an email to: christiansoncory@hotmail.com. You can also visit Cory’s website at Gunflintfishingguide.com.
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