Fish Superior by trolling on sailboat

[mato0010]

A couple of questions for anyone that might be able to help me. Im going to be heading up to the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior in a couple weeks and will be Sailing with some friends. Is it legal to troll from a wind propelled sailboat? If so, what depths should I try to get down to. Depending on the wind and speed of the boat Im not sure if I will be able to get a lure down that far. (possibly going 5-7 knots?) Ive never tried this before but I thought if Im going ot be out there and have the time, why not give it a try. Anyone have any useful information for me as to what to fish for or use would greatly be appreciated. Otherwise my only other option would be to fish from shore on some of the islands we will stop at but I think it would be too shallow.

[Surface Tension]

Yes its OK to fish under sail but 5-7 knots is too fast for any of the conventional stickbaits and spoons used on Superior. In two weeks your going to have to get your lures down a bit. 2-3 oz of beaded sinker or dipys will do that for you but your still going to be looking at speeds under 3 MPH. I think your probably right about being to shallow to cast spoons from shore but look for the heavier spoons like Kroc's. Personally I'd skip the thought of being able to fish and enjoy the ride.

[Quickstrike]

another option is if you have a graph or depth finder you could stop and jig over the reefs that can found all around the apostle islands, you should be able to catch fish on spoons such as kroks or cleos or try plastics. it's a beautiful area up there so you should have a great time either way even if you don't get into the fish. good luck.

[Surface Tension]

Good point about jigging the reefs.

I found that not everyone is as crazy about fishing as I am so speaking from experience.

Trying to persuade the others on board to drift around while you fish when they could be cruising around under sail might be a hard sell.

[mato0010]

I will be ejoying the ride thoroughly and thats the main reason for the trip but last time I was up there I found there was a lot of sitting on the boat sailing and kept wondering if my itch to fish a little could be eased at the same time. Im going to give it a try and if it doesnt work out no big deal and nothing lost. Ill try fishing the reefs if I can persuade the captain (my girlfriends dad) to anchor by them, but I dont think I will have much of a choice as to where or when. About how deep do you think I will need to get down to? Are most of the fish that deep around now. I heard that there are a lot of fish within 25 feet and if thats the case I should be able to get that deep. If I stick on some beaded sinkers would that get me there? Also what lures should I be looking for. Colors? Im going to use a planer board to get it out from the boat but the biggest problem I believe will be getting it down. Has anyone tried something like this? Again any input from anyone is appreciated.

[Jim Hudson]

Mato

Depending where your gonna be at, in the islands there are still some browns up shallow, but most of the lakers are moving deeper. But there probably are still some in shallower water, say 40 to 60 feet. If you can get some snap weights, try that in front of a trolling spoon. Pick up a set of clips and various snap weights, ranging from 2 to 6 ounces. Depending on your sailboat speed, the higher end weights should get you into some fish in the 40 to 60 feet running the weight about 25 FT or 30 FT in front of a trolling spoon.

Planer boards will work too, if you guys are running close to the islands and are not moving along too fast.

Good luck, just give it a shot, you never know what you will catch here in the Apostles.