Kings Catch

If Lake Superior has one thing over any other great lake it is that it’s one heck of a Lake Trout fishery. From Bayfield Wisconsin, up through Duluth, and up to Grand Marais and beyond, there is world class lake trout fishing all around. Now in the Walleye category, we are not even on the map as Erie and Michigan are well oiled factories that are known about worldwide. How about King salmon? 90% of the time the words Lake Superior and King salmon are like oil and water; they just don’t mix. BUT…. Every June, if your timing is right, you can have a heck of a day out on the water catching these commanding fish that fight with the best of em.

The day started with previous calls to and from Will Roseberg and Mark Bruzek arranging a day on the water up here on Lake Superior. The weather forecast looked good as winds were predicted at 15 to 25 out of the south. So we decided it was go time and Saturday morning we were on the water bright and early around 515. This is a lesson in itself for those who live out of Duluth and come to fish here. The winds are unpredictable and unless there is a huge storm and winds are east at 30 mph, you just have to make the drive because you never know what it’s going to be like. We witnessed 5 to 15 mph winds out of the east, with the majority of the day the wind speed down around 5. That is a far cry from the predicted 25 mph south winds that were predicted. To get back on track here, we then drove out in search of favorable water color/temps and dropped the lines. Running 2 downriggers, 2 dipseys and 2 board rods the traps were set for a long day of trolling.

Specifically targeting lake trout, but knowing salmon were in the area, we kept speeds around 2.3 to 2.5 and trolled around making big S turns through the dirty water and working back into clearer water until a connection was made. We had to wait a while but it was worth it as a dipsey set up with a flasher and fly went off as it immediately signaled that a king hit due to the rod doubling over and drag screaming out. This scene was replayed multiple times over as kings ranging from 4 to 10 pounds came aboard throughout the day. And for the lake trout? Just 2 lousy 18 inch fish was all we could muster but the kings sure made up for the lack of trout action. I told Mark and Will that I didn’t want to reel in any fish but after they each got a few kings I had to join in on the action and catch one myself because it is just too much fun! Big presentations with lots of FLASH worked best. Due to the darker than normal water color something large and in charge was needed. Spoons yielded no fish and cranks only got 3. Definitely a pattern that was not in my head as one that would produce fish for us today. That’s why we all have so much tackle right? You never know what’s going to work on a day to day basis and it’s always good to have a wide array of things in the boat. Kind of like for you inland lake fishermen, if you go out crappie fishing and the fish aren’t there, you have walleye gear with to switch and save the day.

By 5 pm the east winds picked up and she was getting rough so we decided to pull the pin. What a fun day on the water we had and the best part about it? Catching kings and not having a 7 hour drive back home from the state of Wisconsin or Michigan. I expect these kings to be around for another week or two but then they will be gone so make sure to get up and enjoy this great fishing! And if the kings are gone, there will be lake trout to save the day as the kings did for us. The fish still tend to be deeper, 30 to 50 feet to be exact. The shallow boards just aren’t producing the past week, but that could easily change soon. Some smelt are still around which could be driving these fish a little deeper than normal.
Thanks Mark and Will for a fun day on the water! Definitely have to do it again soon.
Until next time, be safe and have fun!