Well after living in Duluth for almost a year now, I finally took the time to get out on Lake Superior last Thursday. I dragged a couple co-workers, Pete and John with me. Pete is a big lake regular, so I used his expertise to get a game plan set. I had my mind made up to troll stickbaits for walleye on the Wisconsin side of the lake, but after Pete started telling me about all the various types of trout and salmon that were nearby, we decided to drop down some dipsy divers with spoons on them and put out 4 planer boards, some with spoons, some with bomber’s and one with a smithwick rattlin rogue. Off we go! Trollin, Trollin, Trollin!!!!!!!!!
After trolling for about half an hour, one of the planer board rods with a bomber on it doubled over and snapped back! Board off, no fish! This got me a little excited! Trolling over 40 feet of water with a 5 ft diving stickbait, that was a fish, definitely not the bottom. So on we trolled, and trolled and trolled. We followed the mudline from a river dumping in warmer water thinking they might be hanging out there. We made a pass in the prop wash of a 1000 foot vessel hauling ore, thinking maybe there might be some discombobulated baitfish attracting our prey. We trolled shallow we trolled deep, nothing. Then Pete said, “I think they’re over there”, pointing somewhere towards Niagara Falls. “We need to go deeper” he said. Off we go………
Now, I had just purchased a LMS-334C Sonar/GPS, and the graph was about as empty as it can get. I was starting to wonder if I had a setting wrong, cuz we hadn’t hardly seen a fish. We were heading further out in the lake, getting deeper. When all of a sudden there they were! It was like a simulator mode you see in the stores. The fish were HERE! Now we aren’t talking hundreds of feet deep like some times of the year, but we were concentrating in the 15-40 foot range….now we had moved out to 60-70 feet. It wasn’t 5 minutes and one of the dipsy rods was pounding in the rod holder. I grabbed it and started the fight. The result was my first ever lake trout. About a 6lber. Not a trophy, but sure fun! It had at least two spots where sea lamprey’s had been latched on to it.
We made a couple more passed through the same spot, with nothing to show for it. We had to get back to shore, as John had to get to work, but I think I found a new way to pass time. The anticipation of not knowing what you‘re going to catch is a rush! It could be lakers, Coho’s, loopers, steelhead, king’s, and walleye! Ya never know! I will definitely be playing this game some more and trying to figure it all out! I thought pool 4 and Lake Pepin was a lot of water!!!! That seems like just a pond after being out on Superior. Thanks to Pete and John for fun day!
Congrats on your first laker!I couldnt help but notice that your net had a handle on it this time.What is up with that?
Don’t worry, there was a story behind this net job too! We had a handle, but only after it got extended too far, and it came apart….then to try and line up the holes again to make it lock into place….Man I Love that net!
Alright! Some BIG lake reports! Looks like a B-L-A-S-T Steve!
The best tasting fish I’ve ever put in my mouth was a cooked on the grill Lake Trout!
Thanks for the report.
Now that I’m a little closer to Superior, I’m thinking of trying the big lake for the first time.
DISCOMBOBULATED????? Holy cow, Steve must have found his dictionary when he moved!
Absolutely delicious!
Steve,
I did this maiden voyage about 3 years ago in the similair area….that was a blast, we were pulling stickbaits on snap weights in September catching some nice walleyes “by accident”. I would love to get back up there sometime. IF you ever got an open seat let me know, I would hop up there in a hearbeat to try it again!
Cool report!
AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
The Superior in the spring. I remember my maiden voyage last year……..After dealing with 6 ft seas all day in an 18ft boat and donating my breakfast to the seagulls, it was quite the experience!!!!!!!
Steve,
Congrats on your first laker
As somebody who went to UMD, I have to say that you’ve created a very nice problem for yourself. Do you head out to the big pond or up the St. Louis to chase eyes? Fall gets even harder with all of the options. Wait ’til you hook your first king on light tackle up the North Shore 
Decisions, decisions…
Thaks for the report…keep ’em coming (lake or river).
><(((>
Steve,
You get this laker thing going full tilt, and I can see an IDA fish boil GTG in your future
Nice work, good report
dave
Saturday we took a short 45 minute run to Port Wing looking for salmon.We spent 3 hours trollin by the Iron river.Marked very few fish and the wind started up so back to Port Wing to head home with no fish.Are you going on the St.Louis this weekend? With early spring looking for a great opener!
Not bad for a first time out.
I have not been there for a few years now, but was a deciated spring fisherman from the Knife to the French Rivers. Lots of Lakers, Coho, Steelheads and an occasional Luper. Usually fished the upper part of the water column where we found concentrations of bait fish. Like to pull Rapala Fat Raps and #9 shad Raps on the boards.
Good luck, but be careful you might get hooked, and look out for off shore winds, they come up quick.
Nice report Steve, on the NEW Pond. Nice Laker,
So many fish and so little time.
What a problem, but I don’t hear you complaining.
Jack..
And I threw it back!!!!!!!!!
Did I mention that was the best tasting fish I EVER ate!??
In fact, I took left overs to work the next day and heated them in a microwave…which was ok…not as good as right off the grill.
Nothing wrong with catch and release…but save one for me next time!
NIce report Steve. Man I miss doing that on Superior. I need to get my
up there this Summer. 
I’m still trying to figure out, why, at the end of the definition, is the name “Chappy” there?
Anyone? Anyone? 
Thanks for the report! I lived in Duluth for about 6 years and loved getting out on the pond.
Keep the reports coming!
Sully