Where are the fish biting?

Jim Schmidt of Lutsen had a fabulous day on the lake on Thursday, June 18. Fishing with Captain Darren Peck of Tofte Charters he caught this beautiful 16-pound lake trout.

Jon from Buck’s Hardware Hank in Grand Marais reports that it’s time for the annual Fisherman’s Picnic fishing tourney to begin this Saturday, July 25. Once again it’ll be hosted by Northern Wilds and Buck’s Hardware.

Buck’s will have a board with current leaders all during the contest. There will be six categories each with prizes for the top three finishers. First place will receive $100, second $75, and third place will receive $50.

The six categories are lake trout, salmon, northern pike, walleye, brook trout, and smallmouth bass.

“Over the past couple of years we’ve had some very tight races and I hope we get more of the same this year. It’s always exciting when the top three of a specific category are within a couple of ounces,” Jon said.

Also, the staff will be sure to have pictures on the board so everyone can see all the happy faces (on the fish, not the fishermen). “It seems most North Shore fishermen are very stoic. Maybe we’ll have to tickle them a little to get them to smile,” said Jon.

Marco Manzo III of Sagonto Resort sent the Cook County News-Herald some fishing news from Saganaga Lake. Randy Denzer from Amery, Wisconsin, who has a cabin on Lake Saganaga, stopped by the resort to show photos of two very nice walleye catches. On May 23, he caught this 32-inch, 12-pound walleye. Before releasing it, he managed a fishing solo-selfie.

Good luck to all who enter the contest. It will take the purchase of a Fisherman’s Picnic button to enter the contest to end all contests. So get ready and let’s cheer for the youngsters to win this year.

A special thanks to Jon at Buck’s for providing fish reports week after week for and for generously sharing them with the Cook County News-Herald.

Capt. Jerry Skarupa of Secret Lures Charters reports that fishing on the big lake is poor. Water temps are 40 degrees all over, and lake trout are down in 150 to 170 feet of water. There are few salmon around.