Local Fish Report

GRAND MARAIS AREA
According to our fishing expert Jon Muhich of Buck’s Hardware, fishing is picking up.

Word from up the trail is that walleyes can be had. On Seagull try drifting slowly with crawler harnesses. You’re going to have to search a little for depths but try along the weed lines. In the evening try some of the humps. Leeches are being used on the humps mainly but people were getting results with minnows too.

Word leaked out about some unusual lake trout success on Tuscarora last week. If the bite is still going they were getting fish in 60 to 80 feet of water off the bottom.

Bass, bass everywhere. They’re hitting on top water lures, spinners, drift rigs and bobber fishing. Hungry Jack, Seagull, Poplar, Devil Track, Northern Light, Devilfish and more. The bass bite is on.

Finally, a word on the big lake. Salmon have been reported along some of the reefs. One group was fishing 20 feet deep in 40 feet of water off a reef and got a few.

The only word on lakers is that they’re deep. 160 feet to 210 feet is where many are fishing.

GRAND MARAIS AREA
According to our fishing expert Jon Muhich of Buck’s Hardware, it’s been hot and humid – and word is that even the fish think it’s a tad muggy out there.

At Seagull Lake walleyes can be had but it’s a pretty tough go. Twenty feet of water still fishing with leeches. Up at Sag the surface temps have been around 70 degrees and that’s slowing down bobber fishing. It’s tough to find the right temps for the walleyes.

Tough fishing on a lot of the smaller lakes but early morning and late evening people are getting a few as they are still coming in at night to around 10 or 12 feet. Leeches or crawlers would be the bait of choice.

There’s some laker action on Sag. Up in cash Bay, between Spam Island and American Point they were fishing 50 to 60 feet using spoons and deep running lures. Purple and silver were the choicest colors for one group.

Smallies are still doing fine. A 21” smallmouth was caught on Hungry Jack a few days ago.

Both rainbow and brook trout are hitting on flies. Crawlers will work too but better action seems to be with flies.

GRAND MARAIS AREA
According to our fishing expert Jon Muhich of Buck’s Hardware, because of the state shutdown, the state has deemed fishing non-essential and they’ve instructed all game fish to stop biting.

Walleyes are hitting leeches at Seagull Lake during the day in 25 feet and in 12 feet during low-light periods.

Lake trout are hitting a jig and minnow or spoons 55 to 60 feet down at Saganaga, 65 feet down at Greenwood Lake, and 40 to 45 feet down at Trout Lake.

Smallmouth bass are hitting crankbaits and live bait along the shorelines of Crescent and Devil Track  or in 15 feet at Hungry Jack.

Lake trout are suspended over 150 to 200 feet on Lake Superior.

GRAND MARAIS AREA
According to our fishing expert Jon Muhich of Buck’s Hardware, intermittent storms have caused some anglers to be a little more wary about venturing out on the water.

Walleye action has slowed a bit in the local lakes. Most of the advice from up the trail would indicate the best time to fish is around sunset and sunrise. Leeches are the bait of choice right now but don’t pass up the chubs because some anglers are having good success with minnows.

If action is what you’re looking for during the day then smallmouth bass are the best choice. The action is good on Poplar, Hungry Jack, Seagull, Crescent, just about all the usual smallie lakes. Leeches and crawlers for bobber fishing; Mepps spinners or spoons cast toward shore.

Rainbow lakes reporting good action include all the old standbys, Leo, Kimball, Trout and Mink lakes. Crawlers on the drift or just off the bottom if you’re bobber fishing.

Good word on some lake trout. On Daniels and Mayhew lakes the lakers were hitting at about 25 feet. Try a jig or silver spoon with a larger minnow. Also, for some who want to trek into the BWCAW word is Gillis Lake was producing very well for lake trout.

GRAND MARAIS AREA
According to our fishing expert Jon Muhich of Buck’s Hardware, word is the walleyes are going a little deeper.

Walleyes can be found in 10-15 feet of water along weed lines and rock piles. Though in some lakes shallow may still the way to go. Check the temperature of lake, if you can, to help guide you to the proper depth. Minnows and leeches are still the bait to use. Drift live bait rigs or jig, and don’t forget to troll with Rapalas.

Northern fishing seems to be mostly trolling spoons in shallow areas. People are catching northerns and smallies while searching for walleyes.

Trout are also hitting with nightcrawlers off the bottom so try your hand at rainbow fishing one of these nights.

Speaking of trout lakes here are a couple more brookie lakes to check out on a map…Duke Lake, just east of the Twin Lakes is supposed to house some very nice brookies if you want to hike it in. Loft Lake, off the Shoe Lake road is a dandy little brook trout lake and the access is easy.

GRAND MARAIS AREA
According to our fishing expert Jon Muhich of Buck’s Hardware, word is the walleyes were shallow last week and the bite has slowed -- so try a little deeper.

Jigs and minnows or leeches are turning walleyes in 12 to 15 feet at Saganaga and Seagull. The best depth is 10 feet at Pike Lake, 15 feet at Poplar and in eight feet at Elbow.

Lake trout are hitting spoons or minnows about 30 feet down at Greenwood and Duncan.

Crawlers are the ticket for rainbow trout at Kimball and Mink and smallmouth bass action has been strong in shallow water on most lakes.

The DNR manages some trophy brook trout lakes in the area where you can try your hand at fly fishing. These are catch-and-release only lakes, but the state has been managing these fish specifically for size, so treat them gently.

Thrush Lake off the Ball club road is one trophy lake. You’ll have to portage to get there. Indications are there are plenty of fish and plenty of size to the fish so find a map and check it out.

Turnip Lake is another trophy brookie lake to check out. Catch-and-release only, single hook and no live bait. Easily found up in the Veggie Lakes, it’s only about a quarter mile jaunt from the access road to the lake.

While you’re in the Veggie Lake area you might hit Tomato Lake too. It has the same regs as the others, Catch-and -Release only, single hooks, and no live bait.

GRAND MARAIS AREA

According to our fishing expert Jon Muhich of Buck’s Hardware, word is that it’s pretty good out there for just about everything -- walleyes, northerns, and lakers were all hitting.

This week walleyes were being caught shallow. Anywhere from 3 to 10 feet were the depths on a lot of the smaller lakes. Anglers were using minnows both jigging and slow trolling. Reports from Elbow, Two Island, Deviltrack and Caribou have been good. Check out the rock piles and weed lines.

Lakers are still being caught trolling shallow with spoons or Rapalas. Seagull, Sag, Loon, Daniels, are all reporting success.

If you’re on the hunt for northerns, troll in the shallows. Northern Light and Elbow had good northern success.

According to our fishing expert John Muich of Buck’s Hardware, the fishing opener was slow and most people were fishing walleyes, shallow. Other anglers had better luck with Lake Trout.

Up the trail Seagull was reporting Lakers were shallow. In 12 feet or less people trolled with just about anything. Rapalas, spoons, live rigs, whatever they could muster from their tackle box .

Northerns were also being caught on the troll up the Gunflint. Some were using sucker minnows but trolling seemed to be better.

Walleyes were a little slow as the ice just recently went out and the lakes need another week of warmer weather. There were some walleyes caught in 20-30 feet using jigs tipped with chubs.

Saganaga was reporting pretty much the same as Seagull where the lakers were a better choice than walleyes. The walleyes seemed a little deeper in most cases but there was some success in the rock piles under 12 feet with jigs and minnows.

Hungry Jack seemed to have some northern success trolling around the shallows but the walleye action was spotty thus far.

Loon Lake reported good results with lakers and northerns trolling with spoons and Rapalas. We also got a good word on Trout Lake for lakers but deep was the word here. Jigs and Swedish Pimples tipped with chubs was the choice for lures.

The word is -- get out there and enjoy some of the nice cool weather fishing for trout and northerns while we wait for the lakes to warm up a bit for the walleye bite.

GRAND MARAIS AREA

Our fishing expert, Jon Muhich of Buck’s Hardware, says fishing on Gunflint Lake bodes well for the Annual Trout Derby Picnic and Fishing Contest this Sunday, March 13.

People were heading up to Kemo Lake and picking up some LAKE TROUT. Using a jig or spoon tipped with a minnow, they were fishing in 25 to 33 feet of water. Saganaga was also reporting LAKERS in 40 to 50 feet or so. Large bucktail jigs and minnows seemed to produce some fish. Jigging Raps or Nils Masters were also working fairly well.

Gunflint was producing in 50 to 60 feet or so. Spoons and a minnow was the bait of choice according to one fisherman. Greenwood reported some nice action very deep, 55 feet or more using spoons and minnow.

A couple of standbys in the RAINBOW department would include Trout Lake for both LAKERS and RAINBOWS. Various depths will work here. Some were at 18 to 25 feet while others went much deeper 50 to 60 feet using jigs and spoons with minnows. Trestle Pine also reported some rainbow action in 16 to 23 feet using small jigs and waxies.

GRAND MARAIS AREA

Our fishing expert, Jon Muhich of Buck’s Hardware, says fishing has slowed down as seasons near an end, but anglers are staying with it none the less.

WALLEYE fishing tailed off at season’s end but Saganaga, held up and South Fowl reported a little action using jigs and minnows.

LAKE TROUT seemed to largely disappear but Birch was producing in the 30 to 40 foot range using spoons and minnows. Clearwater Lake was a bit slow but some trout were caught in the 50 foot range using spoons and large jigs tipped with a minnow. Mayhew reports some action in the 35 to 45 feet. Jigging Rapalas and spoons were being used here. Also check out West Bearskin Lake for some action. Try at 50 to 60 feet with jigs and minnows.

RAINBOW and SPLAKE action tailed off a bit this weekend but some action was being had at Kimball and Mink Lake at about 12 to 17 feet. Ice jigs and waxies or little spoons and waxies should put you onto a few fish. Leo Lake is giving up both RAINBOWS and a few SPLAKE in about 18 to 23 feet. Little spoons and waxies should do it here. MUSQUASH is giving up a few splake in 18 to 26 feet of water. People were using ice jigs and waxies.