Where are the fish biting?

Fisherman’s Picnic is over, but fishing is still going strong on the North Shore—despite the heat.

 

John at Buck’s Hardware said the heat seems to be affecting the walleye bite. Some anglers are finding walleye in 12 – 18 feet depths; others as deep as 40 feet. John said the lakes to try are Poplar, Devil Track, Elbow, Pike, and Two Island.

Tyson at the Beaver House has heard similar reports on Devil Track and Two Island, with a few nice 17-and 18-inch walleyes being caught. Tyson has also heard that walleyes are biting on Crescent, Seagull and Saganaga on beaver flicks and slip bobber rigs.

John said lake trout are hitting using ciscoes or spoons at depths of 45 – 60 feet on Saganaga, Greenwood, Gunflint, Daniels, and Duncan lakes.

The Beaver House didn’t have a lake trout report, but said the salmon—lots of pink salmon—are in. He said anglers are having the best luck with the flat line method. John at Buck’s agreed, noting that fishermen need to find the right temperature range. He said salmon are being caught in the 80-foot or less range.

The fishing Spry family fared well in the Buck’s Hardware Fisherman’s Picnic Big Fish Contest, taking first and second place in the lake trout category. Larry Spry (right) won the category with his 25 pound 1 ounce trout and Jerry Spry took second with a 22 pound 14 ounce trout.

Rainbows are still biting on crawlers off the bottom in 18-25 feet of water. John recommends Leo, Trout, Esther and Mink lakes, although Tyson said the bite has slowed on Mink because of the hot weather. He said the Kimball rainbows have also slowed.

Northern pike have been hitting in Devil Track and Elbow lakes and the smallmouth bass, as usual according to Tyson, are “pretty much everywhere.”

Mike LaFreniere of Grand Marais with the nice trout he caught on Lake SupeCatch rior. The trout weighed in at 11 pounds.

A very happy Drew Mogck from Edina, MN, shows off the 18 pound, 36 inch lake trout caught on August 9 while fishing with Captain Darren Peck of Tofte Charters. The big fish was released.