Fishing Report - 4-29-10

If you are still thinking of heading up the shore for steelhead this spring - GO!

By now you probably have all heard that the shore needs rain. You may have also heard that there is "no water". Well it is true that the shore could use some rain and it is true that some of the rivers are very low but that does not mean fish are not there.

After speaking with some people on Friday there are still a lot of fish in the rivers considering the conditions. We have had reports of fish being caught from the Knife all the way past the Brule. The key is that you need to find the bigger water or use some stealth on the rivers with lower water.

The myth that low water will not produce a quality run is just that - a myth. It's similar to telling a mother-to-be that she can't give birth because it is a blizzard outside, it simply has no effect. She may not drive as far or deliver where she wants to but she will have her baby. Same holds true with a hen Steelhead. She may not swim to the ideal spawning waters, or stay in the river very long but you can count that if she has eggs she will spawn.

Here is a report from the MN DNR:

From 4/26 through 4/29, water temperatures ranged from 49-53 in the morning on the Lower Shore, 46-47 on the Middle Shore, and 43-45 on the Upper Shore. In the afternoon water temperatures ranged from 53-59 on the Lower Shore, 49-52 degrees on the Middle Shore, and 49-55 degrees on the Upper Shore.

From 4/26 through 4/29, interviewed anglers caught 6 Steelhead, 2 Kamloops, and 2 Brook Trout on the Lower Shore, 2 Steelhead on the Middle Shore, and 8 Steelhead and 1 Brook Trout on the Upper Shore.

Most watersheds on the North Shore received less than ½ inch of rain over the past few days, and all streams are still low and clear. The run is still peaking in the section of the shore from the Baptism to the Brule, and fish are present and visible in all streams in this section. Successful anglers fished early and late, used flies or worms, spotted fish, snuck up on them, and made accurate casts. There are very few anglers fishing. Go fishing; there are still lots of fish to catch from Silver Bay to Hovland.

Totals for the Knife Trap are so far are 349 unclipped steelhead, 273 maxillary clipped steelhead, and 25 Kamloops. Totals for the French River are 87 unclipped steelhead, 4 maxillary clipped steelhead and 383 Kamloops.

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