Isle Royale Forums

Hello,

Me and 3 buddies are doing a tip-to-tip trip from Rock Harbor to Windigo in mid-June and I was hoping for some advice on fishing and whether it would be worth it to rent a canoe?

Specifically, I'm looking for:
- Which inland lakes are the best for fishing from shore?
- Good campgrounds near fishing spots?
- Good spots to fish in superior?
- What types of lures have you had luck with? (I'm aware of the special guidelines)
- Can I just modify lures I currently have? i.e. cut off the barbs myself
- Is it possible to rent a canoe from Rock Harbor and return it at Windigo?
- Is it even worth portaging that far with a canoe? If so, what would be the ideal route?


A lot of questions, I know. Answers to any of them are appreciated! Thank you -RodCop

If I were backpacking the length of the island, I doubt I would carry fishing gear (pole, lures, net, fillet knife, fry pan, oil, breading - think of the weight!), since the lakes along the Greenstone and Minong (with the exception of Chickenbone) reportedly don't have good fishing. Even at Chickenbone, fishing from shore is going to be limited.

You're right, portaging a canoe the length of the island is not advisable.

I would suggest that if you want to do a lot of fishing, and get away from the crowded backpacking sites, take a canoe trip on the inland lakes instead.

Check out this post:

McCargoe to Chippewa Portage Trip
Post by tfrey » Wed Apr 13, 2022 3:01 pm

If you decide to do a canoe trip, you would need to bring the canoes over on the ferry with you (easy). If you're coming from the MN side, and don't have your own canoes, I'd recommend renting Kevlar canoes from Bear Track in Grand Marais.

Two notable lakes contain no game fish, Lake Desor and Hatchet Lake.

Shoreline fishing is challenging on the remaining lakes due to the thick brush and obstacles like swamps and rock ledges, but it is possible.

I've never caught any fish from the Lake Superior shoreline. Others have at times been successful.

You can't go wrong by using a red Daredevil for Northern Pike. Search this subforum for posts on recommended lures. Here is one such post... viewtopic.php?p=26053#p26053

You can pinch the barbs on the lures yourself.

The eastern third of the island offers good fishing on the inland lakes. With 4 backpackers, it's not hard to divvy up a backpacking skillet, cooking oil, breading, foil, etc. We've done the same and had great meals from Chickbone, Richie and Mason. Superior is a different matter. We've only had luck at Lane cove, where the water is shallower. Also, we have only tried fishing Superior during Late July-Sept when the water is warmer.

Can't answer all your questions, but it is simple to pinch or file off the barbs on a set of hooks, and then exchange the hooks on your lures of choice to fish where barbless is required. There is a growing trend in sport fishing to fish barbless anyway - less injury to the fish if catch-and-release, easier to remove the hook that gets imbedded in a person, adds challenge to playing the fish as they can spit the hook easier. After your trip, switch the hooks back. Or keep a set of barbless lures!

I do most of my fishing from the shore and the docks. I have good luck flipping #4 and larger Mepps and Foxx spinners, floating jointed and unjointed Rapalas usually F13 or jointed rebels work well too. I've also had good luck with mid-sized Cleos from the docks. I stick to eating my fish at camps where I can easily grill or plank them over existing fire pits (Malone, Chippewa, McCargoe, Siskiwit, etc... )
I've personally caught fish at every Lake Superior dock I've casted from except Caribou Island last spring and I didn't try very hard because the weather was miserable.

Two Weeks of mixed inland & shore Fishing added six fish meals to the trip:

17 Northerns
2 Lakers (one smaller lean, one big siskowit probably 40"+ )
2 Coasters (one about 18")
1 Whitefish (snagged)

Thank you all for the advice! We plan to fish near Lane Cove and at Chickenbone— I’ve pinched my barbs and packed all my carbs, ready to (not) rip some lips!

Tips up!

-RodCop

rodcop wrote: ↑Fri Jun 09, 2023 8:06 pm Thank you all for the advice! We plan to fish near Lane Cove and at Chickenbone— I’ve pinched my barbs and packed all my carbs, ready to (not) rip some lips!

Tips up!

-RodCop

Just be aware of the rules about going from Superior to inland lakes. You're supposed to change spools going from superior to an inland lake and you'll need to have a MI license to fish superior, but not the inland lakes and streams.