Guys-
Heading up to Two Harbors area next weekend with the fw to celebrate a belated 5 year anniversary, staying at the Grand Superior Lodge north of TH. I might be able to bring some ice gear with(fingers crossed) Any suggestions? I’d like to find a laker or two, loopers would be cool as well. Thanks
I highly doubt you will find any areas to ice fish for lakers quite yet. Shipping season is still open and although i haven’t seen the harbor up there I’d put my money on it as being open.
To be on the safe side, i would fish for loopers and bring your shore casting gear if i were you. There are a few being caught off of the French, and Lester. Are you familiar with the set up for shore fishing loopers? If not just ask and ill fill ya in 
Just this past week a few have been showing up and I’ve gotten a couple decent reports.
But if you want to bring ice gear you will have to fish the St Louis River or an inland lake. The Mcquade safe harbor wasn’t fish able either as of a few days ago.
Bring the creepers and a long handled net with the long rod and cast the breakwater. If any of the fish mentioned are in the harbor at TH you’ll be able to take them from the wall by casting.
Quote:
Bring the creepers and a long handled net with the long rod and cast the breakwater. If any of the fish mentioned are in the harbor at TH you’ll be able to take them from the wall by casting.
“creepers?” a little unfamiliar with the term. I think I’d be better off with the open water gear now that it’s been mentioned, alot quicker to gets a few casts in than set up all the ice gear. Who knows- I might not even leave the room?!? 
creepers are spikes or studs you wear on your feet for traction on slick ice. 
If you venture out on the breakwater you may or may not encounter some ice from waves. The lake side of the structure will be the most vulnerable to ice, but both sides are fishable, starting at about the elbow, provided there is no ice in the harbor. If they are shipping yet, there will be no ice.
Try casting a 1/3 ounce Little Cleo, gold/orange. Even a DareDevil in gold/orange. Krokodile Lures are good in gold/orange at 1/4 and 1/2 ounce. Silver/blue would be my next choice in color.
6 or 8 pound Vanish is a great line for casting, but do use a ballbearing swivel with a crosslock snap.
Salmon and loopers will be higher in the water column while lakers right now could be anywhere, but I always like to look for them a bit deeper. The deepest water will be straight off the end of the structure at about 72 feet. At the elbow on the inside you’ll find 40 at the end of a cast and it gets deeper as you wander further towards the end but the bottom is real convoluted and rises and drops are all along that wall. Great structure, great fishing.
Quote:
creepers are spikes or studs you wear on your feet for traction on slick ice.
Sorry, shoulda clarified the question. I had figured that they were some sort of special bait or lure only the locals know what they are, and if so, where I could get some.
I failed to realize that I would possibly be standing on the ice, casting to open water. Again on my part!
CT- did you live up there once upon a time? You’ve got a great deal of knowledge of the fishing up there!
We have a cabin there and I spend a lot of time on the breakwater as well as on the water while I am there. I lean on the Stewart River some too in the spring and get the majority of my loopers there along with an occasional steelhead. I focus on lakers while I am doing the casting thing though. Coho, King Salmon, Atlantic Salmon, Kamloops, Steelhead, Herring are all target fish thru the season though and I have nabbed some very decent walleyes and a couple of huge pike from the breakwater too.
I meant to mention too that spinners of #3 to about a #5 are great at times too. Personally I like a gold spinner, plain treble hook, with just a slice of orange tape on the backside of the blade. I run the tape from top to bottom of the blade covering about 1/3 to 1/2 of the blade. Silver blades do well too as do plain gold. I look for spinners that have the orange tubing on the hook. Mepps makes a long cast spinner that works great.
If you decide to do this casting thing, spool up new line. Don’t tie anything on to start. When you get on the breakwater, open the bail and walk all the line off being sure the line drops in the water as you walk. When its all off to the reel’s spool, pich the line between your thumb and finger fairly tight and rewind it. When its back on the reel, tie in your swivel, then have at it. Another line you might want to consider is 8 pound crystal, but if its cold it can have icing issues.
If you are looking for loopers, coho, kings, or even a random high laker, keep the lure count down to above 20. A moderate retrieve will work great. If you get bumps but not a hook-up, try speeding up the retrieve. For the pig lakers, fish deeper. I cast as far as I can get it and allow the lure to drop to the bottom on an open bail so line can come off as the lure drops….it won’t tether back towards you on the drop this way. When the line goes slack, the lure has hit bottom. Close the bail manually, take up the slack and then reel with a nice easy rate, not fast at all and if you are using a spinner give the rod a good snap to start the spinner in deep water.
Hits can be something else and with the water being cold almost uniformly now, at any place in the water column. Fish will follow a lure from the bottom to the surface before hitting at time. Some hits might be nothing more than a sudden tightening of the line, but as a rule the hits will be very certain.
Fishing the big lake is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding kinds of fishing there is. Simply being on the water or along side of it is amazing but to catch a fish out of it is totally awesome. Of all the fish I have taken from there personally, the Atlantic Salmon is the most memorable for me. I have taken only two and none in recent years. They are a great fish. For sheer dogged determination a laker over 15 pounds will hand you a work out.
Good luck up there. The winter is a whole new world once you hit that lake.
Great info! With all the flooding I anticipate on the Rivers in my area this Spring, I see myself getting up there more than a few times. I absolutely love looper and coho fishing up there!
CT- thank you soo much for the tips!
I can only speak for myself, but I know fellow IDOers are thanking you as well for all the info! I’ll let you know how I do this coming weekend..
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
