North Shore Trolling

[Guest]

Does anyone have information on trolling for trout and salmon along the North Shore. When do fish start coming in shallow during spring? When do the fish start going deep? When do they start coming back in the fall? I have a 16ft. Lund and used to fish for splake and browns in Lake Michigan. I would like to find some spots a little closer to home. Does anyone have experience with Lead Core?

[Xplorer]

Skamaniac,
There are others with alot more experience out there, but here is what I have found the last few years. There are fish in close right now. You can catch kamloops rainbows and coho between duluth and two harbors. Try around the river mouths and stoney point. Stickbaits mostly but spoons may turn a few also. The shallow sand bite starts as soon as I can get my boat out the entry!! Actually the smelt spawn triggers fish in shallow to feed. I've been out as early as the first week of march. You never know what you'll hook into, lakers, coho, and small king salmon, maybe even a looper or walleye. It gets busy, you will see all the boats on the weekends. Most run a mast and boards, some just use in line walleye boards. Stickbaits rule in spring on the sand,at least for me.
Just a little basic info to help out, get out there and enjoy. Xplorer

[Guest]

Xplorer,

Thanks for the info. I would like to try the mouth of the knife next spring. Just wondering how long the spring bite holds out. I know it depends on the year, but in Lake Michigan the football browns sometimes gorge on smelt and alewives well into mid May. Once surface temps get above 52 or so, they disappear. You can normally find Lakers in less than 60ft into June. After that the shallows get too warm and you have to go switch to down riggers and get out into 100-200 ft. A little too dicey for me in a 16 ft Lund. Lake Superior is a mystery to me. I would guess that the shallows stay cold longer, the issue then becomes light penetration.