Well;
I was kidnapped on Friday night by a bunch of buddies. They stopped by the house. Half of them went to beg my significant other into letting me go fishing for the weekend, while the other half dragged me to the truck. I was only able to break free long enough to grab some warm/dry cloths……..Left all my fishing gear behind.
That night, I was taken accross the border into Superior Wisconsin. The mission: To troll the big lake for trout and salmon. For those who know me, know that I have never fished for trout or salmon before, and never really expressed any interest in it either. I really don’t even like to eat the fish, except for a small serving of smoked salmon…….
So, off we went.
We pulled into Superior at the local hotel at 1am. No time to do anything but get some quick shut-eye, as we were starting our morning at 5am!!! (5am came around really quick I might add)
We launched out of the public access in the big harbor, just east of Superior. The wind was blowing about 10mph out of the NE. There were 3 boats. One of the boats is an experienced fisherman from Duluth, who knew what he was doing. The other boat had a couple of guys in there, who had fished there before. Then there was me and my 2 buddies who never fished this section of water before.
So, with the wind howling (ok, breezy at 10mph) and temps barely breaking freezing (about 35 degrees)…….Off we went.
I’m a newbie to all of this. As I was quite entrigued at the size of the massive peers where the big ships load up with grain and taconite, I noticed that there were some "rollers" blowing into the harbor. I bundled up tight, as we turned into the canal that leads to the mighty Superior. Here, I noticed that the wind was a bit stronger and we were off into the wild blue water!!! 6 to 8 foot swells is what we went up against, even launching the boat completely out of the water a couple of times trying to get out of the canal at 10mph.
Once we got out into the main lake, the swells were bigger, but longer. So it wasn’t soooooo bad. But, being the big guy I am, I opted to drive the boat, while my two buddies set lines.
We put out the mast and ran 4 lines (2 off each side) with stick baits of orange and chartruese colors. Ran about 150 feet of line behind each clip. Then we set up 2 dipsy divers with dodgers and squids. Then we ran 2 long lines out the back with spoons about 200 feet.
With the lines set and the wind blowing, I was honestly quite comfortable driving the boat (gave me something to hold unto). About 11am, I was worn out. I couldn’t handle it anymore. To much bouncing back and forth, steering like a mad man with the waves. So, I told my buddy to take the wheel and I needed a break. That last about 5 minutes, as I noticed a green tint reflecting on the water from my face……Yep, lost breakfast overboard. I got sicker than a dog!!! After I donated my breakfast to the seagulls, I opted to take the wheel back, for it seemed to keep my mind on other things instead of the big waves…….
About that time, the wind died down to a very slight breeze for the rest of the day.
We marked fish all day. The fish varied in depth from 10 to 25 feet of water. We trolled water depths of 20 to 60 feet of water.
And we trolled
And we trolled
And we trolled
No fish!!!
So, about 2pm, we decided to take a break, head into shore and get a bite to eat and pickup a few supplies.
We got back on the water at 4pm to start up again. As we set lines, we called the other boats, only to find out that the fish "turned on" from 2pm to 4pm. One boat had 10 fish, the other boat had 3 fish.
So we trolled
and we trolled
and we trolled
and we trolled…………….
No fish…..
That was our outing for Saturday.
On Sunday, we did it again. Same thing, same setup, with a few changes in lures and running depths. No wind, thank the good Lord!!!
At 10:30 in the morning, we finally got to say "FISH ON!!!!!!" I reeled in a 3.5lb coho (I think it was a coho, they all look the same to me……) That fish came on a Storm shallow Thunderstick in orange craw.
The other 2 boats were catching fish, but not us.
We called it a day at noon and headed back home.
So, to wrap up my productive report……
There are fish up there.
They are biting.
Word is they are taking shallow running stick baits, in orange or chartruese.
The key depth to run your bait is about 10 feet down.
Run about 200 feet of line.
And troll, and troll, and troll, and troll.
It was a fun time and a huge learning experience. I just still don’t know how I’m going to explain the $200 weekend for a little smoked salmon to my significant other!!!
Good luck if you go…….I’m going back to the garage to super hone my muskie hooks for opener!!!!!
hey did you need to get a wisc. lic.
Great report Gary sounds like you tried everything to get those salmon to bite, even tried chumming!
Next time no breakfast or less beer the night before.Rollers are not a fun! Thats why i stayed home.Its a good idea to look at wind forecast before the drive.I live here.Next time try reefrunners 100 feet back on boards and you might find walleyes( but close to superior entry).Great walleye factory as fish finish spawning and move out of the river.Hope you have better weatherand better luck next time.
Jigmaster
Gary, you can catch some of the fish some of the time but you can’t catch all the fish all the time~Abrahm Linclon…
I think.
Sounds like a fun trip Gary. I’m going to have to try and figure that type of fishing out when I get up there. What kind of boat were you in? Size?
Jigmaster….Do you fish the big lake much, or do you stay in the harbor and the St. Louis? We’ll have to get out and do a little fishing shortly. I close on the house up there the 16th of May. Get ready!
I can’t wait to go!! This will be my 3rd year of fishing the big lake, I have a 18 Starcraft,closed bow, walk through windsheild. Going up the 14th of May to pull camper into camp site for the year, and hopefully get out fishing same weekend. I too check the wind and waved conditions before I go up, if to bad I just stay and fish the St. Croix. Yes you do need and WI license if fishing the WI side of lake, and also a trout stamp-great lakes trout stamp. I see the water temps. are slmost 40 degrees up there already!!
We were in an 18′ Cherokee Ranger. This is the tin boat that Ranger sells. It is basically a Crestliner hull with Ranger guts. She rides good in the water and handled the big waves very well. However, I prefer not to fish those big waves, and I was a little anxious about it……
Thanks for the tip on the reefrunners. That is funny, because the one “experienced” boat, that was catching fish, was using reef runners and bombers. The fish came from about 10′ deep and we were trolling 2mph.
There is a HUGE mudline out there. I’m talking MASSIVE. It goes from east of the Harbor, about 3 or more miles. That is the primary areas we worked, and east of that mudline to some creek (sorry, can’t remember the name).
Water temps really varied. In the mudline, the water was in the realm of 44 to 49. Outside the mudline, the water was 40 to 45. The mudline is very “muddy”. Clarity was only mere inches.
The crazy thing is, that when we were in the mudline, we marked fish everywhere. If you went into the mudline, you came upon fish. I’m not talking bait fish, I’m talking arches. The fish are there. We just went post cold front conditions which didn’t help.
It was a fun time and I will try it again!!!
As for license.
What I was informed, is that you need a Wisconsin license and stamp. Being a pure rookie here, I told the guy where I was from and what we were doing/where we were going. He took care of me. The 2 day license cost $14.
Here is exactly what my license states:
“This Great Lakes Sport Fishing license allows fishing on the outlying waters of Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Green Bay, as well as Lake Michigan and Green Bay tributaries upstream to the first dam or lake for the dates specified above. The Great Lakes Salmon/Trout Stamp privilege is included with this license.”
Gary,
In the summer I fish out of the old man’s 25′ Pro-Line and even in that big boat Lake Michigan still does a good job of tossing her around. I dont get sick on Mille Lacs, but Lake Michigan makes me hurl everytime. I went to the doctor and he found that my eardrum on the right side of my head is formed abnormally which effects your equilibrium.
To make a long story short he gave me a prescription for scopalamine. I never get sick anymore when I take it. I used to try to buy the over the counter stuff “dramamine”. It was worthless and never worked for me.
Their is one downside to scopalamine. You drink one beer, I repeat one beer and you are two sheets to the wind! Although some might say that is a good thing
-Mike
Steve,If the wind blows im in the river.The fish move from the dam back to the lake .So start in river and keep working to the lake.Gary next time work the edge of mud going in and out of mud a little this sometimes works.Also if you find a hot color one minute it might change the next.More so if its cloudly and than the sun comes out.Also i like warmer water but not mud.
Jigmaster
Gary,
This is my old mans boat that he keeps docked in Two Rivers, WI over on Lake Michigan. Let me tell you, the rails on this puppy are great for chumming out of in 8ft rollers
Sounds like a story form the Old College Days or visiting my buddy down in Ft. Myers. I never have yet, but have seen almost all my buddies go chummin. One particular time we even caught a 6.5′ black tipped shark while a buddy of mine was chummin. 4 of us teamed up the Black Tip 25 miles off shore. What a battle on 20lb Gear and 1.5 hours.!! Not bad for a buch of Northerners (ND&MN). Glad to hear your story Gary… Brought back some good memories!