With the water free of ice, commercial fishing has begun again on Lake Superior. Here, Eric Brisson motors the boat into the dock while Tyler Smith (helm) gets set to jump out and tie the boat in place. Zach Smith, in the middle, retrieved the day’s catch and put the box of fish on the dock. Tyler and Eric announced recently that they have formed a partnership. Their business is called North Superior Fisheries, LLC. Staff photo/Brian Larsen
A little before 8 a.m. on April 2, 2020, coming fast from the east, the small green boat made a speedy S turn around the lighthouse breakwall and inner limestone break wall, slowing considerably as Eric Brisson throttled back on the motor and gently guided the vessel into the dock.
Tyler Smith jumped out and tied the boat to a couple of cleats, T-shaped pieces of metal designed to secure lines.
Zac Smith grabbed a grey fish box, stepped from the craft and placed it onto a small cart. He flipped the lids open to reveal about 15 large herring, some still wiggling.
“It wasn’t a very good day,” he said as his brother Tyler swept up buckets of Lake Superior water and washed out the inside of the steel boat. Eric left the boat with an empty box and nodded, “It’s our first day back. It’s still a slow time to fish.”
Still, the fishermen seemed happy to be back on the water. They had taken off almost two months through the heart of winter and the itch to catch fish was irresistable.
Above, seagulls crisscrossed the sky in celebratory salute to the fishermen below, singing songs of joy as the trio took their catch to the fish house. The gulls were eager for their share of the bounty and would soon be rewarded once the fish were cleaned and readied for sale.
Eric Brisson was supposed to quit fishing at the end of the year. Well, that was his original thought, but as long as he was finding cisco in his nets, and he could stand the cold, and not freeze to death, he reasoned he might as well continue fishing well into the New Year.
He wasn’t alone in his pursuit. He and Tyler Smith fished together. The two got along so well they decided to become partners and formed North Superior Fisheries, LLC. Tyler’s brother, Zach, will work with the two partners.
Both Zach and Tyler spent years honing their craft while apprenticing under commercial fisherman Harley Tofte, who with his wife, Shele, owned and operated Dockside Fish Market.
Tyler started fishing with Harley at the age of 14. Eric learned the trade from his uncle, Ed “Ole” Hendrickson of Grand Portage. And Ole learned from his father, Lloyd Hendrickson.
Both Eric and Tyler have their commercial fishing licenses. They are only two of 25 to hold a commercial fishing license on Minnesota’s portion of Lake Superior.
A century ago, there were 425 commercial fishermen on the north shore. Today there are still remnants of small grey, broken down fish houses here and there with the bones of their wooden creels used to hang and dry nets on, leaning towards the rocky edges of the lake, ghosts of a time past.
When sea lamprey invaded Lake Superior in the late 1930s, it spelled the end for most commercial fishermen. With no known predators, sea lamprey, which can kill 40 or more pounds of fish over its lifespan, caused the collapse of white fish, lake trout and chub populations in the Great Lakes during the 1940s and 1950s.
Fish began to make a comeback when lampricides— which kill sea lamprey larvae, was and is still used, and barriers were put in place in rivers to stop sea lamprey from gaining access to tributaries where they spawn. Those efforts helped kill 90 percent of the sea lamprey in Lake Superior. However, the ten percent left still kill more fish in Lake Superior than all of the commercial or sport fishermen do on an annual basis.
Still, Lake Superior fish have made a strong enough come back. Enough, so the state allows some commercial fishing, good news for people who enjoy eating fresh herring or lake trout, and good news for people trained to pursue the commercial catch.
Both Tyler and Eric own boats. Tyler purchased a 27-footer from Harley, and also has a smaller boat. Eric bought a 22-foot steel boat from the late commercial fisherman Tommy Eckel, which is now being sandblasted and painted in Two Harbors. Eric also owns his grandpa Lloyd Hendrickson’s 18-foot steel boat and his Uncle Ole’s 22-foot steel boat, the green gem the young men used to fish with on this day.
Fishermen are hearty. Early mornings on Lake Superior, even on calm days, are cold. It was in the low 30’s on Thursday, April 2 and when the three young men were off the water, they admitted that, layered up or not, they had gotten cold on the big lake.
While staying comfy warm might not be possible while fishing from an open boat on Lake Superior, Tyler, Eric and Zach do their best, dressing in layers, topped by orange waterproof rubber suits. When the fish are thick in the big lake, they stack the boat with plastic fishing boxes and begin their day around 5 a.m., steering their craft under a sky caught in a net of vibrant, twinkling stars.
Cold early mornings are nothing new for Brisson. He learned to net fish from his uncle, Ole, and Ole learned from his father, Lloyd Hendrickson.
Zach and Eric set nets on April 1. Although the catch was small, they will market the fish immediately. The partners have leased space in the basement of “The Fisherman’s Daughter,” the former Dockside building, where they clean, weigh and package their catch.
“We will sell to restaurants, grocery stores, and to individuals if they want to buy from us,” said Eric.
Throughout the year, nets will be set for Menominee, herring and lake trout.
“Right now, we will set nets anywhere from one mile to two miles out in the lake, about 20 fathoms (120 feet) deep,” Eric said.
The young men are also working with the state to get a license to smoke fish on the North Folk School property. The smokehouse that Harley used needs some work, so Eric said they are looking at how much money it would take to fix it or replace it with a used smokehouse that meets state regulations.
“We also are having some apparel made. We hope to sell sweatshirts at The Fisherman’s Daughter. It’s going to be pretty neat to be outfitted in our own shirts when we fish.”
“My uncle Ed (“Ole” Hendrickson) taught me how to fish,” said Eric. We fished from Hat Point in Grand Portage. His grandparents are Fern and Lloyd Hendrickson.
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