North Shore - shore fishing?

[The Dogger]

Im going to be staying at a cottage right on the lake this weekend, just south of two harbors. Is there any chance of catching something just casting from shore? I have been there before and its just a shallow rock flat out for a couple hundred yards, so am I dreaming or is ther a chance to hook something?

[gooty]

cant hurt to wet a line..if u can find deep water to cast in to you may have better luck

[Steve Foss]

Your odds will be a lot higher if you drive into Two Harbors and walk out on the breakwall at Agate Bay. Over 30 FOW on the harbor side and casting to 80 FOW off the lake side.

[Poor Eddy]

The fishing in Two Harbors has been pretty slow this year but Mr. Foss is right, tossing a casting spoon (little cleo or similar) off the east side of the break-wall is your best shot. Like he said, it's 80' straight down on that side. If you try the harbor side, crank it fast or you'll snag the underwater conduit or the rocks in there. I was out this weekend from Two Harbors and marked quite a few fish near the surface; less than 30 feet over 80-100 but the action was painfully, frustratingly slow. Surface temps were in the mid 50's. I'd try either green & chrome or orange and chrome casting spoons. If you have an orange and copper, that could be a good one too.

[Steve Foss]

The 5/8 Krocodile spoons are standard on the Wall. They cast like a bullet, even into the wind, and distance is important when you're shorebound. Any color will work. My all time fave from the Wall is a copper/orange hammered. Cast out and count to five-10 if you want to work the bait higher and faster (salmon, kamloops and steelhead). Cast out and allow the line to sink all the way to bottom on a SLACK line for lakers, then give it a big jerk to get it out of the rocks and reel slow/medium all the way back to the wall. I've only ever lost two spoons in the rocks using the slack line sink and big jerk method.

Good luck!

[gritsnham]

Foss what kind of line to you like to toss spoons on?

[Northlander]

I would use 10# power pro with a swivel to a 10' clear Trilene XT mono leader with a snap to the spoon. XT because of the rocks and casting of spoons can be tuff on the XL.

This time of year I would cast by the Lester, Brighton Beach and Stoney Point as well. I have caught a lot of nice fish off them rocks at Brighton Beach. It a nice spot because you can walk for a mile on the rocks casting as you please.

[Steve Foss]

From the wall I always just used something limp like Trilene XL. No shoreline rocks to abrade your line from the wall. I went with 6 to start with, using an oversized 4000 series Shimano reel and 9-foot medium spinning rod. Just like casting for loopers from shore along the French, the long rod, oversize spool and light line made for really long casts with those Kroc spoons.

Eventually I went up to 8 lb and didn't lose any casting distance, so I stuck with that.

Second rod was always set up the same, but I'd put a whole crawler about 10 feet under a slip bobber and stick the rod in one of the holes in the concrete. Lots of trout/salmon came off that crawler rod while I was casting the Krocs with the other rod.

In fact, my first fish ever off the Wall came on a crawler/slip bobber. It was a 25-inch steelhead.

When I cast from shore for 'loopers, salmon and lakers, I used 6 lb Maxima, which cast well and was very abrasion resistant.