Duluth/Two Harbors in Aug/Sept.

Checking my PTO calendar at work and realize that I have a few more days to burn than I thought! I’m thinking of doing something I’ve always wanted to do but know almost nothing about…

I’d like to take my fishing kayak and fish the more sheltered water of Superior, thinking within the breakwater of Two Harbors or maybe spend a day paddling and casting within Duluth Harbor as well. Lakers, Steelhead and maybe even Salmon would be the target, especially around Two Harbors. Maybe moreso Pike and Smallies in Duluth Harbor?? Might consider venturing to the lakeside of the breakwater or piers if conditions were perfect, but definitely not gonna push it. My first question is, is the relatively shallow bite around these areas good in the Aug/Sept timeframe? I know Lakers are shallower as we get closer to winter, but I know almost nothing about fishing for these species. I have done enough poking around to know that they can be caught on relatively basic set-ups (spoons, spinners, slip bobber rigs) around inshore structure depending on time of year and would love to give it a try. Would also be open to river mouths, etc, but would have to be relatively close to an access, my Kayak is a tank, I do have a cart but wouldn’t want to go too far with it.

Does anyone have any advice for a first timer with this type of fishing or paddling in these waters?? Other species or north shore areas I should be considering?

Also, I’m not as young and dumb as I once was and even back then I’d be hesitant about small crafts and big water– so I’m all about good conditions and safety. Im an experienced kayaker But I don’t know what I dont know, so lay it all on me

Some good info here on the breakwall fishing in Two Harbors:

Fishing from shore on the North Shore

Sorry, that didn't work as planned. Google "two harbors breakwall fishing" and scroll down.

In Aug-sept the water in Lake Superior is the warmest. This drives most of the fish out to deeper water and typically down in the water column as well in order to find lake trout, salmon and steelhead you’re gonna need to go deep. If the water cools quickly in later September you may be able to find some lakers staging to spawn in shallow water but I’ve never been able to.

Honestly, if the weather is good, I wouldn’t be afraid to take the kayak out to deep water and do some jigging if you have a graph on your kayak. Right outside the two harbors breakwall there are 2-3 humps that can carry lots of fish all year long. They don’t always have fish on them but when they do there are lots of fish on them.

Get yourself some 5” white tubes and 1, 1.5 and 2 oz tube jigs. Personally I prefer pitching these tube jigs like you would for walleye and retrieve them slowly. These fish will shoot up 40’ to grab a bait sometimes so you do t need to be close to the bottom with it. Also, lakers don’t usually hit your bait really hard they sort of mouth the bait and swing at it. You’ll feel some bumps on the bait before they actually get ahold of it.

Your best bet if you are wanting to go out in a kayak trolling is January-April. All sorts of fish are in the top 20’ of the water column and close to shore.

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There are fish showing up right now in Two Harbors and have been for the last few weeks but they’ve been hit and miss. The bigger factor around the breakwater and harbor will be daylight. Early morning and evening can tend to be the best times for the lakers and coho, but the wall will hand you fish all day if you spend the time out there. I know of a couple Kings having been taken off the wall in late July along with quite a few lakers and herring. Cohos may or may not be there until later in September. The water is warm enough now for walleyes to maybe have moved up the shore that far.

If you fish from the breakwater or cast around it you will not need a mega line, 6-8 pound Trilene XL in clear is a very adequate line. Use a ball bearing swivel/snap on everything. The jigs and tubes Biggill mentions are good for the first hump he mentions. It tops out at about 52-53 feet and light braid may be of benefit there for the vertical jigging but the mono will beat out the braid for casting.

For casting or slow trolling, 1/2 to 5/8 ounce gold with an orange stripe Krokodile lures are really hard to beat The lakers, salmons and herring realy, really like gold/orange. If I was limited to one color, it would be gold/orange stripe. Gold #4 Mepps spinners without a hair dressed hook do well casting especially if there’s some orange on the body of the spinner. You can find orange tape for using on blades and stuff at Marine General in Duluth. Call ahead and ask if they have it in stock or you can pm me and I can send you some 3m tape that I use.

Mid-july is a general time to see fish being to show up off the wall or trolling and things just get better as time moves on. I do well from early August right thru the close of laker season at the end of September. October and early November can be a wild time for shorebound cohos, but Jan/Feb will offer larger fish.

Thank you both for the awesome suggestions!!! Weather will definitely be key if I decide to venture to the lake side of the wall, but when talking about the wall, I’m guessing you’re referring to the lakeside and not the harbor side. I do have a depth finder on my yak, just a Garmin Stryker, so no pre-loaded map option. I’d have to paddle ’til I found it, but not opposed to that. I’ve also heard that a second rod with a slip bobber and crawler set relatively shallow 10-15 ft. can be good?? Is that more of a spring thing when the fish are shallower in the column?

Also, maybe lost in my first post… Anyone fish Duluth Harbor that time of year? I was thinking if it was windy that I may be able to find some more sheltered spots further back in the harbor for pike, smallies or walleye. Species I’m more familiar with but literally have no idea if it’s even worth it?

I can’t answer anything about the harbor since I’ve never really fished it.

As far as the bobber is concerned, I’ve always been under the impression that is more of a winter and early spring thing. Not saying you can’t catch anything but I’m thinking anything that’s willing to bite on a bobber in the top 20’ will also bite a crank bait. Your most likely catch with a bobber would probably be herring this time of year. I think you’d only need to fish 4’ down with a bobber but if the herring schools are suspended further down you may have to go down with them. Usually people use either some sort of hair jig called a looper bug with a waxie or with a crappie minnow.

It’s not unusual to see fish feeding on the surface and if you see that it can be herring or is very common to be cohos. Cast into it and there’s a high likelihood they’ll bite. Bright colored #8, #10 X-raps are great crank baits for surface trolling and casting.

I’ve done some nice coho in the dog days off the breakwall with cork and suckers.
The key to getting fish high in the column will be wind. West wind for a few days pushes surface water out and then the cold comes to the top.
Watch the wind and NOAA satellite surface Temps to follow this pattern. The hard part about doing such from a computer is that quite often t wind speed and direction on the lake does not match the wx given as it is from land.

ThunderLund78 wrote:

I do have a depth finder on my yak, just a Garmin Stryker, so no pre-loaded map option. I’d have to paddle ’til I found it, but not opposed to that.

Get contour maps on your phone. Navionics was the go to for years but the new lakemaster app is suppose to be blow it out of the water. Few bucks gets you all of north America.

What kind of setups are you using for casting tubes to lakers? MH spinning rod?

I have a smaller 165 boat but more and more interested in making the trip up there someday and fishing near shore carefully. Weather and wind is the big hold back and trying to plan a trip around it – I suppose you changes gears and go fish the river or harbor if the lake is blowing.

10klakes wrote:

What kind of setups are you using for casting tubes to lakers? MH spinning rod?

I have a smaller 165 boat but more and more interested in making the trip up there someday and fishing near shore carefully. Weather and wind is the big hold back and trying to plan a trip around it – I suppose you changes gears and go fish the river or harbor if the lake is blowing.

Yep. I use one of my heavier walleye jig pitching rods. 7’ MHXF. Extra fast isn’t necessary but backbone is needed. A softer tip is probably preferred to keep tension on the fish when hooked.

I use 15-20# PowerPro Super Slick with a 20# Blue Label leader.

I have a tough time understanding why guys ever have a use for medium-heavy power rods for walleyes. I use a medium light or medium for all applications, and sometimes the medium almost seems like overkill, even on big fish! It’s off topic here, I know, but what gives?

Sir, this is a Wendy’s.

LabDaddy1 wrote:

I have a tough time understanding why guys ever have a use for medium-heavy power rods for walleyes. I use a medium light or medium for all applications, and sometimes the medium almost seems like overkill, even on big fish! It’s off topic here, I know, but what gives?

3 ways with 3-8 oz weights
Dipsys
6oz jigs
Etc

Like muskie. You don’t need the rod for the fish you need it for the bait.

Yeah, that makes sense. Thanks Andy(and matt) for answering; just wanted some outside input for clarity. Guess I’m a little air-headed sometimes!

I just came back from the cabin and did well off the wall. As mark-bruzek suggested, a west wind is favorable for the fish although a south or a southwest wind can be good as can be a northwest wind.

I came home with a couple trout and some herring and this was by casting the wall. There were boats getting fish too as well as others on the wall. Small cohos were all over the place. A king ass shown up on random occasions.

Someone suggested maybe a river or river mouth, just be aware that all lures have to have a single hook within 100 feet of a river mouth.

Other than some trash on the bottom around the breakwater there is little in the water to require a mega line and as I mentioned, I use #6 and/or #8 pound mono and have caught plenty of fish in the ten/twelve pound, with many way heavier. Long rod, decent reel and patience.

For fishing around the Two Harbors area in a kayak you don’t need 6-8 ounce weights nor do you need6 ounce jigs. The most common weight for a hair jig, even in boats is between 2-3 ounces. Unless you have a petal powered yak or you use an electric motor on it, you won’t be sustaining a speed long enough for a dipsy to work very well. This is wide, open water with nothing between you and the fish. If you have a longer medium walleye rod that’ll work fine for the usual fish being taken right now but the larger trout and kings that have been taken of late off the wall have come on relatively normal walleye weight tackle.

I’ll post a picture of a tube rig I make that is super on lakers in a few minutes.

Here’s the tube rig I mentioned. The tubes are 4” and very good at catching lakers. The rig simply insets like a tube jig but you benefit from the treble hook. The weight is about 5/8 ounce, maybe 3/4…. I really can’t say as I have never weighed them. But they work great. Click the pic to enlarge.

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