Fan of Northern MN here forced to live in the metro, looking to try Coho’s for the first time. Looking for tips as well as any info on where to park if I’m looking to fish out from 21st. Oh one other thing how late into the season does the bite last would the end of Feb be too late, would the ice even be good at the point? Sorry for the noob questions.
can you get to that 75 ft mark yet ?
Not on the original good ice…..
Patience guys. At the rate it’s looking there will be plenty of time to not risk your life.
Be careful guys, and good luck!
My dream came true today and I made it to the promised land of Lake Superior. I headed left from the access everyone seemed to be using in the 21st ave area and found 72 to 75 feet on 7 inches of ice.
Didn’t go out that far to find that depth but crossing the busted up ice just out from shore was a bit of work but was doable. Fishing on the largest freshwater lake in the world was quite an experience.
Oh, and I got skunked. Had a few fish chase on the Marcum but can’t say for sure that any were lakers. I didn’t think the marks on the flasher looked that big so they might have just been curious herring for all I know.
Had a few ask how I was doing and ran into a couple groups at the access and nobody seemed to be lighting it on fire but one group of 3 did say they caught a couple lakers early this morning.
I plan to try it again someday.
I didn’t think the marks on the flasher looked that big so they might have just been curious herring for all I know.
A lot of times the lakers don’t show up much bigger than your lure. They are usually moving pretty fast and sometimes show up as only a green flicker.
The key is to make them chase it pretty hard. From that depth it’s very common to make them chase it 30’ or more. The faster you can make them chase the more they want it. You can literally hook them for a few seconds and have them come back to eat it again. It’s not uncommon to have a fish bite it 4+ times.
Pretty cool experience, that’s for sure. How much ice did you find out there?
They could have been lakers. The handful of fish I had chase came into the screen much faster than the other flickers and didn’t take much provoking to get them coming up. Each time I got them to come up 20 to 30 feet but couldn’t get them to close the gap on the bait and eventually they lost interest and were gone. Unfortunately I didn’t get fishing till about 10 am and I think my last chaser was anout 12:30. In talking to others it sounded like the best bite was early.
I had the most interest on a craw tube and a #9 Jigging Rap. Didn’t get anything to look at Rippin Raps.
1st time chasing these fish. Could have been my lure choice, technique, or the fish were just off. I think I had 3 or 4 fish chase me high enough and fast enough I thought they might be lakers but wasn’t sure. None of them went real crazy but also steadily rose up.
Need more experience. Look forward to trying again.
Oh, had 7 inches of ice in every hole I measured. I was proabaly half way between the broken ice sheets near shore and the distant pressure ridge. There was a group or 2 fishing just inside the distant ridge. Kudos to them for dragging a sled and big hub out that far. My loaded down 1 man felt plenty heavy today…
Tucker
What’s your thoughts on the ice conditions today and tommorrow? Looks like the wind is not good was gonna try and get over there tommorrow
Looks like an ENE at 10 to 20 the next couple days. It would seem that might not be good, however I think the current ice sheet has withstood that already.
Being a newbie to watching this ice out there, I really can’t say what will happen. I’ve decided that any time I want to go I’m calling Marine General to get the most recent ice report and then heading out on the ice with my own extreme caution.
I never think twice about hearing ice boom and crack while fishing, but hearing it made me check my surroundings while out there on Saturday.
Tucker
I had the most interest on a craw tube and a #9 Jigging Rap. Didn’t get anything to look at Rippin Raps.
Lakers love white or pearl tubes under the ice. 4″ is about the starting size.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>curleytail wrote:</div>
I had the most interest on a craw tube and a #9 Jigging Rap. Didn’t get anything to look at Rippin Raps.Lakers love white or pearl tubes under the ice. 4″ is about the starting size.
Are you using standard tube jigs with those Tom? I have heard flukes can be good as well? Thinking about giving the laker game a shot this year if the ice holds on. I’m a little hesitant to do it on Superior but if enough people get out there and the ice hangs on for awhile I’ll probably get up there.
Since casting is not involved with fishing down a hole a person can get by with slip-in tube heads or even ball heads. What one should consider though is hook strength. Lakers are tough fish and if one hangs on your bait while using a hook designed for walleye a trout can straighten it in a blink so I suggest using a head designed for bass and sharpen the hook sticky sharp. A lot of people, in my opinion, over think what is required to go catch Lake Trout and then lose touch with how strong the fish are.
I make an insert that I use in open water casting and boat fishing for trout on Superior that works super good for me. I have never lost a fish with it to pulled hooks. Break-offs yes. I’ll post a picture here of it in a few minutes.
There are about 15 shacks out there right now. I just came down 21st, they’re in the same area they were on Saturday just off of 21st
“Lakers love white or pearl tubes under the ice. 4″ is about the starting size.
Are you using standard tube jigs with those Tom? I have heard flukes can be good as well? Thinking about giving the laker game a shot this year if the ice holds on. I’m a little hesitant to do it on Superior but if enough people get out there and the ice hangs on for awhile I’ll probably get up there.”….Mahtofire
Here’s what I make and use for jigging lakers mahtofire. Its actually a number 5 French spinner that I just cut the blade and clevis off from. Its gets slipped in and punched thru the end of the tube just far enough to clip on. I use a good ball bearing swivel with these. The hooks are #2 Gammi trebles, plenty tough enough for most lakers and the tubes are just simple tubes I inject here at home. White/chartreuse tentacles is what you see here and is an outstanding summer color so I don’t know why it would not work in the winter. White, glow and pearl are great winter colors. I know lots of guys who winter jig lakers and they use 3 1/2″ to 4 1/2″ on similar rigs and like to use those tubes with some scent, like Power Tubes. I know a couple fellas that soak white tubes in Gulp juice. The weight on these inserts is about 9/16 ounce…. plenty heavy for dropping down a hole in 50 to 100 feet of water.
Lakers like baits that are moving…radically jigged, reeled up fast for lots of feet and then allowed to free-fall again. The forward line tie on these rigs allows you to go all over the place with the tubes with very little line twist which is something any jig head with a 60 to 90 degree leg will give you when jigging hard. A six inch lift-drop will make these things dance like crazy, again what a laker will respond to.
One of the treble’s hooks will easily carry a five inch sucker minnow down if the trout are begging for some meat.
Lake Trout don’t really know what cold water “isn’t”. They live in deep cold water all year long and are super active when most fish shrivel up. Tubes are a super bait for winter jigging and even the heavy clunker jigs used in summertime deep water, those 2 to 3 ounce bucktail numbers, will work under the ice if dressed up with some meat of some sort. Blue/white. Blue/white with glow. Glow. Solid pearl. All are great bucktail colors for the winter.
My #1 lure out there is the 3/4 oz orange airplane jig. This is my confidence bait. I’ve tried tubes but I still haven’t caught a fish on one. I also like 3/8-1/2 oz buck tail jigs. I’ve got a pink and purple one I like when the orange airplantjig isn’t working.
I never tip with meat. I find it completely unnecessary and in most cases a cause for a fouled up lure. The only way meat finds it’s way on a hook is when I drop down an ifish pro.
The whole chase thing is really hard to understand for anyone who hasn’t done it much. My rule of thumb is to keep your lure 5’ above the fish at all times. They are so fast at times your sonar will fail to pick them up. KEEP YOUR ROD TIP DOWN DURING THE CHASE! You can’t set the hook in a 10# fish with the rod tip over your head.
Great info guys! Thank you!
So is the evening bite even worth going to? To my understanding, it’s coho in the early morning then right after move out to lake trout and done by 2ish. I usually don’t get out of class until 2 and always debate if it’s even worth going out or not. I have gone out to the bay 5 times now, all in the morning and one evening. Marked a few fish and have had a total of 3 good runs but have never got a solid bite.
So is the evening bite even worth going to? To my understanding, it’s coho in the early morning then right after move out to <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>lake trout and done by 2ish. I usually don’t get out of class until 2 and always debate if it’s even worth going out or not. I have gone out to the bay 5 times now, all in the morning and one evening. Marked a few fish and have had a total of 3 good runs but have never got a solid bite.
If I lived up there, I’d be out there every chance I could. They certainly can bite very well in the evening too. It is pretty common for it to taper off in the afternoon but not always. Cohos included.
No one that frequents this site caught a fish for a pic yet????
No one that frequents this site caught a fish for a pic yet????
Apparently you missed my previous post. 
Oh, and here’s a pic of all the fish I caught.
Hows the ice holding? was going to run up there this weekend for the boat show and to do some fishing with my dad.
I didn’t! I marked a couple but couldn’t make them commit.
Going out in about 30 minutes after work. Hopefully I can convert, nice day
Does anyone know how much snow there is on the lake? I’m wondering how many pounds I will lose while dragging my ice house out there.
Drizzy keep us posted, hoping to be up late Friday night fish Saturday and sunday! Good Luck!!
Drizzy keep us posted, hoping to be up late Friday night fish Saturday and sunday! Good Luck!!
I’ll be headed up there Friday and Saturday also. Going to try for Coho and Lakers.
Does anyone know how much snow there is on the lake? I’m wondering how many pounds I will lose while dragging my ice house out there.
I’m also curious. Could be a bear. I’ve heard they got hit with quite a bit of snow also.
We got at least 8″ yesterday in Duluth. Was blowing pretty good so not sure how much stuck on the ice out there.
Planning to be out there saturday morning early for awhile (with the masses I’m sure). May also hit it Sunday AM too.
A word of warning. The wind is going to shift Thursday night. It’ll be pretty strong out of the NW Thursday night and the first half of Friday. Expect some changes. I expect Brighton Beach to stick around but farther up is in jeopardy.
2EE22EA3-3AAF-40F6-90A5-8DAC58538FD5.png
Was able to get my coworker on his first ever laker, absolutely whacked a jig, no meat. Missed two other shots, jigging in 71fow off of 21st. I’ll upload the pic as soon as I get it from him.
Near Duluth ice is good, not sure the stuff by French River will hold. I was kicking myself for not wearing my snow shoes on the drag out.
Thanks for the reports!
I went out of Brighton beach this morning 83 fow. I had two Lakers on ,lost the first one at the hole when my unit knot stopped my reel dead in its tracks when it it hit my iced over tip on my rod,when I was done swearing I went into my hub shelter and hooked into another one only to have it shake of at fifteen feet from the surface . Left a little disappointed, maybe tomorrow. I don’t know the wind really started to blow.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
