shore in less than 10 feet of water. Often the fishing spot is just a few strides away from the shore. Jigging spoons like a Little Cleo or Williams Whitefish gets the aggressive fish. A minnow or worm on a hook with a split shot is another go to. Strikes will be hard and fights generally short. When the ice pulls away and the open water appears, the specs will be ready. The same lures that catch specs being jigged vertically catch them horizontally. Small crankbaits such as the Rapala Countdown or Husky Jerk are also deadly. Remember the fish will generally be close to shore and near cover. Fallen trees, beaver dams and boulders are all fish holding spots. I remember one April driving with my Dad through footdeep snow in April. The ice was just going out and large tracts of the lake were still ice covered. Yet we cast the open water and found specs ready to bang out spoons. A great way to welcome the spring.
Shore-Cast/Boat-Fish Superior Not all of the North Shore of Superior is open in April and some of the bays—notably Black and Nipigon Bay can be ice-covered well into May. Yet there are lots of areas of the big lake that are wide open in April. So if you don’t mind the feel of a cold spray on your face, or potentially wading around ice floes, then shore-casting may be for you. The species you could potentially catch are many, but the primary target is generally steelhead that are preparing to head upstream local creeks and rivers to spawn.
Gord Ellis Sr. slips a stocked brook trout over ice on the edge of a lake. | GORD ELLIS Casting off points or beaches with long rods and braided line allows you to cover water. Despite the frigid water temperatures, steelhead will crack a spoon or bucktail jig like a bull seeing a red flag. Fights aren’t usually as acrobatic in 32.1-degree F water, but I’ve still had fish jump free.
If you can get a boat in the water in April there are even more options. On Superior, in-shore trollers and casters can get Pacific salmon such as coho and chinook, as well as steelhead. In the Nipigon River, I’ve caught salmon that were spawning in April. I’ve also caught splake that are strays from the south shore of Superior in the Nipigon in the early season. For some reason,
the majority of brown trout that are caught on the north side of the lake are taken in April. These are also strays from the south side and are amazing looking creatures. That is just a taste of what April can offer the northwestern Ontario angler. Be safe and get outside.
CASCADE RIVER BY JOE SHEAD WHY GO: The Cascade River flows through some of the most gorgeous country in Minnesota. As its name suggests, numerous waterfalls line this fast-dropping river. In addition to some amazing scenery, anglers will be treated to some great trout and salmon fishing.
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SEASONAL TIMING: Weberg notes that steelhead fishing is popular in the spring and pink salmon angling is popular in the fall from Lake Superior up to the first waterfall. If you’re after brookies above the first barrier, Weberg recommends fishing in May, June or September. During the heat of summer, fish are stressed and they retreat to cool tributaries to ride out the heat.
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STEELHEAD: Steelhead attract a lot of anglers during their spring spawning run. Although the section from Lake Superior upstream to the first waterfall is relatively short, Weberg says this stretch has some good spawning habitat. “Below the falls, there’s actually a decent run that has some pretty good spawning habitat of small to medium-sized cobble,” he says. Steelhead fry had been stocked in the
COOLWATER FISH: In its upper reaches, above Thompson Falls, the Cascade River flows through several lakes, and species such as northern pike, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and walleyes swim from the lakes and into the river, although they are not widely targeted outside the lakes.
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GAME SPECIES PRESENT: Brook trout, steelhead, coho salmon, Chinook salmon, pink
BROOK TROUT: Brook trout predominate in the middle sections, from Cascade River State Park, upstream to Thompson Falls. “We usually sample fair to high numbers of brook trout from 6 to 8 inches, but it’s not uncommon to see some surpassing 10 inches,” Weberg says. “It’s definitely been one of our more popular inland brook trout streams.” Weberg says the river is deep enough and has enough flow for fish to both overwinter and survive the summer heat. The lower section, upstream to the first waterfall, also gets lake-run or “coaster” brook trout. These lake-run brookies grow large. In fact, they are protected by a 20-inch size limit below the first waterfall.
SALMON: Pink salmon are common in Lake Superior and they have gained a quiet following on North Shore streams. “That fishery seems to be increasing in popularity over the last five to 10 years,” Weberg notes. He adds that the Cascade River is one of the most popular pink salmon destinations. “It gets a pretty good run in some years,” he says. “There’s a little bit of a run every year, but some years are better than others.” Up until 1995, the DNR stocked Chinook salmon in the Cascade River, and it was a popular fishery. Minnesota no longer stocks Chinooks, but the wayward Chinook and coho still end up in the Cascade on occasion. pe
VITALS: The river runs 17 miles from its headwaters in the Boundary Waters to Lake Superior. Along the way, it passes through more than 20 lakes. The root beer-colored water gets its coloration from the wetlands the river runs through. Weberg says the water is stained by tannic acid in decaying wetland plants.
FISHERIES OVERVIEW: “It’s got a steelhead run and a fall pink salmon run,” Weberg says. “It gets the occasional coho and Chinook salmon. I also see some Lake Superior brook trout as well. It’s a large-enough stream where it can attract most species from Lake Superior.”
river up until 2016, but it was thought these stocked fish contributed little to the fishery and the program was discontinued.
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ACCESS: The easiest place to access the Cascade River is at Cascade River State Park, right along Highway 61. This is the most popular stretch of river with anglers because lake-run trout and salmon can only swim 100 yards before they encounter the first waterfall. Other road crossings provide access as well. Matthew Weberg, assistant area fisheries supervisor in Grand Marais, says the intersection of Bally Creek Road and Devil Track Road is a good place to try. The DNR has done stream improvement projects here, which have created cover and deep holes for fish. Anglers can also gain access where Cascade River Road crosses the river.
salmon, northern pike, walleyes, perch and smallmouth bass.
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