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St. Louis River Fishing Reports


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spinners and bottom bouncer with crawlers and shiners worked for us, took a few on 1/16 oz pink jigs with white twister tails, no bait. that is what was work for us. tracker 185

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As tracker said the spinners and crawlers are best but some cranks are also getting bit. Pink continues to be the hot color. I NEC to pit in a new order for point blades. Ill be out from barkers to Bing tomorrow.

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Hey Northlander

I'm spending the first couple of weeks of July up in the crane lake area but I'm considering trailering down to Duluth for a day or two. I know you said the bite in the bay isn't hot but do you expect it to pick up or is it past. I used to fish it quite a bit a few years back when my parents were chartering out of Barkers...

Also I only stayed in the bay area and ventured a little up the river but not too far. If you go out in the lake are you trolling maninly crankbaits then and are you fishing South Shore or Park Point. If I remember right if I fish South Shore I need WI license right?

Just curious to get a general idea if I went out on the lake. Whats the possibility in the lake of catching Laker while focusing on walleyes.

PM me if you prefer....

any info appreciated... Thanks

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Fished from 130-345 yesterday. Terrible for I got the old skunkola. River was very windy and dirty. Trolled the whole time to miss 1 fish. Then picked up to head to one of my other favorite bodies of water and scored 7. Should of started at the second spot, but that's how it goes. I'll be going to the second spot today for sure. Raps tipped with a little crawler or leech. Here are a couple snaps..

2AA32D1B-C799-447D-8851-D814F4598093-877

58379ACC-296A-4B3F-AC79-0E7835145AA4-877

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We launched at Rice's pt this morning and planned on hitting the big pond, but high winds kept us on the bay. Excellent Choice! The eyes were hitting around 830am. Anything with pink for crawler harnesses. Leadcore 3 to 1 vs bottom bouncing. Ran out of crawlers and went to crank baits around 10. Easy to catch those 17 inchers, but we tried for some big ones. Nothing hit on the larger stick baits, but the 5 and 7 shad raps were hot. Gold with readhead and pink with white belly we but on first and never had to change. 6-8 FOW anywhere on the flats between buoy 11 and 9. Marked fish in the deep holes, but did not go after them with jigs. We kept our four and headed in by 1100. No big ones in our boat, but did see another Lund out there and heard the hooting and hollering...looked big from our vantage point. Nice day with a great Walleye Chop!

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Should have done what you did yesterday. We got knocked off the lake pretty early due to the increasing east winds on Superior but we went home. Next time, I bring my walleye gear, also

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Hit Lake Superior after work yesterday and trolled the SS for 2 hours before I finally found some eyes. Had to go in and out of the mud lines and slow down a bit. Best bait was a Rapala deep husky jerk in Tennessee Shad color. The reefrunner pink lemonade also got a few.

It slowed as fast as I found them so I went and trolled the bay. Lots of little ones with a few keeper sized and 2 over 23". All released. The best bait in the bay was the firetiger and chart/pearl #7 shad raps. Pink only got a few dinks. Blue tower was the best area but I got them just about every where I trolled. I found the key to be stalling the baits so I was pumping 1 rod while the other sat in the holder as much as I could.

This morning I bottom bounced spinners between the bridges and again found a lot of dinks and eater sized but nothing with any size. Pinks and gold/red spinners were best.

Came home for some chow and Ill hit it again later. Hopefully I find some bigger eyes or tomorrow I may resort to trolling Island lake. shocked

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Hopefully I find some bigger eyes or tomorrow I may resort to trolling Island lake. shocked

How has Island been? I haven't heard anything.

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Went out early today to the big lake and got board with that so headed for the river and picked up a few with chartruese(sp) blades and crawlers. Then it got too hot in the un so came back in. Man, I wish I had a top for my boat. Sunscreen may prevent sun damage to the flesh but you still get beat up by the sun

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Fished between the bridges yesterday from 4 til 9 or so and actually had so much fun we ran out of crawlers and resorted to gulp crawlers that actually worked ok. Pink and chart/green spinners were best. Spinners behind boards caught more than bouncers but both caught plenty. Actually caught some nice sized fish too with 27" being the biggest. Friend Mark caught it and it was his new PB so that was cool.

Staying off the river today due to all the craziness that the 4th brings.

TJ Island has been pretty good but Fish Lake has been better for numbers and size.

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Hit it hard yesterady am until the heat became too much for me. Fishing was good again with plenty of eyes coming on bouncers, spinners and crawlers on the flats between the bridges and in the bay.

Buddy went out in the afternoon and did very well pulling sticks in the bay with some going in the 25" range.

Im hoping to get out tomorrow afternoon after work if its not raining.

Island Lake is starting to produce some better sized eyes as is Fish Lake. Jigs and rigs with leeches or shiners in 9-16' of water.

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Went out after the fog lifted yesterday and did ok although not as well as Sat AM. Lots of fish under 15" but did manage to catch enough over the 15" for dinner. No particular spinner blade color outproduced another. Bottom bouncers off the side worked better than the rods longlined off the back

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  • 2 weeks later...

So Im back from vacation guys. Tel me what you found on the river the last 8 days I was gone. Any big eyes being caught on the South Shore?

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Got a tip last week from someone coming off the river to try an area North of the bridge. Picked up some nice fishies , but no big Walters. Had the family out yesterday and picked up several small ones by the Peavy plant. Crawlers and Pink or Orange were working well for us yesterday.

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The bay is still producing walleyes for us.Nothing big but solid keepers in the 16" range.

The Big Lake has been tough for trout and salmon this year for us. Went up to Silver Bay this week and water temps were barely 40 degrees....brrrr. And no fish

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Still catching fish between the bridges and barkers area as well. Im going to hit the SS after work today or tomorrow if winds let me.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The bay, nemadji river and alouze are all putting out some nice fish lately.

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Not for me. Fish have shut down a bit with these cooler temps and rain/winds we have had through this last weekend. Saturday We got 1 fish, as oppose to two days before that where we got 17. No big ones were landed, but a few we're caught by others. Just check out the dumpsters (many in the mid 20s cut up (ickkkkkkkkk)....

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Got 6 in al the other morning and then 5 on the SS. Jarrid the crappies were biting in the Nemadji.

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Fished the Superior entery area the other day, 2 small silvers for our efforts. Nothing but sub-slot walleyes and a lot of Perch in the Barkers Island area.

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Pretty spotty in the bay area for me this weekend. Caught an occasional sub-slot eye but lacking any keepers. Although I didn't commit a lot of time fishing there, just dragged a crawler on my through to other places.

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Going to come up to explore the St. Louis for the first time on Friday. Been reading the reports here and have the general idea of bait presentations but never having been there, I could use a little help with the locations you are mentioning. I'm assuming between the bridges is refering to the Bong and Blatnik. Are you running along the channel edges or meandering out of the channel up on the flats? In the bays, St. Louis and Superior, generally how much depth is there outside of a marked channel? Is there any mid-day action to be had?

I'd appreciate any help I can get. Thanks!

Jeff

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Jeff, I find the bite to be good at all times as long as there is daylight. I have caught fish from 16 to 1 foot of water. Do not shy away from fishing hallow areas. Also make sure to spend time on the channel edges. Trolling, jigging, and casting baits have all produced this year. For me anyways? Good luck and enjoy our favorite place to fish

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Thanks Jarrid - I really appreciate your response. Perhaps we'll see you out there. I'll be in a grey Lund Prosport,loaded up with my buddy and our wives. Should prove to be interesting!

Jeff

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Were did all the perch come from? Fished the flats today around Barker's Island and caught a bunch of perch but no walleyes

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Your going to slow on them flats if your getting a bunch of perch. Bump it up to as fast as 1.5 and you will probably get away from the pesky perch. Although some are dandy size now.

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I was going about 1.2-1.3 GPS. Then the wind switched to a more easterly direction and a high fog rolled in from the lake

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Anybody been out recently? It looks quiet on the bay the last few days

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