Minnesota Steelheader

Go Fishing! If you have been unsure about weather or not to head out to your favorite North Shore River, now is the time. Make plans and get going. MN Steelheader Staffers, DB, Pete & Toad, headed out on Thursday afternoon for a trip that was to start around the Sucker and take us up to the Grand Marais area. Due to the conditions, we never made it past the Poplar River. We fished from Thursday at 3:00pm to Sunday at about 4:30ish just as the afternoon rain came...and I mean rain. Anyway, we landed our first fish at 3:40pm and lost another shortly after. That was it for Thursday. Saturday brought 4 more fish and several more hooked and lost fish....watch the log piles! Sunday also gave up a few fish. As of Sunday, Most North Shore rivers were running at normal flow. The Beaver was about the only one that was Higher than normal. Water temps in some of the smaller waters would reach afternoon temps of low 40's falling back to mid 30's in the am. Though we caught fish in seve...

Time to Fish...? It looks as though the weather is improving this week. The mild weather this past weekend brought out the anglers on the lower and a few middle shore Rivers. The highest fishing pressure was at the Lester and French rivers respectively. The Knife had it's share of anglers as well. The mouth of the French River has produced several Kamloops the last few days , but it is still reported as slower than usual. The DNR reports that the Lester has produced equal numbers of Kamloops and steelhead , but again fishing has been pretty slow. The highest fishing pressure on the middle shore over the weekend was at the Stewart, Split Rock and Baptism rivers. Anglers reported catching a few steelhead on the Split Rock and the Baptism. Water temperatures have been reported in a wide range - low 30's with some rivers reaching 40's by mid afternoon. A report form the Grand Marais area rivers is not a promising yet. As of Sunday evening much of the area rivers were still...

Winter is Back! Cold, Ice and, more cold. Until we get a warm spell, the fishing is going to be tough. Kudos to all those out braving the elements. Most anglers we spotted were fishing at the river Mouths. The forecast does not look like it will warm up all week. In the two Harbors area, Friday is the first day forecasted with above freezing temps. The long range forecasting models show next Monday approaching normal temps. Lets hope! 4/13: The fishing pressure has been lighter than usual for this time of the year. However, weekend fishing should be picking up as long as the weather continues to warm. Be prepared for some ice. We have reports that several of the lower shore rivers are still locked up with a bit of ice. We have also been informed that most of the upper shore rivers are still locked up with ice. Please hit the "comments" below to leave feedback or report

The Rivers are open! At least most rivers are, we have yet to hear from the Cascade on North. A few fish are being caught on the southern Rivers - Lester, Sucker, Knife...etc. The heat wave last week did a great job of getting thing going however, this past weekend brought another bought of winter. "All I could do was tie flies and stare out the window" says Murph , one of our field staffers. "We got about 12" in Two Harbors in that last snow storm" he added. Early in the week we stopped at the Sucker and noticed a few guys fishing. Fish had been caught but nothing while we were there. All rivers visited were in good shape..a little dark but, in good fishing shape. Most anglers were drifting using spawn and bright yarn flies while drifting pools and deep runs. The river mouths visited were in good shape for those interested in casting in the Big Lake. With the colder than usually weather this weekend, fishing is expected to be slow & cold. Water temps are...

One of the fundamental elements in fishing for migratory species like steelhead lies in understanding the interactions between flow and fish movement. Naturalized strains of Knife River steelhead and stocked Kamloops rainbows are potadromous. That is to say they migrate from the fresh water of Lake Superior into the freshwater tributaries every spring to spawn. These fish have been biologically “programmed” from an evolutionary standpoint to make their runs on increased flows. This trait allows the fish to make it into the uppermost reaches of a watershed where the best spawning and rearing habitat is most likely to be. It also increases the chances that their offspring will survive and successfully return to the lake upon smolting. With that in mind, understanding a bit about North Shore hydrology goes a long way towards understanding flow and when to fish. Article by: NMF - Minnesota Steelheader Field Staffer Read entire article here