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Spring Bite Heating Up on Lake Superior's Duluth Fishery
This is Artificial Lure with your Friday, April 18 Lake Superior Duluth fishing report. The bite is heating up around the Twin Ports and we’re seeing spring patterns start to peak as water continues to warm and river mouths open up.
Let’s start with the weather. We’ve got a steady east wind at 10 to 15 knots, gusting up to 20, with clouds building and a chance of rain showers this afternoon. Wave heights are mostly in the 1 to 3 foot range near shore, making trolling manageable for most small boats but do keep an eye on changing weather if you’re heading out. Sunrise today was bright at 6:16 AM, with sunset at 8:01 PM. That gives us long daylight hours to work the bite[9][6].
Tide swings don’t mean much on the big freshwater, but if you’re curious, the next low tide is around 2:41 PM and the next high around 9:55 PM—though for Duluth anglers, wind has a bigger say in water levels than the minor lunar tides[6].
Fish activity is on the upswing. Cohos have been showing up consistently out front, with most in the 15-17 inch range. Brown trout are hot too, running 18 to 22 inches, and a few nice steelhead have been caught near the stream mouths during the early season run, particularly at the mouth of the Lester and French Rivers[1][5]. Smelt are running, though it’s nothing like the heydays in the ‘70s, but there are still enough for dip-netters to have some fun at night along the beaches[2].
Best action has been found trolling stickbaits and shallow crankbaits high in the water column, especially early and late in the day. Orange, chartreuse, and anything with a bit of flash have been producing. Spoons—particularly bright silvers and blue—are also landing fish when trolled just off the breaks in 10 to 30 feet of water. For those targeting lake trout, try vertically jigging a heavier spoon or a Crippled Herring just above rocky structure, or troll deeper flats with the “Monkey Ball” system or copper longlines if you’ve got the gear for it[7][10]. Live bait is still tough to beat for browns and lakers—try large shiners or sucker minnows near drop-offs, but don’t overlook a well-presented spawn bag or nightcrawler.
Hot spots today:
1. The mouth of the Lester River, especially early morning for steelhead and browns, drifting spawn sacks or casting stickbaits[5].
2. The rip-rap and shoreline stretch from Brighton Beach to McQuade Safe Harbor for cohos and browns—troll close to shore with flashy stickbaits or spoons.
Boat landings are open from Duluth to Two Harbors, and lake access is good. Most rivers are running high with the recent snowmelt, which is pulling in fresh fish every day. The next 10 days should see even better action as the water continues to warm and more fish push up to spawn.
Get out there, play the wind, and don’t be afraid to change up lures until you dial in the bite. Good luck and tight lines!
Let’s start with the weather. We’ve got a steady east wind at 10 to 15 knots, gusting up to 20, with clouds building and a chance of rain showers this afternoon. Wave heights are mostly in the 1 to 3 foot range near shore, making trolling manageable for most small boats but do keep an eye on changing weather if you’re heading out. Sunrise today was bright at 6:16 AM, with sunset at 8:01 PM. That gives us long daylight hours to work the bite[9][6].
Tide swings don’t mean much on the big freshwater, but if you’re curious, the next low tide is around 2:41 PM and the next high around 9:55 PM—though for Duluth anglers, wind has a bigger say in water levels than the minor lunar tides[6].
Fish activity is on the upswing. Cohos have been showing up consistently out front, with most in the 15-17 inch range. Brown trout are hot too, running 18 to 22 inches, and a few nice steelhead have been caught near the stream mouths during the early season run, particularly at the mouth of the Lester and French Rivers[1][5]. Smelt are running, though it’s nothing like the heydays in the ‘70s, but there are still enough for dip-netters to have some fun at night along the beaches[2].
Best action has been found trolling stickbaits and shallow crankbaits high in the water column, especially early and late in the day. Orange, chartreuse, and anything with a bit of flash have been producing. Spoons—particularly bright silvers and blue—are also landing fish when trolled just off the breaks in 10 to 30 feet of water. For those targeting lake trout, try vertically jigging a heavier spoon or a Crippled Herring just above rocky structure, or troll deeper flats with the “Monkey Ball” system or copper longlines if you’ve got the gear for it[7][10]. Live bait is still tough to beat for browns and lakers—try large shiners or sucker minnows near drop-offs, but don’t overlook a well-presented spawn bag or nightcrawler.
Hot spots today:
1. The mouth of the Lester River, especially early morning for steelhead and browns, drifting spawn sacks or casting stickbaits[5].
2. The rip-rap and shoreline stretch from Brighton Beach to McQuade Safe Harbor for cohos and browns—troll close to shore with flashy stickbaits or spoons.
Boat landings are open from Duluth to Two Harbors, and lake access is good. Most rivers are running high with the recent snowmelt, which is pulling in fresh fish every day. The next 10 days should see even better action as the water continues to warm and more fish push up to spawn.
Get out there, play the wind, and don’t be afraid to change up lures until you dial in the bite. Good luck and tight lines!
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By Quiet. PleaseThis is Artificial Lure with your Friday, April 18 Lake Superior Duluth fishing report. The bite is heating up around the Twin Ports and we’re seeing spring patterns start to peak as water continues to warm and river mouths open up.
Let’s start with the weather. We’ve got a steady east wind at 10 to 15 knots, gusting up to 20, with clouds building and a chance of rain showers this afternoon. Wave heights are mostly in the 1 to 3 foot range near shore, making trolling manageable for most small boats but do keep an eye on changing weather if you’re heading out. Sunrise today was bright at 6:16 AM, with sunset at 8:01 PM. That gives us long daylight hours to work the bite[9][6].
Tide swings don’t mean much on the big freshwater, but if you’re curious, the next low tide is around 2:41 PM and the next high around 9:55 PM—though for Duluth anglers, wind has a bigger say in water levels than the minor lunar tides[6].
Fish activity is on the upswing. Cohos have been showing up consistently out front, with most in the 15-17 inch range. Brown trout are hot too, running 18 to 22 inches, and a few nice steelhead have been caught near the stream mouths during the early season run, particularly at the mouth of the Lester and French Rivers[1][5]. Smelt are running, though it’s nothing like the heydays in the ‘70s, but there are still enough for dip-netters to have some fun at night along the beaches[2].
Best action has been found trolling stickbaits and shallow crankbaits high in the water column, especially early and late in the day. Orange, chartreuse, and anything with a bit of flash have been producing. Spoons—particularly bright silvers and blue—are also landing fish when trolled just off the breaks in 10 to 30 feet of water. For those targeting lake trout, try vertically jigging a heavier spoon or a Crippled Herring just above rocky structure, or troll deeper flats with the “Monkey Ball” system or copper longlines if you’ve got the gear for it[7][10]. Live bait is still tough to beat for browns and lakers—try large shiners or sucker minnows near drop-offs, but don’t overlook a well-presented spawn bag or nightcrawler.
Hot spots today:
1. The mouth of the Lester River, especially early morning for steelhead and browns, drifting spawn sacks or casting stickbaits[5].
2. The rip-rap and shoreline stretch from Brighton Beach to McQuade Safe Harbor for cohos and browns—troll close to shore with flashy stickbaits or spoons.
Boat landings are open from Duluth to Two Harbors, and lake access is good. Most rivers are running high with the recent snowmelt, which is pulling in fresh fish every day. The next 10 days should see even better action as the water continues to warm and more fish push up to spawn.
Get out there, play the wind, and don’t be afraid to change up lures until you dial in the bite. Good luck and tight lines!
Let’s start with the weather. We’ve got a steady east wind at 10 to 15 knots, gusting up to 20, with clouds building and a chance of rain showers this afternoon. Wave heights are mostly in the 1 to 3 foot range near shore, making trolling manageable for most small boats but do keep an eye on changing weather if you’re heading out. Sunrise today was bright at 6:16 AM, with sunset at 8:01 PM. That gives us long daylight hours to work the bite[9][6].
Tide swings don’t mean much on the big freshwater, but if you’re curious, the next low tide is around 2:41 PM and the next high around 9:55 PM—though for Duluth anglers, wind has a bigger say in water levels than the minor lunar tides[6].
Fish activity is on the upswing. Cohos have been showing up consistently out front, with most in the 15-17 inch range. Brown trout are hot too, running 18 to 22 inches, and a few nice steelhead have been caught near the stream mouths during the early season run, particularly at the mouth of the Lester and French Rivers[1][5]. Smelt are running, though it’s nothing like the heydays in the ‘70s, but there are still enough for dip-netters to have some fun at night along the beaches[2].
Best action has been found trolling stickbaits and shallow crankbaits high in the water column, especially early and late in the day. Orange, chartreuse, and anything with a bit of flash have been producing. Spoons—particularly bright silvers and blue—are also landing fish when trolled just off the breaks in 10 to 30 feet of water. For those targeting lake trout, try vertically jigging a heavier spoon or a Crippled Herring just above rocky structure, or troll deeper flats with the “Monkey Ball” system or copper longlines if you’ve got the gear for it[7][10]. Live bait is still tough to beat for browns and lakers—try large shiners or sucker minnows near drop-offs, but don’t overlook a well-presented spawn bag or nightcrawler.
Hot spots today:
1. The mouth of the Lester River, especially early morning for steelhead and browns, drifting spawn sacks or casting stickbaits[5].
2. The rip-rap and shoreline stretch from Brighton Beach to McQuade Safe Harbor for cohos and browns—troll close to shore with flashy stickbaits or spoons.
Boat landings are open from Duluth to Two Harbors, and lake access is good. Most rivers are running high with the recent snowmelt, which is pulling in fresh fish every day. The next 10 days should see even better action as the water continues to warm and more fish push up to spawn.
Get out there, play the wind, and don’t be afraid to change up lures until you dial in the bite. Good luck and tight lines!