ON shore salmon!

[Jim W]

After spending a frigid day fishing for walleye on Vermilion Saturday, Sarge and I made our way over to TWo HArbors to fish the Break Water.
On my second cast I had a hook straightening 5-6 pounder leep high and wide! Sarge ooohed the tourists with a fish pushing the 10 pound barrier that tried flying, breaking his snap swivel like a twig!!
We weren't perpared for this style of fishing, but boy was it fun! Lot's of large follows and two fish on in a hour and a half of fishing, not bad for a couple of Southern boys standing on theshores of the Big Lake!!!

I was using a gold Kastmaster spoon and Sarge went through several, so you'll have to ask him what he had success on! You simp-ly launch it as far as you can and wait about 20 to 30 seconds for it to reach the bottom. Then you begin your retrieve.

All of the "coastal" streams are running very low. So we believe the salmon are waiting there chance to head up. With no rain there could be a lot of eggs gone to waste. SO pray for some good rain up North!!!!

Noting like Fall in Minnesota!!!

JIm W

[Sarge]

Yeah Jim that sure was a good time!!

Some question I have for anyone who knows

1. Is the fishing off breakpoint that good all year long? Or is it a seasonal thing?

2. What kind of fish strikes the lure, then heads to the surface and comes fly out like a bat out of ****? Is it specific to one kind or do many do that? (trying to figure out what I had on, it was silvery but that was about all I could tell)

I'll be back with more questions later!!

[Guest]

Hey Guys, We too were shore fishing an area south of Two Harbors this weekend and got into some action as well. We ended up landing four fish total and hooking several more.

I am no expert but one of the fish was definately a trout possibly a "looper". The other three fish were definately salmon and from the shape and color very similar to the coho's we have caught in Washington state. Although King's are also present on the North Shore. One way to identify is by whether they have spots on the lower part of the tail. I just can't remember whether its cohos or kings that have the spots on the lower half.

One thing was for sure all the fish landed were fin-clipped hatchery fish and they were excellent fighters with more than a few jumps and aerial displays.

[Sarge]

Ice Age, I'm heading back up this weekend, so if you see somebody jumping up and down and using words that would offend the devil, its probably me after losing another fish. But stop and say "Hi" anyways.

What were you guys using?

[Guest]

Sarge,

We were mostly hooking fish on 3/4 oz Little Cleo's. The locals recommended copper/orange combinations which worked well but we also got strikes on purple, firetiger and gold. The looper was caught on a 1oz gold Kastmaster.

Our shore fishing place is a popular spot called Stony Point which is just south of the Knife River off the Scenic Drive. If you get there try the south/west end of the point.

The action must have been pretty good last weekend. Our trip was more of a family function and we were only able to squeeze in fishing for a couple hours on friday night and a few hours on saturday.

[Sarge]

Ice Age,
Jim and I checked the point you are refering to out but didn't fish it, we were on the wrong side of the Knife river. Do you park at the beach and walk there?

It looked very promising, probably will spend some time there either saturday or sunday.

I will have to try some of the colors you sugested.

[Guest]

Sarge, The point you described isn't "stony point" although its always looked promising to us too. But like you guys we couldn't figure an easy way to get there and were not sure what was private land and what was not.

I should be more careful how I give directions. By "just" south/west of the knife river I actually meant approximately 2 miles maybe a little less. If you have a MN Atlas & Gazetteer Stony Point is shown on there. The point actually has three access roads. Stony Point Road intersects scenic drive twice but the sign for the north/west intersection was down last weekend. A road called Alseth or Alsip also heads east off scenic drive and hits the lake pretty close to that southern most tip of the point where we fish. This part of the point and the lake is hidden by a large group of trees.

Good luck with the fishing and please post a report on how it went if you can.

[Jim W]

ICe Age,
I don't have a Gazetter, so if you could give me more specific directions to stony point I'd appreciate it.
Is it about 2 miles South, along the shore, of the Knife River confluence?
Sounds like the weather is going to be quite nasty when I get up there, but a West North West wind. So Stony Point might be less windy compared to the "Breakwater". Was your technique launching spoons, letting them sink then retrieve, or what worked for you?

Thanks for your help!

Jim W

[This message has been edited by Jim W (edited 10-12-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Jim W (edited 10-12-2001).]

[Guest]

Jim W, Stony Point is south/west of the town of Knife River and south/west of the confluence of the Knife and Lake Superior. I have never clocked it with the speedometer but using the gazeteer it looks like 1&1/2 to 2 miles.

You can access it right off the Scenic Drive. Stony Point Road is a horseshoe or "U" shaped road that intersects the Scenic Drive twice. Last weekend the sign for the northern most intersection was down but the sign for the southern most intersection was still up. Both roads head east from Scenic Drive towards the Lake.

As for the fishing. Yeah its pretty much a chuck it out there as far as you can deal. We would let the spoons fall but not all the way to the bottom. Its very rocky and "snaggy" here so you have to be careful. A fairly steady retrieve seemed to work fine.

If you haven't already decided to do it you might want to consider bringing a long handled net. These fish were hard enough to get in close to shore. Once they are there you want every edge you can get.

[fish]

Well,
I went up to the Baptism on saturday. It poured the entire time. I didn't fish a whole lot because the person I was with doesn't quite have the fishing bug as I do. I didn't see any salmon nor did I see the few angler who were there catch any. I was dissapointed, but I will try again next weekend.

[Sarge]

Hey everybody, got back late sunday night from the northshore.

And thanks to Ice Age I was able to find Stony Point, there was at least 25 people fishing that strech in the rain saturday, and the people I talked to were having some luck, And I found out that you really do want a long handled net.(eight foot would be a good lenght if they make them.LOL)

And like FISH was saying it rained and rained somemore on saturday, but the knife and lester still are not high enough to have salmon run in them yet.IMO. They were higher than last week, but still have a way to go. I did fish the Knife with my altered rapala with no success at the public access.

So Leah and I hit Two Habors, and I'm quite pleased to say that I caught my first salmon. I was able to bring home 2 nice chinooks, they should taste great!! And if I would have had a longer net I may have been able to help Leah get her first also. I couldn't get the net close enough to her fish that easliy was 8 pounds, before it snapped her line. She was disapponted, but didn't take it to hard.

Fishing was alot slower for us on sunday, with only one nice follow, on a gold and orange spoon. But it was fun. And I'll be back!!!!!!

[Jim W]

In response to being a Salmon/lake superior Novice I'm pretty sure I caught my first Chinook, a 3-4 pound fish. At first glance I thought it was a steelhead, catching many a rainbow in my day, but then I began to second guess myself. Either way, steelhead or chinook it was fun. I caught him on the "Flats" just up the shore from Stony Point. Stony point is way too rocky, unless you have gear that can launch a mile!
I lost two fish, one jumping off. All on a gold 1/2 ounce Kastmaster, using a varied retrieve!!!!!
Report was people catching them on "slinkies" and spawn sacs out from adn near trib confluences!! French, Sucker and Brighton beach to name a few. You do not have to go where every one else is fishing to get on fish.

Keep the rods bendin'!!!

Jim W
Good/new experience! Can't wait until next Fall!

[Guest]

Sarge/JimW - Thanks for the posting the reports. Sounds like you guys got some action and that fun was had by all. Going back is definately a must. Next year I think I might add an extra day or two of fishing to our annual family trip.