Well I just got back from my trip to grand marais. WOW did they get rain up there! Roads were already washed out and lakes were high before we got there, and still the rain fell. It rained 8 out of the 11 days we were there. All the stuff washing into the lakes really affected the fishing. Numbers wise this was one of the worst trips ever! But quality of fish was a little better than usual. Here's the details...

DAY 1 - Northern Light Lake - We caught a handful of pike, nothing too big. Had my first ever run in with a smallmouth there. Wind was pretty bad so we ran over to nearby elbow lake where it was really blowing into the launch...caught a few small perch from the dock and then called it a day.

DAY 2 - Caribou Lake (lutsen) - Day started off nice, but then we were repeatedly battered with rainstorm after rainstorm. It would rain for 20 minutes, then the sun would shine, so on and so on. Inbetween the showers we caught about 20 nice bass and couple hammer handles. We took a huge downpoor on the way back to the launch, and of course after loading every thing up it was sunny and the lake looked like a mirror!

DAY 3 - Hungry Jack Lake - This was my first time on the lake in about 15 years, the people at hungry jack lodge were very nice and let me and my dad launch our boats for free. We caught about 20 smallies (most of which were football sized), a few sunnies (my first ever in that area), and a 5 pound northern. It seems as though the bass slot limit in that lake was worked very well. My mom also caught a 3.5 pound walleye from right over the side of the boat in about 7 feet of water. I'll definitely be coming back here next year.

DAY 4 - Greenwood Lake - The wind was HORRIBLE on this day! I was able to find one little spot near the launch that was out of the wind and the fishing SUCKED! Normally this lake will produce 100 to 300 bass a day (usually little ones) even in bad situations, but I was out for about 3 hours and caught 9! It was too windy to do much of any laker fishing, so I called it a day very early.

DAY 5 - Spent most of this day walking around town, but was able to sneak off to drive around with my baby girl while mommy did some shopping. We stopped and caught a 12 inch rainbow trout out of pine trestle lake and then a bass and walleye out of devil track. While on my way to devil track I happened upon a 12 pound snapping turtle in the road...there were no bodies of water close by so I stopped to put him in the back of my truck with the idea of releasing him at devil track...well I didn't drive more than 200 yards before he had crawled his way over the back seat and next to carseat that had MY BABY in it! I slammed the breaks, the turtle fell to the floor and I took him out, tangled him in my landing next and set some stuff ontop of him. He was later safely released. Mommy didn't appreciate my turtle heroics too much when she heard that story later on.

DAY 6 - Poplar Lake - I normally reserve this lake as a backup if gunflint or loon lakes have windy conditions, but the lake is normally pretty good for pike and that's what we wanted to catch we went there. 6 fish total, and only 1 of them was a pike.

DAY 7 - Two Island Lake - It was gray and rainy the whole day, but the fishing was pretty good. We caught about 30 bass, alot of which were above the slot. 4 good sized northerns, and alot of small perch. We even caught a couple small walleyes while fishing for bass, but the rain really started to come down in the evening so no targeting of the 'eyes for us.

DAY 8 - Crescent Lake - The day started out warm and sunny, and we caught our dozen fish in that time frame, but the clouds and rain didn't take long to move in, and we didn't get a single bite in that time. Had a few muskie follows, one of which could've weighed 12 pounds (big for this lake). Probably the slowest day ever on this lake.

DAY 9 - Devil Track Lake - Finally had some good numbers on our last day. Caught about 50 total, some good sized bass and 5 decent northerns. The wind was crazy this day too so we didn't get to fish our normal spots.

Despite the rain and the not as good fishing it was still a fun trip. There was just too much food in the water, everyone was reporting lousy catches. Me and my fiance learned that it's a whole different vacation when you bring a baby with. Was alot less freedom and the things we were able to do had to be done around the baby's schedule instead of our own. It was nice to start our own tradition up there now.

We only seen 2 moose, one of which had twins (so I guess techically we seen 4 moose), more deer than we can count, alot of eagles and loons, and a few foxes. Me and my little nephew went down to the local creek (which shall remain nameless) and caught a few small steelhead smolts (non clipped fish) and quite a few brook trout, some of which were approaching 12 inches (pretty good for a northshore stream), hopefully they'll become coaster brookies in the near future. My nephew also caught a 9 pound lake trout out of superior while him and my dad were trolling around infront of the hotel in the canoe. I took a picture of the fish with my baby laying next to it and she could literally have fit in it's belly! Along with the laker we brought back a few pike and that 3.5 pound walleye, so we're gonna have some good grillin' this holiday weekend!

I was up in Ely and it was wet there too. How about them skeeters! Itch, ouch.
I have fished some of those lakes with similar success. That area is much more fun under 'normal' conditions. That sounds like a typical day on Two Island. Nice trout, we got skunked in my boat with 4 rods out near Lester River!

Two Island is one of the original lakes we fished when we first starting coming up there, and the fishing was excellent! Then in the mid 90's there was about a 10 year stretch where the fishing just plain sucked! The bass slot has been in affect for awhile now, but it looks like it has really started paying off in the last 3 years. Last year and the year before we had excellent catches of bass. The lake is full of perch...anyone fish it in the winter? I'm thinking of heading back up in january to check it out.

Did you try Thompson lakeright by Devil track very good trout lake. We alway try to fish it a few times when were up there camping on the cascade river.

I did not make it that way. People were doing good for rainbows on trout and pine trestle though. One guy on trout had a stringer full of 15 to 18 inch rainbows.

Nice report JB, thanks.

JB, were you doing mostly boat fishing up there?? Or any shore fishing opportunities??

I'm taking the family up to Grand Marais in a couple weeks, just for the weekend, and I'd like my kids to catch some fish. Anyone of those lakes with decent shore fishing?

Most of the trout lakes have decent shore fishing opps and even fishing piers built to fish from.
Tunrevir~

We probably don't even need to try and fish from the shores of Superior right??

Toss some spoons off the breakwall if you feel like it. You never know you may get lucky.

You can fish from the boat launches of all the lakes I named. A bobber and a leech will catch a few smallies. Devil Track and Elbow are probably the best of the lakes from shore however. And yes, as already mentioned, all the designated trout lakes are very accessible for shorefishing. Mink, Kimball, Trout, and Pine Trestle are all good trout lakes. Most of the people I saw were fishing nightcrawlers floated off the bottom. As far as superior goes, I do my fishing there in a canoe to get out an extra 150 yards or so. But I have caught the occasional coho from shore as well

Thanks to all. We'll be heading up there Friday morning....

Ya I was wondering the same thing, Is the road open in the winter?

I doubt it is...unless a local with a plow on his pickup plows it themselves. It's a short walk from the road though, so I wouldn't mind that. But I'm banking on the fact there won't be much snow up there in january.

ha, we had 2 feet the first week of december.. the road is plowed the access is not. there are usally a couple shacks by the small island.. be prepared for anything up here from november on. dont bank on anything but an expensive tow bill..