On Saturday February 19, 2011 with the morning temperature of 7ºF we decided to drive to the north shore of Lake Superior and cast for Kamloops Rainbow Trout (Steelhead). With the promise of sunny skies and light wind we drove north.
My daughter Kayla and I met brothers Dave and John at 7 am in Forest Lake then off to Tobie's Restaurant in Hinckley MN for a hearty breakfast with plenty of hot Scandinavian coffee. Minnesota is full of Swedes, Norwegians and Finns who settled the area that reminded them of their homeland in the old country. With our bellies full of food, we set off for Duluth and Marine General to buy bait and see if the locals would give us an accurate fishing report.
We arrived in Duluth to sunny skies and 11ºF. After a few purchases and a fishing report from M.G. we were off to try our luck along the scenic shoreline between Duluth and Two Harbors. The man from M.G. told us that fishing was better further north. So not believing the guy from M.G. we naturally fished further south in a place we've been skunked in the past. We spread out along the frozen rocky shoreline and quickly began losing hooks, sinkers, bait and lures (two lines per each are allowed in Superior) in the rocky shallow water. Kayla soon gave up and began to explore the shoreline and kept moving to stay warm. At 15ºF with sunny skies and plenty of warm clothes, I was totally warm.
For those readers not familiar with Lake Superior, it is the largest freshwater body of water in the world based on surface area whereas Lake Baikal in Russia is the largest freshwater lake by volume. Lake Superior is bordered by the US States of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan and by the Canadian Province of Ontario. The lake is very cold and unpredictable. During the hottest days of August I have only been able to keep my foot in the water for approximately 90 seconds. I pity anyone who falls into the lake.
In 1975 the Edmund Fitzgerald sunk in a terrible November storm off the coast of Michigan in Canadian waters. All 29 of it crew were lost. Gordon Lightfoot wrote a ballad about wreck. The Minnesota shoreline, "The North Shore" or "The Norwegian Rivera", is very rough and beautiful with cliffs, rocky shorelines and many state parks, lodges and hotels. Many places to stay, but still very wild and open to explore.
After a few hours of fishing, we packed up and drove to Two Harbors for lunch at Subway. After lunch we moved to the breakwater pier in Two Harbors. A nice place to visit in the summer as the breakwater extends a thousand feet or so making a good sized harbor for iron ore ships to dock and load taconite destined for the steel mills of Gary.....................or Shanghai. The lighthouse located at the pier's end is no longer in use, but it must have provided hope for many ship captains on dark stormy nights. We carefully walked onto the ice cover pier and fished for 20 minutes. The morning sun now hid behind thick clouds as the wind chilled us to the bone. Only Kayla was smart enough to stay in the van.
Kayla walked out in time to take a photo for a young couple as we packed up and walked back to the van. Many folks wanted to know what we were fishing for, what we caught, etc. I guess we aren't good fishermen since we told them the cold hard truth. With the van loaded we headed into town and the local Holiday gas station for coffee and snacks. Then, north on highway 61 looking for another place to fish. There are many tributaries to fish, but with the deep snow and cold, we drove to Gooseberry Falls State Park and fished the beach where the Gooseberry River flows into Superior.
I tied on an orange and silver Little Cleo with a single hook. I took a few casts to warm up prior to baiting up my second pole with a night crawler. About the third cast, my cheapo Shakespeare pole doubled over - Fish On!!. While trying to keep the line tight, adjusting the drag and dropping my choppers (heavy mittens for you non Minnesotans) the Rainbow (Steelhead) jumped twice before I was able to drag him up to the beach and beg my brother John to flip the fish on shore. Thanks Jin - great job! Finally our first catch from the Superior shoreline.
Hold on, flag on the play! The Rainbow (Steelhead) measured 26 inches (tape measure) and weighed about 5 lbs (my estimate). A very strong fish. Unfortunately, the adipose fin near the tail fin had not been clipped by the Department of Natural Resources. This meant the fish was a native Rainbow and according to the fishing regulations had to be released immediately. Bummer!!! After a few photos and a quick call to Haley to confirm the regs we let the fish go. After a few seconds he got his bearings and took off into the frigid waters. That fish was the prettiest fish I had every caught. The colors were incredible and iridescent even in the overcast afternoon. Only fish raised at the D.N.R hatchery can be kept (if over 16 inches in length). These fish have the adipose fin clipped at the hatchery.
We continued to cast and watch our set lines but no more fish were caught. A few families stopped by to talk. All were bundled up in warm clothes as the wind blew. Kayla and I walked over to huge rock shelf full of picnic tables and literally tons of ice.
During spring, summer and fall, the park is full of visitors to see the lake and view the impressive and famous Gooseberry Falls. Many of the old stone building at the park were built in the late 20's early 30's by the Civilian Conservation Corp. A government sponsored program to put folks to work. The building are still standing and in excellent condition. The vacant campgrounds and beach held us and a few brave souls. February is the time to visit the north shore and especially Gooseberry.
All good things must come to an end so we decided to go home. The comfortable warm van was inviting after a few hard falls by Dave and me on the ice. Once I was slammed onto the ice before I even had a chance to recover and I put a big dent in my new thermos! It won't be many more years until a fall like that will put me in the hospital. We'd better fish as much as possible while the Good Lord gives us the strength to negotiate the icy shoreline. I write this on Sunday and feel good and can even walk. How do you feel Dave?
It was light when we left the park and drove the 13 miles to Two Harbors. Seems that this time of year the Whitetailed Deer move of the forest to the shoreline in search of food. During our return to Two Harbors we counted 39 deer with 5 of the 39 hanging out in town! One of the bucks still had his antlers and was strutting through town like he owned the place. These deer are getting to be over abundant like Canadian geese. After a few photos and words with the deer we hit the expressway to Duluth.
We made good time through Duluth and climbed out of the Lake Superior basin heading home. Kayla snoring away in the passenger's seat and the two brothers reading via a G4 phone and a Nook thingy. Gas up at Hinckley and home before 9 pm. We all enjoyed a great time and plan on doing it again at the end of March while our trout stamps are still valid. It doesn't really matter if we catch fish, the beauty of God's creation and the good time with loved ones makes these trips always an adventure!
