warm summer water, so it is a great time to target them. Late summer and fall are my favourite time of year to shore cast Superior. The water is cooling, the air is fresh and salmon, lake trout and steelhead begin to stage. Although river mouths are the main draw, you can be a long way from a river and still connect with chrome trout and salmon. These fish cover water and often use shoreline as they head to the spawning rivers. Lake trout will be schooling off rocky reefs and berms and can be very aggressive after summer begins to wane. I recall one September day a few years ago, when casting a spoon off a rock shore east of Nipigon was met with one laker strike after another. The fish were practically fighting each other to nail it. No, it doesn’t always work that way, but when it does, it is memorable.
What? Gear for shore-casting doesn’t need to be fancy, but there are a few tweaks that will allow for maximum range. I’d recommend a medium/heavy spinning rod of at least 8 feet in length. Match that with a high-capacity spinning reel spooled up with a quality 20-pound test braid. Attach an 18-inch leader of 15-pound fluorocarbon line and a metal clasp. Spoons are a great choice for shore casting as they are wind cheaters and flashy. The Little Cleo, Kro-
codile and Williams Bully spoons are all a good choice. The heavier the spoon, the further it will cast, but the faster it will sink. A 3/8-ounce is a good all-around weight. Crankbaits can also be deadly when cast, especially heavier ones like the X Rap. I’ve also had great luck casting jigs, both bucktail and rubber bodied, and then swimming them back to shore. Fly anglers can also cash in on shore fish, although it takes willpower and commitment. Winds are the norm on Superior and casting long distances can be difficult if you are not able to wade. Sinking line and streamers are the norm. Speaking of wading, I’d recommend that anyone who is serious about exploring shore-casting Superior buy some quality chest waders, insulated if possible. You will appreciate the extra insulation as you wade deeper than your knees in Superior’s often ice-cold water.
Who? Anyone with an adventurous spirit and the willingness to angle in tricky conditions can shore fish. Take the chance and enjoy the excitement of connecting with a fish from the shore of Superior this year.
Every advantage is needed when fishing Lake Superior. | GORD ELLIS
EAST TWIN LAKE BY JOE SHEAD WHY GO: East Twin has a very high, naturally reproducing walleye population, although the fish tend to be small. The lake has no cabins, providing an undisturbed setting without the restrictions of the Boundary Waters. ACCESS: Head up the Gunflint Trail and turn left onto South Brule Road. Turn left on the Lima Grade. The road runs between East and West Twin. The boat landing is on the west end of the lake, straight across from the access to West Twin. There’s a concrete ramp with a dock and parking for about six vehicles with trailers. There’s also a three-site campground. VITALS: East Twin Lake is 172 acres with a maximum depth of 19 feet. West Twin lies adjacent (although you’ll have to pull your boat out of the water and re-launch). West Twin is 133 acres with a maximum depth of 37 feet. The water in West Twin is clearer because East Twin sometimes develops algae blooms in summer. GAME SPECIES PRESENT: Walleye WALLEYE: East Twin has a simple fish community consisting of walleyes, suckers and some minnow species. That’s it. In fact, walleyes weren’t even native to the lake. Matthew Weberg, assistant area fisheries supervisor in Grand Marais, says the DNR only knows of one walleye stocking back in 1928, and apparently, they took. Weberg says the lake has always been known as a high-density walleye lake with small average size. “There are high numbers and slow growth,” Weberg says. “It kind of indicates they’re not only competing with white suckers, but also with themselves. Most of the fish tend to be in the 10- to 15-inch range.” Weberg says walleyes likely eat invertebrates and minnow species, the most abundant of which is creek chubs. Due to the high population of small walleyes, they may also cannibalize. There are a few cabins 42
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NORTHERN WILDS
on West Twin, and some property owners have expressed interest in stocking perch to give walleyes an additional food source, but Weberg says so far, no action has been taken. There’s good walleye structure in East Twin, including a few islands and a bottom consisting mostly of rubble and boulder. East Twin gets some algae blooms in summer, which may improve the daytime bite. West Twin doesn’t.
much appeal to most anglers, but they do provide some harvest opportunity in the spring when they run in the creek between the two lakes. Suckers may be speared or collected by hand during their spring spawning run. At other times, a nightcrawler fished on bottom may take fish. Suckers generally run 15 inches or so in the Twin Lakes.
SUCKERS, ANYONE? The Twin Lakes also have high populations of white suckers. Generally, they don’t have
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