Isle Royale Forums

Hello all,

I'm looking for some suggestions on where/what/how to fish for some good eating fish! I will be heading up for a week canoeing on the Island starting September 15 with three buddies of mine and we'll be heading up to the North Side of the island to spend time around Belle Isle. Most of the threads here seem to be in regards to spring fishing on Lake Superior so I'm a little concerned that things may be difficult in September.

Previously I've done the inland route in fall and had a great time fishing for pike on Lake Ritchie. The only thing I've caught in Lake Superior itself was a whitefish off the Belle Isle dock while I was messing around for a few minutes. I'm an experienced fisherman, but other than that I've never fished the Great Lakes.

What kind of fish should I be looking to catch from a canoe at this time of year? Whitefish? Lake Trout? Salmon? I've seen pike in Duncan Bay but I have no idea if they thrive in the waters on the north side. I'll have a couple of rods with me, either telescoping or 4-piece and room for a small tackle container.

I'm willing to try something new if anyone has any good equipment suggestions, so feel free to throw any ideas out there.

The generally accepted best method to fish for Lake Trout is to find the depth they are at using a sonar depth finder, paying attention to water temperatures and then using downriggers; almost all of which is less than optimal for canoe fishing because of the obvious logistics. Having said that, people still are successful with Lake Trout on Isle Royale without using a power boat. The unusually cold winter should extend normal May and June fishing further into the summer but will September fishing be closer to a normal September? As things warm up you generally need to go deeper. The big difference on the north side is that it drops off quickly. On the south shore there are more structures at varying depths, but with Belle Harbor, Amygdaloid Channel and McCargoe Cove there should be opportunities. Good luck and let us know how everything turns out.

Earlier Forum Lake Trout Discussion

Jigging off the bottom can be quite successful. Here are links provided by very a successful Lake Superior charter fisherman describing his jigging suggestions. I know Brian and his website is full his shared knowledge.

Brian's Tips and Tricks

Jigging Tips for Isle Royale

Brian's Video

Excellent, this is definitely the kind of information I'm looking for! The methodology for lake trout jigging seems reasonable, as I can use our charts to find deep enough water for this.