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Springtime on Lake Superior: Smelt, Steelhead, and Trolling Trout
Artificial Lure here, checking in from Duluth for your May 5th Lake Superior fishing report.
Conditions are shaping up nicely for spring anglers. Sunrise was at 5:52 AM with sunset coming at 8:22 PM, so there’s a hefty window of daylight to wet a line. The weather is classic North Shore spring—cool but comfortable—with water temps in the lake and rivers slowly rising toward that all-important 40-degree mark. No tides to worry about on freshwater Superior, but river flows are a bit light this year with less spring runoff than usual, which could impact where fish are staging.
The big headline this week is smelt—they’re still running along the Duluth shoreline and up the North Shore. Smelters at Park Point and folks dip-netting tributaries are still picking up a few, but the numbers are nothing like the glory days. You’ll have to work to fill a pail, but it’s worth it for a classic North Shore fry[1][3][5]. With water warming, expect the smelt run to taper soon, so this could be your last good shot.
Steelheaders have had a fair week. The lower shore streams from Duluth to Two Harbors are warming first, and that’s still the best stretch to target chrome. Swing egg patterns or toss spawn sacs in the streams. Where flow is slow, try fishing right at the tributary mouths in the lake itself—some steelhead are staging there[1][3][5]. The run’s tailing off, but a few fresh fish are still trickling in, especially after any rain.
Out on the lake, trolling has improved. Early spring boat anglers near Duluth are hooking into coho salmon and lake trout, mostly by trolling stickbaits or spoons up high in the water column. Cohos have been running 15 to 17 inches, with a few brown trout and lakers mixed in, browns stretching 18 to 22 inches[4][5]. If you’re targeting them, stickbaits in bright colors have been the top producer, with silvers and chartreuse patterns especially hot. Don’t forget classic Lake Superior hardware like spoons—Little Cleos and Krocodiles are getting it done.
Best bait this week? For steelhead, it’s a toss-up between egg sacs and nightcrawlers. For trolling, stickbaits and spoons in natural baitfish colors are gold.
Hot spots right now include Park Point for smelt and the mouths of the Lester and Knife Rivers for steelhead and coho. For boaters, the nearshore break from the Aerial Lift Bridge out to McQuade harbor is always worth a troll, especially early and late in the day.
That’s the scoop for Duluth and the south shore—get out there and enjoy what spring has to offer on the big lake. Tight lines!
Conditions are shaping up nicely for spring anglers. Sunrise was at 5:52 AM with sunset coming at 8:22 PM, so there’s a hefty window of daylight to wet a line. The weather is classic North Shore spring—cool but comfortable—with water temps in the lake and rivers slowly rising toward that all-important 40-degree mark. No tides to worry about on freshwater Superior, but river flows are a bit light this year with less spring runoff than usual, which could impact where fish are staging.
The big headline this week is smelt—they’re still running along the Duluth shoreline and up the North Shore. Smelters at Park Point and folks dip-netting tributaries are still picking up a few, but the numbers are nothing like the glory days. You’ll have to work to fill a pail, but it’s worth it for a classic North Shore fry[1][3][5]. With water warming, expect the smelt run to taper soon, so this could be your last good shot.
Steelheaders have had a fair week. The lower shore streams from Duluth to Two Harbors are warming first, and that’s still the best stretch to target chrome. Swing egg patterns or toss spawn sacs in the streams. Where flow is slow, try fishing right at the tributary mouths in the lake itself—some steelhead are staging there[1][3][5]. The run’s tailing off, but a few fresh fish are still trickling in, especially after any rain.
Out on the lake, trolling has improved. Early spring boat anglers near Duluth are hooking into coho salmon and lake trout, mostly by trolling stickbaits or spoons up high in the water column. Cohos have been running 15 to 17 inches, with a few brown trout and lakers mixed in, browns stretching 18 to 22 inches[4][5]. If you’re targeting them, stickbaits in bright colors have been the top producer, with silvers and chartreuse patterns especially hot. Don’t forget classic Lake Superior hardware like spoons—Little Cleos and Krocodiles are getting it done.
Best bait this week? For steelhead, it’s a toss-up between egg sacs and nightcrawlers. For trolling, stickbaits and spoons in natural baitfish colors are gold.
Hot spots right now include Park Point for smelt and the mouths of the Lester and Knife Rivers for steelhead and coho. For boaters, the nearshore break from the Aerial Lift Bridge out to McQuade harbor is always worth a troll, especially early and late in the day.
That’s the scoop for Duluth and the south shore—get out there and enjoy what spring has to offer on the big lake. Tight lines!
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By Quiet. PleaseArtificial Lure here, checking in from Duluth for your May 5th Lake Superior fishing report.
Conditions are shaping up nicely for spring anglers. Sunrise was at 5:52 AM with sunset coming at 8:22 PM, so there’s a hefty window of daylight to wet a line. The weather is classic North Shore spring—cool but comfortable—with water temps in the lake and rivers slowly rising toward that all-important 40-degree mark. No tides to worry about on freshwater Superior, but river flows are a bit light this year with less spring runoff than usual, which could impact where fish are staging.
The big headline this week is smelt—they’re still running along the Duluth shoreline and up the North Shore. Smelters at Park Point and folks dip-netting tributaries are still picking up a few, but the numbers are nothing like the glory days. You’ll have to work to fill a pail, but it’s worth it for a classic North Shore fry[1][3][5]. With water warming, expect the smelt run to taper soon, so this could be your last good shot.
Steelheaders have had a fair week. The lower shore streams from Duluth to Two Harbors are warming first, and that’s still the best stretch to target chrome. Swing egg patterns or toss spawn sacs in the streams. Where flow is slow, try fishing right at the tributary mouths in the lake itself—some steelhead are staging there[1][3][5]. The run’s tailing off, but a few fresh fish are still trickling in, especially after any rain.
Out on the lake, trolling has improved. Early spring boat anglers near Duluth are hooking into coho salmon and lake trout, mostly by trolling stickbaits or spoons up high in the water column. Cohos have been running 15 to 17 inches, with a few brown trout and lakers mixed in, browns stretching 18 to 22 inches[4][5]. If you’re targeting them, stickbaits in bright colors have been the top producer, with silvers and chartreuse patterns especially hot. Don’t forget classic Lake Superior hardware like spoons—Little Cleos and Krocodiles are getting it done.
Best bait this week? For steelhead, it’s a toss-up between egg sacs and nightcrawlers. For trolling, stickbaits and spoons in natural baitfish colors are gold.
Hot spots right now include Park Point for smelt and the mouths of the Lester and Knife Rivers for steelhead and coho. For boaters, the nearshore break from the Aerial Lift Bridge out to McQuade harbor is always worth a troll, especially early and late in the day.
That’s the scoop for Duluth and the south shore—get out there and enjoy what spring has to offer on the big lake. Tight lines!
Conditions are shaping up nicely for spring anglers. Sunrise was at 5:52 AM with sunset coming at 8:22 PM, so there’s a hefty window of daylight to wet a line. The weather is classic North Shore spring—cool but comfortable—with water temps in the lake and rivers slowly rising toward that all-important 40-degree mark. No tides to worry about on freshwater Superior, but river flows are a bit light this year with less spring runoff than usual, which could impact where fish are staging.
The big headline this week is smelt—they’re still running along the Duluth shoreline and up the North Shore. Smelters at Park Point and folks dip-netting tributaries are still picking up a few, but the numbers are nothing like the glory days. You’ll have to work to fill a pail, but it’s worth it for a classic North Shore fry[1][3][5]. With water warming, expect the smelt run to taper soon, so this could be your last good shot.
Steelheaders have had a fair week. The lower shore streams from Duluth to Two Harbors are warming first, and that’s still the best stretch to target chrome. Swing egg patterns or toss spawn sacs in the streams. Where flow is slow, try fishing right at the tributary mouths in the lake itself—some steelhead are staging there[1][3][5]. The run’s tailing off, but a few fresh fish are still trickling in, especially after any rain.
Out on the lake, trolling has improved. Early spring boat anglers near Duluth are hooking into coho salmon and lake trout, mostly by trolling stickbaits or spoons up high in the water column. Cohos have been running 15 to 17 inches, with a few brown trout and lakers mixed in, browns stretching 18 to 22 inches[4][5]. If you’re targeting them, stickbaits in bright colors have been the top producer, with silvers and chartreuse patterns especially hot. Don’t forget classic Lake Superior hardware like spoons—Little Cleos and Krocodiles are getting it done.
Best bait this week? For steelhead, it’s a toss-up between egg sacs and nightcrawlers. For trolling, stickbaits and spoons in natural baitfish colors are gold.
Hot spots right now include Park Point for smelt and the mouths of the Lester and Knife Rivers for steelhead and coho. For boaters, the nearshore break from the Aerial Lift Bridge out to McQuade harbor is always worth a troll, especially early and late in the day.
That’s the scoop for Duluth and the south shore—get out there and enjoy what spring has to offer on the big lake. Tight lines!