Mary and Dave North of Lutsen took their friend Lloyd Gilbertson fishing at a Cook County lake recently. Mary thought she had snagged a log and asked Gilbertson to get her lure off of the bottom. He handed the pole back and said, “I think you have a fish.” It turned out to be this huge 45-inch northern pike!
Jon at Buck’s Hardware Hank reports that things are getting busy at Midway:
I just wanted to let everyone know that the Fisherman’s Picnic fishing contest will be starting this coming Saturday, July 26. It will run until Aug. 2. Fish must be brought in and weighed by noon on Saturday.
There are six categories in which you can enter and you can be in multiple categories: Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Brook Trout, Lake Trout, and Salmon. Prizes are $100 for first place, $75 for second, and $50 for third in each category.
As far as fishing action goes around the area, the walleyes have been down a little but a few lakes are giving them up mostly in 14 to 18 feet or so. Midday walleyes are tougher so many are hitting the evening bite. Leeches and minnows seem to be the bait of choice on Lindy rigs, jigs as well as slip bobber set-ups.
Smallies in the weeds are hitting crawlers and Crankbaits around the weed edges are doing the job. Quite a few people are slow trolling along the shoreline doing the ol’ cast and retrieve.
Lake trout are hitting in Sag, Seagull and Greenwood in that 45- to 60-foot range or so suspended at about 25 or 30 feet. There’s some jigging going on but mostly they’re trolling spoons and cranks. Trolling with Daredevles and Rapalas are a decent method for the northerns out there as well as tossing out a sucker minnow or two.
Capt. Jerry Skarupa of Secret Lures says not much has changed, with 95 percent of the lake trout caught from 140 to 180 feet deep.
Lake Superior water temps are still 39-40 degrees. Just a handful of salmon are being caught.
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